The Nickajack Naturalist

Paddling and Photography

                                                                           From Get Out Chattanooga

 Cameras and water don't mix, but some photographers are wiling to take the risk.  GoPros and other action cams are great for capturing whitwater runs or paddling selfies, but for Phyllis Williams they aren't good enough to get the photos she wants.  "The way I take pictures scares people" says Williams, a Soddy Daisy paddler, "I take my DSLRs out there and just take my chances".   Read more.  

Ed. note:  I tend to take my DSLR out canoeing, as I just can't resist the photo opportunities I encounter while paddling.

 Kim Butters photographing the scenic Caney Fork River.               Photo:  Bob Butters 

New Aerial Adventure Opening at Fall Creek Falls

  Tennessee State Parks, Arbor Trek Canopy Adventures, and The Adventure Guild, LLC recently announced the development of an aerial adventure park at Fall Creek Falls State Park.  Scheduled to open in Summer 2014, ZIP Stream Fall Creek Falls will be open to the public daily during the summer season and on weekends in the spring and fall.   Read more.   

Sequatchie Cove Preliminary Conservation Action Plan

 

The Little Sequatchie River.                                                          Photo:  Bob Butters

  On April 25th, the Senior Environmental Studies Capstone class at the University of the South: Sewanee presented their Preliminary Conservation Action Plan for the Little Sequatchie Cove.

  The 30,000 acre Little Sequatchie River Watershed is a relatively little known area of rugged topography, scenic beauty, bio-diverse plant and animal life, and a number of caves.  The Preliminary Conservation Action Plan details the ecological importance, recreational use, and cultural and historical significance of Sequatchie Cove, as well as an overview of land ownership and use in the cove.  As very little of Sequatchie Cove is publicly owned or in conservation ownership, this important natural area is threatened with development and other destructive uses.  On the other hand, there is potential for Sequatchie Cove to be an outstanding outdoor recreational asset to the region.

  To see the 15 page Conservation Action Plan, click on the link below.   

Download Sequatchie Cove (1)

Bob Butters

Little Cedar Mountain Trail Now Open

 

New trail on Little Cedar Mountain.

  The trail system on TVA's Little Cedar Mountain on Nickajack Lake has now been re-opened for over a month.  I wanted to get out to have a first hand look at the new trail system before reporting on it, and I finally got a chance to do just that this weekend.  The trail was closed to the public for several months while Barry Smith and crew worked tirelessly on re-routing much of the existing trail.  See a Jan. 15 report here.

 

View of Nickajack Lake from the trail.

  Previously, a large portion of the trail followed existing old jeep roads.  Now, most of those sections have been abandoned, and sections of single-track have also been re-routed.  While the map at the trail head has yet to be updated, there is a new map at TVA's website.  Check out the new map here, and get driving directions here.

 View from one of the overlooks.

  According to the new map, the main loop is now three miles, and there's a one mile V shaped trail connecting both sides of the loop with the pond, making a total of four miles of trail.  I think one of the main ideas, besides getting away from using jeep roads, was to make the climbs less strenuous.

  I'm happy with the new trail, but there are a couple of drawbacks, as well.  One is that due to endangered plants in the vicinity, I'm told, one of the three overlooks, the one with actually the most expansive view, has been closed off.  The other is that I now don't have a shorter loop option that I had before, since the jeep road section over the mountain has been closed off.  I would have preferred that either that section remain part of the trail system, or (and this would probably be more in keeping with the current trail philosophy) a trail were made connecting the pond with the trail over the mountain on the north end.  This would provide a couple of shorter loop options.

View from the trail at lake level.

In any case, this is a great trail system to explore, a unique environment with an abundance of interesting plant and animal life, and easy to access from I-24.

Bob Butters                                                                            All photos:  Bob Butters