Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Day Hike: Nathan Bedford Forrest State Park

For the final day of summer, I traveled to the west side of the Kentucky Lake impoundment of the Tennessee River and the trails of Nathan Bedford Forrest State Park. At 9:30 a.m. I pulled into an empty parking lot by the park museum and observation deck. First one here! Heck, I even beat the park's employees who, according to the clock hanging on the door, were supposed to have been there at 8 a.m. Like Clark Griswold, I parked far enough away so that when it was time to leave, I would be the first one out.

Today I would be hiking solo. Unencumbered, I could smoke through the trails by stopping only when I wanted, which would not be very often. There were two loops I was contemplating: the 5.1-mile and the 10-mile. They shared the same path for the first two or three miles, so I wouldn't make my final determination until after getting started. I was able to decide pretty quickly once I realized I was heading down a completely different trail. For me, the "Aha" moment was when the trail abruptly terminated at an access road near the shore of Kentucky Lake. So much for smoking through the trails. Instead, I was forced to retrace my steps straight back up the hill to where I began thirty minutes ago. I felt like Burt Reynolds in Deliverance: "We'll find it. We'll find it." Back at the top of the hill, only the highest point in West Tennessee, I found the loop trailhead tucked away behind the museum.

It's all downhill from here
 
Access for the loop trails located behind the museum
 
Heading downhill again, I found the trail to be in pretty good condition. I was glad to have my hiking stick. Not so much for assistance with the terrain, but more for use as a machete against the continual onslaught of spider webs. Make no mistake about it: this time of year, the spiders own the trail. Seriously, I was doing the Tomahawk Chop with my hiking stick for the majority of the day.
 
 
Due to my false start, I getting hungry early on the trail. The overnight shelter is the best place to stop for lunch, and I knew it was at the top of a very steep climb. Now, I usually don't get very excited about steep inclines, but, knowing I would be rewarded with not just one but two peanut butter sandwiches at the top of this one, I beamed with anticipation as the trail turned skyward.
 
Overnight shelter makes for perfect lunch spot
 
I finished off the last of my water with lunch, so any lingering notions of hiking the ten-mile loop were now officially eliminated. Much of the return trail was along a service road. Along this road was a single log cabin, which is presumably available to rent. Perched above Kentucky Lake, the cabin has an inviting rear porch, complete with rocking chairs and a nice view of . . . the TVA power plant across the river in New Johnsonville.
 
Rear porch provides an old-timey feel and a clear view of . . .
 
. . . a TVA power plant
 
I startled a few deer before emerging from the woods near the still-empty parking lot. Good planning on my part - I would be the first one out! Back at the museum, I took some pictures of the obelisk erected in memory of Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest and his successful 1864 attack on the Union supply depot positioned on the opposite bank of the river, which is now Kentucky Lake.
 
 

  

 
  
 

    

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