Tennessee Trails- Murfreesboro: Short Springs State Natural Area Part One: MACHINE FALLS 4-22-11

Hikes,Floats,Friendship and Fun!

Tuesday March 13-Monthly Meeting- Join us for a journey to the lands of Nepal, Mount Everest base camp in Tibet and other places in between as Marcia Medford and her husband Bill take us there through the magic of photography and the spoken word. We are most fortunate that they have agreed to share their photos and stories. Perhaps we can dream someday of repeating this wonderful feat ourselves…if not in real life, then in our dreams!

Sara Pollard's Info:sara.pollard@mtsu.edu or 615-714-3610.

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Short Springs State Natural Area Part One: MACHINE FALLS 4-22-11

This is a two part post. Since I am leading a hike at Short Springs tomorrow I thought I'd take my beagle on a pre-hike so that I would at least know where I'm going while leading people tomorrow.

I did the 2 mile Machine Falls loop and the falls, the highlight of Short Springs was beautiful and flowing nicely. The wildflowers, while diminishing were still colorful and I can tell that the humidity is returning to Middle Tennessee. I think I sweat completely through my shirt and it was only two miles. Charles Barkley fared better, he sat in the water up to his neck. Beagles are smart dogs.

Part Two of this post tomorrow will be the Bobo Creek Trail with Busby Falls also at Short Springs and a side trip to the Rutledge Falls that is just down the road.

To view the full gallery click HERE!

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CHAPTER ACTIVITIES:

MARCH 2012

Sat. March 3 — Montgomery Bell State Park East Loop; 7 miles, moderate. We will enjoy a nice relatively level walk at MBSP near Dickson, TN. This will be a loop trail and will pass creeks, nice wooded areas and leisurely walking. We will have lunch at a shelter at approximately 3 miles in. We will also stop for pictures and rest at Creech Hollow Lake at the approximate 5.5 mile mark. Please bring your lunch and your camera and let’s have a fantastic hike. We will carpool from Murfreesboro, please contact Tony Jones at 615-397-4463 or tonjon1968@gmail.com for information or to register.

Sat. March 3 —Green Mountain (Certain & Varnadoe Trails)—Bob Goodwin

Sat. March 10 —Varnedoe and Certain Trails, Green Mountain, Huntsville, Alabama. This is a joint hike with the Highland Rim Chapter. The Varnedoe Trail is the newest of the Land Trust trails and was completed during the summer of 2009. It allows a complete loop on Green Mountain which includes the Sugar Tree and the Certain Trails. Bob Goodwin and Sandra Parker will lead this moderate+ 5 mile hike which will include panoramic views of Huntsville and the Tennessee Valley as well as sharp rock outcroppings. The trail is in good condition, but rocky and uneven in places. About half way, there will be a 300 foot elevation gain in a half mile, and then the trail follows the top of Green Mountain and is mostly flat. Near the end, there is a 350 foot elevation loss in about a half mile. We will leave from the Cracker Barrel on Church Street at Interstate 24, Exit 81 in Murfreesboro at 8:00 AM. Distance from the meeting place to Green Mountain is about 90 miles. For more information and to register for the hike, please contact Bob Goodwin at CAMEL40@earthlink.net or 256-564-8417.

Sat-Sun March 10-11 —Backpack, Prentice Cooper area—12 miles rated moderate. We will be hiking the Pot Point Loop trail which follows the side of Suck Creek Mountain and includes some stunning views of the Tennessee River Gorge. The trail has enough changes in altitude to make it interesting. Most of the mileage will be on the first day. Hopefully some spring wildflowers will be blooming! For more information contact Charlotte Broyles at broylescha@hotmail.com or home phone 615-890-6308.

Tue. March 13 —Chapter Meeting, Join us for a journey to the lands of Nepal, Mount Everest base camp in Tibet and other places in between as Marcia Medford and her husband Bill take us there through the magic of photography and the spoken word. We are most fortunate that they have agreed to share their photos and stories. Perhaps we can dream someday of repeating this wonderful feat ourselves…if not in real life, then in our dreams!

