above: pioneer junk.. an old wash tub lying about on the manway
Sams Creek Manway
Kenny & Dana Koogler
Sunday Nov 16 2025
We had quite spell of sickness the past two weeks. Plans blown to smithereens for our 41st Wedding Anniversary. None of what we had planned took place. Despite all that by Sunday Kenny was finally well. We were able to attend worship service at our home church Rocky Branch Baptist. We went home after to have lunch, rest and see what we'd make of the rest of the day. The weather was beautiful. Clear and crisp with the temperature seventy degrees at the house. Kenny asked me if I'd like to go over to the park to take a stroll? I was happy to hear him say it. I'd had more than enough being cooped up.
We went over to Tremont around 3:30 p.m. to find plenty of parking at the road's end.
Still a fair number of hikers out and fishermen, but not a terrible crowd. I still wasn't in the mood for a bate of hikers so we chose Sam's Creek instead of the main trail. It had been way too long between visits. It was beautiful. We got out of the truck where we parked. The holler back there was dimming by that time and the temperature was sixty-three degrees! A little chilly with my shorts on, but I got moving and I was perfectly comfortable.
We encountered more fellow hikers on this manway than I ever have before. We saw at least eight people. Six out of them were leaving as we arrived. The last two were coming in as we hiked out. We ended up hiking a bit further than we'd thought. Kenny was so fatigued on Friday that just being out for a little over an hour to eat at McAllister's did him in. I did not want to press our luck by going too far. We enjoyed the pretty scenery, fallen leaves, little bit of remaining color, history, the cascades and the start of Betsy Lee's Stick Season!
Below: the steel I beam bridge over Sam's Creek
above and below: two views of spots along this lovely stream.
Below: Kenny ahead of me on the manway with the sun still in the sky, but the gloaming has come to this holler. The dimming of the day.
above: old wash tub junk at Long Branch crossing. If you look closely you can see this was bridged at one time.
above and below: looking at the rock work of the old bridge abutments and walls on Long Branch
Below: you can see the sun and Autumn colors high up, but down lower near this beautiful stream it is darker and cooler. It is tranquil and pretty.
Last of all is a short video clip of the stream and some mournful music that sets the mood for the place. The music is Autumn Stillness by Violin Sky
I cannot hike back here without thinking of Big Will Walker and his many wives. Two of which helped him bear the children that led to me having ALL FOUR of my grandchildren!
I hope when I get to Heaven he is one of the first people I get to see to thank him. God is great every single day. His wonders to perform!
My daughter Crystal is a teacher and has the Summer off with the students. We talked it over and decided we wanted to take a trip up to Frozen Head State Park. We'd take the kiddos and let them play in the creek. My original plan was to have a picnic out there, but we opted to have lunch in Chik-Fil-A
in Oak Ridge instead. The kids enjoyed the food and the play land. Once that was finished we headed on out the road to the state park. We always enjoy it. Today would be Mia's first time there and her first time at a waterfall!
We arrived finding very few vehicles around. We were able to park right at the trailhead.
We gathered up our drinks and creek toys and started our hike. The little ones noticed a pretty hole of water right past the gate. We stopped there first to let them go ahead and play.
Above: My daughter Crystal looks on as Mia age 4 wades right in.
Below: Gabe is a little more cautious
Below: some of the pretty things we saw were wildflowers.. the one below is Virginia spiderwort
and below is a pair of Eastern Tiger Swallowtail butterflies. Tessa was able to pick one up and hold it a moment before it flew.
Below: Granddaughter Tessa age 12 with her hat on backwards. Crystal and Gabe.
The kids remembered we were supposed to be hiking to the waterfall so we soldiered on!
It is a super short, easy hike which is nice especially for taking along a four year old who isn't used to hiking. Mia never complained or slowed down the entire time! She was full of energy and all about it!
We saw a few other hikers, but most were coming back toward us.
We soon crested the little knoll where you turn to go over to Debord Falls. Tessa and Gabe remembered it from a couple other visits. We turned right and headed toward the steps.
The steps are impressive and newly done.
Below is the beautiful Debord Falls in good Summer flow!
Below: Mia and Tessa are checking out a crawdad in the net. Nanny had to catch him. I'm still the expert. The kids forget that crawdads go BACKWARDS away from you.
Below: Gabriel has been dunking his head in the falls and the creek. He reminded me at one point for the world... of John Quillen. LOL
Below: a look at the crawdad who had only one claw! Nanny picked him up but nobody else wanted to hold him.
above and below: Tessa is on the hunt for critters!
Below: Gabe and Mia
The kids had a great time splashing around and catching butterflies, crawdads, minnows in the creek.
