Maple Hill Campground --First Camping Trip of 2020-Part 3

Hoary puccoon growing near Buffalo Cove

Maple Hill Campground --First Camping Trip of 2020
Part 3

Maple Hill RV Park and Campground--Great location for work or play

Thursday April 23, 2020 thru Sat. April 25, 2020

Kenny & Dana Koogler

(During Corona virus pandemic 2020 

with social distancing in place)

photos are here to Lost Cane

Click arrow to right to advance photos

Album is combo of various trips.

Alpine Mountain Pix

Skinner Mountain Pix

   We got up Saturday morning after a good nights rest.  The original plan was to go drive out to Standing Stone State Park which reopened yesterday and hike. We planned to hike to Bryan Fork falls and beyond it.  We also wanted to do some exploring in the state forest behind there.    The weather forecast was for rain off and on all day. More on than off.   It was cold when we woke.  The Dogwood Winter has lasted longer this year than I've ever seen it.   Yesterday was beautiful and today called for it to be yucky weather.    I had a bad feeling about bushwhacking after yesterday's snake run in.   I spoke with Kenny about it over breakfast. He agreed with me.  We would change plans to something shorter, closer and less risky with regards to snake encounters.   He also said we were going to for sure order snake boots or gaiters and start wearing them.

 Prairie trillium

 Trillium grandiflora

 T grandiflora aged pink

 An assortment of trilliums

Dwarf larkspur that is past peak bloom. Going to seed. 

 
  We decided instead to head to Alpine Mountain Wildlife Management Area.

We had a good time there last Spring.   We knew there was supposed to be an overlook there we'd missed.   I had the feeling we were only scratching the surface of that mountain and that area.  

   Our son-in-law, Adam is descended from the Moytoy Cherokees. They started off in Tellico Plains and in time migrated to a village in Overton County just above Alpine.  Nettle Carrier creek is named for his gggg grandfather Talotiskee  which means flax toter or "he carries them".    I learned a lot about his family and need to go back because I found the grave yard today where  his grandfather Big Joe Joseph Copeland is buried and  grandmother Hannah Ward Carrier-Copeland. She was the daughter of Chief Nettle Carrier.

Adam is a bow hunter and all around hunter and fisherman.   He has a brother named Joseph who is a big big man! I learned that  Joe gets his size from both grandfather and grandmother Copeland. They were big people!  Nettle Carrier was an average sized man.    In our travels today we happened to pass the cemetery on Hwy 85.    Nettle Carrier was quite a hunter and hunted with Stephen Copeland, the father of Joseph.  They became friends first then family by marriage.

      We parked at the old campus gymnasium and set off.  It was cloudy, but not raining yet.

We saw a few wildflowers about halfway up the mountain.   We wanted to find the overlook, but we also wanted to see if we could find a way to explore down in Medlock Hollow.  That would mean staying to the east side of the mountain.   We believed the overlook must be facing south or southwest.  I'd seen one place I believed it might be using a satellite view.  A rock outcrop that was very tiny in a sea of green trees!

    We went up to the summit and took a different trail to try to find the overlook.  Kenny was concerned about trying the exact same route as last time as it was slick today.   I made him turn aside so I could photograph the blackwater pond up there. It was glassy looking and deep and framed by neon green tree leaves. Very pretty.

    Dolls eyes were thick on the mountain and most especially on the back side of it on the new trail we found.  

Budding dolls eyes .. Mountain bugbane flowers


     We finally arrived at a spot where we believed we'd start down toward where we came up last Spring.  It was not the case.  We ended up at a round about.. flat area.   The trail appeared to continue out the back of that area and head south.  We tried it and it dead ended in 40 ft. 
But we did find the shot to Hell school bus.  Very odd, but not unheard of.  We have run upon similar things elsewhere. 

   We went back the direction we'd come.  We took the next trail we saw to the south and headed that way.  It was really fun and exciting.  Two badly eroded places where Kenny had to floor it and just hope for the best.  To the right... was a steep drop off with a tiny stream finding its way down the mountain. It was a pretty trail with a few wildflowers. Loads of appalachian bugbane.  It was steep and slippery.  We ended up coming out at Conatser Lane!  Near the cemetery. We'd been here before.   About the time we got here the skies opened up and the rain began in earnest.  
It was a heavy, cold downpour.   

    We started back round toward the front of the mountain in the direction we'd come.  The rain continued to fall and we were growing colder and wetter despite having on rain gear.  I told Kenny I was about over it.  We headed toward the truck and loaded up quickly.   LIke the punchline to a bad joke... as soon as we got loaded up the rain quit and the sun came out!  Arrrgh!  
He was determined  we were going to find the nearby fire tower.  I had that feeling we were fighting a losing battle.   Time to quit.   He didn't want to hear it.  He headed up Linder mtn road toward the tower.. turned onto Alpine Mtn Firetower Road... and we got within 100 yards of the summit he got the truck stuck and nearly jack-knifed the trailer.  There we sat spinning mud and slinging gravel far and wide.  I was horrified.  I just knew we'd end up calling a tow truck out to the boonies to get us.  He was cussing a blue streak.   Finally he got it unstuck and turned around. 
I knew better he said.  I just kept my lip buttoned and hoped we could bug out. 

      We had a mountain top experience yesterday, but today we were striking out in royal fashion.
Crazy weather.  Wrong turns. All sorts of mishaps.  When you get that feeling your fighting it/forcing it.. in Dana's world it is time to quit.   Try again another day.  The trip had thus far been fun and I had enjoyed it.  Now I was over it and ready to go home.   

       We went back to the campground and packed.  Kenny relocated the trailer to another site for next weekend.   We'd live to explore another day!  I was satisfied.  I was cold and tired. I wanted my own house, my own bed, my fuzzy socks, and a hot cup of coffee.

   We made it home and Kenny laughed at the kind of messed up day it was. That is ok. You can't always have everything go perfect. How boring that would be.

  I have tried in my blogging to be honest as I could be. To keep it real and fair.  I try to tell it like it is not gloss everything over.   Today kinda sucked, but it beats being stuck on the couch at home. 
Even when your plans go wrong and you don't find what you are looking for you learn things. What works. What doesn't work.  I always review maps afterwards as a sort of debriefing.  I got home and later learned there is ALOT more up on that mountain! 

In my

** Crystal Ball of the Future**

I see....

Go check out Copeland Cemetery along Hwy 85
Go back and see the waterfall on West Fork Obey River near that
Find Bigfoot Overlook on Alpine Mtn.
Find the Roundhouse on Alpine Mtn.
Return trip with just the RZR to Alpine Fire Tower (Pilot Tower)
Explore for way to reach Medlock Hollow/creek
Explore Means Creek
Look for other abandoned house on Alpine Mtn.

**Updated on July 22, 2021- all above that are struck through have been accomplished.  Down to three!**