Day 6: Part I - Tishomingo to the Tennessee state line

6:01 PM |

Note: today is divided into two parts cause I took too many pictures.

I’d left the curtains open hoping that the sun would help wake me up gently, but when the alarm goes off at 6:45am the sun is just barely above the horizon.

We eat our “breakfast of champions” in the charming living room. With all the exposed paneling, its sparseness, pictures of deer and outdoors magazines lying about it closely resembles a hunting lodge.

Breakfast of champions

The hunter's retreat

The cold hits me as soon as I step outside to take some pictures. Brrr! The temperature really dips down during the night and the sun hasn’t had time to warm things up yet.

Cottage in the early morning

Limestone cliffs right behind the cottage

We slip long pants on over our shorts, then drive back to the Swinging Bridge for some more pictures. Unfortunately, the sun is only just hitting the tip of the trees and I can’t get the pictures to come out right.

Swinging bridge

Another picture of my favorite little tree at the edge of Bear Creek. See the fine steam fog over the water? It was "that" cold.

Next we stop at the old Pioneer Cabin. It’s a very picturesque area with a stone bridge, large mossy boulders and a gentle stream crossing in front of the cabin.

Overview video:

Stone bridge

Mossy boulders ... check out the cute bridge in the top left.

Pioneer cabin

Yay! Boulder climbing makes me happy.

Action movie: boulder climbing fun

A couple of trails start at the cabin and we end up walking the short CCC pond trail that loops around a small pond. At first it’s easy to follow, but after we cross a small stream the blazes become few and far between.

Blazes blending in with the fall colors

Moss close-up

What a cool park! I could easily spend all day hiking here, but alas, we have places to go ...

Today we’ll stop at several overlooks; the first is the Freedom Hills Overlook. At 800ft above sealevel this is Alabama's highest point along the Trace and it is a short, but steep hike to the top.

While there, we meet a retired couple from Pittsburgh who have been RV-ing across the south eastern United States for a while. They’re doing the Trace in the opposite direction and tell us a bit about Shiloh, one of the stops we’d been contemplating. It’s supposed to be a nice battlefield park like Vicksburg and according to them it’s only 30 minutes of the Trace, but when we plug it into the GPS it’s actually more than an hour’s drive. Oh well, maybe next time ...

Driving through fields of uh, something?

Our next stop is very pleasant surprise, a beautiful park in Alabama (yes, we’ve crossed into Alabama again) by the Tennessee River; Colbert Ferry.

Peaceful spot in the shade

John Coffee Memorial Bridge

Looks like summer

So, where's the ferry you ask? Well, the ferry station is long gone and has been replaced by the John Coffee Memorial Bridge pictured above. Its 0.8 mi span carries the Trace across the Pickwick Lake.

When we reach the other side we follow an unmarked footpath down to the water's edge. It must be lowtide because we’re walking on river rocks covered with semi-dry aquatic plants.

Rocky Springs State Park is in Alabama as well. Here you can walk a short, self-guided loop trail around a small pond formed by spring water. First you have to cross these awesome stepping stones ...

Playground for kids of all ages

It's snowing leaves!

The little pond

On the way back I sit down on one of the steps and put my aching feet (really just the left one. It still hurts after twisting it at work) in the cool spring water. Wow, that feels so good! I could just sit here all day and watch the leaves fall from the trees.