Emory Gap Trail in Frozen Head State Park

Frozen Head State Park has been on my list of Tennessee parks to visit, and finally I had a chance to visit it on a beautiful abnormally warm 70 degree day in early March. There were a few trails on my list, but I chose an easy one today, Emory Gap Trail.

The hike was quite easy with little elevation gain. I loved the warm weather, and for the first time in a while I was able to take my jacket off.

The waterfall at the end of the trail was very pretty, but not much water was really flowing. I wonder if it ever gets bigger.

Maple Arch Double Loop in Panther Creek State Park

Someone has given me a hiking book that I initially didn't give value to since I primarily use Alltrails app when hiking, but while being bored, I decided to look through it. I was surprised to have found different trails than those listed on Alltrails. Well, the author did not "create" new trails, but rather combined them in the way to make them a 5 star trails. 

I selected a few spots I wanted to visit. The first one was Panther Creek State Park. There are several trails listed on Alltrails app that were only 1 to 2 miles long. The one in the book was 5.5 miles and combined two large loops covering most of the area of the park. It's been a while since I have followed a paper map to navigate, but armed with a combination of tools, I decided to give Maple Arch Double Loop a try.

I arrived at 10 am - a late start for me - and found only a few cars in the parking lot. There is a benefit of living in a highly religious community - they all to to church on Sunday while I enjoy the solitude of hiking. It was chilly, but the forecast was favorable for the rest of the day with a high of 55 degrees F later in the day.

I pulled out my book with a map, found a trail sign directing me to where Ore Mine Trail was and started the hike. The forest floor was covered in leaves. The trail was still visible where multiple footsteps flattened the leaves. About 0.4 miles into the hike I realized I did not start tracking it on Alltrails. Darn! I fixed this error and continued uphill to find Lost Road Trail (a great name for a trail, huh?).

Soon I approached the river and headed down the path to the beach. The sand was covered by a thin layer of flat gravel that felt really neat to hike on, soft yet sturdy without the annoyance of sand particles getting in my shoes as they layer of gravel kept it underneath it. There was a lonely goose floating in the river enjoying the sunshine. I dipped my hand in the water. It felt cool, but not freezing cold to my surprise.

I went back to the woods to find the trail and continued to the second loop made by Maple Arch Trail that led me along the river. I found really neat mushrooms and really enjoyed the sound of leaves under my feet. There was not a soul around.

The second mini-peninsula was a bird heaven. I wish I had walked quieter as I disturbed dozens of birds flapping their wings all around me. It was like I were in a bird sanctuary where birds are concentrated in one spot, but this time it was happening in the wild. A pretty cool experience!

I continued to get deeper in the woods and soon found footsteps of either deer or wild boar (I have to admit that in the moment I did not think about deer; I was convinced that I will encounter a crazy hog who will chase me around the forest). Soon after a skull mysteriously appeared on the tree branch (well, not really mysteriously, someone obviously put it there, but still...). Again, somehow I thought it was a skull of wild boar. Even when I saw three deer peacefully grazing in the field, the thought that there was wild boar roaming around dominated my thought process.

I carefully continued along the route which became less and less visible. I had to refer to both my paper map and the track recorded in Alltrails to figure out the correct way. The trail was not frequented by humans possibly because there was an old sign at one of the intersections that Maple Arch loop was closed back in the fall of 2021 due to some forest damage.

Along the trail I started seeing signs of spring coming. A single daffodil was certain it was time.

Maple Arch came to its "closure" and I continued my hike following the other part of the loop of Lost Road Trail leading to the parking lot. 

I really enjoyed the hike, but tend to prefer following an existing route on the app. A bit of adventure with proper tools never hurt anyone and allowed me for the first time in many years to actually remember where I was going. No wonder our brains are getting worse with navigation as we rely so heavily on GPS navigation. I do. I would come back here when the spring is in full force!

Laurel Falls Trail, Great Smoky National Park

I was debating whether it was worth it to drive just over an hour to hike 2.5 miles in Great Smoky Mountains to see a waterfall and decided to do it. While I have been on the North Carolina side of the "smokies", I have never hiked it on the Tennessee side.

