Backpacking Report: Big Creek Gulf Trail

Our third backpacking trip of the fall had us back in Savage Gulf. We had planned to do a leisurely overnighter at Long Hunter State Park, but the Cub Scouts beat us to the punch. On the weekends, because the park office is closed, there is no way to know if the campsites are full unless you have the park ranger's cell phone number, which of course I didn't. We decided to chance it and drive out to Long Hunter. When we pulled up to the park office and saw Cub Scouts running all over the place, I knew we were in trouble. I called the ranger's number listed on the information kiosk outside the office, and he informed me that both campsites were taken. And this, ladies and gentlemen, is why I don't gamble. Scouts 1, KTF Blog 0.

We had a decision to make fast. Already mid-morning and more than an hour away from another overnight trail, my wife was calling the Stone Door Ranger Station from home while we sped down Hobson Pike towards I-24. The word came back that they had two sites open at Alum Gap and four at the Sawmill camp. That was good enough for me. Savage Gulf, here we come!

Pulling into the Stone Door overnight parking area, I noticed there were two trucks with trailers attached. The lady at the ranger station had told my wife they, too, had a scout group at Alum Gap, but that they seemed well-managed. We filled out our permit at the station, ate our lunch out of the back of the truck, and hit the Laurel Trail for a quick 2.9-mile hike to camp.

We strolled into the camp shortly after 2:30 p.m. only to discover all the sites were occupied. Because you are not required to post your permit at your site, there is no way of knowing which campers are unauthorized and simply squatting. Another group of backpackers who had pulled into camp minutes behind us were also searching for a site. We eventually got together and decided we would just walk over to the other side of the campground and share the large group camp. Sometime after 4:00 p.m. the ranger came around for his evening visit. After checking on all the campers, he told us the Boy Scouts were responsible for the mishap. They were supposed to occupy the group camp, and he had told them this much when they registered. Instead, they took up three sites in the main campground. So much for being a well-managed group. Scouts 2, KTF Blog 0.

Ten of us shared the group camp Saturday night. My daughter and I ate our noodles while the others had soup to go along with their dehydrated entrees. Most of us retired to our sleeping bags around 9:00 p.m. You can probably guess who didn't: the Boy Scouts from across the way. They were hootin' and hollerin' like it was New Year's Eve. At some point they quieted down, and I slept on and off as best as I could on the hard ground.

My daughter and I were up early and headed for Greeter Trail before breakfast. We would hike 9.0 miles on this day: 5.7 with our packs and 3.3 without. The three miles up and down Greeter Trail was the perfect start to a great day at Savage Gulf. The recent rains had the waterfalls flowing fairly impressively, a nice contrast to some of the trickles I witnessed the last time I passed through here.

Boardtree Falls

 

Lower Greeter Falls

 

Upper Greeter Falls

 

Back at camp, we were relieved to see the scouts heading back via the Big Creek Rim Trail. The group sharing the site with us headed out a few minutes before we did along this same rim trail. We followed the Big Creek Gulf Trail and its steep descent into the gulf. The creek was moving swiftly and so were we, as we had yet to run into anybody else on the trail. We were near the creek when it appeared as if there was some kind of a trail leading to it. There were no markings, but we walked down to the creek anyway. When we noticed the creek terminated abruptly, we realized we were standing at the sinks of Big Creek, the point where the water begins to flow underground. Adjacent to the sinks, was a wet-weather waterfall. The unmarked trail, the sinks, and the waterfall are all mentioned in the book I have on hiking in the South Cumberland, but I hadn't consulted it before our hike, as I thought we'd be hiking at Long Hunter. A stroke of good fortune, for sure. Our day was only getting better!

 

The sinks of Big Creek

 

Wet-weather fall adjacent to the sinks

 

We hadn't gone much further down the main trail when we came to the junction with the 0.4-mile spur to Ranger Falls. My daughter was getting hungry so we decided the falls would be a good spot to enjoy a snack. She ate her chicken salad with crackers, and I took the opportunity to strip off a layer of clothing and bask in the sunshine. The most vigorous section of the trail was quickly approaching.

