Paddle

Thursday, October 3 – Paddle on Little Hurricane Creek to end of Carvers Branch.  Pleasant Grove Public Use Area, 199 Pleasant Grove Dr., Estill Springs, TN. Joint outing with the Murfreesboro Chapter.  This may be the prettiest section of Tims Ford Lake.  We will meet at 9 am at the Pleasant Grove boat ramp.  Bring a lot of water and lunch.  We will eat lunch at the end of Carvers Branch at the Owl Hollow WMA picnic area.    Register with Joan Hartvigsen, jhartvigs@comcast.net or 931-636-2914.

 Tuesday, October 8-Friday October 11 – Kayaking Santeetlah and Fontana Lakes. Hiking.  Camping at Rattler Ford Group Camp, Robbinsville, NC.  Register early with Joan Hartvigsen, jhartvigs@comcast.net,  931-636-2914 to secure a spot.  Santeetlah Lake is one of the most beautiful lakes in the country.  It is surrounded by blue mountains and the Nantahala National Forest and has 76 miles of shoreline.  Gorgeous Fontana Lake forms part of the southern border of Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the northern border of part of the Nantahala National Forest.   It is the largest lake in western North Carolina.  The 480 ft tall Fontana Dam is the highest dam east of the Rockies. The Appalachian Trail crosses the Dam.    Possible hikes include an AT hike from Fontana Dam to Shuckstack Fire Tower and return, 9 miles total, elevation change about 2,400 ft.  Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest and hikes along the Cherohala Skyway are near our campground.  Rattler Ford Group Camp sits near the swift moving Santeetlah Creek in the Nantahala National Forest.  The camp is wooded and has flush toilets and hot showers. 

Friday through Sunday, September 6-8 – Camping on Little Island on Tims Ford Lake, kayaking on Tims Ford Lake, and hiking on Ray Branch Peninsula. Joint outing with the Murfreesboro Chapter, Sara Pollard. Contact Joan Hartvigsen to reserve a spot-on Little Island, at jhartvigs@comcast.net or 931-962-0811. Saturday we will kayak to Ray Branch Peninsula and hike Evans Loop Trail and a section of the Ray Branch Shoreline Trail. The total hiking distance is four miles. You will need hiking boots and hiking socks in addition to camping gear, water shoes, kayaking gear, and food and water. Saturday evening, we will drive to Winchester and eat outdoors at Twin Creeks Marina.

August 23, 2024, 9:30 AM – Tim’s Ford Lake Paddle.  5 to 6 hours of calm lake paddling.  We’ll put in at Devil’s Step Boat Ramp and head west for our first snack break on either Goose Island or Maple Bend Island, and then spend most of our time exploring the beautiful and generally lightly trafficked Owl Hollow Creek.  We’ll stop at Devil’s Step Island to see an old graveyard shortly before taking out. Bring lunch, plenty of water, sunscreen and your personal flotation device.   We will meet at the Devil’s Step Public Boat Ramp, 750 Fairview Road, Winchester.  To register or for more information contact Jim Barritt, jsbarritt@gmail.com or 931-492-3212.

Sunday, July 7 – Normandy Lake Paddle to Waterfalls. Joint Sunday activity with the Murfreesboro chapter. We will paddle from Ward’s Chapel Boat Ramp on Normandy Lake to Short Springs State Natural Area’s Machine Falls and then paddle to Ovoca Falls. We’ll meet at 8:00 am CT at the Dollar General Store, 1832 McArthur Street in Manchester. McArthur Street is Highway 55. We will paddle to the end of Bobo Creek, disembark and walk in the water of Machine Falls Branch Creek wearing our water shoes to view Machine Falls. You may need a hiking pole. Then we will paddle down to the end of Carroll Creek to see Ovoca Falls. Pack lunch and plenty of water. For more information or to sign up, contact Joan Hartvigsen, 931-636-2914 or jhartvigs@comcast.net