Once they had their fill of that we took them to the playground in the state park. They had a great time making friends with other kids and playing together. Mia mastered the skill of going down the fireman's pole part of the playset. I had to help her the first time, but after that she was good to go!
above and below: Gabe and Tessa on the playset
The kids were great and it was a bluebird day. Perfect weather. No problems. All went to plan.
Finally we persuaded them it was time to head home. They were tired especially Mia. She was asleep shortly after we pulled out on the road. We made a stop in Oak Ridge for Crystal and Tessa to go in the book store. The rest of us waited in the car while Mia napped. We thought we wanted icecream, but everyone was worn out and just ready to go home. The only minor snag we hit was trying to leave Oak Ridge during rush hour! Kenny was somewhere caught in it too. No matter. We had a great day and made it home safely.
Below is a video of the playing in the creek part of our day.
Kenny got a spur of the moment call to go work down at Myrtle Beach. It was a four day trip and about half of that would be spent on travel alone. I opted not to go along and instead called up my friend Sharon. We'd go hiking. We talked it over and Virgin Falls was mentioned. We'd do it! She had never been. It would be pretty since we've had abundant rain. It had been a long while since I did this hike. We got up Saturday at a leisurely pace and it was 11:30 a.m. when we started our hike. We had Otey the dog along with us. It was our first hike there since it became officially Scotts Gulf State Park.
I figured finding parking on a busy Saturday would be a problem. It was busy for sure, but we were able to find parking easily. Improvements have been made to the area in the form of porta potties at the parking area now. They also have a hut for rangers and volunteers. They give out info and really good free maps! They have added improvements such as board walks over parts of the trail which stay muddy. They added more trails and signage. Info kiosks were in several new spots. Additionally it is possible now to hike to Virgin Falls from down at Big Bottom WMA.
above: the Cable Crossing and the cascades there.
The trail starts off level and gradually trends downhill or gentle ups and downs for the first part.
It winds through a forest floor lined with fern fronds this time of year. It was deep green and lush today. The weather was perfect at 70 degrees. We had sunshine above and blue skies, but we spent most of the hike in shade. We passed streams that had white sand bottoms and sparkling clear water. Many deep, tranquil pools and small cascades were along our way.
Below is a better view of Cable Crossing where you can see the actual cable.
Below is a video of the Cable Crossing with its cascades
We encountered quite a few other hikers, but everyone was polite, friendly and in a good mood.
The hike today was also under rhododendron tunnels and mountain laurel decorated many spots in the forest like a party. It was the prettiest I've ever seen this hike. We had waterfalls gushing out of spots I'd never seen them before. I've lost count of how many times I've made this hike, but this was my first time doing it in the month of May. I had long told myself I needed to do this as I wanted to check a certain spot for yellow lady slippers. I will tell you now I checked today and did not find a one. We enjoyed aquamarine pools of water and powerful cascades. It was amazing. It also delighted me that Sharon was loving it! Otey the dog was all about it. He was doing great.
Below is an example of the marvelous mountain laurel we saw.
Below: a glimpse of the woods and trail in the filtered sunlight.
We came at last to the Cable Crossing just before the first pair of campsites. It was the prettiest I've ever seen it. The cascades here were a sight to behold. The crossing is always fun and wasn't bad. The cable really does help. We made it over with no problems. We wound under and past rock ledges dripping with water. I realized I was doing a hike that was over twice what I'd been accustomed to over the past year or more. I told Sharon about Martha's Pretty Point and we decided to skip that for today. We later decided wisely that we'd forego the side trip to Sheep Cave. I was aware that 8.6 miles was going to be tough for me. Adding the extra 1.4 miles to round out the figure to 10 miles wasn't going to help matters.
We arrived at Big Branch Falls and it was stunning! We visited with another couple or two there. All nice people. Some making this hike for their first time ever.
above: Big Branch Falls
above: the mountain laurel at the first falls
Above: Big Branch Falls from further back that shows the scenery better. Above: a rock shelter at Big Branch Falls. One thing I finally figured out today was that it would be possible to make a short cut for this hike by coming in off the road and cutting through the woods emerging at the creek above Big Branch Falls. It is the ONLY place this would be possible. I'd not do it though because you miss pretty scenery on the hike if you do. I had been told this many years ago by an area resident, and today was the first time I finally figured if it was true or not.
Below is a video of Big Branch Falls
We motored along and came to a point where we were getting close to Big Laurel Falls. I needed to pee, but this hike is so popular and rugged it was hard to figure out how to pull that off?
