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My Hiking Memoirs
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 My Hiking MemoirsI was born in Kittery, Maine. A year later, my sister, Faye, was born in Norfork, Virginia. Two years later, my little brother, Tommy, was born in Denver, Colorado. Afterward, we bounced back and forth to Tennessee a couple of times where my mother’s family lives. Tommy died as a baby in Colorado at 2 ½ years of age. Then we moved to Washington State and on to Long Beach, California for a short while. We then moved to Munford, Tennessee, a rural town north of Memphis. We stayed there a very brief period. Later, we headed back to Washington State at age 7. There we lived in a trailer on the Pacific beach. Next, we moved to Hayward, California for 2 ½ years. During that time my father carried us camping to the mountains of California where a love of the great outdoors was instilled in me. We also traveled by car from California to Tennessee and back again to be with my mother’s family one Christmas. At age 9 my father left the navy, and we moved to Anchorage, Alaska by car via Canada. This was one February during the time of the pre-pipeline era, and jobs were scarce. My father was scared he would not find work as a result, so we moved to Colorado a week later. Still unable to find work, we moved back to Munford, Tennessee the next month where my father rejoined the navy. Later that same year, my mother and father divorced, and my mother, sister and I moved to Nashville to live near her family. My mother, Gail, remarried a wonderful man, Ronnie, 3 years later. Like many young people, I headed off to college after graduating from high school in 1978. Though I graduated third in my class, the only scholarship I landed was a work study at a strict religious school. The college was so strict and critical of other religions / denominations that I decided to abort my scholarship in favor of Lee College, a Church of God institution. After a year of room and board, however, I went through the savings I had accumulated by working hard as a child and teenager. I came home from school and went to work for the state. Shortly afterward, my grandmother passed away leaving my aunt by herself. I soon moved in with my aunt to abate her loneliness and pursue my studies part time at Belmont College, a liberal Baptist school, in Nashville while working full time. While living with my aunt, I bought a small boat and started taking my cousin, Jeremy, fishing and camping as his father was killed in a traffic accident. Two years later I met my first "real" girlfriend. I was so inspired by her that I embarked on a 300 calorie diet in which I lost half my body weight--157 1/2 pounds. At that point Jeremy and I started backpacking and hiking. Two years later I broke up with the girl and began what was to become a year long depression. I was so depressed that my aunt could no longer handle me. Shortly after the depression, I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and forced to move back home with my parents. In addition, I had to temporarily discontinue my studies. This was also the time another cousin introduced me to Teresa. I was so proud to have her as a girlfriend that I carried her to work and introduced her to my coworkers. Too immature to handle a close relationship, however, I broke up with her shortly afterward. While I love my mother very much, I simply could not handle living with her as an adult. I met 2 friends at a new place of employment and moved into an apartment with them. This proved to be a mistake as one of my roommates quit his job soon after moving in and became a moocher. Four months into the lease, my parents found the upstairs apartment, and I moved into it. One year later I re-acquainted myself with Teresa, and we married in 1987. As a result of my stubbornness, Teresa was "forbidden" to add her own personal touches to the apartment. Therefore, she never felt at home there. Our landlords passed away shortly afterward, and we were forced to find a new residence, a duplex. At this point I started back to finish my college studies. We soon began growing a savings toward a new home. Three years later we had a home built. Just before moving into our current residence and graduating from college with honors, I lost my job. Our builder allowed us to rent the home until I secured another permanent job. I secured a position with the University of Tennessee a year later in 1992. While at UT I embarked on another stringent diet in which I lost 180 pounds. Afterward, serious backpacking became a mainstay in my life. In 1995 my mood disorder medicine stopped working. As a result I was forced to retire from the university in 2000. During my time at home, I have developed 3 websites including my personal favorite, www.tennesseehiker.com. I have also continued to hone my writing skills. Aside from website development and writing, I enjoy hiking and amateur landscape and waterscape photography. |
