glorious green

For in the true nature of things, if we rightly consider, every green tree is far more glorious than if it were made of gold and silver. 
--Martin Luther (1483-1546) German Theologian.

One of the first comments people visiting this area for the first time invariably make is, "It's so green!" It's green because our average annual precipitation is more than Portland or Seattle. :)  (Above: Buffalo Mountain Trail)

Lone Oak Trail

This is a steep hike up the west side of Buffalo Mountain to the mountain's summit (3,300 feet) (view pictured above).  It's 3.6 miles round trip, with a 1,475 foot elevation gain. Expect a cardio workout with lots of switchbacks! This is the perfect time of year for this hike -- with the leaves down you'll find beautiful views all the way up. Once you endure the switchbacks, you'll walk the ridge line and have great views in both directions. As you climb you will see the continued recovery of the trees and vegetation from the devastating 2008 forest fire.

The trail is very narrow in places, almost like a goat path winding around the mountain. I wouldn't want to try this trail on an icy day or in spring when the trail is muddy -- the higher it gets, the narrower it becomes. Hiking poles are probably a good idea.

The photo above and to the left shows the first knob that you climb and the ridge you walk. You get a real sense of accomplishment when you see just how far you've climbed. :)  This trail gives you lots of excuses to stop and enjoy the views.

For directions and more information click here.
For an overview of Buffalo Mtn trails, click here.
To read about the man who developed the trail, click here.

Here's to eight years of blogging Appalachia! :)

autumn leaves

I miss you most of all my darling, 
When autumn leaves start to fall.  
--Jacques Prévert (1900-1977) French poet and screenwriter. 

Above: Buffalo Mountain as seen from Mountain Home (VA Center) in Johnson City, TN.

vision

Throughout the centuries there were men who took first steps, down new roads, armed with nothing but their own vision.
--Ayn Rand (1905-1982) Russian born American Writer and Philosopher

Above: Cascade Trail, Buffalo Mountain, Johnson City, TN. Click here for a map of the many trails on Buffalo Mountain.

a long-range perspective

The manager has a short-range view; the leader has a long-range perspective. 
--Warren G. Bennis  (b.1925) professor and author. 

Above: The view of Milligan College from White Rocks Overlook on Buffalo Mountain, 3.2 miles away. Notice the new dorms under construction! [click to enlarge]

for good measure

A journey is best measured in friends rather than miles.
--Tim Cahill (b.1944) travel writer 

Above: A winding path at Buffalo Mountain Park in Johnson City, TN. To download the latest trail map of the park (pdf) click here.

blossom

And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.
--Anais Nin (1903-1977) author 

Another bloodroot photo, this one was taken out at Buffalo Mountain Camp - a private Methodist camp encompassing 700 beautiful acres on the west side of Buffalo Mountain.  The staff, and I'm sure many, many volunteers, have really been hard at work sprucing up the campgrounds -- it's never looked better. I'm very appreciative of all their hard work and for their hospitality. They've always been very welcoming in the off season of hikers -- but require that you sign in at the office. You'll find detailed directions at the above link. If you go, follow the signs to the office and then park in the large gravel lot just past that. I recommend that you take the road/trail to the right of Allison Lodge, and then take the lower trail which will follow Ramsey Creek. Lots of wildflowers including trillium ready to blossom. Trail map here.

unrelenting

You could cover the whole earth with asphalt, but sooner or later green grass would break through.
--Ilya Ehrenburg (1891-1967) Russian author.

The Green Mile, just west of Buffalo Mountain in Washington Co, TN.

renewal

We must always change, renew, rejuvenate ourselves; otherwise we harden.
--Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) German writer

I believe these are the blooms of a tiny red bud tree, no more than a foot high -- growing through the charred soil on Buffalo Mountain. It was just a year ago this month that a huge forest fire engulfed the mountain. Today, it's interesting to hike the 'Tip Top' trail to see all the ferns, sassafras, rhododendron, mountain laurel, maple and pine trees springing up amidst all the devastation.

Click here for trail maps and more information about Buffalo Mountain.