Where we were meant finding a shield to get behind to take a potty break wasn't easy. We just took turns hiding behind a rock and keeping watch for one another. Be quick about it!
We pressed onward and arrived at the brink of Big Laurel Falls. The climb down to it was worse than I recalled. I hurt my left knee by hyper flexing it taking a BIG step down and getting jammed up between some rocks. It took my breath away it hurt so bad. I just got myself out of that position and stayed still until I could breathe again and let the pain subside. It scared me a little and Sharon too. We made it down to the flat area before Big Laurel Falls at last.
It was glorious. The spray from the falls was pretty and had the entire area looking like a fog machine was operating. We sat down here to rest and gather our strength and eat lunch. Sharon made us some delicious BLT's and we enjoyed them.
Below is a video clip of Big Laurel Falls
Once we finished eating we got up and hiked onward. I looked back at the ascent for the trail to climb up above Big Laurel Falls. I dreaded this the rest of the hike. The trail up is unbelievably slick and rocky. They have draped a cable here to use which helps a little, but it is still awful. I realized along this next stretch of trail that I lied to myself and Sharon about this hike. I said there was something to see the entire way. It is not true. This stretch of trail between Big Laurel Falls and Virgin Falls isn't as scenic or exciting. Onward we trudged to the next intersection. We arrived at a split that indicated Sheep Cave to the right and onward from there to Virgin Falls at 0.80 Miles or take the left side and go with 0.30 miles to Virgin Falls. We had no intention of fooling with Sheep Falls today so we went left. It was a rocky trudge down and I was growing tired and hot. We finally arrived at the bottom of the bluff with another 0.20 miles uphill to the falls. We climbed up that rutted dirt ditch of a trail and finally stood by Virgin Falls. We made it. We were halfway done. Sharon was impressed with the falls as was I. They were beautiful and I saw them today with more water coming over them than I've ever seen before. The spray from it made photography harder than ever. For all the cars in the parking lot we saw only four other hikers here at the falls. Two were leaving as we arrived. Two men arrived right after us, but did not linger. They took a quick look at the falls and started their return hike.
Below is a photo of Virgin Falls in big water
Below: a look into the pit where all that water disappears. I showed this to my Daddy over Memorial Day weekend. He found it scary looking. I guess it is.
Below: zoomed in on the top of the falls
Below is a video of Virgin Falls in big water
Sharon was tickled we made it here and she had finally seen the falls for herself. She did great today.
I was the one on the Struggle Bus especially on the return hike. I made it out of there with a record amount of bitching and moaning. I was overwhelmed with anxiety realizing we were going to be cutting it close getting out of there by dark. Part of that was our late start today. Part of that was my slow pace on the uphill. I wasn't taking photos. I was just surviving this. Sharon was wonderfully patient and encouraging to me. She is the BEST friend. She kept coming up with ideas that she knew would motivate me and make me feel better. She offered to drive home. She promised me she'd make me a martini when we got home. She also carried my backpack out of there the last couple miles when I know she hates it as it hurts her back. They don't make 'em like this lady. I don't deserve her, but I'm sure glad she is my friend.
I felt better once we made it back above Big Laurel Falls. I set mini goals on the way. We'd be okay once we made it past the Cable Crossing. I knew if it got dark and we had that behind us we'd be alright. We made it past that and then the final unbridged crossing. The terrain softened and the climb let up. That helped a bunch. I had one final wave of despair when I saw a sign indicating that we STILL had 1/2 mile left to go to the parking lot. Holy Sheep Shoes! We finally made it out of there at was I ever happy to see the jeep. We made it out just before dark. I was miserable, but we were safe. The poor dog, Otey was worn slap out. He probably hiked it twice over trying to herd us out of there safely. My upset distressed him a lot. Sorry Otey. I later realized one of the things that made this hike so much more distressing to me was this: I was in a wash out period of my wellbutrin. I have been on it for years. I had been gradually weaning off it for a month or more. I was getting down to the point where I really didn't have any left in me. I did this with the doctor's permission and instruction.
I figured because my life circumstances were so much different now and better I would be able to come off it for good. It was not to be. A few days later I hit the wall. I was sinking fast so I had to resume taking it. It was a hard thing to admit that the depression was NOT situational. It is a biochemical imbalance in me that isn't going away. No matter. I am better now and not going to try that foolish plan any longer. I advise anyone taking mood stabilizers to thank your lucky stars and stay with them if you can.
We had to swing by Kroger in Crossville. I had to put gas in the car and Sharon needed some things from the grocery. I waited in the car with Otey and relaxed. The drive home was tiring and we were all hungry and bone weary. We finally got back to the house and I hit the shower immediately.
