Angels Don't Fall (Looking for the Big South Fork at Angles Falls Redoux)

So back on May 21st I had the day off. With that being the case and the rugrat being away at a friends house, Robin and I decided to take advantage of the situation and take off to one of our most favoritest places to hike, The Big South Fork. We tried to hike to Angel Falls a while back but were unsuccessful due to Robin and the Kid not feeling very well. This time however Robin and I both were feeling very well and our trusty sidekick Clover was bound and determined to find that fork.

The trail as I've mentioned before is a beautiful trail filled with several different varieties of ferns, a couple different types of trillium, and much much more flora and fauna. The geology surrounding the trail is quite magnificent as well. On one side huge rock outcroppings and on the other the South Fork of the Cumberland River winds its way through the mountainous area.

This is a easy to slightly moderate trail. I say easy because at least half of the trail is very soft which is great for the knees and ankles. It's also mostly flat. There are only a few inclines along the trail and they aren't more than 25 - 50ft gain in elevation if that. The moderate part comes in with the distance. It's 2 miles back to Angel Falls, making the trail a total 4 mile out and back trip. The other half of the trail that is not soft is a bit rocky so you will definitely want to watch your step.

Anyway, it was indeed a great day for a hike, or in Clover's case a sniff. She didn't find the fork this time either so I suppose she will have to wait til the next time we head up that way. Until then enjoy these shots from the trail.

Happy Trails,
Tim and Robin

The Trail.
See nice and soft.

A rock in the sand at the falls

Me looking up the face of an outcropping
I told you, there are very interesting Geological formations all over this place.

Mountain Laurel in Bloom

More Geology
(Did I mention they have huge boulders here?)

An interesting find to say the least.

Spoiler Alert!!!

Falls Are Below

Angel Falls

A Pretty Yellow Flower

Cumberland Gap via Frozen Head

This weekend was measuring up to be a real gorgeous weekend and we decided what better way to spend it than to go camping. We made our minds up on Thursday that we would go camping at Frozen Head State Park. I guess you can call us creatures of habit when it comes to camping. Frozen Head in Wartburg, TN is our favorite camp destination. It is nice and cool with a very thick canopy to keep the sun off of you and a creek real close by as well as playgrounds and much more at your disposal.

Well, Robin had everything packed and ready to go when I got home Friday afternoon. It wasn't soon after and we were on our merry way headed to Frozen Head. After about an hours drive, we arrived at our destination only to find there were no camp spots left in the campground. That was even after Robin called to make sure there were spots left earlier in the morning. Just to fill you in, we went up there on Wednesday to scope out everything. We wanted to make sure there wasn't a burn ban or anything major going on. We found upon our arrival that the Cumberland Trail Conference was there for the week working on the North Boundary Trail, and we also notice a few cars arriving with canoes and kayaks and thought that a bit odd since there is no where to canoe or kayak at Frozen Head when it dawned on us they were likely camping there and having something going on at the Obed.

Well upon further research we found out that the Viking Canoe and Kayaking club was having a basic class for it's members at the Obed and had reserved several spots at Frozen Head's campground. So we knew it was going to bad but we didn't think it would be full when we arrived. Low and behold it was but we refused to be defeated. We decided in short manner to head to Cumberland Gap regardless of the fact that there are now Black Bears in the area.
So back towards the way we came from and then another hour and half drive before we arrived at Cumberland Gap. We finally found a good spot that we thought would serve us well and we started to set up camp. In no time, we had camp set and ready and I was off to the registration station to get us squared away. The Ashbinator, was set to the task of gathering wood for the evening, Robin was was getting things ready for dinner, and Clover was being Clover as always but this time in Burt's ginia. (Clover gets things a little mixed up from time to time. She heard us say we were in Virginia and thought we said Burt's ginia). So as the wood was being brought in by Ashby I was getting in order for burning and then getting a fire going.

