Lost Sea inside Craighead Caverns (Monroe County, Tennessee)

My second stop for the day takes me to another cave, this one near Sweetwater, Tennessee. However, this one contains not a waterfall, but the second largest known underground lake ever discovered. Okay, actually, it does have a small waterfall as well, but it's nothing in comparison to the lake. The drive from Chattanooga is only about an hour and after arriving nearly an hour-and-a-half before my scheduled tour, I inquire about switching to an earlier slot. They graciously offer to switch my reservation and I'm almost immediately entering the cave.

This cave, known as Craighead Caverns is much different than the one I just left. To begin with, it has some absolutely massive rooms, some of which could host an NHL game. Our tour guide is Blake, and while extremely nice and moderately knowledgeable, this geology-based dad jokes seem to fall pretty flat with the group. To his credit though, he tries really, really hard. Here again, the patrons make little effort to wear masks, which is really disappointing. I'm careful to keep mine on, even with the substantial inconvenience of it constantly causing my glasses to fog up.

Wide maintained paths circle around and through the large rooms. Blake warns us of the occasional low-hanging rock and no one seems to earn themselves a cave headache as we hike the half-mile or so to the lake entrance. Along the way, we pass a number of interesting areas, including an area used by the Cherokee Nation as a council fire in centuries past and the only remaining moonshine still of the three that were once in operation within the cave during less-enlightened times. Blake also points out the rampant graffiti that has been collecting on the wall for many decades, which is very disappointing. At least, the cave is protected now.

Entering the flooded chamber, we pass through tunnel area, obviously constructed to keep the water out, before arriving at the dock, where three small tour boats await our boarding. The "lost sea" chamber itself is absolutely huge. The surface area of the lake is approximately 800 feet by 220 feet, covering an area of nearly 4.5 acres. Though lights have been placed around the far walls just below the surface of the mostly clear water, it's still extremely dark in this chamber and my pictures don't turn out very well. 

Blake points out the large rainbow trout swimming around near the surface - hundreds of them. Apparently, they were once set free in the lake in an attempt to find it's source, but either they couldn't get through or had no interest in trying. Either way, they live here now and even get restocked occasionally, as their eggs have difficulty adhering to the bottom of the cave and making their reproduction extremely difficult. The tour guides feed them as each tour pass through and they gently swarm the boat as we make our way around the outer boundary of the lake. 

Returning to the dock, we disembark and make our way up a mildly steep hill to return to the path we entered on. Blake had warned everyone that the trail was steep and while I completely understand the need to warn people off, it was a really easy path with only a small incline. We quickly arrive back a the yellow tunnel and Blake sees us off. This was a really unique experience and makes me think it might have been slightly similar to a trip my dad took along the Echo River within Mammoth Cave when he was a teenager. I've always wanted to experience that trip, and perhaps now I have done something similar.

Ruby Falls inside Lookout Mountain Caverns (Hamilton County, Tennessee)

I'm generally not a fan of the commercialization of natural wonders. I understand that people want to be able to visit them, but the more people that access the site, the more likely it is to be destroyed. That said, a couple of very commercial sites in eastern Tennessee have caught my attention and I diced today it would be a good time to explore them. The first is Ruby Falls, which is inside the Lookout Mountain Cave just southwest of Chattanooga. In my recent rips north to Illinois and Kentucky for this tourist trap bombard passersby. Lets see what it's all about.

I arrived at the visitor facility well in advance of my scheduled tour time, but as I knew tickets were sold out today, I didn't bother trying to switch to an earlier tour. After about thirty minutes of wandering around the gift shop, I headed to tour's starting point and was quickly joined by the rest of the group. While the facility is making efforts to ensure social distancing, many of the tourists here simply ignore the protocols.

In several groups, we descend into the depths via an elevator and then reconvene in the man-made tunnels through the mountain. To be fair, these tunnels were the original points that the cave's original explorers used, but they have been blasted and cut to be much wider to allow for easy accessibility.