 

Ranger Falls

 

The climb out of the gulf up to the Stone Door is not for the faint of heart. I've done this several times with a backpack, and it just does not get any easier. When you see the wooden staircase leading to the Stone Door, you know you're nearly home free. Climb the rock stairs leading up through the Stone Door, and it's a 1-mile cakewalk back to the parking lot. But don't be in too much of a hurry to get back; be sure to check out the magnificent views of the gulf from one or more of the overlooks.

 

About halfway up the Stone Door

 

View from one of the overlooks at Stone Door

 



We off-loaded our packs at the vehicle, grabbed our lunch, and claimed the nearest picnic table in the sun. Only one more hike to go: the 0.3-mile Laurel Falls Loop. Beginning and ending at the Ranger Station, this proved to be a nice cool-down trail with a splendid view of Laurel Falls.

 

By the end of our trip, we were glad to have been shut out of Long Hunter. And those problems at camp the night before? They were but a distant memory. That's the magic of Savage Gulf; there's simply nothing else like it in Tennessee.

 

Laurel Falls

  

 





 

     





Backpacking Report: South Rim Trail, Savage Gulf Natural Area

Originally scheduled for earlier in the week, our second backpacking trip of the year was pushed out to the weekend due to an extended period of rainy weather. I had been wanting to backpack the south rim at Savage Gulf for a couple of years now, as the 4.3 miles between Savage Falls and Stagecoach Road Campground was the only section of trail I had yet to hike at Savage Gulf. But then came the rain, and I began to think about all of the waterfalls in the Stone Door side of the park. We talked it over the day before leaving and called an audible, deciding instead to hike through Big Creek Gulf to the Alum Gap Campsite. In all, we would see five waterfalls.

My daughter and I arrived at the Stone Door Ranger Station at noon on Saturday but were too late. All of the interior campsites within range of the Stone Door trailhead were already full. Alum Gap, Saw Mill, and Hobbs Cabin, all were closed. Seems like a lot of people had the same idea we had. "What about Stagecoach?" I asked. As far as the Ranger knew, it was still open. So we walked back to our vehicle, and, after approximately forty minutes of drive time, we found ourselves on the opposite side of the park at the Savage Gulf Ranger Station. Fortunately, there were plenty of campsites available at Stagecoach. So Plan B, which had been Plan A up until about twenty-four hours earlier, was now in effect. As I was filling out the permit, I heard the Ranger say that Dinky Line Campground was now closed, the only other campground in the park requiring a somewhat significant hike to reach.

Somewhere in the neighborhood of 1:30 p.m., we were finally on the trail. Yes, another late start. This seems to be our standard operating procedure here lately. We moved quickly through the first 1.2 miles of the Savage Day Loop to join the South Rim Trail. A half-mile later we were standing above Savage Falls, which was flowing at a pretty good rate, thanks to all the rain we had in the first half of October. From here, we made the short climb to the rim where we would cover another 4.3 miles until reaching our campsite. The South Rim Trail has a number of spur trails leading to overlooks of the Savage Creek Gulf. Many of these had limited views due to foliage blocking the line of sight, but some were clear and offered magnificent views into the gulf.

View from Step Down Overlook

 

View from another overlook

 

The clouds started moving in and the wind picked up on the second half of our six-mile hike to camp. When we saw a couple of guys filtering water without backpacks, we knew we were very close to camp. Of the ten sites at the campground, only about half were occupied. When I noticed the site I camped in a couple of years back was not only available but was also away from most of the other campers, I jumped on it. It's a cozy site with room for little more than a tent and a small stone fire ring. Trees offer seclusion, but they're small enough so that the sky is open above. When the clouds cleared out shortly after supper, I could look up and see the stars. That's what makes all the effort which goes into backpacking worthwhile.

 

I was in no hurry to break camp

 

We loaded our packs and hit the trail around 9:30 a.m. Headed back the same way we came in, we decided we would hike the remainder of the Savage Day Loop before exiting the trail. Moving apace, we were enjoying a snack at Savage Falls by 11:00 a.m. A backpacking couple we caught up to on the trail was nice enough to let us pass, and that helped us with our time. It's a wonderful thing when people play nice on the trail. Trail etiquette isn't necessarily a given.

