Hiking a Century

Look off at Edward's Point

Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home; that wildness is a necessity." John Muir

What comes to your mind when you hear someone say, "Let's go for a hike!"? Some of you may day dream of lacing up your Keen's, grabbing some water and trail mix and running out to the nearest trailhead. Some may contemplate the imperfect weather and possibility of bears to then retreat back to a beloved Netflix account. And some may think of hiking as a pastime reserved for those in our society who wear a lot of plaid, have plant based diets and use Tom's deodorant if any at all. But when it comes to hiking, I fall into the first category.

There aren't many things in life that are as consistently rewarding as hiking. Although I lace up a pair of Vasque boots, conquering a trail both in elevation and length provides a jolt of satisfaction and accomplishment that I have yet to find boring. My love of hiking can be accredited to my parents. While we were not out in the woods every weekend, my parents took us hiking as kids pretty consistently. Whether that was to get us out of the house, a love of nature or a combination of the two, it worked. And though I love hiking and living in Chattanooga makes that passion very easy, I wanted to make hiking a priority for my 30 Before 30 challenge. Challenging hikes, longer hikes and more frequent hikes got me over the 100 mile mark. Below is a list of my hikes with a short review of each. But before that, here are some thoughts for those interested in taking up hiking or expanding their own hiking repertoire.

Shoes and socks are important, and tennis shoes don't really cut it for longer or more strenuous hikes. Go get fitted for some hiking boots and make sure to go up a half to one full size of shoe to accommodate for socks, swelling and just giving your feet some more room. Please don't set off on a hike without water. Even a short distance in cooler temperatures can be deceiving and taking wrong turns that could extend your time in the woods is way more common than you think. I did it twice. And while you're at it, throw in a granola bar or two just to be safe. Find a buddy. Thankfully, hiking is a hobby that my husband and I share. He mountain bikes which terrifies me, and running is about the last thing I can ever get him to do. So hiking is our compromise. If you don't have someone in your life that you can get to hike with you, try finding a group on an online site like Meetup.com. Last, finding trail information like access points, where to park, potential maintenance, length of trail, difficulty rating, etc. can be tricky. Although not in every City, RootsRated is a great outdoor resource finder for a variety of activities: hiking, climbing, skiing, paddling, disc golf, etc. While I have found some discrepancies in their trail length estimates, they provide a wealth of helpful information like what you can expect from the trail and a characterization of who will like each trail. I've also found their difficulty ratings to be spot on.

So for the miles:

Fiery Gizzard - 13 miles; by far the hardest hike on the list but had the most trail variety
Iceland - 6 miles; a cumulative number for various waterfall, cliff top and look off treks
Mushroom Rock - 4.6 miles; took a wrong turn on this one. Should have been more like 5.5 miles but ended basically climbing a section which shortened the overall time
Moccasin Bend Loop - 3.1 miles; this is more like a nature path. Flat and good for a quick trail run.
Lula Lake Land Trust - 5.4 miles; open sporadically but so worth a visit.
Stringer's Ridge - 9.4 miles (three separate trips); a great urban wilderness section close to downtown Chattanooga. It's a nice spot to get in a short hike.
Springer Mountain, Georgia - 10.8 miles; this is the southern terminus for the Appalachian Trail. We ran into some hikers who had just finished a North to South through hike and were enjoying their final stop.
Guild Trail - 4 miles; popular trail running spot on Lookout Mountain
Jacks River Falls, Georgia - 7.6 miles; a few deeper creeks to ford on this one. Be prepared to take off your boots.
Bee Branch Trail - 3.4 miles; actually didn't mean to hike this. Took a wrong turn but still a nice little hike on Signal Mountain
Sewanee Natural Bridge and Buggy Top Trail - 5.5 miles; two separate stops on Sewanne. The natural bridge is neat and very close to the road. Buggy Top had a cave at the end you could explore if you so desire. I left that to the bats.
Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest - 2 miles: old growth forest in Robbinsville, NC. Short and beautiful.
Savage Gulf 12.5 miles - here's an entire blog post explaining this adventure.
Edwards Point - 4.3 miles; great look off.
Mount LeConte via Alum Cave Trail - 12.7 miles; This item was a separate list goal with a dedicated blog post coming soon.