Skinner Mountain With Rick & Kenny
Thursday 12/26/24
Weeks before Christmas I got the first of a couple emails from a reader of my blog. He was seeking information about Big Bottom WMA to go riding. I responded and helped him all I could. I think since he realized it was closed until Jan. 15, 2025 he was looking to ride elsewhere. He started looking about Skinner Mountain. I got more emails and could tell he was keen to go and to learn. He told me he was new to the four wheeling as a hobby. I made sure to help him all I could. I hunted him up and friended him on Facebook. He is Rick Timm of Cookeville, TN. It ended up that we planned to go four wheeling the day after Christmas to have fun ourselves and to show him around. He went on the previous Sunday, but didn't see a bunch.
We met him at the abandoned West Fentress Elementary School not far from Skinner Mountain.
We met up at ten o'clock central time. Upon meeting him he had a big friendly smile. Easy going guy. A definite man's man like Kenny. I had a very good feeling about this. It was going to be a great day. Lots of fun and boys howdy it was! By midday we all felt like this was the start of a long, beautiful friendship and many adventures. My best buddy Sharon was out of town for Christmas visiting her children and grandkids in Florida. Bummer, but there was nothing for it.
We started on our day's ride from the Boatland Rd/Skinner Mountain Road access point.
It is the most straight forward, easiest to understand. We headed up the mountain. It is always amazing to me how "Stick Season" has its perks. You can see things in the woods so much more easily minus the leaves. Trails leading off into the distance. Rock forms you hadn't seen before. Flagging.
We were heading gradually up the main road when we encountered our first humans of the day. It was a bearded man and a younger man who was wearing blaze orange. They greeted us and we waved. It turned out to be none other than Cory Holliday and his son! I didn't learn of that until the next week.
Cory is part of the reason Skinner Mountain was protected! He is a wonderful steward of natural resources. He said he and his young man were squirrel hunting.
Once we got to the intersection up top we paused to see what Rick had to say. He indicated he made it to there and turned left. We turned left and headed out toward the Bredesen Overlook. He hadn't made it that far. The reason soon became apparent. We got to the tight spot where the mountain is pinched real skinny. I measured the crack on the Cal Topo as being 0.01 mile wide which would put it at approx. 50 feet. I am going to take a tape measure next trip and physically measure it. I am saying it is much thinner. I am going to guess 12 feet wide. We went across the narrow spot and up the rocks. We stopped and looked back. Rick was not too sure about this. Here was what turned him around last time. He watched how Kenny positioned the machine and came across carefully like an old hand at it.
This was to be repeated off and on all day. I was really tickled.
We all walked down to the overlook. It was a beautiful view today. It is always fun taking a friend to see places that are new to them. It is a way of seeing it through new eyes. 
Above: View from Bredesen Overlook
Below: Rick on the left and Kenny on the right shaking hands.
Below: one of the only blooms in the forest this time of year... witch hazel
Below: is a photo from a past trip. This is Kenny climbing up to Stand Alone Overlook on rope. I was next. It isn't that bad to get up there.
Below: Looking down at Rat Castle triple arch. Kenny is in the picture in the center. Hard to see. He looks tiny.
Below: Kenny and Rick under Rat Castle
Next we headed to the big five way intersection and stopped to fill Rick in on which trail lead where.
He had been this far on a previous trip I think. We went down into Lost Cane. No water running to speak of today. It was pretty as always. Huge rock formations all around. We headed toward Frank's Flume to show Rick this sight. It was alright going, but tougher on the return trip. It isn't fun if someone doesn't get stuck and have to winch out.
Below: Rat Castle Video 2024
Below: the fellers in front of the flume
Below: Franks Flume is flowing today.
Below: profile shot of the flume
Below: Rick and Kenny winching us out. The start of another Ed-Venture!
Below: video of us stuck in the mud again!
below: our Polaris RZR
We finally got out of Lost Cane and back to the main intersection. We headed off the back side of the mountain toward Manson Road. Kenny varied the route by turning right instead of left about halfway down. This trail is steep and has some very rocky sections into the bargain. Rick once more handled them like he'd been doing this forever. He admitted later it was a bit daunting, but he is a quick study.
Below is a short video clip of us coming down that section of trail:
We made our way down to the intersection of Manson Road and King Mountain Road.
We noticed the old homestead at the corner was gone. Torn down and replaced with new construction.
A little cabin and a gravel lot. I noticed right away the stream here was odd looking. It had a cloud of pale blue-gray haze lingering in one spot. The rest was clear. I got out and photographed it and took video of it. I later was clued in this probably needed to be reported to the health department or the state department of water resources. I didn't bother with the health department. I took my findings to the state. A friend with lots of previous experience said it looked like a discharge of gray water from the nearby house. I would love to know what they found. It's worth mentioning that I've seen petroleum deposits seeping up at the edges of this stream many times before. I smell methane lots there. The area has some gas and oil wells so this is no shock. Yet the rest of the stream appears clean and healthy. Snails, crayfish and minnows are in there so it can't be completely polluted.
We had eaten lunch down in Lost Cane already so we motored on back Manson Road. We went to the turn for Bills Creek and headed down. It was so different looking we had doubts about where we were. I turned on the GPS and plugged in the coordinates for Stinging Nettle Falls. That was known terrain so if it had us heading in the right direction we'd know we were correct. It was dead on. This trail is rocky and eroded. Not a new thing, but the downed trees were a new problem. We all got out and it was chainsaw time. Wood cutting and tree trimming. We had to make a work around a massive downed tree. Finally we were going again and made it to Stinging Nettle Falls. It is a 10 foot waterfall that is IN the ground. It was flowing today. Not great, but flowing still. I took a photo of it, but the thing was not much visually today.
Above is a video of Stinging Nettle Falls
Below is a photo of the huge bluff that surrounds Stinging Nettle Falls.
We pushed onward toward Boatland Road. It required making it down that terrible dirt gully on Bill's Creek. We actually found it some better than in the past. It eroded to where it filled in some! We made it no problem. Rick made a great start, but one false move and he was in need of an assist. First time all day he'd needed help! Kenny went back there as a spotter and in short order he got down. Always a sport, Rick was having the time of his life. We made it to Boatland Road and headed toward the River Trail. The day was getting late, but we had time for a little more.
**Missing*** Video of Rick getting out of the gully. Try reposting it.
We made it as far as the second crossing. We showed him the pretty blue spring and boiling water.
He enjoyed the river crossing. It is exciting! Kenny and I have crossed the Obey where it was pushing us down stream. Barely able to cross. Today was just fun.
Below: the big spring at the second crossing of the river.
We had such fun that it finally worked out for Kenny to take Jared, Gabe and Michael all back about a week later. They found some new trails! It had rained and Lost Cane and the waterfalls were flowing!
I think all of these guys are hooked on riding now!
Below is a video of Rick crossing the river.
It was a spectacularly beautiful and fun day. We enjoyed it very much and look forward to more adventures!
**Notes to Self**
Go back to Big Piney and take gloves, pick ups, and trash bags. Clean up damage. Take evidentiary photos. Send in to state of Tennessee.
Check the side holler near Swift Ford EFO River for waterfalls and cascades, fossils.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thanks for reading and commenting. I enjoy hearing from those who read & make use of my blog. I have made some wonderful friendships through emails from readers. I respond to all comments and emails. I appreciate folks reaching out to let me know when my blog entries are not functioning correctly or if the situation somewhere has changed. Many Blessings to you!
Dana 🐝