Hike Report- Edgar Evins

March 6 - Hike at Edgar Evins State Park with State Naturalist, Randy Hedgepath and the Upper Cumberland Chapter -- Fount and I joined the Upper Cumberland Chapter TTA for a hike led by the State Naturalist, Randy Hedgepath, at Edgar Evins State Park, near Smithville. Randy Hedgepath is an entertaining and educational guide to the world of nature. We feel fortunate anytime we get to hike with him. There was a good turnout, maybe 20 -25, for the hike, mostly from Cookeville. Randy and the majority of the hikers continued up onto the strenuous Merrit Ridge Trail Loop from the easier, shorter Jack Claiborne Millennium Trail Loop where they intersect. Fount and I, along with Vickie Ann Williams from Nashville, completed the shorter loop and then ate a delicious meal at the park's marina restaurant. The weather was perfect despite a few drops of rain earlier in the morning. This month's TN Conservationist Magazine has a feature article about this 8 mile system of connecting trails on page 11. It was written by Fran Wallas, a member of the Nashville Chapter of TTA, and the trails were built by members of several TTA chapters, with a large representation by the Murfreesboro Chapter, in the years 2000 and 2001. (Frans' article is scanned and attached.) Randy Hedgepath plans to call upon the TTA again for some future work days on the Merrit Ridge Trail for erosion control, re-blazing, and some fine tuning. The two trails together provide a strenuous 8 mile hike with lake overviews and deep woods.