The evening was fine, we had hamburgers and chips and then settled in with the fire, a cup of coffee, and the shortwave radio. We listened to Coast to Coast and other AM stations as well as various amateur radio stations on the Ham Bands. I guess it was about 2:00am and Robin and I decided it was time to turn in. This time around, we opted instead of bringing the sleeping bags and cots to sleep in, to bring the big queen size air mattress. It was quite the experience to say the least. The mattress has a very slow leak or something and to top it off the temps got down into the 40's and you know what happens to inflated objects in cold weather. Needless to say Robin and I slept in a bowl and were bouncing each other back forth with each and every movement.

It was around 4am when Ashby woke up having to go... and Robin took her. It was pretty cold at this point and when they returned Robin had me put on my hoodie and a pair of socks as my feet were like ice cubes. I guess you could say we weren't quite prepared for camping at Cumberland Gap. It was about 9:30am when I finally arose. I got up and answered the call, and then took Clover to take care of her business. Upon returning, I got the fire going so we could have coffee. Robin was up shortly after that and getting breakfast going. After a good meal of Pancakes and Coffee we sat down in our chairs and were feeling pretty miserable. We didnt pack any shorts as we had figured we'd be at Frozen Head, we hadn't planned on any hikes, and at Cumberland Gap there's not much more to do, unless you bring a bike or money for guided tours. So there we were at about 11:00am, it was 80 degrees, and we were just miserable. So we made an executive decision to pack it up and head home a day early.

Now don't get me wrong, Cumberland Gap is a really nice park. The campground was nice and the area is just beautiful. However, considering that we were prepared to camp elsewhere, the experience just wasn't what we were hoping for. So the moral of the story, when your gut tells you to go else where to camp, plan for that and go with your gut. If we had listened to Robin's gut, we would be in front of a fire and listening to George Noory on Coast to Coast AM.

Happy Trails,
Tim and Robin

First Hike of 2009 - Greenleaf Trail - Cumberland Gap

With yesterday being the first day of Spring, and today we found ourselves with hospitable weather, we decided it was time to do away with the crampness of the winter indoors and let our souls and spirits be free to roam in the great outdoors. That's right, we decided it was time to get out under the blue sky and soak in some Vitamin D. With that in mind, last night we sat down to plan where we would set ourselves free. In the end, we decided upon Cumberland Gap State Park.

Considering we hadn't hiked all winter long, and that we are totally out of shape (unless of course you consider round a shape), we figured tackling the Wilderness Road Ridge Trail to Hensley Settlement or White Rocks would best be left for another time. Instead we opted for a nice little one-mile nature trail called Greenleaf Trail. The trailhead is located in the Wilderness Road Campground at the amphitheatre. The trail itself is only .8 miles or so, but we had to park at the group camp parking area and walk through part of the campground to get there.

Upon entering the trailhead just past the amphitheatre the trail meanders downhill all the way until you meet up with the Station Creek. Along the way down, well I won't try to describe the trail the way the trail guide does that you can download from the Cumberland Gap NPS Site does but I'll just say that it's quite leafy on the trail. Be careful as you start as the trail is not blazed but being a nature trail it's not that hard to follow. We stopped about half way down as I had spotted some little red flowers of some sort that were beginning to pop out of the ground. This then lead to the spotting of some little red insects. It was at this point that Robin decided to pull out Fluzzy and take a few shots to get the camera setup and ready for anything that caught her eye further along the trail.

After a few shots we continued on all the while spying the bottom of the trail with Station Creek in sight. The creek is a gentle flowing creek through the bottom of the trail area. The creek added to the tranquil setting of the woods. Upon reaching the bottom of the descent the trail continues for a nice little stint along the creek. At one point you come to a point where the creek runs into the trail bends around and back through the trail again. To cross the trail, is a nice foot bridge with a spot, halfway through, that allows you to take a branch off the trail to the trailhead for Honey Tree Trail. There is a nice clearing in this area and the junction is more like a cross roads. Off to the left you can rejoin the Greenleaf trail and continue the trek back up to the Amphitheatre and the end of the trail.

