Photo by Bill Hodge
Tennessee Wild's educational outings are made possible, in part, by a generous grant from Tennessee American Water Co.
Join us for a hike in the Cherokee National Forest. We offer a variety of outings each month including day hikes, backpacking trips, and trail maintenance trips. Checkout the list below and register to explore YOUR Cherokee National Forest! For more information about a specific outing, please contact Jeff Hunter at 423-322-7866 or Jeff@wildsouth.org. To register for a Tennessee Wild outing, please join our Tennessee Wild Meetup page and register for an outing there. See you on the trail!
Saturday April 20, 2013 - Volunteer with Tennesee Wild at Nashvile Earth Day! We need volunteers to reach out to the public at Nashville Earth Day to build support for the Tennessee Wilderness Act. No prior experience required. Just a willingness to engage with festival goers. It's always a fun event with good food, live music, and fun. Transportation to/from Chattanooga will be provided. Volunteers in the Nashville/Murfreesboro area are also encouraged to join us. We ask a minimum of 2 hours of volunteer time.April 26-28, 2013 - Citico Creek / Joyce Kilmer Slickrock Wilderness 3 day backpack trip Tennessee Wild volunteer Kurt Emmanuele will be leading a 3 day backpack trip in the Citico Creek / Joyce Kilmer Slickrock Wilderness complex on the weekend of April 26-28. Kurt is a very experienced backpacker and group leader. He works at Baylor School in Chattanooga, and regularly leads outings for them. He also backpacks around the country, and recently backpacked in Queensland, Australia. This is a very strenuous trip, and prior backpacking experience is required. Registration for this trip opens on February 25. Saturday April 27, 2013 - Volunteer with Tennessee Wild at Oak Ridge Earth Day We need volunteers to reach out to the public at Oak Ridge Earth Day to build support for the Tennessee Wilderness Act. No prior experience required. Just a willingness to engage with festival goers. It's always a fun event with good food, live music, and fun. Volunteers in the Knoxville / Oak Ridge area are strongly encouraged to join us. We ask a minimum of 2 hours of volunteer time. Details to come as we get closer to the event. Friday May 3 at 7:30 pm - Meet 'The Forest Unseen' author & Pulitzer Prize finalist David George Haskell Author and Forest Ecologist David George Haskell will be speaking at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Haskel has an incredibly lyrical way with the English language. Come hear him weave tales about Shakerag Hollow on the Cumberland Plateau. $5 at the door. Saturday May 4, 2013 - Birding with Kevin Calhoon at Chickamauga Chattanooga National Military Park Join Tennessee Wild as Kevin Calhoon leads a birding walk starting at 8 am. Kevin is the Assistant Curator of forests at the Tennessee Aquarium. He is also the aquarium's avian expert. We will start the day on the slopes of Lookout Mountain at the Cravens House, and hike from there on the NPS trails. Please bring binoculars and be prepared to hike a couple of miles on forested trails. Saturday May 18, 2013 - Snorkel Citico Creek! Join us for our first snorkel of the year as we explore the chilly water of Citico Creek with wetsuit, snorkel and mask.This trip costs $25. $20 of which goes directly to the Forest Service for rental of a wetsuit, mask and snorkel, along with expert guides provided by the agency. Please bring a bag lunch, towel, and water shoes (tevas or chacos, or old sneakers) and prepare to be blown away by the underwater world in Citico Creek. There is an age limit of 12 imposed by the Forest Service. Children 12 and up are strongly encouraged to attend. Saturday June 1, 2013, Helping Hands National Trails Day volunteer project on the John Muir Trail in Polk County Join Tennessee Wild and the Forest Service for a full day project rehabbing a section of the John Muir Trail near Ducktown, TN. This National Recreation Trail has fallen into disrepair in places. We'll be clearing the trail corridor, rebuilding switchbacks, & working on the trail tread. No prior experience required. Tools and safety equipment will be provided. More details coming soon.Monday & Tuesday June 3 & 4, 2013 - Volunteer Training for Riverbend Festival Join us for pizza and soft drinks (provided) at Crust Pizza on Broad Street in Chattanooga as we train volunteers to perform outreach at Chattanoga's Riverbend Festival. There you'll learn about the Tennesee WIlderness Act, and how you can help us with public outreach in suport of this important piece of conservation legislation. Attendees will be eligible for a pass to join us at Riverbend where you can volunteer, and enjoy music afterward!Saturday July 13 - Hike the Brokshire Creek Trail or Kirkland Creek Trail This outing will consist of two hikes, each with a group size limit of 12. They will take place simultaneously. This will require us to split the group at the trailhead. The Brookshire Creek Trail is a moderate 5-mile in & out hike to a beautiful waterfall. The Kirkland Creek Trail is a moderate 6-mile in & out hike will require 12 stream crossings in either direction. Registration for this outing opens on May 29. Saturday July 20 - Hike to sumit of Big Frog Mountain! This strenuous but rewarding 9 mile round trip hike will follow the Wolf Ridge Trail from the trailhead along FS Road 221 4.5 miles to the summit of Big Frog Mountain. We will have lunch atop beautiful Big Frog before we walk back to our vehicles. Regsitration for this hike opens on June 5. Saturday July 27, 2013 - Citizen Science trip on Hiwassee River with TN Aquarium Conservation Institute Join us for a fun and educational day with the Tennessee Aquarium Conservation Institute (TNACI) as we sample the Hiwassee River with aquatic biologists from the institute. Expect to be in & out of the river as we use seine nets to capture fish in the Hiwassee. This will allow TNACI to check on fish populations, and allow attendees to learn about the amazing diversity of fishes found in the rivers of SE Tennessee. There is no fee for participation but a $5 donation will be collected from each participant to defray the expenses of TNACI staffers. Registration for this fun day will open on June 27 at 8:45 am. Space is limited to 20 participants (age 12+).
