TTA PLATEAU CHAPTER: February 2020

FEBRUARY SCHEDULED HIKES

Wednesday, February 5 -- CT North Soddy Gorge Central Section, Soddy Daisy, TN. SHORT moderate to strenuous 4 mile hike on the Soddy Gorge segme okant from the Little Soddy Trailhead to the Climbers Trailhead. LONG hike is approximately 8 sometimes strenuous miles from the Little Soddy Gulf Trailhead to the Little Soddy Trailhead crossing several streams and an old mine. There will be a short shuttle. Depart from Trinity Tabernacle Church at 8am CT. Carpool cost $6. For additional information contact the hike coordinator, Deb Westervelt, plateauhikes@tennesseetrails.org or text/call 931-267-2243.

Saturday, February 8 - South Cumberland State Park, Greeter Falls to Big Stone Door, Altamont, TN. Greeter Falls to Big Stone Door with scenic overlooks along the way. Approximately 7 miles. Moderate. Depart at 8am from Trinity Tabernacle on HY127 South. Carpool cost is $7. For additional information contact the hike coordinator, Deb Westervelt, plateauhikes@tennesseetrails.org or text/call 931-267-2243.

Wednesday, February 12, Cumberland Trail North Soddy Gorge Section, Soddy Daisy, TN . We'll thru hike the Soddy Gorge segment of the CT from the Mowbray Pike Trailhead to the Little Soddy Trailhead. The hike is approximately 5 moderate to strenuous miles crossing several streams, a waterfall, passing thru Little Stone Door, an Indian Rockhouse, an old mining camp, and a natural stone bench. There will be a short shuttle. We can extend the hike 1 mile by doing the Historic Mining Loop. SHORT hike is the mining loop plus a portion of the CT and back. Depart 8am CT from Trinity Tabernacle Church HY 127 South. Carpool cost is $6. Pack water, snacks and lunch. For more information contact the hike coordinator Deb Westervelt, via text/call 931-267-2243 or email plateauhikes@tennesseetrails.org.

Thursday, February 13, Chapter Monthly Meeting. Meeting held 6pm in the First Methodist Church Annex. Meet for dinner at 4:30pm Beef and Barrel on West Ave. Please let Norm know you are coming to dinner, (931) 202 - 2338.

Wednesday, February 19, Old Stone Fort and Short Springs, Manchester, TN. We will have two hikes for a total of 6 -7 miles of moderate hiking (each hike is approximately 3.5 miles in length). The Old Stone Fort is a loop trail circling a two thousand year old stone wall built by ancient American natives. There is also a nice museum. The Short Springs hike features a short hike to a waterfall. Depart from Tractor Supply at 8 am CT. We will eat lunch at Jiffy Burger in Manchester. Carpool cost is $7. For additional information contact Bill Harris 931-484-9152 or Howard Owen 931-484-1328.

Wednesday, February 26 Cumberland Trail, Crab Orchard- Black Mountain. We'll hike in/out approximately 6 miles rated moderate to difficult (it's the CT) starting from a side road halfway up the mountain for a short walk to the trail which heads towards Ozone. Depart from the Dorton United Methodist Church 3405 HY 70E, one mile East of Peavine Rd at 7:30 a.m CDST. The Church is next door to Certified Cylinder. Carpool cost is $1. Don’t forget tick/bug spray and sunscreen. Pack water, snacks and lunch. For additional information contact the hike coordinator, Deb Westervelt, at plateauhikes@tennesseetrails.org or text/call 931-267-2243.

Saturday, February 29, Dog Cove Loop, Sparta, TN.

We will hike 6 moderate to strenuous miles loop trail up Lower Gap Trail to a small arch then past 2 old homesteads. Carpool cost $3. Don’t forget tick/bug spray and sunscreen. Pack water, snacks and lunch. Depart at 8am CT from Tractor Supply on West Ave. For additional information contact the hike coordinator, Deb Westervelt, plateauhikes@tennesseetrails.org or text/call 931-267-2243.

WELCOMES ALL HIKERS

NOTE 1: Check Blog the Evening Before hikes and/or Early Morning on hike day; It May Be Necessary To Change/Cancel some hikes.

NOTE 2: Hike Information - contact plateauhikes@tennesseetrails.org

Hiking Rules & Information

Leadership—Wednesday hikes are leaderless. Unless otherwise announced there are usually hikers familiar with each hike, so we rarely get lost. But each hiker is responsible for his own safety, maintaining contact with the rest of the group, etc.

Hike Difficulty—Hikes typically range from 5-10 miles. There is usually a lot of elevation change and rugged terrain. Neighborhood walkers and inexperienced hikers will find nearly all our hikes difficult. More experienced hikers accustomed to climbs of thousands of feet in the Smoky’s would place most of our hikes in the moderate to difficult class.

Hazard—Hiking is not “a walk in the park”. Hazards exist on all our hikes. They range from high cliffs, steep rock scrambles, falling icicles, stream crossings, just to name a few. These hazards are so commonplace they are rarely mentioned in the trail descriptions.

Supplies and Equipment---Hiking boots are recommended for all our hikes. Several of our hikers wear snake proof gaiters. We have lunch on the trail. Drinking water is mandatory to prevent dehydration, leg cramps and other complications. Failure to bring adequate food and water is a hazard and an imposition on other hikers. Other discretionary items include compass, pocket knife, first aid supplies, etc.

Gasoline reimbursement---We car pool to trailheads typically a half hour to 2 1/2 hours from Crossville. Riders are expected to pay for the gasoline. Drivers incur wear and tear on the vehicle and risk that it may be damaged. Since the riders’ contribution varies with mileage and gas price, cost is decided before each hike, and indicated on the Blog. (Typical gas costs vary from $2 to $12 per person depending on driving distance.) Please bring extra shoes to avoid tracking mud into vehicles.

Trail etiquette---Experience has taught us that bad things happen when individuals separate from the group. Time and energy is expended looking for separated hikers even if it turns out they have not missed a turn. Therefore, each hiker should maintain eye contact with at least one other hiker. Small goups should maintain eye contact with the rest of the group. At least one hiker from the main group needs to be informed of bathroom breaks and other delays so that individuals don’t get separated. The group doesn’t split up unless there are extraordinary circumstances (eg, worn out hikers take a short cut). Under those circumstances there must be at least two hikers in each group and a clear understanding of the obligations of each group for driving arrangements or waiting at the trailhead.

Hike Pace---We normally hike around 2.5 mph depending on terrain. Practical experience indicates that this pace keeps us together pretty well. However, individual preferences vary with respect to desired time spent at a waterfall or other scenic highlight. There is no silver bullet for resolving these differences other than courtesy. Photographers and others who want to take a closer look need to be sensitive to the will of the majority as do the get-down-to business hikers. Since we spend a lot of energy and time to see sights that can not be seen from a car, ties should be broken in favor of the sightseers.

Liability---Bad things can happen on hike: auto accidents,injury,equipment damage or failure, etc. Our group does not assume any collective or individual liability for any such mishaps. Each hiker is individually responsible for his own safety.

Punctuality---Zero tolerance. We leave the car pool location promptly at the time announced on the Blog.

Hunting season---Hike plans are formulated to avoid the worst of the hunting hazards but, we cannot avoid all exposure to hunters. Therefore it is each hikers responsibility to dress in blaze orange or other bright,visible clothing during hunting season.

TTA PLATEAU CHAPTER

February 2020

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