I had to get rid of the sweat to get past the chill I'd taken. Once I was clean, dry, warm and in my pajamas I headed to the kitchen. Sharon warmed us up some dinner from last night's yummy left overs. She fixed us both a lemon drop martini with dinner. Wow! It was exactly what I needed. I drank it with great enjoyment. It was refreshing for sure. One funny thing that happened was Otey wolfed down his supper and went upstairs to his bed. Sharon got cleaned up and came back down for dinner and drinks. He came back downstairs and fussed at her for NOT GOING TO BED!
He won't go unless she goes. His bed is in her room. He lay down at our feet and pouted and dozed on the floor. We didn't stay up long since we were as tired as he was. Off to bed we went.
The next morning Sharon and Otey got up. She said she hoped she didn't wake me up with her knocking and beating and hollering?! I said heck no I slept like I was dead. I am a sound sleeper.
She had the windows up in her room for the fresh night air. Something big went to scratching and clawing at the screen trying to get in the house! She ran it off and closed the windows. I am guessing it was a racoon or squirrel. Otey refused to eat breakfast that morning and instead went back to sleep. Poor fellow.
I had breakfast and coffee and visited a little while. I left for home around 10:30 a.m CST.
It was good to visit, but good to come home. Kenny made it home that evening and I was awfully glad to see him. I had a hard couple days after that grappling with my mental and physical health. Realizations of how things ARE not how I want them to be.
Noteworthy changes at Virgin Falls are that they appear to have changed the backcountry camping situation some. It looks like they have more campsites, but now you cannot camp in front of Big Laurel Falls or Virgin Falls. I learned some hard lessons.
Things I Learned Today:
No more late starts on hikes for me if they are longer or difficult
I need to stick with shorter, less strenuous hikes until I rebuild my stamina and flexibility.
If I don't act sensibly about this I will ruin hiking for myself and grow to hate it.
I have finally arrived at a point where it is time to admit that my energy levels are not what they once were. I can either do a leisure activity like hiking, or do my chores and usual homemaker duties or take care of my grandkids. I do not have the energy to expend to keep up with all of them anymore. Doing one taxes me to the point of exhaustion leaving nothing in reserve for the others.
The final thing I realized today is that I view this hike in the wrong way. I always think I have to hike all of it in one day. Then I am tired and don't enjoy it or take many photos and I am disappointed. I need to do this differently so it is enjoyable. Today was a prime example of my all or nothing thinking. I missed so many wonderful photo ops. This needs to change.
We had such a good time at Pigeon Forge RV Resort for Fall Break 2024 we all decided it was time to go back for Spring Break 2025! It was amazing to be able to arrive in 45 minutes instead of a day plus of driving. We arrived and got set up. We were thrilled to find that despite it being only the second week of March... their pool was open! The water slide was in operation too.
It is heated and we spent a lot of time swimming while there.
Rip the dog went along. He is the new weimaraner puppy for my daughter Crystal and her family. He is a huge puppy who thinks he is a tiny lap dog. He is a pretty boy. He loved camping and did great.
We went and played mini golf and did a little shopping, but we mostly just enjoyed the resort.
It is a destination unto itself. The kids were more than happy to play with the other kids in the campground, ride bikes, playground, and swim. It was a fun time of fellowship as a family.
Mia was funny. She got her a couple boyfriends on this trip. Her main man was Axle Gentry.
She said he was her boyfriend and her best friend. She chased him around and tried to hug him while he dodged her at every turn. It was hilarious. The kids played Amongus which is some sort of game from off the internet.
The resort has activities some days. St. Patrick's Day was coming up so they had all kinds of fun stuff. Axe throwing with foam axes. Limbo. Volley ball, arts and crafts. Mia won the limbo contest!
Below: granddaughter Mia age 4 and her boyfriend Axle.
I did not take nearly as many photos as usual. I spent more time in the moment and not lugging around a camera. I also was still regaining my stamina from having my right knee replaced. I did a lot of resting. Swimming in the heated pool was good for me. It was a fun trip and we really are sold on the RV Resort! Jared and Lydia came and joined us for some activities one day. It was great to all be together. We did some shopping and touristy stuff.
Below: Grandson Gabriel in the foreground with Mia gesturing in the back. The kids are playing Amongus.
Below: More of the kids playing Amongus. Mia is It!
Above: Mia plays with Axle and Todd. They are brothers.
above: left to right. Mia, Axle, Gabe, and Weston.
Above: Mia's blue ribbon from winning at Limbo!
Above: Crystal holds Rip on her lap. They are so happy to finally have a dog.
above: the train at the resort was a big hit! Below: another view of the train
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