Brief Description: This
Saturday March 7th is our scheduled moonlight hike on
Big Frog Mountain. If the weather
cooperates and there isn't a lot of cloud cover predicted by the
weatherman, then we will hike up Big Frog late Saturday afternoon and
return after the sun sets by the
light of the moon and/or our headlamps.
If the weather doesn't cooperate, we will do just a regular daylight
hike that morning as an alternative. This hike would definitely be
rated as strenuous as it is about 12 miles and 2000 ft or so in
elevation change, not to mention the fact that we will be traveling in
the dark. If you are interested call me by 7:00 pm on Friday night so I
can give you the exact times and meeting
places. (423-715-8824 James Anderson)
Be sure you bring a headlight with good batteries and hiking poles.
I'll supply a camp stove to heat up your
water if you want some hot chocolate at
the top. (You supply the hot chocolate, your water, and a cup) Also
you might want to bring a sandwich or something to eat as it will
probably be too late for dinner after we get down. As of now the
weatherman is predicting 70's by the weekend so hopefully it should be
great.
Length: 12 miles
Difficulty Rating:
Strenouous
Elevation Gain:
More than 2000 feet
Hike Leader:
423-715-8824 James Anderson
Directions to the Trailhead:
To be arranged, call James
Post Trip Report:
It
was about 3:15 pm on a Saturday afternoon when Don Bennett, Randy Morris,
Bill Kamm, Brenda Harris, James Anderson the hike leader, and Brenda's
faithful dog, Jake, set out for the top of Big Frog. The air was a bit
smoky at times as the forest service had been doing a controlled burn
someplace fairly close by. However, the sky was sunny and the temperature
was great for hiking.
On the way to the top we meet several day hikers and two others who had been
doing some maintenance on the trail. Despite the fact that it was quite
warm at the trailhead, it grew considerably colder and windier as we climbed
to the top. In one place there was still a bit of ice from the snow and ice
that fell earlier in the week. It was undoubtedly remnants of the Great Big
Frog glacier!
We
made it to the top about 6:30, just a few minutes before sunset, and were
able to enjoy the afternoon colors of the sky as the sun sank below the
horizon. After spending a few minutes talking and looking around at the
top, we hiked a few hunderd yards to find a spot out of the wind and with a
log to sit on. There we fired up the stove, heated some water, and enjoyed
hot chocolate and a snack. By the time we were finished it was dark and so
we headed down. Although the moon was out, we hiked with our headlights
on. On the way down we were able to enjoy the moon and the stars, as well
as see the many lights to the west out past 411 and toward Cleveland, and
the lights to the east of Ducktown and the Copperhill area. On the hike
down we were asked by an owl to identify ourselves because he kept asking,
"Who, Who, Who?" Shortly after 10pm we were back at our vehicles with all
saying they greatly enjoyed the experience.
This report prepared by James aka "Moses" Anderson
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