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First Experience Trail, Length, Difficulty: Lower Cain Loop, 12 miles, 3 (Moderate) Location: Fall Creek Falls State Park, Spencer, Tennessee Directions: From Nashville take I-40 East to Cookeville. Turn right onto 111 South (exit 288). Park entrance is on the left on Highway 284 (45 miles). For a map and specific driving directions, visit MapQuest.com. Thirteen years ago in the fall of 1985, Jeremy and I set out on our first hiking / backpacking trip. This was soon after I lost exactly half my body weight—157 ½ pounds. I had gained back some of the weight, but I was still in great shape. I had always wanted to go backpacking, but my weight kept me from doing so prior to this time. Jeremy and I had no hiking skills whatsoever at this point. We attempted the Lower Cane Loop trail at Fall Creek Falls. We obtained our hiking permit at the park’s nature center, which I have kept all these years, parked my truck at the head of the park’s two overnight trails, and began our first backpacking experience. We made it to the first backcountry camping site without a hitch and joined several other backpackers who were also undertaking the trail. Somewhat tired from our first jaunt, we slept late into the next day, and we were the last party to leave the campsite. Just before descending into the gorge and about a mile or so from the campsite area, we came upon some trees that were naturally marked with white splotches similar to the trail blazes that we had been following. Because we were backpacking late in the fall, the foot path of the trail was completely covered over with leaves. We separated from one another just long enough to attempt the retracing of our steps. After an hour or so, we discovered some red blazes and started following them. These blazes took us away from the gorge and brought us into rougher and rougher terrain. Nonetheless, we followed them relentlessly until we reached a point where the trail made a seemingly impossible drop almost straight down. While surveying the situation, I slipped and fell onto a small ledge about five feet off the top of the ridge. A couple of feet further, I would have fallen an additional forty to fifty feet, probably to my death. In a panic I took my pack off and hoisted it up to Jeremy. With my partner’s assistance, I somehow managed to climb up and away from the ledge. At this point we determined that we had been following the boundary of the park instead of the trail. Nightfall was setting in, and we had to find a place to set up camp. Before we could manage to get our campsite secured, however, an unexpected rain came upon us and the temperature dropped considerably. We shared a small, inexpensive tent, and it leaked somewhat. Moreover, being the novice that I was, I had not even packed a spare set of clothing. We rationed our food and water as best as we could and retired for the night. Wet, near exhaustion, and scared, we did not get much sleep that night. The next morning we broke camp in the cold rain. We retraced our path to the best of our ability following the red blazes back down the steep terrain. The ground was saturated and muddy. Some of the slopes that we had backpacked the day before were now treacherously slick. In some places we even had to wrap cord around the trees and walk backward down to the bottom of the slopes. To make the situation even worse, between the cold and the dampness, our exhaustion and our nerves, we both became abruptly sick and near dehydration, Jeremy vomiting and I with diarrhea. Finally, we came to an old access road, and we followed it away from the gorge. With a few hours of hiking down the dirt road, we met the rangers who had been frantically searching for us. Relieved but fatigued we removed our packs, placed them in the back of the jeep and crawled aboard finally headed for civilization. The road was so narrow that we had to ride in reverse the majority of the drive out. We were such “green horns” that we refused to drink from a partially consumed coke despite the fact that were somewhat starved and thirsty. Upon making it back to the ranger station, we called our panic stricken family, rested up, and headed back to “home sweet home.” Amazingly enough Jeremy’s mother allowed me to take him out for another backpacking trip to Fall Creek Falls. In the following spring of 1986, we spent a week there backpacking, camping and day hiking. We backpacked both overnight trails for a total of 25 miles. We also hiked every day hiking trail for a total of over 36 miles all told. We rode down the bicycle trails, went paddle boating, and did everything else we could find to do in the park with the exception of horse back riding. And thus my love for hiking / backpacking was launched. (See Fall Creek Falls: Lower Cane Loop, for pictures of this trail.) |