Laurel Falls Trail is highly rated and paved. I don't typically go for these kind of trails, but then again, it is winter, so fewer people would be visiting this spectacular park. Indeed, there was no traffic and very few cars on a Sunday morning. The thermostat in my car said it was around 28 degrees F. F..k! I put my hat on hoping to warm up while moving.

The trail is paved and handicap accessible all the way to the falls. 

The views from the trail, especially on a sunny day like today, were spectacular!

As I approached the falls, the mist from it formed amazing icicles. There is something amazing in this creation of nature. 

Plants around the falls were also iced up:

The falls were incredible.

Hall Bend Trail, Lenoir City, TN

I was looking for a local trail today. Hall Bend Trail was a reasonably rated trail within 40 minutes from my place. It was really chilly today, but I needed to get out for a hike.

The parking lot is relatively small and is located right off the main road. The trail itself starts on the grass next to the river. Today the sun was pretty strong melting frozen ground making it muddy. In some spots I had to go in a big circle to avoid the puddle. I wasn't really convinced this trail was going to be a good one.

Within a quarter of a mile I reached the wooded section, and my pleasant hike began. I can only imagine how great this trail is during the warmer months when there are leaves on the trees! The trail continued along the river most of the hike. I didn't see any animals, but lots of birds.

Rocks like these lines the shore

View after a few hundred ft elevation gain

The other half of the loop was much shorter and ran along the highway. While it was not as enjoyable because of the traffic noise, walking in the woods is still my favorite activity!

Seven Islands State Park

Located about 25 minutes from Knoxville, Seven Islands State Birding Park is a hidden gem. It is not overly crowded. In fact, when I arrived there at 9 am on Sunday morning, there were only two other cars in the parking lot. Although this could be related to how religious the local community is attending the Sunday morning mass. Regardless, I took advantage of that.

It was really cold, I mean freezing cold. I was glad to have worn a hat today. I started out on a paved walkway leading through a barn with some educational signs about birds. You can hear bird songs everywhere. No wonder this was called a birding park. High grass with vast opportunities for nesting combined with forested area next to the river attracts birds even in the "off-season". 

I was hoping to walk in the sun to warm up. I soon reached a bridge with a great view on both sides. I can only imagine how beautiful it would be here in the summer with foliage intact.

I continued along the trail that split into two to go around the island next to the water. Frost was covering the naked branches and grass creating intricate shapes of sharply formed icicles.

I finished the circle on the island spending a few moments with a deer who was cautious initially, but continued her breakfast after I stood still for a while.

I then continued my walk along the mainland part of the park. It was finally warming up. Soon more people appeared as I was finishing my walk returning to the parking lot. What a great morning!

Haw Ridge Lake Trail, Oak Ridge, TN

Start the new year right? Check! After a rather uneventful New Year's Eve celebration I woke up refreshed today ready to do something. The weather was supposed to be rainy, but I saw rays of sunshine. When I opened my door to the balcony, the warmth of 70-degree air filled the room. I knew I had to go hiking today.

Haw Ridge Lake Trail is an 8-mile loop that goes along the water. I thought it would be perfect for today. The drive from my apartment was only 25 minutes, and the parking lot was still pretty empty. Those who celebrated New Year's Eve more successfully with more drinks were still sleeping them off.

The trail started on a paved road, and this is what I anticipated would continue, but Alltrails directed me off the road onto the forest trails. The sound of leaves under my feet and warm air made me feel quite at peace. 

It wasn't long until I started to see water - streams, smaller ponds, and then the lake.

During the whole hike I encountered maybe 3 people. Very peaceful and remote. There were a few quite steep spots but for the most part the trail was pretty flat. Along the trail there were a few stops with benches where I sat down for a minute enjoying the views. About half way in I decided to listed to an audiobook and stopped a few times to take close up pictures.

The trail somehow felt longer that I anticipated. The clouds started to come in and the wind picked up. I knew the storm was coming back, so I started to walk just a bit faster.

The last mile was the toughest one. It started to rain, albeit it was quite warm so rain was refreshing. I cut the trail to get to the parking lot faster, but ended up adding a hill to my hike. Soaked and pumped up, I finally got to the parking lot. There were many cars parked there by now. My hike lasted just over 3 hours. I would definitely come back here. It's a peaceful retreat, for sure!

2021 Year in Review