 

Savage Creek, just upstream from Savage Falls

 

Water rushing in Savage Creek

 

 





 

We crossed Savage Creek and turned left on the Savage Day Loop Trail to hike it clockwise. Up on the left a little way is a spur trail offering a clear view of Savage Falls. A half-mile later the trail passes through Rattlesnake Point Overlook, which provides a good look into Savage Gulf. The rest of the loop trail makes for an easy, wooded hike back to the ranger station. Upon exiting the trail, we dumped our packs in the truck and enjoyed tuna salad and crackers at a nearby picnic table. This was an enjoyable outing. Our total mileage for Day 2 was 8.8. Combined with the 6 miles from the previous day, our 2-day total was 14.8 miles. We were tired but not exhausted - a perfect way to introduce my 14 year-old daughter to the joys of backpacking in Savage Gulf.

 

Savage Falls, as seen from the Savage Day Loop Trail

 

Rattlesnake Point, three years after taking the picture which

serves as the backdrop to the blog title at the top of this page



  

 

 

 

   





  

 



    

Solo Backpacking Trip Report: Connector Trail, Savage Gulf Natural Area

This is the Connector Trail, the Super Bowl of trails in the Savage Gulf State Natural Area. All the other trails in the park are merely a warm-up for this, "the most challenging and strenuous trail" in the system, according to the state's official trail description. This trail carries the hiker through the depths of the three gulfs and across four suspension bridges, before ascending steeply out of the bottom to cut through the rocky Coppinger Gulf and terminating at Hobb's Cabin Campground high on the plateau. As its name implies, the trail makes connections with many other trails in the park.

This was my second time making this trek. In my pen-and-paper journal entry from last year, I wrote that I "swore I would never backpack that trail again." Well, never say never, right? Being no worse for the wear after discovering the trail wasn't quite as bad as I had remembered, I feel at ease now with having disgraced my honor in this particular instance.

A there-and-back hike beginning at the Stone Door Ranger Station, I hit the trail at 9:15am (only 15 minutes behind schedule, or what I like to call "ahead of schedule"). The rain from the night before had dissipated, but the clouds lingered, making for somewhat clammy conditions. That was ok, though, as the weatherman had assured me earlier in the morning that sunshine would be in abundance this afternoon.

 Laurel Gulf Overlook



From the ranger station, it is one mile to the Stone Door. This is a narrow gap in a huge rock lined with stone steps leading down into Big Creek Gulf. I've read that perhaps Indians used this as a passage in and out of the gulf. Now, is it possible to visit the Stone Door and not take a picture - even though there's a million pictures of it online? Um, no.

Great Stone Door

The Stone Door Trail hands off to the Big Creek Gulf Trail, and from here it's 0.9 miles down a steep and rocky gorge to the intersection with the Connector Trail. Wet leaves filled the gaps between the rocks like grout between tile, and thus began a day filled with much slipping, tripping, and stumbling. The sun wasn't out yet, but it was on the way, so I had been told.

Between the second and third suspension bridges is a side trail leading down to the Historic Cator Savage Cabin. If I remember right, this is a replica of the original cabin belonging to Cator Savage, the fellow for whom this recreational area is named after. I visited it last year, but I wasn't about to descend any further than I had to on this day. Instead, I admired it from afar.

  Cabin in the Decatur Savage Historic Site

The final suspension bridge is crossed 1.9 miles out from Hobb's Cabin Campround, my home for the night. At this point, the going gets tough. For me, the next mile would be the most strenuous part of the journey. I had weighed my pack at home, and it registered just north of 50 pounds. I kept telling myself that it was only 50 pounds, and, heck, I do lunges with more than twice this weight, so what's the problem? I think the main problem is that I don't do lunges for five hours.

