Date: 2010-01-01
To: New Years Day hike!
Miles today: 0.0

Jan 1, 2010-New Years DayAfter doing about 5 hours work @ NewsChannel 5...i head West to Burns,TN & Montgomery Bell State Park...to meet up with my hiking friends from Clarksville,TN...members of the Clarksville group of the TN Trails Association.For more info ck out their website: www.hikeClarksville.homestead.comAll the hikers gather abt 10am...the Sun is shining...but it is cold...only 27 degrees...but the winds are very light...thats a good thang."Spunky"/Merri Hinton, our hike leader shows up...along with "Bionic Bob", Paul Schwab (Pres.of the Clarksville chapter), Lee, Allison & Sue...& me/"Jaybird".Only 7 hikers in our group show up...Missing in Action: J.R."Model T" Tate (my friend & hiking mentor)still recuperating from recent surgery,..Suva "DragonFly" Bastin & her husband "Jumpin Jack"..out of town due to a death in the family,..Wade "Too Tall" WInters...no one knows about Too Tall...these hikers are normally part of this annual hike...but we'll miss them today.We start our hike westward on the Wildcat trail (the west loop of the Montgomery Bell Perimeter Trail)...up & onto the trail...most people (if you arent a hiker)think of a trail more as a greenway...with asphalt or concret walkways....this is NOT the case here...this is a TRUE trail carved into Mother Natures hard cold ground...Being winter...we walk (& crunch) a load of dead leaves & small branched that have fallen on the trail.abt 2 miles in...we cross over a creek...Bob decides to do a "tightrope act"("DragonFly" wasnt here to talk him out of it)...& abt half way across the log...that was abt 5 feet above the creek...full of running water...HE FALLS...He wasnt hurt...but will probably be skinned up & bruised up later today or tomorrow....he WILL be sore!i stop by the Wildcat shelter on the other side of the creek...(photo op)no one else stops...the Sun continues to shine...thats a good thang...I almost didnt make the hike today...i had a small accident last night...i was on a kitchen chair reaching for a pancake gridle for Donna & the chair broke under my weight (215lbs...yikes) & i came tumbling down...along with several items that were on the top of the refrigerator...lots of clean-up followed...i scraped my knee...but my real concern later was my bruised right heel...i had come down with all my weight landing on my right heel...its very sore...& bruised...so today...i put on some thick hiking socks, & the Super Feet inserts in my boots helped immensely...but, i'm still hobbling...a bit.We hike on...hike over the creeks & tributaries several times...then over the maintenance road...then back into the woods & hike along the old logging road...then turn down by the lake...then the 3/4 way point...we stop by the earthen dam @ the head of the lake...& lay out our tarps...& put our eats & goodies out...cook our Black-eyed peas, mashed potatoes...& apple cider...i even had some coffee...that "Spunky" brought with her in a thermos...i had two bowls of corn cakes covered with cheezy/garlic mashed potatoes & big helping spoonfuls of Black-eyed peas. YUMMY!I washed it down with Pauls Apple cider...good stuff...after our lunch we all grabbed dessert cookies, etc...then pack up...we hiked out & got back to our parking lot/cars destination@ 1:30pm....WOW...that was a FAST hike....i'll behome by 3pm.Good way to start out the NEW YEAR...with a hike...i hope to get in a good, long hike each month with friends...& duringthe week...i plan on hiking once or twice @ Beaman Park up in Joelton.(on the way home).My hiking plans this year...2 weeks on the Appalachian Trail...Clarks Valley,PA (Hwy 325) up to the NY/NJ state line (Hwy 17-A) May 1-15 with "Jigsaw".Hope you can follow along & check back from time to time as i update this journal about all my 2010 "adventures".                           See ya'll UP the trail!p.s. I got home & took off my boots & found what i thought was mud coming off my boots was actually the soles of my boots had cracked & was peeling off...i guess i'll be shopping for NEW boots in the next week or so...