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A Sudden Surprise Trail, Length, Difficulty: Upper Cain Loop, 13 miles, 3 (Moderate) Location: Fall Creek Falls State Park, Spencer, Tennessee Directions: From Nashville take I-40 East to Cookeville. Turn right onto 111 South (exit 288). Park entrance is on the left on Highway 284 (45 miles). For a map and specific driving directions, visit MapQuest.com. In May 1986, Jeremy and I set out for our third backpacking trip, which was on the Upper Cane Loop of Fall Creek Falls. The trail extended a total of 13 miles and included little more than forest. We mistakenly elected to venture past the first campsite that we encountered, and we barely made it to the second backcountry camping area before dark. After having hiked approximately 8 miles, Jeremy removed his pack and crashed. But nightfall was approaching, and we needed water in which to use for cooking. I hustled down the trail in an effort to intersect a creek that was marked on the trail map. On my hurried way to the creek, I was startled by a buck, which stood about thirty feet from me. He was a beautiful specimen with several points on his antlers. I think we must have surprised each other as he was not expecting me or I him. We both stood perfectly still for a few moments, and then he vanished into the thicket. When I finally arrived at the creek, I was unpleasantly surprised to see that the water was stagnant and contained bits and pieces of dried leaves and other forest sediment. Due to limited access, I was forced to remove my belt, attach it to my canteens, and lower them to the water from off a small bridge. This was an awkward process at best. I had to use several water purifying tablets in an attempt to make the water safe to consume. This was before the days of neutralizing tablets, and hence, the iodine left a nauseating taste to the water. Once back at the campsite, I woke Jeremy long enough to set up our tent and eat dinner. I made the mistake of using Sterno cans to boil our freeze-dried food. The Sterno was not sufficient to bring our food to a boil; therefore, our dinner was not adequately cooked. Consequently, the dinner tasted almost as bad as the water. This meal broke me from using Sterno for cooking and from using freeze-dried food for future trips. The next day we consumed the remainder of the awful tasting water while finishing our trek. As a result we both suffered from diarrhea for several days following the trip. |
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Heat Exhaustion Trail, Length, Difficulty: Volunteer Trail, 11 miles roundtrip, 2 (Easy to Moderate) Location: Long Hunter State Park, Mt. Juliet, Tennessee Directions: From Nashville, take I-40 East to Mt. Juliet Road, Exit 226-A. Go south (right) 6.2 miles to the main park entrance. Or, take I-24 east to Old Hickory Boulevard, Exit 62. Go north (left) on SR171 6.4 miles to the main park entrance. Go to the visitor’s center and ask for directions to the trailhead. For a map and specific driving directions, visit MapQuest.com. In the summer of 1990, Ronald and I backpacked the 11 mile Volunteer Trail at Long Hunter State Park, which parallels Percy Priest Lake. Normally, this trail is somewhat easy to hike; however, on this particular trip, the heat index topped off to around 100 degrees. We were not expecting this extreme heat wave. Had I been by myself, I would have headed back to the trailhead when the heat rose so unbearably high. But I did not want to disappoint Ronald. Further, I knew I would be hiking at a slow pace due to the extreme heat, and I did not want to hold him up. Knowing the trail was well-marked and that Ronald had experience as a Boy Scout, I sent him on up the trail ahead of me. That was mistake number 1. About 2 ½ hours into the trail, I collapsed as a result of the heat. I somehow managed to rise after a few minutes of rest, but I collapsed a second time about an hour later. Realizing the campsite was within an hour further down the trail, I managed to get back on my feet again and finish the trek. Afterward, I took a long rest break and then established camp. After dinner Ronald and I swam in the cool water of the lake. The water was quite refreshing, and I was under the mistaken belief I had regained my strength and would be okay. We retired for the night and all appeared to be well. But the next morning following breakfast, I became quite ill. Once again Ronald was anxious to move on down the trail, so I gave him my truck keys and sent him on ahead. This was mistake number 2. I knew before I headed out of the campsite I would be unable to carry out my backpack. So I hid the pack in some brush and headed down the trail with only water and a few other necessities. After around two hours of walking in the heat, I collapsed a third time. After remaining on the ground for quite some time, I realized I would not be able to finish the hike back to the truck without some desperate measure. Close to the water’s edge, I unloaded everything I possibly could get by without and headed for the water. In the process of swimming across the wide cove, the water rejuvenated me enough so that I was able to climb up the bank on the opposing shore and finish my hike. Wearily, I drove Ronald back to his house. Upon arriving at my home, I immediately headed for bed where I remained the next three days. My backpack was later retrieved by one of the park’s rangers; he had used a maintenance road to access it. I had obviously suffered from a serious case of heat exhaustion. This experience brought an end to my backpacking excursions during the hot summer months for several years to come. |