Our tour guide, Desiree, is a young chatty college student and while extremely friendly, she is also far too talkative. As we make our way through the narrow passages, we see a number of interesting cave features, such as the usual flow-stones, stalagmites, stalactites, etc. Some of the features have been granted names for their resemblance to animals and name-tags marking them as such. The turtle, elephant's foot, the fish, the hen, and many others. It's all very "touristy", but the formations are beautiful and while some damage has been sustained from visitors, it's far from the worst I've seen. Additionally, several areas have had colored lights placed behind them to provide an eerie aura.

After about a quarter of a mile, we come to an area from which we can hear the waterfall echoing through the cave. We have to wait for an earlier tour group to vacate the chamber, before we can enter, but it only takes a couple of minutes before we walk through the final passage and are greeted by the gorgeous Ruby Falls.

From a small passage near the natural ceiling of the room, a small by steady stream of water drops 145 feet before landing in a small pool, which then feeds the small trickle of an underground creek we have occasionally seen glimpses of on our way here. The waterfall is quite stunning and from what our tour guide says, it actually carved the room we are currently in. It's obvious that some blasting has taken place to enlarge the room, and I can also see mineral deposits high up on the cave walls where I hypothesize the water level reached and stood for long periods of time in the distant past. 

After about ten minutes taking in this beautiful natural wonder, Desiree gathers the group and we head back towards the elevator along a similar path to the one we entered on. With a quick ride back to the surface, the experience is complete. While the waterfall was quite beautiful, I maintain my earlier statement about over-commercialization of such places. 

Allatoona Creek (Cobb County, Georgia)

 

It's amazing to me how many trail systems are in and around greater Atlanta. While in many places, trails have been built simply to provide an outlet for the masses to get a little fresh air, others visit some truly remarkable natural and historic places. Being relatively new to the area still, I tend to do some research on my own or often, just hike with one of the groups I have joined to get exposure to these new hikes.

Today's Meetup takes me to Allatoona Creek Park, a few miles northwest of the 285 perimeter. Pulling into the parking lot just a couple of minutes before the scheduled start time, I see the group leader and a dozen or so other hikers gathered around this SUV. I quickly get out of my jeep and head over to join them. After a quick round of introductions and the traditional "ice breaker" question, we hit the trails on this hot and muggy summer day.

The trail immediately enters the woods. This trail system is primarily used by mountain bikers who have set up a number of ramps and undulating hill sections to make the ride more interesting. These obstacles offer little difficulty for our group, but hearing an unexpected scream from one of the female hikers towards the back of the group catches everyone off-guard and forces a pause. It turns out she saw a large snake that the majority of us had just walked past. Thankfully, no animals or hikers were injured in the making of these scene.

The trail meanders back and forth through the woods for a while before entering an open field and then traveling along the creek, though unobstructed views are difficult to find here. It seems most of these trails have been cut with bikers in mind, paying more attention to the challenge of riding the trail than the interesting views along the way.

Eventually, we do end up at a track that provides access to the greenish waters of Allatoona Creek, which lends it's name to the purposely flooded shallow valleys to the north forming Lake Allatoona. We stop here for a quick break and a few of my fellow-hikers wade out into the semi-clear waters. I suspect the water is very warm given the recent weather and after their plunge, they confirm these suspicions.

Heading back towards the parking lot, I build up a pretty good lead on the rest of the pack and have time to change shirts and switch into some flip flops before they catch up. Several of the members that I have hiked with before plan to grab some dinner and drinks and invite me along, but I had already planned to grill at home this evening and respectfully decline, though I will probably join them next time. All in all, it was a 10.1 mile hike with some good company. The trail ,unfortunately, was not all that interesting. It was a reasonably good workout on hot August day, but the scenery left a bit to be desired.

West Palisades Trail (Cobb County, Georgia)

I truly appreciate that my job offers me the flexibility to get out and do a short hike during the week now and then. I try not to take advantage of it, but when I saw one of the local groups post an 8:00 AM hike along the West Palisades Trail in the Chattahoochee National Recreation Area, it seemed like a good time to stretch my legs. Leaving the house around 7:10 AM, my phone indicates I should arrive at the trail head at about 7:45 AM. Perfect!

