Mushroom Rock
photo by Friends of the Cumberland Trail
The Friends of the Cumberland Trail will host the third annual Hiketoberfest on Sunday, Oct. 20, from 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. at Shackleford Ridge Park on Signal Mountain.
The event aims to highlight the riches of the Cumberland Trail, a trail system that traverses 190 miles of the Cumberland Plateau, traveling through 11 counties in East Tennessee. The trail offers hikers access to remote scenic areas with spectacular overlooks, picturesque waterfalls, and wilderness experiences that are a trademark of the southeastern United States. There is a suggested donation of $10 per person / $25 per family
A daylong event, Hiketoberfest will feature hikes, educational lectures, musical entertainment, and a native plant sale - all set in the great outdoors. Hikes will take place along a portion of the Cumberland Trail on Signal Mountain, and throughout the day experts from across the region will lead educational programs to provide guests with information about the natural history of the Cumberland Plateau. Music guests will include Justin Watkinbs, Pay the Reckoning and Old Time Travelers.
All funds raised during Hiketoberfest will support the continued development of the Cumberland Trail.
Here is the schedule of events:
Hike Schedule:
9 a.m.: Edwards Point and Mushroom Rock (7 miles – Moderately Difficult) / Ryan Maddux, Seasonal Interpretive Ranger, Cumberland Trail
9 a.m.: Bird Walk (Distance depends on the birds; Easy) / Ken Dubke, NPS Interpretive Ranger (retired) and local ornithologist
10 a.m.: Geology of the Cumberland Plateau and Mushroom Rock (3 miles – Easy, begins with discussion at pavilion) / Amanda Brown, Senior UTeach Geology Student at UT-Chattanooga
11 a.m.: Saving Our Hemlocks – an update on Hemlock Wooly Adelgid and treatment programs (1 mile – Easy, begins with discussion at pavilion) / Douglas Godbee, Forest Health Forester, Tennessee Division of Forestry
Noon: Learn More About the Cumberland Trail - Hike to North Suck Creek Bridge (4 miles Moderately Difficult) / Mark Stanfill, Trails Administrator for Tennessee State Parks
1 p.m.: Walking into Prehistory – Sandstone Rock Houses and Native American Cultural Preservation (Moderate hike; begins with discussion at pavilion) / Sierra Bow, Ph.D. Candidate in Archaeology at UT-Knoxville
1:15 p.m. Field Trip to Trailhead Nursery
Seeding the Cumberlands expanded last year to include Trailhead Nursery, located on Walden’s Ridge in Sequatchie County, Tennessee. The nursery will have an information booth and plant sale set up at Hiketoberfest, and a field trip to the nursery will be offered in the afternoon. Meet Terri Ballinger in front of the shelter for shuttle service to and from the nursery.
Music: 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Justin Watkins: Hammer Dulcimer
Pay the Reckoning: Traditional Irish
Old Time Travelers: Chattanooga String Band
Lecture Schedule:
Noon: Seeding the Cumberlands / Terri Ballinger, Seasonal Interpretive Ranger, Cumberland Trail
1:45 p.m.: Snakes of all Sorts / Leslie Anne Rawlings, Park Ranger, Radnor Lake State Natural Area
2:30 p.m.: Learn more about Sandrock Recordings, a cultural preservation project and record label / Marcianne O’Day, Multimedia Specialist, Sandrock Recordings
3:15 p.m.: Birds of Prey / Leslie Anne Rawlings, Park Ranger, Radnor Lake State Natural Area
For more information, visit http://friendsofthecumberlandtrail.org.