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Most Enjoyable Hike Trail, Length, Difficulty: Charit Creek Lodge Trail, Sawmill Trailhead;1.6 miles Roundtrip; 4 (Moderate to Strenuous) Other trails to Charit Creek Lodge: Charit Creek Lodge via Slave Falls, Sawmill Trailhead; 10.9 miles; Strenuous Twin Arches Loop, Twin Arches Trailhead; 5.5 miles; Strenuous Location: Big South Fork, Oneida, Tennessee Directions: From Nashville take I-40 east to US27; turn north to Oneida where you can pick up TN297, which enters the park. Go to the Bandy Creek Visitor Center and ask for specific directions to either the Sawmill or Twin Arches Trailhead. For a map and specific driving directions, visit MapQuest.com. In February 1993 Jennie, Mattie, Brandy and I made an overnight visit to the Charit Creek Hostel within the Tennessee side of Big South Fork. The access trail leading to the hostel consisted of a straight up and down trek. We had inquisitively visited the area prior to this experience once before and loved it. The hostel is a lodge in the middle of the woods that has no running water or electricity. Jennie and I saved our money to make the lesser expensive stay in which we provided our own bed linens and meals. We took the shortest route to the hostel, which is about eight tenths of a mile straight down. The access trail consisted of several switchbacks ensuring the safest possible journey down the steep slope. At the bottom of the trail, a stream of rushing water has to be crossed via rocks. Despite my best efforts, “Mr. Uncoordinated” that I am, I managed to slip off into the cold water. Jennie, on the other hand, skipped across with poise and grace. I had loaded Mattie down with a backpack of her own, and we had to carry her pack across by hand in order to coerce her into crossing over. Each room held six to eight people. But because we had the dogs, we were given a room to ourselves. The room was complete with bunks and a wood burning stove including plenty of wood to spare. The lodge provided a kitchen in which to prepare our food (after the higher paying customers finished with their meals). We were also provided with cozy self-contained bathrooms. The ambience of the lodge was that of tranquility and solitude. It was a most pleasurable experience, a paradise of sorts. The only thing missing was a romantic interlude of intimacy. But Jennie was quick to remind me that we did not have our partners. And that was that. The evening brought about a chill in the air. Being the novice that I was in operating a wood stove, we must have gone through a half rick of wood trying to keep the room warm. I later learned that by keeping the door to the stove closed, we were losing all of our heat up the stove pipe. But we had our sleeping bags, and aside from being a little chilly, we were quite comfy. We let the wind whisking through the trees lull us to sleep. Indeed, we had spent a night in ecstasy. The next morning we rose, ate a good breakfast, and enjoyed the serenity of the surroundings. After absorbing as much of the enchanting experience as we could stand, we packed up our gear and headed out. Going down the access trail to the hostel was rough enough, but going back up was exhausting at best. And of course, in an attempt to avoid the slippery rocks that provided a bridge to the other side of the stream, I dropped off in a hole of ice cold water about three feet deep. Consequently, I wore saturated clothing all the way back up the ascent. But all in all, this was undoubtedly the best hiking adventure we have ever experienced. We left the hostel with a new sense of peacefulness. |
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The Plunge Trail, Length, Difficulty Trails to/from Hobbs Cabin: Savage Day Loop, 4.2 miles, 3 (Moderate) North Plateau Trail, 7.1 miles, 2 (Easy to Moderate) North Rim Trail, 6.3 miles, 3 (Moderate) Location: South Cumberland Recreation Area, Tennessee, Savage Gulf Trailhead Directions: From Nashville take I-24 east to Monteagle Mountain exit, turn east onto Highway 41. Turn north to Highway 56, turn east to Highway 108, turn north to Highway 399. Follow the signs to the Savage Gulf trailhead. In March 1993 Jennie, Mattie, Brandy and I backpacked the Savage Day Loop and North Plateau Trail to Hobbs Cabin. The cabin lies at the far end of the North Plateau and North Rim Trails, and it is available on a first come, first serve basis. When we began the trek, we were the only ones headed for the cabin. The air was somewhat cool, and the cabin would provide a safe haven from the weather, so we thought. Normally, the hike is somewhat easy going; however, this day we hiked that trek entirely in the rain. In doing so we encountered