Cherokee Hiking Club
198 Crews Drive, Benton, TN 37307
Rocky Flats Trail Dayhike
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Brief Description: The hike on Rocky Flats Trail #100 is rated moderate but don't let that fool you. You can expect some up-hill climb at the beginning for about one-half mile to a mile. There may be a couple more short up-hills further along in the hike. Its not greater than a 20 percent grade, though. For those who don't like up-hill or have difficulty with ups and downs this hike is not recommended. I feel it's a nice trail with some interesting features along the way. It is a gorgeous area with a lot of beauty, even in the winter. This is a nice winter hike, nice and short, 4.5 miles. Expect some water crossings, nothing major. Bring a snack/lunch. We will be doing a car shuttle. Car pooling is recommended but we will need enough vehicles for the shuttle.
Leader: Esther Nunley
Difficulty: Moderate, 4.5 miles
Directions to the Trailhead: We will meet at Hardies in Tellico at 8:00 a.m. Contact me at 423-507-8817 if you plan to go on the hike so we can make arrangements for people who need to meet in Etowah or Athens, if necessary.
Post Trip Report: We met at the Hardees in Tellico Plains at 8 a.m. this cold brisk morning only days after a snow fall. Upon arriving at Campsite #13 we found that the bridge had a heavy frost on it making it a little slippery crossing but we all made it without major incident. We shuttled down Double Camp Road to the trail head. We found that snow was plentiful in the lower elevations and scarce on higher ground. The trail followed several ridges and took us through many ravines having pretty stream crossings. We observed a rock that appeared to be fossilized by possibly a fern. We saw sign of wild hog but didn’t see any kind of wildlife. The trail boasted the beauty of the forest and in several spots the beauty of Citico Creek roaring below making this a great trail for winter hiking. We navigated a couple of trees down across the trail and enjoyed lunch on a nice big pine that had fallen length wise to the trail. A couple of times we had to stop and renegotiate our direction because the wilderness blazing became obscure. Fortunately someone had tied orange ribbons in one of the areas which helped lead us in the right direction. We enjoyed the company of Kathy’s dog Rosie who adamantly took her place as second in line, ultimately in charge. Of course some of us stopped by the Tellico Bakery and had some fitting calories with our pizza! This was a combined Hiwassee and Cherokee hike. Hikers were Stephen Cartwright, Jane Bohannon, Kathy Seymore, Rosie, Verna Townsend and hike leaders Ron and Esther Nunley.
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