Unfortunately, traffic in greater Atlanta is unpredictable and often the stuff of nightmares. As I approached the major interchange I was to take, Google Maps decided to reroute me due to an accident. New expected arrival time . . . 8:04 AM. Gah . . . I'm going to be late now and I hate being that guy. I called the group leader to let her know and apologized. I always try to be very diligent about arriving early and not forcing others to wait on me, but traffic took that ability away from me. 

Finally arriving at the trailhead, the small group is gathered around the bulletin board waiting for me. I quickly grab my water and walk over, apologizing as I approach. I'm sure they were annoyed with me, but they didn't show it and offered understanding of the local traffic woes.

The hike itself is an extremely easy one with only a couple of slight uphill sections. Along the way, we are offered some excellent views of the river, which is quite brown and muddy today due to some heavy rains that came through the area yesterday. I have a few conversations with the others in the group and overall, a very enjoyable time. While nothing spectacular, this was a nice quick 4.2 miles and a great way to spend a Wednesday morning before starting work.

Red Top Mountain - Iron Hill and Sweet Gum Trails (Bartow County, Georgia)

Twelve and a half miles yesterday wasn't nearly enough and so, I decided to join one of the Meetup groups for a few more miles today and to explore a state park that has been on my radar for a while now. Red Top Mountain sits on a series of peninsulas jutting out into the man-made Lake Altoona. A number of trails wind around the fingers of the park and along the shoreline of the lake. 

Several people that had expressed interest in the hike struggled with the directions, but a dozen or so of us ended up at the right place and first decided to hike the Iron Hill Trail, so named because of the mining operations that once existed here. The trail is wide and it's surface is mostly gravel with some sections of dirt, but either way, it's an incredibly easy and almost entirely flat trail. The occasional views of the lake through the thick woods is nice and the breeze blowing in helps mitigate this incredibly humid air. After only a couple of miles, sweat is dripping from my brow.

After we make the first couple of loops, we meet another dozen or so members of the group that had gone to the wrong trailhead, but decided to hike together anyway. The groups merge and we head along the Campground Trail, which then connects to the Sweet Gum Trail and heads to towards the northern end of the park. We put in another few miles here before looping back and returning to the parking lot. 

It's always nice to hike with good company, but the trails here were not overly scenic or overly challenging. After a strenuous day yesterday, perhaps an easy outing was for the best. I was able to add about 8.4 miles to my weekend total, and now I'm heading home.

Lula Lake Land Trust and Waterfalls (Walker County, Georgia)

Since moving to Georgia, I have heard about a gorgeous place in Northern Georgia called the Lula Lake Land Trust. The area is protected and visitors are only allowed by permit, which are available only two Saturdays per month, meaning this place is largely untouched. It's only a short drive from Chickamauga Battlefield, the site of my earlier hike today and arrive just a few minutes after noon, which is perfect since my permit wasn't active until noon.

Entering the trust, I am greeted by a ranger who validates my permit and instructs me on where to park. After grabbing my gear, I head over to the table set up by the rangers who provide me a trail map and some basic instruction. With a quick 'thank you', I'm on my way. 

The first section of the hike is along a gravel road, which curves around the mountain and runs parallel to Rock Creek. There are a few points where I have the option to depart the road and I opt to enter the woods in an area called the Ford Trail, which requires me to do a little rock hopping across the creek. Nothing serious, but it's a little comical to see a young lady trying to join her friends, but exhibiting some level of fear at the crossing. After she sees me hop across with almost no effort, she seems to get her courage and join her friends. 

I almost immediately reach a trail junction and begin to follow the stream on the North Creek Trail. This route takes me to the top of the smaller of the two waterfalls here and the one that feeds the emerald pond known as Lula Lake. A couple of guys are snapping some photos here at the top and as I see other people below on the edge of the lake, I decide to head down below for my pictures. 