The trail actually became a little friendlier - perhaps I should say a little less cardio-intensive - once I reached the rocky slope of the Coppinger Gulf, though I was still slipping and sliding. I was coming to terms with the fact that the sun wasn't going to come out and dry things up.

  Treacherous footing through Coppinger Gulf

Looking across Coppinger Gulf



I strolled into camp at 2:40pm, or nearly 5.5 hours later. Last year I somehow made it in only 4 hours - I have no idea how. I completed all the camp chores, ate my noodles, and brushed my teeth before nightfall. I would now only have to wait by the fire for two hours before taking my medicine and going to bed. The wood was wet and proved difficult to burn. After watching the fire die out on three separate occasions, I decided it wasn't worth the aggravation. It wasn't terribly cold so I put my feet up on a log, essentially turning my camp chair into a makeshift recliner, and watched the clouds only now beginning to break apart. I was tired and my calves were sore. More than once I dozed off in my recliner, the howls of nearby campers faithfully snapping me back into the realm of consciousness. By 8pm, the sky was completely clear. As Bob Uecker might say, the weatherman was just a bit off on the forecast.

I retraced my steps on Saturday, getting started on the trail again at 9:15am. The sun was shining and would help with the drying process, though my slips and stumbles continued unabated.

Sun peeking into Coppinger Gulf

The hike out seemed to be slightly more taxing than the hike in, though that was likely because the first day had pretty well worn me down. I kept a steady pace all day and actually completed the trail 10 minutes quicker. This might be best explained by the large number of Boy Scouts rappelling at the Stone Door. These kids were all around the base of the Stone Door as I was gasping for breath while ascending the Big Creek Gulf and telling myself I would never, I mean never, again hike this trail. I remembered the old deoderant commercial that would instruct viewers to never let 'em see you sweat. Well, too late for that, but I didn't want these little guys to think the trail had whipped this "old" man. So instead of stopping here to rest, I perservered up and out the Stone Door, pausing momentarily to gulp in what was surely to be my last breaths only when safely out of site. Now atop the Stone Door, the 1-mile trail out to the parking lot was like a victory lap. It was a nice cool down indeed - a leisurely, level walk to finish off another successful, but grueling, trip inside the Savage Gulf. Total 2-day mileage ~ 17.4.

     Along the Connector Trail

North Rim/North Plateau Trails - Savage Gulf Natural Area

There are two sides to every story, this one being no exception. This particular story involves two people, Tara and myself, each with a mutually exclusive set of expectations in the days and hours leading up to this hike. Because I didn't know about the thoughts and images racing through Tara's mind prior to our departure, I will start with a complete examination of my own thoughts:

Thursday: Because I'm off tomorrow, today is my Friday - yea! My throat's a little sore, but this is an exciting game 6, huh?!

Friday: My throat's still a little sore, but I'll be ok.

Saturday morning: Oh, I'm not feeling so good. Tara, will you get a thermometer?

Now, all the while and unbeknownst to me, Tara's having some gruesome daydreams and terrifying thoughts of danger at the campsite. Her premonitions were so horrific that she had prayed Friday night for me to become too sick to hike if this trip wasn't meant to be. You can imagine her state of mind when I woke up requesting a temperature reading! She confessed this to me shortly after we discovered I had no fever. I thought about it and asked why didn't she just pray for herself to become too sick and leave me out of it!

Having been enlightened as to the events transpiring in my periphery, I knew there was no way we weren't going on this trip. And so at 10:30am, we finally set off from the trailhead at the Savage Gulf Ranger Station. The rain from the previous day had moved on, leaving us with a clear day for hiking. We came across several overlooks, where we enjoyed the splendid views and warm sunshine.

We made it to Hobbs Cabin Campground at 3:45pm and busily prepared our site. On my last backpacking trip I had turned my truck around twice to retrieve forgotten items. This did not happen on this trip; in fact, after we filled our packs, I gave the contents inside nary a thought. That is, until supper time. Tara was walking the dog (I guess the 8.5-mile walk to the camp wasn't enough for her) while I proceeded to assemble the stove. I pulled out my bag of noodles and noticed I didn't have a spoon. I looked hopefully over at Tara's bag of food but saw no spoon there, either. Without spoons, Tara suggested we slurp our noodles out of our coffee mugs. A terrific idea, indeed! I grabbed the mugs out of my pack and reached for the mess kit, which I suddenly realized. . . was still in the gear bag at home. Well, at least I remembered the stove! One out of three ain't bad.