Sat. March 17 —Edgar Evins Waterfall Tour. Reserve early,spaces fill up fast.

(1.) Cummins Falls... Easy in out out trail...Less than ¼ mile each way.

(2.) City Lake Park...Paved easy trail...About 200 yards.

(3.) Hidden Hollow Falls...Easy paved trail.

Ride vans to all three falls in the Cookeville area. Short driving distances from each. We will have lunch at the Golden Corral buffet in Cookeville. Reservations will open February 1st at the park office. Phone 1-800-250-8619 or (931) 858-2114 for reservations. Fee is $10 per person and buy your own lunch. Visit http://foeesp.ne1.net/ for more information.

Sat. March 24 —Loop consisting of the Overlook, Schoal Creek and other trails, David Crockett State Park, Lawrenceburg, TN. This is a joint hike with the Columbia/Franklin Chapter. Bob Goodwin and Sandra Parker will lead this 5+ mile moderate hike which includes panoramic views of the valley, picturesque views of the meadows, lake scenes and a rushing creek. There will be an elevation gain of 200 feet, then a slow descent to the lake; then an ascent of 250 feet (with about 80 steps up and shortly after, the same down). Then a nice scenic hike along the creek. Overall the condition of the trail is very good. After our hike we will have lunch at the park restaurant. In addition, this park has a very nice historical museum that you may want to see after lunch. We will leave from the Murfreesboro Sam’s Club overflow parking lot next to Hardees at 8 AM. Distance from Sam’s Club to David Crockett State Park is about 90-100 miles depending on the route (about 1 ½-2 hours). For more information and to register for the hike, please contact Bob Goodwin at CAMEL40@earthlink.net or 256-564-8417.

Sat. March 31 — Little Swan Trail at Old Natchez Trace; 4.3 miles, moderate. One of the most fabled “deaths” in Tennessee occurred near here when famed explorer Meriwether Lewis was found with part of his head blown off. Was it murder or suicide? Well, let’s walk the trail and see if we can find that out. This 4.3 mile loop will start at the monument and go past Lewis’ grave until it forks to the Little Swan where the moss covered trail curves through a forest of small oaks, descends via switchbacks into a hollow and runs past stands of oak and tulip poplar rising above beds of Christmas fern. Dogwoods bloom here in April so maybe we can get an early glimpse. We will have lunch on the trail. We will carpool from Murfreesboro to the trail head. For information or to register, contact Tony Jones at 615-397-4463 or tonjon1968@gmail.com

APRIL 2012

Sat. 4/7—Bowling Farm Spring Potluck—Tony Jones

Sat. 4/14—Lookout Mountain led by Jim Schroeder.

Sat. 4/21—Piney River section of the Cumberland Trail led by Sara Pollard.

Sat. 4/28—Stone Door Gulf Trail/Ranger Falls-Tony Jones

MAY 2012

Sat. 5/5—Collins West, Suter & Horsepound Falls—Tony Jones

Sat. 5/12—Cumberland Trail Soddy Section—Jim Schroeder

Sat. 5/19—Cloudland Canyon Rim Trail—Anna/Fount Bertram

Sat. 5/26—Savage Gulf (Stone Door to Greeter w/shuttle)—Tony Jones

JUNE 2012

Sat. 6/2—Nat’l Trails Day—Barfield Trail Work

Sat. 6/9—Hidden Passage Trail at Pickett State Park—Jim Schroeder

Sat. 6/16—Cumberland Caverns Commercial Tour only--walking with lighted pathways led by Tony Jones

Tennessee Trails- Murfreesboro

Hikes,Floats,Friendship and Fun!

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Short Springs State Natural Area Part One: MACHINE FALLS 4-22-11

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