A ramble of stone steps and boulders have been fashioned to allow visitors to make their way down the steep hill to the edge of the water. From here, the large pool of water now separates me from the waterfall itself. It seems the water has carved out a stone overhang on either side of the pool. In eons past, this waterfall must have been raging. It's still pretty active today, but nothing like it must have been to carve out this canyon.

Departing the area containing Lula Lake, I now return to the gravel road for a short distance before making my way down the extremely steep Old Lula Falls Trail, which is made easier by the placement of stone and wood steps, but it's still hard on the knees. Reaching the bottom, I'm greeted with a magnificent site. Lula Falls drops approximately 120 feet from the creek above to an area scattered with stone. Thirty or forty people have gathered here to take in the magnificence of the waterfall and enjoy the cool mist coming off of it. It's a hot day and the spray feels amazing. This is among the top five waterfalls I've seen since moving to Georgia several months ago.

Heading out, I take the slightly less steep Lula Falls Trail before connecting with the High Adventure Trail. This later trail heads up the mountain to connect with the Bluff Trail, but before doing so, I'm forced to climb on all fours and in one place utilize a knotted rope to pull myself up the steep sections. It was a bit of a workout, but well worth it.

Reaching the top, I'm greeted by a sprawling view of the Chattanooga Valley. Here on the bluff side of Lookout Mountain, I can see probably forty miles to the east. It's a great view, but I can't help but compare it to the beauty of the Sierra Nevada. The most obvious difference is the fingerprints of civilization. Out west, I could look for a hundred miles and see no sign of human habitation, but here, in the east, civilization is impossible to escape entirely.

The final section of my route, has me connecting with the Middle Trail and following this back to a small wooden bridge and eventually to the gravel road, which I walked in on. I was able to get in another 5.6 miles here, bringing my total for the day to about 12.4. Not bad. Now it's time to drive home, shower off the sweat, and enjoy a cold beer.

Chickamauga Battlefield Trail (Walker County, Georgia)

Today's first adventure takes me to the site of the greatest loss of life during the American Civil War. In the various battles in and around Chattanooga, TN, Chickamauga stands out as one of the most bloody and for being the first battle fought in Georgia. Between September 18-20, 1863 in a series of offensive and counter-offensives, approximately 120,000 troops split fairly evenly between the Union and the Confederacy met in battle. Nearly 4,000 of those soldiers lost their lives here. Our world is in multiple levels of turmoil right now, much of caused by racial injustice, but regardless of that, visiting this place is quite humbling no matter your political views.

The trail starts a the Visitor Center and after passing under a small stone bridge, enters a large field. A number of marble and granite monuments stand in the field commemorating the various regiments and companies from both sides that participated in this terrible battle. The trail quickly turns into the woods and becomes double-track. More monuments adorn the path. Additionally, there are a number of civil-war era cannons placed at various places along the path, simulating what the battlefield may have looked like back then. Interestingly, most of the cannons are pointed to fire into the woods, leading me to believe this land was probably cleared at the time of the battle.

After departing the woods, the trail runs parallel to a paved road with even more historical markers and monuments to the veterans who fought here. Many of the markers describe various events and offensives that occurred during the three days of hell that this place must have been all those years ago.

As I continue to walk the well traveled trails of this historical park, I can't help but think of the men that offered up and lost their lives to fight for their beliefs. How strong their convictions must have been to have been willing to endure something so horrific. I wonder how much political propaganda was responsible for their steadfastness. I wonder if they were pressured by their families to support their cause. I wonder what this young men really wanted and if they truly knew why they were here. 

Eventually, the trail begins to loop back towards the parking lot where I started. During my hike here, I've covered nearly 6.8 miles and there is much more to see that I didn't visit today. Additionally, I must have passed 30 cannons and more than 100 monuments to the brave soldiers who fought here. It's a sad thing that human disagreements must end in bloodshed, but perhaps someday, we'll learn a better method.