Stones River Float - Tony

Saturday July 22, nine brave souls left the Manson Pike trailhead for a three hour tour....oops, wrong show.

The Stones River float on 6/22 was a crazy three mile adventure. The float started with just a sprinkle of rain and the rest was smooth sailing until the first waterfall, and yes, it was a waterfall. We had a few join the kayak flip club but we all had to empty our boats. The second big waterfall was just a few feet from the first so we walked them around the grassy area to get to the other side...cheating a little bit I know but none of us were really prepared for a little version of the HIWASSEE river.

All in all a fantastic float and everyone had a wonderful time...and yes, Sara Pollard, who had never flipped a kayak...finally joined the club.

Stones River Float - Tony

Eleven of us from The Tennessee Trails Murfreesboro and Highland Rim Chapters put our kayaks in at Walter Hill Dam in Murfreesboro and floated about 6 miles to the Mona Boat Ramp along the Stones River East Fork. 

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Stones River East Fork - Jim

Jim Schroeder led TTA hikers Sara Pollard, Valerie Galen, Nabil Wakid, Cindy Schroeder, and Roy Duncan on a hike around the perimeter of the Coleman Farm on the East Fork of the Stones River for a total out and back distance of 5+miles.  It was a beautiful fall day with frequent views of the river now that most of the leaves have fallen, and the fallen leaves many times providing a rustling sound in the stillness of the woods as the hikers moved onward. An ulterior motive of Jim on the hike was to get a better view of the sink into which the Coleman Creek disappears on its way to the river, coming ever closer to  the existing trail path. This sink may provide an engineering challenge for the designers of the  proposed Walter Hill Greenway on these lands. On the return trek, we took a steep path down the bank to a gravel bar on the water’s edge, which exposed shells of many kinds (including a portion of a prehistoric plant fossil), provided a good spot for a snack, and allowed for a great view of the rock cliffs on the opposite edge of the river.  They is no more fitting way on a day like this was, than to enjoy the outdoors in the company of fellow hikers. 

Stones River Battlefield - Sara

There were 8 hikers on the Stones River Battlefield hike Sunday afternoon coordinated by Jenny Jacobs. Jim Schroeder led the intrepretative hike throughout the battlefield and did an excellent job.

Hikers were Emily Brazzle, Barry Click, Roy Duncan, John Forshey, Valerie Galen, Jenny Jacobs, Sara Pollard, and Jim Schroeder

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