I turned 63 on National Boss’s Day 2020 in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Karen and I spent the weekend hiking and basking in the sun by Lake Chickamauga.
Friday I enjoyed a superb grouper dinner and beautiful sunset at Lakeshore Marina. Saturday we drove into the Tennessee River Gorge and followed a very narrow and winding road along the river’s edge to the Ritchie Hollow Trailhead. A lot of hard work went into cutting and placing rock to support the steep sided pathway.A line of impressive cliffs ring the gorge and loom over the rocky trail, which was partially camouflaged by a thick carpet of early fall leaves. The trail offered lots of stone features making the 3.5-mile hike interesting.The Tennessee River eroded through everything in its path carving this ancient ravine. These dense woods were a haven for many historic moonshine stills.Blowing Wind Falls was reduced to a trickle by the recent dry weather, but the black rock, with it’s wet surface tinted blue by the shade, was still worth the walk in the woods. Sunday was another sun-kissed beauty. Our 6-hour drive home passed through some of the prettiest mountain ranges this area has to offer. We took a break for a 1-mile loop hike in North Carolina’s Nantahala Forest and parked Karen’s new Forester by the trailhead.The Rufus Morgan Trail crosses the Left Prong Rough Fork at least three times. The last half of the return loop after the falls, has lots of water running on the path. The blanket of leaves kept the mud at bay.Just before we reached a small set of double cascades, I was confronted by an unleashed Doberman that took exception to my blocking the narrow trail. Her hackles stood at attention, she flattened her ears, bared her teeth and barked at me with white froth flying, while poised to pounce from two-feet away. The young lady who owned the animal ran toward me from 50-yards up the trail screaming, “It’s OK. She’s a sweet dog.” With a stout hiking stick in one hand and my pepper spray in the other, I was ready to make it a memorable day for all of us. Fortunately, the Dobe ducked and darted past me giving Karen quite a start, but the angry animal continued without drawing blood or getting maced. Depending on your source, Rufus Morgan Falls are 60-70 feet high. I like having a beautiful fall as a reward at the end of a challenging hike. So does Karen.
The leaves are turning and many have taken their fall swoon in the high country, but the real colors looked to be another week away. Our time was short, but the trip will always be memorable and a fine birthday indeed.
