Cherokee Hiking Club
198 Crews Drive, Benton, TN 37307

Fiery Gizzard Dayhike
Saturday, October 22, 2011

 

Distance: 9.5 miles

Difficulty Rating: strenuous.

Leaders: Randy Morris: 650-0485

Brief Description: This trail features cascading streams, waterfalls, over-looks (Raven Point), spectacular rock formations (Chimney Rock) and a 500 year old hemlock tree.

Meeting Place: We will leave from Home Depot in Cleveland for the drive over to Tracy City. Call Randy Morris at 423-650-0485 no later than 8:30 p.m. Friday evening to get meeting time and/or further information.

Trail Description: Please note the date change above!! This hike will utilize portions of three trails--the Grundy Day Loop, Dog Hole Trail and a portion of the Fiery Gizzard Trail. We will eat lunch at Raven Point with a beautiful view of Gizzard Cove (and hopefully great fall colors) after enjoying fantastic rapids, a small waterfall and interesting rock formations. We will avoid the rockiest portions of the Fiery Gizzard Trail by climbing up the Dog Hole Trail, but the terrain is still quite rocky in spots. We will also have several small wet weather creek crossings which are easily rock hopped in all but torrential downpours. We will descend down into the gorge, climb back out for the views and then descend again before our eventual climb out to view a 500 year old hemlock (that is still very much alive!) and a Rock House. Because of elevation gain/loss, distance and the terrain I would definitely rate this hike a strenuous one. 

Post-Trip Report: On a cloudless fall day two hikers hiked Fiery Gizzard just outside of Tracy City, TN.  After a brisk start the day was absolutely gorgeous!  We hiked the entirety of the Grundy Day Loop, and out and back on the Dog Hole Trail.  We also utilized parts of the Fiery Gizzard trail. There was quite a bit of water in the Fiery Gizzard and Little Fiery Gizzard Creeks (especially since it was October), so we enjoyed the many cascades and small waterfalls of the streams including Sycamore Falls—a relatively short but nice little waterfall, as shown in the picture below.  Although the fall colors were just beginning to show well, we did enjoy some nice reds and golds, courtesy of the sourwoods, blackgums and hickories in the area. 

Raven Point provided a nice place for lunch on our 9.5 mile journey.  Our favorite sights, however, were the magnificent old-growth hemlocks in the gorges—some estimated to be up to 500 years old—which do not seem affected by the adelgid as of yet.  Enjoying the day were new club member Buddy Arnold and hike leader Randy Morris.

 

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