Memorial Day Campout @ Dale Hollow Lake 2012

A couple of years ago, we decided to renew and old tradition of our annual Memorial Day Campout. This is the second year in a row and the third at Lillydale Campground on Dale Hoolow Lake on the Tennessee/Kentucky border.
We had two boats this year and 16 people this year. As usual, there was good food, good friends and a generous supply of good old Coors Light and Jello Shots! The weather was perfect for the boating activities and a little warm for the camping part but we managed to stay hydrated. Among the returning particapants from last year were John Bracey, Jill Bracey, Justin Bracey, Brittany Riplinger, Drew Bracey, Debbie Riplinger, Jenna Riplinger and John Jackson. New to our group this year were Cameron Hart, Paula, Mia and Rex Harmon, Angie Henderson and Mandy DeCamp Keller. Everyone had a great time and plans are already in the works for 2013!

Here are some pics!

John & Jill

Kieth and Angie

Debbie



Justin, Cameron, Buck and Mandy

Cameron and Justin

Rex

Justin and Brittany

Paula

It's Jello Shot time!

Brittany and Paula

Jenna

Paula and Mia

Jill and Jenna

Bearwaller Gap 2-2-2013 I woke up on Saturday morning to snow. After the three of us backed out, I checked the weather and decided to go solo. Because I was getting a late start, I decided to begin at Tater Knob Overlook and hike in to the campsite and just hike out in the morning in order to be home in time for Superbowl festivities. As I was getting on the interstate, I called one of my buddies that cancelled to let him know that I had decided to go afterall. Brad called back in a while to let me know that he would be joining me afterall and to expect him to reach camp around sundown. I arrived at Tater Knob at 2:00 pm just as it started snowing. As I hiked, I enjoyed the scenery along with intermittent snow, sleet and rain. It is approximately 2.75 miles to the campsite. The trail offers a bit of elevation change with good views of Cordell Hull Lake and dam. I reached the campsite around 3:20, just as I was starting to get a little too damp for comfort. There is a shelter there which allowed me to get set up without getting wetter but the ground in the shelter was muddy. This is a great campsite for hammocks, complete with grills for the fire rings and a nice outhouse! There isn't, however, a lot of level ground for tents. My hammock setup consisted of a windshield reflector lining the bottom of my Clark NX-250 and my Big Agnes 15 degree bag with a BA insulated air core sleeping pad in the pocket of the sleeping bag. Since the temps were only supposed to reach around 30 degrees, I hoped that I would be comfortable. After the hammock was up, I began the task of looking for dry firewood and hopefully getting a fire started. The rain and snow had stopped at this point, so I didn't have to hunker down under the tarp. I was actually able to get a nice fire going just before dark and was in the process of getting my food bag hanger ready when true to his word, Brad walked into camp. I made sure that we had enough firewood while Brad set up his tent,(I Haven't been able to convince him to try hammocks yet). Then we hung out around the fire, prepared dinner and later, setteled in for a good nights sleep. Throughout the night, there were snow showers followed by rain as I slept in comfort. The only thing I heard all night other than the rain was several owls, who were very close! http://youtu.be/_fGswdhuFYw

4/27/2012 Frozen Head State Park

Two nights at Frozen Head with my Clark NX-250 , 4-27-2012

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Last spring, I took a little trip to Frozen Head State Park near Harriman, TN. I began my hike mid afternoon on the Spicewood Branch trail with my first night's destination being Tub Springs Campsite. Spicewood Branch is 2.5 miles long and all of it is up hill! At the end, the trail intersects with the Chimneytop Trail for a little over a mile to the campsite. Frozen Head is an awesome place to test your stamina! There are some very challenging routes to get to the top of the mountain. For your effort, you are rewarded with a lookout tower with views all the way to the Smoky Mountains on a clear day.

 

 

The temps were in the 50's, so it was perfect weather! I set up my NX-250, and the rest of my site and was just beginning to think that I'd have the whole camp to myself when I heard voices coming up the trail. It turned out to be a man and his wife, followed by two young girls and a young boy. I guess this guy was old school because they all had external frame packs that were at least a foot over their heads. They were pleasant enough and the kids were very well behaved. After dinner, I never heard them again.

For dinner, I had mountain stew by coleman... not very good! I piddled around camp for a while and went to bed early. The first nights sleep was awesome! I never got cold with the temps dropping to the 40's.

On Saturday, I woke up to find the other campers packed up and ready to go. I got up after they left and had breakfast and decided to hike the half mile up to the lookout tower. As I neared the top, I realized that it was going to be a wasted trip. The clouds were blowing over the mountain and there was no visability. There was a guy at the campsite who looked like a middle aged boyscout. He had pulled two of the cooking platforms together and had set up his tent on them, about four feet off the ground.

I returned to my campsite, packed up and headed down the South Old Mac Trail. My route was to take the Judge Branch Trail to my night's campsite. The trail was down hill with a few ups thrown in for good measure. Most of the views were blocked by leaves and all of the new spring growth, but I enjoyed the hike. I was reluctant to leave the top of the mountain, but needed a short hike out on Sunday. I chose a campsite near the stream and had a nice afternoon complete with a nap! Just before dark, a bunch of guys strolled into camp. The campsites are pretty spread out, so there was a good bit of distance between me and them. The night passed by with me relaxing by the fire and having another great nights sleep in my Clark.

The next morning, I had a liesurely breakfast, packed up and headed home. Another sucessful weekend out there!


http://youtu.be/jdY1N-31R-0