Pat and Leon Bates’s home in Benton at 6:30 p.m.  Bring a potluck dish as usual. The address is 285 Laurelwood Lane, Benton, TN.

Directions:  From Cleveland: on Highway 64 going east, turn left onto Highway 314 at Ocoee Outdoors.  Go approximately 1.5 miles on Highway 314, then turn right onto Laurelwood Lane.  The driveway is a 0.9 mile long gravel road.  The Bates house is at the end of the gravel road.  From Benton: on Highway 411 going south, turn left onto Highway 314.  Go approximately 4 miles, then turn left onto Laurelwood Lane, which is their 0.9 mile long gravel road driveway.  The Bates home is at the end of the gravel road.

Cherokee Hiking Club Minutes
November 11, 2010
Leon and Pat Bates home in Benton

The monthly meeting of the Cherokee Hiking Club was held at 6:30 p.m. on November 11, 2010 at the home of Pat and Leon Bates.  We would like to thank them for hosting.  There were twenty members and one guest present.  Following a potluck supper, President Randy Morris called the business meeting to order at 7:30 p.m.  Minutes of the previous meeting were read by Secretary, Jane Bohannon, and were accepted as read.  Treasurer Ann Gray reported the current balance.   

Old business:  Randy discussed plans for the Sunday, December 12 meeting/Christmas party at Black Bear Cove Resort.  Bring a gift worth $10.00 for “the Dirty Santa”gift exchange.  The buffet/meeting starts at 1:00 p.m.  There will be a room reserved for the club.  Email Randy at RTMorris@olin.com if you plan to attend.  

The club voted to accept the following nomination of officers for the year 2011:

·         President: Sunni Campbell
·         Vice-President: Bill Kamm
·         Secretary: Jane Bohannon
·         Treasurer: Ann Gray
·         Newsletter Editor: Rebecca Levings
·         Webmaster: Rick Harris
·         Publicist: Deborah Flower. 

There will be an installation of officers at the December meeting.  Thanks to Debbie Flower for her work on making contacts to recruit these officers. 

We voted to decrease our number of meetings as follows: we will combine the June/July meeting.  The Hike Planning Meeting in January will serve as the January monthly meeting.  The August/September meeting will be combined.   

Randy reminded us of the American Trails National Symposium which will be held at the Chattanooga Convention Center November 14-18.  Registration is still open.   

New business:  Plans for the Hike Planning Meeting will be finalized at the December meeting. 

Hikes completed:  Reports were given on the following hikes:  Scenic Spur Trail, Lookout Mountain Bluff Trail, and Lake McKamy Loop.   

Upcoming hikes:   Randy will lead the Possum Creek Segment of the Cumberland Trail.  Sunni Campbell will lead the Linda Davis Memorial River Walk.  Marc Bernatti will lead Turtletown Falls, and James Anderson will lead Big Frog. 

The meeting was adjourned at 8:22 p.m.   

Next meeting:   Black Bear Cove Resort on Sunday, December 12 at 1:00 p.m. will be the site of the next monthly meeting/Christmas party.   See more information on this meeting above. 

Respectfully submitted,
Jane Bohannon, Secretary

Notes from Randy Morris, our outgoing club president:   

As noted in the November meeting minutes below, discussions were held in the October and November meetings concerning the reduction of the number of club meetings for 2011.  The following was decided upon:

·         We will combine the January Hike Planning Meeting and the regular club meeting for January.  The combined meeting for 2011 will be held Sunday afternoon, January 9, 2011 @ 2 p.m. at the Family Resource Agency offices located at 3680 Michigan Avenue Road in Cleveland.  James Anderson has graciously agreed to host this meeting for the club.  Hike leaders, please make plans to attend if possible.

·         We will combine the June/July as well as the August/September club meetings—thus reducing the number of meetings during the summer, traditionally a time of club hikes held less often.

·         Dues: please remember that as we approach Christmas and the New Year, your 2011 Cherokee Hiking Club Membership Dues are due in January of 2011.  Dues are $15.  Please include anyone in your immediate family that would like to be a part of our organization.  Checks may be brought to the Hike Planning Meeting on January 9, 2011, the December Meeting/Christmas Gathering on December 12 or can be mailed to Ann Gray at the club’s address—2349 Varnell Road, Cleveland, TN 37311.

·         We had a great 2010 and look forward to an even better 2011!  Attention New Members: anyone who joined after October 1, 2010 will not have to renew until 2012.