It was in this area we stopped for thirty minutes or more while Robin played with the camera, take shots of anything that caught her eye. Of course our trusty sidekick Beene was a bit distraught as she could continue to walk and stop and sniff the whole trail, but it wasn't long before she was happy to do just that.

It wasn't long that we were back on our way up the trail and a few more shots taken with the camera that we started the inevitable trek back up the hill. The ascent back to the Amphitheatre wasn't to bad at all. Total elevation change on the trail is roughly 160 ft. We got back to the car unhitch our packs and ventured back towards home. By the end of the day our spirits had been lifted by the thought that winter is now behind us and a new hiking season lays before us.

Until next time, remember to tread lightly, get out and enjoy what mother nature has to offer for us, and always take the road less traveled. There is always adventure out there waiting to be found.

Robin and Tim

Now for some of the photos:

Ashby laying in the Sun.

Ashby through the looking branch.

Free and Pretty Spirits in the Woods

Legs swinging free

Tim and Beene at a junction

Spring is springing

Another sign of Spring

Ashby Creekside

The Bridge to Somewhere

Robin and Tim adventure again.

Our Annual Corn Maize I mean Maze trip

Thursday we decided to make our annual trip to the corn maze in Corryton, TN at Oakes Farm. This has been a tradition of ours for the last 5 years. Every year before Halloween, we make the journey to Oakes Farm to find our way through the corn maze and to take a hay ride to their pumpkin patch to pick out a pumpkin or three. Each year the maze is a different design. In the maze there are numbered posts with a hole punch. Before entering the maze they give you a map card with numbers on it that you must punch out with the hole punches at each of the posts. Once you've completed the maze with the correct punches, you can submit your card for a prize drawing. Well we've never submitted our card, it's prize enough to know that we can read a map and make it through the maze in the dark.

Their is more there than just the maze and the hay ride. They also have a maze that is haunted. In years past, they only had the one maze and on certain nights it was a haunted maze. The first time we went it was haunted. Let's just say that we've made sure to go on un-haunted evenings since. Now they have a separate maze that is haunted so when you go you can choose either the non-haunted or the haunted or, if you can afford it, both.

Well this year we went and were able to make it through the maze again with out getting lost, and collect all the punches. We decided however not to take the hay ride and opted instead to buy pumpkins that they had out front the barn. We had a really good time and got one nice big pumpkin and one warty pumpkin that we thought would be really cool once carved. So if you ever find yourself in the area during the Fall season and like mazes, be sure to take a trip out to Oakes Farm and go through the corn maze.

And now for the pictures. Enjoy!

Ashby in front of Wagon

Tim and Ashby on the Pumpkin Truck

Enter the Corn Maze

Tim and Ashby in the Corn Maze

Cumberland Gap Birthday Camera

September 28th was Robin's birthday and having got her a new Panasonic DMC-TZ4 camera, she wanted to get out and about and play with it some. So without any plan in hand, we got into the car and I took us North. We ended up heading to Cumberland Gap National Historic Park at the TN/VA/KY border. We stopped at the visitor center and walked around the grounds for a few while Robin took some photos. After getting the pictures she wanted we decided to head up to top of the mountain to Pinnacle Overlook. Up here, there is a wonderful view back into the valley of Harrogate. Along the trail to the overlook there is a spot where the border between KY and VA runs across the trail. Upon seeing this, Ashby, our trusty sidekick Clover, and Me all stood stradled over the line so Robin could get a shot of being in two states at the same time.
Anyway, Cumberland Gap National Historic Park is a pretty big park with lots to do. So if you ever find yourself up that way, take some time to check the area out. You'll be glad you did.
So now it's time for what everyone likes: THE PICTURES.

Ashby, Tim, and Clover enjoy a view from the rocking chairs.

A tobacco worm that about climbed my leg.

The Traders Post

A look inside the trader's post

Ashby in Red

Clover and Me

Ashby and the Corn

Robin and Clover at the Foot of the Pinnacle

Ashby, Tim, and Clover get two states for the price of one

Ashby fire away.

Robin, Ashby, and Clover Sittin Purty

Robin and Clover Perched on a Rock