Buffalo Mountain Fire Revisited

This was my first visit to Buffalo Mountain since the devastating fire last April. The park was closed for a while after the fire in order to clear the trails. From the photo above you can see that Huckleberry Knob is looking pretty bare -- but here we are just five months after the fire and you can see the resilience of the plant life -- ferns, mountain laurel, sassafras and pine trees are springing up through the ashes. In fact, there's actually quite a bit of color to be found there this fall. Click here for trail maps and more information about Buffalo Mountain. Huckleberry Knob is a short walk from the main trail head and offers great views of Johnson City, TN.

Now that the smoke has cleared...

This view from Willow Spring Park shows the extensive damage to Buffalo Mountain caused by the recent forest fire. Some 1,500 acres were consumed in the fire. [click photo to enlarge]

While the Buffalo Mountain Park remains closed, if you live in the Johnson City, TN area, I'd recommend a visit to Willow Springs. Not only is it home to the city's dog park, but it's also the perfect place to go for a walk and take in beautiful mountain views, or to take the kids to the playground or to fly a kite.

Directions: From State of Franklin Road in Johnson City turn on West Walnut Street heading toward Jonesborough. Go 1.4 miles, turn left on Huffine Road and proceed 0.7 miles to the park on the left.

Fire on the Mountain

Fire broke out yesterday at around 11 a.m. on Buffalo Mountain in Johnson City, TN. Forestry officials thought they had it under control at one point and sent fire crews home -- but the fire flared up again last night. The cause is not yet known. To read more, click here. For more pics, click here and here.

Update: Thick smoke continued to blanket Johnson City today...Hopefully today's rains have helped to firefighters to bring the blaze under control. Here is an updated story from the Johnson City Press and a video of the fire.

White Rock View

This is the view of Milligan College taken from 3 miles away on White Rock, an overlook near the top of Buffalo Mountain (click photo to enlarge). White Rock is a popular destination of hikers desiring a clear view of Johnson City, TN and the mountains to the south and east of the city. Getting there is tough -- Pretty much any trail you take will be very steep. I recommend a cool, clear day for this one and that you take some water with you! There are three trails from the "Alternate Trail Head" (click here for a terrific map of the Buffalo Mountain trails). The Tower Ridge Trail takes you to the familiar towers atop the mountain near White Rock, but is insanely steep. The second way to White Rock is to simply hike the gravel service road to the top -- but this also is a very steep route (and quite boring). Finally, there is the White Rocks Trail which is the one I would recommend. It is a total of 1.54 miles from the Alternate Trail Head, and while parts of it are indeed steep, it offers a more scenic route with a somewhat gentler grade up the mountain. For directions to the park, click here.

Chapel View

I was given the opportunity this week to climb up the ladders within the steeple of Seeger Chapel at Milligan College to take pictures of the campus. I'm not a big fan of ladders or of heights, but it was all worth it to get a different perspective of Milligan and the surrounding area. According to Google Earth, the towers atop Buffalo Mountain are only 3.3 miles away. [click photo to enlarge]

Mountain Laurel

While it may not be quite as spectacular as the rhododendrons which bloom high atop Roan Mountain each June, the mountain laurel blooming right now on Buffalo Mountain are definitely worth a look. It's not just that there a few bushes here or there blooming -- There are hundreds of bushes blooming everywhere along the trail between Huckleberry Knob and the Cascade on the trail leading to the Tip-Top overlook. I've never seen so many laurel blooming in one place. And they're huge. While their maximum height is listed as 6 feet, these were towering over me.

I chose this picture because it shows these fascinating flowers at each stage of their blooming -- from small star-like bud, to partially-opened flower, to full bloom. It's a short hike (less than 1/2 mile) from the parking area, so check it out if you're in the area! For a detailed Buffalo Mountain trail map, click here. Click here for a road map of the Buffalo Mountain Park area.