After a dinner consisting of crackers, granola bars, peanuts, and Snickers, it was time to warm up by the fire. Though I was very comfortable, Tara was hunkered over with her shoulders raised and arms folded. I asked her if she was cold, and she confirmed she was. When I saw her shoe beginning to catch fire, I asked her if she was warming up any. She replied that her feet were starting to warm up. I bet they were!

A few minutes later we saw a light in the distance. At first we thought it was somebody walking to the privy. Then the light turned in our direction, so I figured it was the friendly park ranger. As the light makes its way into our site, we see it's not a ranger but a fellow camper, who asks me where he might find some firewood. Kind of a bizarre question. I'm thinking, um, we're in the middle of a forest; dead wood is, like, everywhere. I try to give him some kind of answer, but I don't really know what to say. That's because now I can't think straight - I'm thinking about Tara's visions and her prayer from the day before. After he left, I turned to Tara and said, "You're not going to sleep at all tonight, are you?"

We hear the guy going at it with his axe for some time afterward. The following morning we see him on the camp trail with a bundle of wood and his axe in his arms. He wasn't very friendly - he must not have liked my answer from the night before. For some reason, we were slow breaking down camp and didn't get on the trail until 9:30am. We passed one more scenic overlook before the trail took us off the rim and into the woods for the remainder of the day.

We had a long way to go and a short time to get there, to paraphrase the Jerry Reed song. Stopping only a few times, we averaged between 2.3- and 2.4-miles per hour on our 9.4-mile hike back to the ranger station on Sunday. At one point, we came along a sleeping bag neatly rolled up alongside the trail out in the middle of nowhere. I asked Tara if she expected somebody to emerge from the woods, axe in hand, asking us if we knew where he could find some firewood. No, she replied, though she did admit to hastening her pace for the next little while.

We made it to the van by 1:30pm, fairly exhausted and hungry. Despite the setbacks and trepidation, it was another successful backpacking adventure in the Savage Gulf. Total 2-day mileage = 17.9.

             

Solo Backpacking Trip Report: Collins Gulf

Car problems and two false starts resulting in U-turns home to retrieve forgotten items had this trip on life support from the beginning. The third time is a charm, and once I actually made it out of the city the odds for survival began to improve. The early fumbles, however, meant I didn't set foot on the trail until 11:45, or about 2 hours later than originally planned.

The trail experience was worth the wait and, as it turned out, the delays didn't affect the hike. From the Collins West access, I headed east, opting to hike the loop counterclockwise. Descending into the gulf across a boulder field, I flashed back to last December's trek across the Connector Trail, in which the hiker is unmercifully tormented by the rocky slope that just won't quit as he approaches Hobbs Cabin up on the plateau. Thankfully, the boulder crossing in the Collins Gulf was shorter and easier to navigate. When I spied the suspension bridge that would take me to the east side of the gulf, I knew the hardest part of the day was over.

 

   Large boulders near bridge

Once across the bridge, you must climb out of the gulf. And I mean literally climb. I thought at first the trail dead-ended. Then I hoped that maybe I'd made a wrong turn. But then I saw the marker and remembered seeing a picture of this rock wall. I knew the trail was above.