several wet weather run off streams where my waterproofed boots proved not to be so waterproof. This is the trip that led to my purchasing Gore Tex boots for future outings. Within a mile or so of the cabin, another group of hikers overtook and passed us in a mad rush. We were frustrated in losing our attempt to have a dry place in which to rest. A little further down the trail, we encountered a stream too wide to cross without assistance. Wondering how the previous party managed to cross over the stream, we dragged a large limb across the two banks of the rushing water. Jennie and the dogs crossed over with no problems. However, just as I placed my foot on the other side of the bank, the limb broke dropping me into three feet of ice cold water. I had to remove my pack, and then Jennie awkwardly helped me out of the water. Cold, wet and tired I pressed on until we finally arrived at the campsite. The cabin dwellers were cozily enjoying the warmth of their dry shelter heated by the cabin’s fireplace. But Jennie and I were forced to set up camp in the rain. I changed into dry clothes as soon as possible but remained shivering in the cold throughout the night never quite able to obtain warmth. The rain finally subsided just prior to bedtime. I was a bit frustrated and annoyed as every time I visited the outhouse, I was greeted by snorting sounds from our boorish neighbors. However, they were the least of my troubles, and I ignored them as best as I could. The rain had completely cleared away by the next morning. As a result of wearing completely saturated clothing in cold the night before, I became quite ill at the start of the gorge portion of the trail. I struggled with my pack the whole way back eating powered Gatoraid for strength. However, the remainder of the trail only extended about six miles. Moreover, the scenic gorge overlooks of the North Rim Trail were quite spectacular, and they made the trek worthwhile. Struggling with my illness all along the way, we finally arrived back to our vehicle. This was the longest backpacking trip we had completed to date. |
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One Rock Too Many Trail, Length, Difficulty: Fiery Gizzard Trail, 9.7 miles roundtrip, 5 (Strenuous) Location: South Cumberland Recreation Area, Tennessee, Grundy Forest Trailhead Directions: From Nashville: take I-24 east to Monteagle Mountain exit, turn east to Highway 41 toward Tracy City. Turn right onto Third Street and follow the signs to the parking area. In May 1993 Jennie, Mattie, Brandy and I hiked the Fiery Gizzard Trail in the Grundy portion of the South Cumberland Recreation Area. The terrain consisted of loose rock throughout most of the trail making for a rough trek. In fact many hikers consider this to be the most difficult trail in Tennessee. The trek was one of the most rewarding hiking experiences I have endured in that I felt a great sense of accomplishment upon completing it. Despite the difficulties we encountered, the first portion of the trail paralleled a river, and we discovered several gorgeous waterfalls along the way. The raw beauty of this segment of the trail made the arduous excursion worth the effort. However, just prior to completing this longest section, I slipped on a large rock and seriously twisted my ankle. Miles from “nowhere” we were forced to continue on with our journey. I felt great pain with every step from that point onward. Just when I thought I could go no further, we encountered a long, steep incline. Wearily, I scaled the hill at a turtle’s pace, and upon reaching the top, we enjoyed a long break. The next portion of the trail was somewhat easy going, and it was a welcomed change of pace. However, after another four miles or so, we had to descend back down the other side, which was even steeper and more toilsome to tackle than the incline at the opposite end. I have always experienced more difficulty hiking down a steep hill as opposed to hiking up one, and with my injured ankle, this decent was a real chore. Once we finished hiking down the precipitous slope, we again encountered nothing but loose rock to finish out the trail. I hobbled along until finally succumbing to my agony and pausing for another break. At this point Jennie, the dogs and I were quite exhausted from our laborious excursion. In fact, the dogs were somewhat reluctant to resume when Jennie and I finally rose to complete the trek. We were forced to all but “drag” the dogs up the remainder of the trail. Upon arriving back to our vehicle, we all “crashed” with great relief. |