Buffalo Mountain Sunset

If I can put one touch of rosy sunset into the life of any man or woman, I shall feel that I have worked with God.
--G.K. Chesterton

Buffalo Mountain Park

Buffalo Mountain. You can see the public library on the left, with St. John's Episcopal behind it. To the right of the library is Central Baptist Church. The tower to the right of center is the John Sevier Center and to its right is the steeple of Munsey Memorial United Methodist Church. Interstate 26 is in the background. From this view of the old downtown area you wouldn't know that Johnson City has almost 60,000 residents. For a terrific website detailing the history of Johnson City, click here. Below is a view of Buffalo Mountain taken last month. Although it's surrounded by the Cherokee National Forest, Buffalo Mountain Park is actually a city park.

Ramsey Creek Falls

UPDATE 5/15: Following the devastating flood that caused a great deal of damage to Buffalo Mountain Methodist Camp, the Holston Conference of the Methodist Church has decided to go in a new direction, buying a parcel of property on Bays Mountain in Kingsport to relocate the camp.  The old camp will be put up for sale. As this waterfall is on private property, it's not open to the public. More flood pics here.

Ramsey Creek Falls (more pics here) is listed as a twenty foot waterfall (right). In fact, there are a series of falls and cascades which seem to go on and on. It's a fun area to explore. Prior to the flood there were two ways to get to the falls, an upper and lower trail, not more than a mile either way. The flood pretty much destroyed the lower trail, and the upper trail is now quite overgrown.

Eventually, you'll come out at the two main falls (left and below). I'm not sure which is considered Ramsey Falls. While the first photo shows a 20 foot waterfall; my guess is that the waterfall below is 30 feet (but it didn't photograph as well). I was obviously out on a sunny day, which is great for hiking, not so great for photographing waterfalls. At any rate, after viewing the upper two falls, we took the upper trail back to the camp. If you set out on a day when time is of the essence, then take the upper trail directly to and from the main waterfall.

Remember... this is private property. Get prior permission from whoever ends up owning the property before entering the land.

Directions: Ramsey Falls is in the same area of Washington County, TN as The Green Mile. From I-26, take the Elizabethton/ University Parkway exit (#24). At the end of the ramp, turn left (west) and drive 0.8 miles toward ETSU. Turn left on Cherokee Road (Route 67) and travel 2.2 miles. Turn left on Lone Oak Road (fyi: at some point Lone Oak becomes Dry Creek Road) and continue 6.1 miles to Methodist Camp Road, turn left. You'll come to an immediate fork, bear left. Continue on through the camp 1/2 mile to a parking area in front of Allison Lodge. Go to the right of Allison Lodge, the path will split with the lower trail to the left and the upper trail to the right (described above).

Changing Seasons

It's such a contrast this time of year -- with the fields bright and green with springtime while the mountains are covered with the colors of fall. I've noticed it more this year than ever before -- how the colors on the mountains change as the trees go from having red tips, to yellow sprouts to green leaves.

It was a mild winter. We've had a long string of them. Our last really big snowfall was in January of 1998 and before that the "Superstorm" of March 1993. People around these parts still talk about that late springtime blizzard when nearly two feet fell and put an end to spring. Those who experienced that storm are still hesitant to plant flowers and gardens at this point in the spring. One of my friends says that she won't plant her flowers unless the trees at the top of Buffalo Mountain (pictured above) have leaves on them. :)

The Green Mile

Well, maybe it's not a full mile (not even close!), but as you can see, it sure is green. This section of the Cherokee National Forest is covered with vinca minor, which is very pretty now with its purple flowers (see yesterday's post). This unique trail is located to the west of Buffalo Mountain, outside of Johnson City, TN. It's in an area that's covered with trails (but I can't find any maps!) and is very popular with local mountain bikers.

Directions: From I-26, take the Elizabethton/University Parkway exit (#24). At the end of the ramp, turn left (west) and drive 0.8 miles toward ETSU. Turn left on Cherokee Road (Route 67) and travel 2.2 miles. Turn left on Lone Oak Road (fyi: at some point Lone Oak becomes Dry Creek Road) and continue 3.5 miles to a gravel parking area on your right (across the road from the Horse Cove Gap parking lot). Walk down the old logging road for 100 yards to a small trail to the left, which is the start of the green mile. It's about a 1/2 mile walk to reach the above location. I'm told it eventually curves back around to Dry Creek Road.