The trail marker doesn't lie

I managed to get myself up on the landing without taking off my pack. And much to my relief, the footpath resumed here; scaling the remaining wall would not be required. The trail then eases up and offers the hiker an excellent opportunity to make up lost time. There are a lot of overlooks, but most of the views remain obstructed this time of the year by the trees. I heard some voices up ahead of me, so I knew I wasn't alone. I spotted a couple of guys sitting at the end of a spur trail on a rocky overlook, so I ventured on to the next overlook. This spot offered what was decidedly the View of the Day:

View of the Day

The two individuals - evidently a grown son and his father - soon made their way to this overlook to snap the mandatory pictures required of all hikers. We chatted for a while and discovered we were all headed to the same campground. As they proceeded back down the trail, the father mentioned I would likely be passing them up. Sure enough, about a mile or so later, I heard their voices. I'm thinking in my head about trail etiquette. I hadn't packed my bicycle horn, and I'm wondering if I will just call out, "Beep, beep, coming around on your left." As I'm pondering this, I hear a loud buzzing sound straight ahead. I stop immediately, as this wasn't a sound I immediately recognized. The first thing that came to mind were bees, but I didn't see anything buzzing about in the air. Then I saw it: the tail of a rattler, pointed skyward and standing at attention. Much like how Tommy Lee Jones took control of Central Park in The Park is Mine, the rattlesnake made it clear this was his trail.

 

Rattler between the logs warning me the trail is closed

Giving the snake a wide berth, I made it around the roadblock and got the heck out of Dodge. Remaining on the lookout for snakes, I arrived at the campground at 3:25, right behind the father and son, who had also treaded lightly in the presence of the rattler. There were other campers there, too. I found a secluded site and proceeded to make preparations for the night. Hanging a bear bag in the Savage Gulf Natural Area is required. Not so much because of bears, although there is that possibility, but mainly because of raccoons. My bag was draped across the entry to my site, not quite 6' above the ground. No challenge for a bear, but high enough for coons.

 

  "Raccoon" bag

The evening was tailor made for camping. Clear skies and a bright moon, not to mention the comfort my new camp chair features, was the right formula for relaxation in front of the fire. At one point I knew I had been working in maintenance too long when I looked at the moon and thought it had a Sylvania cool white fluorescent glow about it.

On the return trip the following morning I walked over a lot of rocks. And more rocks. I saw a lot of rocks. I saw some really big rocks:

Really big rock

In fact, the Stagecoach Road Historic trail is nothing but rock since it is, as its name implies, an old stagecoach road dating back to the 1840s. After 1.6 miles of pure foot punishment, I was relieved to join up with the Connector Trail for 0.3 miles of easy hiking. The next 4.5 miles took me through Collins Gulf, where I saw Fall Creek Sink, Horsepound Falls, and Suter Falls. The falls, though still pretty, are a notch below spectacular this time of year due to lack of rain. The trail has a few places sure to get your heart pounding, but the final climb out, in the vicinity of Suter Falls, will have you huffing and puffing. At Suter Falls I crossed over a bridge made out of two extension ladders and followed the trail under a huge rock shelf. From here it's a quarter mile to close the loop and mabye another quarter mile or so to the trailhead.

Near Suter Falls



This was a great hike. The map describes it as a "long, difficult trail . . . designed to accommodate extended trips," and I would concur. Besides the Connector Trail, this is probably the most challenging trail in the park. Total miles hiked ~ 14.3.   

Day Hike to Savage Falls

This past weekend featured beautiful weather and a highly anticipated return trip to the Savage Gulf State Natural Area. Because it was still somewhat cool and breezy when we arrived, we decided to eat our peanut butter-and-honey sandwiches in the car. Afterward, we strolled over to the Savage Ranger Station and commenced to hike the 4.2-mile Savage Day Loop, along with the 1.0-mile there-and-back to Savage Falls.

There was some of the usual friction between the junior members of our expedition, but this quickly ceased as we emerged from the woods, binoculars in hand, to take in the view from Rattlesnake Point.

 

 From here it was a short trek to the spur trail leading to the Savage Falls Overlook. Our party completely took over this small overlook, so we were quite fortunate with our timing in that we didn't disturb or get disturbed by anyone. After all, just five minutes earlier we had encountered a couple and their two dogs on the trail, one of which wasn't on a leash. Tara was assured by their owners that the dogs were quite friendly, and so they were allowed to sniff one another. I had walked on ahead out of sight, as I was not really interested in watching the animals take turns smelling each other's butts. Though out of sight, I was not out of earshot before the loud and threatening barking started. Turns out, one of the dogs wasn't very friendly at all. It had tried to take a bite out of our dog, prompting its partner to morph into an obnoxious fit of rage. It was as if we'd just encountered the canine versions of Mike Tyson and Don King. Fortunately, everyone managed to get their dogs into their separate corners, and we moseyed on down the trail to the waterfall.

