Thursday, October 26 –Sewanee Perimeter Trail segment. Round trip, about 8 mies, moderate. Meet at the Lake Cheston Parking lot off Cosby Lane at 8:00 am. We will take the Wiggins Creek Trail to the Sewanee Perimeter Trail, then head west. We will have lunch at King’s Farm, then retrace our steps back to Lake Cheston. We will enjoy overlooks, beautiful forests and interesting geology. Please register with Joan Hartvigsen, jhartvigs@comcast.net or 931-636-2914.
Saturday,October 14 – Gilbert Gaul Loop, Fall Creek Falls State Park, Spencer, TN. 4.5 mile loop. Easy to moderate. 100 ft. Elevation change, rolling hills. Joint hike with the Murfreesboro Chapter, Sara Pollard. Meet at the trailhead at 8:00 am CT. Please register with Joan Hartvigsen, jhartvigs@comcast.net or 931-636-2914. Half of the loop is through the woods. On the return part of the loop, the trail parallels the shore of Fall Creek Lake, with several waterside views. Bring water and snacks. After the hike, lunch at the lodge and a planning session at 11 am for the 2024 TTA Annual Meeting.
Sunday, October 8 – Sherwood Forest Trail, Sherwood State Natural Area, Sherwood, TN. 3 mile loop, easy. Meet at 2pm at the trailhead, 1900 Old CCC Road, Sherwood, TN. This hike features overlooks, a natural bridge and a beautiful forest. Please register with Joan Hartvigsen, jhartvigs@comcast.net or 931-636-2914. Bring water and a snack.
Beaman Park, east section of Laurel Woods Trail, 7.5 miles, difficult due to length and elevation changes. The trail is well constructed in pretty woods on natural turf. There is a good view of the Nashville skyline. Dogs are welcome if on a leash. Meet 8:00 A.M. CT, Madison Street Food Lion parking lot. ∼32 miles to trail head. Contact Cinde Jones 870-215-8993
Cancelled – Raccoon Mountain Hike. 13-mile loop rated moderate with some elevation change. Raccoon Mountain is located 15 miles west of Chattanooga. The trail system circles around the TVA Raccoon Mountain Pumped Storage Facility. This facility is a true engineering feat that works like a large battery: water is pumped from the Nickajack Reservoir up to a man-made lake on the mountain and stored to be released when needed. We’ll start our hike at the Visitor Center that offers a beautiful view of the river gorge. The trails offer a variety of wooded settings and natural features, including spectacular views of the Tennessee River Valley and Gorge. The mountaintop is home to whitetail deer, woodchucks, gray foxes and, of course, raccoons. Bring water, snacks, and lunch. For more information about carpooling from Murfreesboro or to sign up, contact Sara Pollard at 615-714-3610 or sarabpollard@gmail.com.
Fall Creek Falls State Park – Gilbert Gaul Loop. 4.5-mile loop rated easy to moderate with a 100 ft. elevation change. Joint hike with the Highland Rim chapter. This trail is one of the favorite hikes listed in the Fran Wallas Hiked’em All program that involves a patch and an achievement rocker to be worn under the patch. More information about the program is at https://tennesseetrails.org/hikes-events/36-fran-wallas-hikes/. Half of the loop is through the woods and the return part of the loop parallels the shore of Fall Creek Falls Lake. Bring water and snacks. Meet at the trailhead at 8:00 A.M. CT. After the hike, we’ll enjoy lunch at the lodge and a planning session at 11:00 A.M. for the 2024 TTA Annual Meeting. For more information or to sign up, contact Sara Pollard at 615-714-3610 or sarabpollard@gmail.com