I left the Army with an honorable discharge and an aversion to the Great Outdoors. The Infantry will do that to you. Not long into my civilian career, however, I discovered the joys of hiking. If you are not encumbered with rifle, helmet, and 150 unwilling privates, a walk in the mountains ain’t a bad way to spend a day.
It is a pastime that may be enjoyed alone (making it ideal for “Thinking About Your Life”) or in the company of friends (when it can become a sort of peripatetic poker game). Moreover, unlike golf or hunting, hiking is a low-tech, inexpensive hobby—all you need are a pair of boots and a backpack. Finally, there are the sensual rewards: whiskey and cigars never taste better than at the end of a long hike.
When I first returned to Tennessee, I hiked the Smoky Mountains, but after one endless afternoon stuck in the tourist hell that is the Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge corridor, I began looking for another venue. I found it less than two hours from Nashville in the southern end of the Cumberland Plateau. A 2,000-foot-high escarpment that forms the western fringe of the Appalachian Mountain chain, the plateau is one of the neglected natural gems of our state. I’ve been hiking there for 10 years and have yet to exhaust its possibilities. Whether you are a 20-mile-a-day man or a novice, the plateau offers some of the best hiking in the eastern United States.
To reach three of its challenging trails—the North Rim of the Savage Gulf, the Fiery Gizzard-Foster Falls Trail, and the Sewanee Perimeter Trail—take I-24 East to the Sewanee-Monteagle exit (Exit 134). From that point, more detailed instructions are necessary:
Hike No. 1
Savage Gulf North Rim/Plateau Trail
From the Monteagle/Sewanee exit, take Highway 64 into Monteagle, turn left onto Tennessee 56 at the DuBose Conference Center, follow 56 through Tracy City toward Altamont and turn right at Highway 108 after passing through the hamlet of Coalmont. Follow 108 through the old Swiss settlement of Gruetli-Laager and turn left on Highway 399. Stay on 399 until you reach the ranger station entrance.
Savage Gulf is the Grand Canyon of Tennessee. Over the course of 300 million years, three creeks carved gorges (“gulfs” in local parlance) that eventually met to form an expansive thousand-foot-deep canyon. The most spectacular views of the canyon are found along the trail that follows the north rim of the Savage Creek Gulf. The trail is flat, and the 18-mile hike loop described below is easier than it sounds. However, less ambitious hikers can turn back at any point on the North Rim Trail.
The trailhead is at the Savage Gulf ranger station. Follow the Savage Day Loop Trail for about 2.5 miles to the North Rim Trail. Follow the North Rim another 6.5 miles, where it joins the North Plateau Trail, which loops back to the beginning. There are no views of the canyon from the North Plateau, and the first-time hiker may choose to return along the North Rim. It’s about the same distance.
Hike No. 2
Fiery Gizzard-Foster Falls Trail
The trailhead is off Highway 56 just west of Tracy City. The turn-off is marked with a small sign.
The first part of this 13-mile point-to-point trail is the most arduous hiking on the Cumberland Plateau. It follows the bed of Fiery Gizzard Creek as it descends the plateau to the Tennessee River. After five miles, the trail ascends steeply to Raven’s Point, which affords one of the most spectacular views in all of the eastern United States. It is simply magnificent, particularly on a fall day. From there, the trail becomes more pedestrian (if you’ll excuse the pun), and there isn’t much to look at except an old busted-up still. The trail terminates at Foster Falls, which is worth the walk, even if it is not as impressive as the more famous Fall Creek Falls.
A word of caution—it is hard to do this trail alone, as you will need to leave a car at both ends of the trailhead. The editor of the Scene and I once hiked the Fiery Gizzard with one car, on the supposition that we could easily hitchhike back. We were wrong. Folks in Grundy County apparently figure anybody walking for recreation doesn’t deserve a ride. What started out as a 13-mile trek turned into a forced march. So if you’re a solitary hiker, I recommend hiking out to Raven’s Point and turning back to your starting point.
Hike No. 3
Sewanee Perimeter Trail
From the interstate exit, follow Highway 64 to the University of the South at Sewanee. Once you’re on campus, turn right on Tennessee Avenue and park at the 50-foot-high cross.
The Perimeter Trail is actually a series of trails that form a 20-mile loop of the 10,000-acre forest known as the “Domain” of the university. You can begin your hike at any point along the loop, but for the first-time hiker the cross is the easiest to find. The Perimeter Trail is, to me, the most restful of the hikes and the one on which I’ve done my best Serious Thinking. (The Perimeter Trail also offers the most interesting local names, e. g., Thumping Dick Hollow.)
Like the North Rim Trail, the Perimeter Trail skirts the edge of the plateau, but it overlooks scenery that is more pastoral. The Perimeter Trail also allows you to “customize” your hike if your legs tire and your will flags. At most points along the trail, you can turn away from the plateau’s edge and be on the Sewanee campus (and near your car) within 20 minutes. As befits the school whose students the novelist Walker Percy described as “lean, hard-drinking Episcopal youth,” the Perimeter Trail at one point runs within 100 yards of Shenanigans, an excellent (though decrepit) pub, located about a mile from the cross on Highway 64.
More detailed instructions and maps for all three hikes may be obtained at the South Cumberland Ranger Station on Highway 56 west of Tracy City (931-924-2956).