We had a snack just upstream of the waterfall before employing our rock hopping skills to engage in some fiecely competitive leaf racing. Unfortunately, not all of us have perfected our rock hopping technique, as one of the juniors danced her way right into the water. It was a little cool for a swim, so it was a good thing we were headed back to the trailhead.

                                                                Site of the water incident


We closed our 5.2 mile journey back at the ranger station and immediately began planning our next outing. A little later, the littlest junior enjoyed relaying her amphibious adventures in the Savage Gulf to her papa.

Stone Door, South Cumberland Recreational Area

Backpacking season has arrived! The intense heat of summer now gone, this past weekend turned out to be a great kick-off to what I hope will be an autumn filled with fun, athletic outdoor adventures. This weekend my wife (Tara) and me - and our dog - all strapped on our packs for a foot tour of the western leg of the Savage Gulf Natural Area, from the Stone Door Ranger Station to the Blue Hole and back.

We started along the trail Saturday morning, hiking the peaceful mile between the ranger station and the Stone Door. From here, the Alum Gap Camp-bound traveler can descend through the Stone Door and onto the Big Creek Gulf Trail or remain up top along Big Creek Rim Trail. Last November we took the gulf trail and really enjoyed the experience. But with this being Opening Day, we decided to take it easy and hike in along the 3.2 mile rim trail.

The weather was exceptional and there were surprisingly few people on the trail. A bus full of noisy kids had arrived on the scene while Tara and I were fiddle-farting around the ranger station. When I heard their boisterous calls echoing out of the gulf below, I knew we'd picked the right trail. We stopped once to rest, at my request, and took in a gorgeous view of the Savage Gulf Natural Area. Fifteen minutes or so later, we arrived at our campsite and promptly pitched our tent before having lunch.

After our tuna salad and crackers, we left our backpacks behind and marched out for a day hike, which included Boardtree Falls and the Upper and Lower Greeter Falls. When we visited Boardtreee Falls (1 mile from Alum Gap Camp) last year, the water was just a trickle. Such a small trickle it was, I remember at that time thinking back to how Yosemite Sam had dammed up that river above the waterfall Bugs Bunny was using to shower. This day, however, the fall was much more impressive - not raging, not Niagara Falls Jr., but still really nice.

From there we hiked another 0.4 miles to Greeter Falls. There are two falls here, upper and lower. To get to the lower falls, you must take a spiral staircase and walk down another set of stairs. This was by far the most popular spot along the trail. Many people were sitting on the rocks and taking it all in, while others waded or swam in and around the falls. At this point we decided to walk the trail to the Greeter Falls parking area, just so we could say we completed the trail. This is where we came across a side trail that we didn't know existed. This 0.5 mile trail led to the Blue Hole, which would make one awesome swimming hole on a hot day. With the temperature in the 70s, I passed on the swimming, though our dog took full advantage of the opportunity.

We made it back to camp and had all of our chores done by sunset. I had strayed a little ways from camp after dark and heard something that sounded as if it were coming straight towards me. I never did see anything and figured it must've been an oppossum or a raccoon. The camp's message board warned us about racoons, and so we had hung a bear bag as a precaution. And though the ranger didn't think we'd have any trouble with them because of all the dogs in the camp that night, Tara spotted one on the outskirts of our site early Sunday morning.

We had breakfast Sunday and took a morning stroll down and back up what a group of Murfreesboro firemen/hikers have dubbed Mt. Mother. We had backpacked up this slope last fall and agreed that this nomenclature was perfectly appropriate. Even with no pack, this climb is no joke.

Catching our breath back at the HQ, we had a snack before breaking camp and heading to the parking lot via an easy 2.9 mile wooded trail. All in all, it was a fantastic hike! Total two-day mileage ~ 13.0.