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(Remember, you can click on any image to open up a cool slideshow!)
Well, it's about time I set out into the wilderness again. (This economy really makes it difficult to get around.) Fortunately, I'm right in the middle of some of the most interesting protected lands in the country. This time, I chose the Cherokee National Forest, just 45 minutes east of Chattanooga.
The CNF is the home of the Ocoee and Hiwassee Rivers. Gorgeous stretches of rushing water cutting through some of the Southeast's most beautiful mountain forests. (You may remember the Ocoee as being the whitewater rafting site of the 1996 Olympics... and if you're a bit older, you'll remember it from the movie Deliverance -- insert theme music here).
I spent four days and three nights in the forest in search of those little backroads that would take me to some of Mother Nature's best kept secrets. Because I only allowed myself such a short time to explore over 22,000 acres of recreation area and national wilderness, I opted to pass on hiking the trails and do a little "Overlanding" instead... using The Greasy Beast as my primary means of getting around. There are thousands of miles of road traversing the forest, ranging from the well-paved (and highly traveled) Ocoee Scenic Byway to one-lane gravel forest roads to barely navigable (even in a well-equipped Land Rover) fire roads that seem to lead to nowhere. And I took as many as possible, constantly referring to my maps, sometimes retracing my path after getting lost, and taking my time to see everything I could from behind the wheel.
Now, don't get me wrong... I didn't just drive. I did get out and explore quite a bit on foot. I hiked a mile upstream through slippery river rocks and rushing water to remote swimming holes, walked abandoned fire roads in search of mountaintop vistas, and hacked my way for over three hours through some of the thickest underbrush I've ever encountered looking for a secret waterfall (which I never found).
It was difficult, and beautiful, and fun, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat.
And, though it was an enightening experience, it was also a sobering one. Despite the fact that these lands are Federally protected, the surrounding areas are being developed at a furious pace. All along Hwy 64 leading from I-75 into the forest, are new developments, incredible population growth, and a highway being widened to accommodate it all. What this means to the local economy is good. But, what it means to the local ecology is, well, not so good. As is always the case, too much pressure on an ecosystem (even one as large as the Cherokee National Forest) can cause dramatic changes that can adversely affect the water quality, the air quality, and the flora and fauna.
I won't get into any statistics or details here, but suffice it to say that it is all changing. More people will want access to the parks. More access means more accommodations. More accommodations mean more infrastructure. And, before you know it, the wilderness has turned into a recreation area.
And, THAT'S why I do what I do. To show you how incredible these places are now... because, I guarantee, protected or not, they won't be that way for long.
Next... the details of the trip, my awesome campsites, and why wildlife still has the upper hand.
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