When someone mentions the John Muir Trail, thoughts of the amazing 215mile trail out west comes to mind. Little do people know we have a touch of the great man here in eastern Tennessee as well! It begins at Childer’s Creek near Reliance, on the northern bank of the Hiwassee River. From there, it stretches east 20.7 miles, following a route Muir took many moons ago. I’m going to steal a quote here, from his book A Thousand Miles to the Gulf, as it to eloquently describes the beauty of the area:
My path all to-day led me along the leafy banks of the Hiwassee, a most impressive mountain river. Its channel is very rough, as it crosses the edges of upturned rock strata, some of them standing at right angles, or glancing off obliquely to right and left. Thus a multitude of short, resounding cataracts are produced, and the river is restrained from the headlong speed due to its volume and the inclination of its bed. All the larger streams of uncultivated countries are mysteriously charming and beautiful, whether flowing in mountains or through swamps and plains. Their channels are interestingly sculptured, far more so than the grandest architectural works of man. The finest of the forests are usually found along their banks, and in the multitude of falls and rapids the wilderness finds a voice. Such a river is the Hiwassee, with its surface broken to a thousand sparkling gems, and its forest walls vine-draped and flowery as Eden. And how fine the songs it sings!
BTW, that link seems to actually be the whole book online… will have to mark that to read!
Anyways, back to the run! We had a great group meet out there – about an hour from Chattanooga, so not too bad of a drive. We parked at Hiwassee Outfitters, running across a bridge, then accessing the JMT not too far down the road. The first section was flat and fairly wide, following the banks of the river. There was a few miles of pavement to get us to the Apalachia Powerhouse (mile 6), where the dam is. Hikers can duck under the bridge and access the rest of the trail. This section, being tucked away a bit, isn’t as well-traveled, so some bushwacking around fallen trees spiced things up. We didn’t quite make it to the end – the trail crossed a the river (or was it a feeder creek?) and we were tempted by the sunshine for a snack break, ultimately making this our turnaround (around mile 9.5).
On the way back, Wendy had conveniently stashed her car for use as a water stop – definitely needed as I had sucked all 100oz of nuun from my bladder by now! Refueled, we hit the trail for the last few miles…. however, my knee did NOT want to cooperate. I tried to shake it out, but it was just done. So, my day was over early, although I was happy to have ticked off 16 miles (the most in several months). I drove the car back to our start (convenient!), soaking in some sun while icing my knee.
The afternoon ended with everyone safely returning & happily exhausted, followed by a long soak in the chilly river and much-needed nourishment at the best food in the Ocoee Gorge: The Ocoee Dam Deli!
The mountains are calling and I must go.
John Muir