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A Frightening Experience Trail, Length, Difficulty Day Hikes, about 5 miles roundtrip, 2 (Easy to Moderate) Location: Prentice Cooper State Forest, Tennessee Directions: From Chattanooga: take Highway 127 to foot of Signal Mountain, turn left onto Highway 27. Follow to top of mountain, take left at entrance sign. In the summer of 1993, Jennie, Mattie, Brandy and I drove to the Prentice Cooper State Forest for a camping / day hiking trip. As we drove into the area, we noticed several parking sports that contained broken glass, and based on the amount evidenced, we ascertained the glass came from busted vehicle windshields. However, we did not pay much attention to this, and we pressed onward until we finally located a suitable place to establish camp. After setting up our tents, we headed off for a day hike. The trail paralleled a long ravine with scenic overlooks. The terrain was somewhat level, and the trail extended for just a few miles. Upon returning we ventured down the gravel access road adjacent to our campsite as we were unsatisfied with the brevity of our hike. Finally content with our walk, we headed back to camp just prior to sunset and prepared for the night. Well after dark our relaxation period was disturbed by two brazen men who drove up and sat in their car starring at us intently with their headlights shining brightly unto our campsite. Unsure of what action to take, we attempted to ignore them. They remained in their vehicle for quite some time apparently sizing up the situation. Finally, they turned their car around and drove away. Just as we thought we were “out of the woods,” the men returned about an hour later. Again, they sat in their car with their headlights focused on us. At this point Jennie and I were more than just concerned; we were somewhat apprehensive about the situation. We further determined that we were about to be accosted, but we had no real means of protection, no defense. We were like “sitting ducks” waiting to be waylaid. Finally, in a desperate attempt to deter them, I reached into my tent as if I was retrieving a rifle. They must have bought my ploy as they hurriedly turned their car around and drove off for a second time. Needless to say Jennie and I remained quite timid for the remainder of the night, but fortunately for us, the men never returned. The good Lord must surely have been with us during this trip. A few weeks following the outing, Jennie and I discovered the area had a reputation as a haven for vandalism and as a troublesome location for outsiders. We later determined to purchase a stun gun for protection in such instances, and we vowed never to return to that particular area. The troublesome experience has proven to be the most disturbing hiking venture we have thus far taken. |
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Hiking Experience to share with the club ? |
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I'll see if I can get Jim to post some more of his memoirs on here. How about you Rilke? Get out and about much? |
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Things can go south fast if you're careless We arrived on scene in less than 10 minutes. The guy clung desperately to the snag as the water pressure literally ripped his cloths off. We lowered the PJ as the chopper hovered 30 feet over the victim. PJ made contact, grabbed him like a spider wrapping him up with arms and legs then they were both hoisted to the chopper. The entire rescue took about 30 seconds. What made this rescue even more amazing is the photo documentary. That Forest Svc buddy happened to have a top notch motor-wind camera with him (pre digital days), capable of taking several photos per second. He documented the entire rescue from start to finish. The choppers flare-out over the victim, the PJ extraction and the chopper exiting down the draw with patient safely aboard are all there. The choreographed 'dance' between Pilot, Flight Crew and PJ is beyond inspirational. I'll try to get the photos to share. I wasn't sure whether to share this post here or in the 'First responder' thread in my club. I guess it fits in both. |
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My outdoors my sister and her husband do some hiking and other outdoor activities. I was more a beach person . Sunbathing and playing beach Volleyball. The water here is too cold. Pretty much I am city individual. Dinning, hang my favorite pubs, movies,theaters, museums, the parks. Now with covid, life is different. |
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pawntificator 26-Aug-20, 23:55 |
The rainforest in Hawai'i has a very unique smell. It's loamy yet sweet. On one of our first dates she took me up to the peak of the valley where Manoa Falls Trail started. It wasn't a long hike, almost a mile and barely a quarter mile in elevation. But ancient trees towered above and their roots comprised the stairs My eyes could only stare at the sight as I plodded forth one foot in front of the other, upward and onward. Excelsior! Running water was everywhere. Oddly, the birds knew many of the same songs as from the mainland. There were so many signs that said "stay on the trail" and so many other signs that said "take this well worn path up the steep shortcut between the winding path." There was a healthy disrespect for authority in Hawai'i. Darn tourists. I hiked almost every mountain on Oahu and many on several other islands. There are so many stories that I don't want to tell. |
