7/23/15

A Weekend of Wilderness on the Cherokee National Forest


Tellico Wild - Explore our Big Back Yard!

A Weekend of Wilderness on the Cherokee National Forest
July 31 thru August 2, 2015
Tellico Plains Tennessee

http://www.meetup.com/Tennessee-Wild

7/10/15

Bluegrass Jamming Class

Bluegrass Jamming Class using the Wernick Method
Taught by Perry Brake

Click here for more details



6/3/15

National Trails Day Event Tellico Plains Tennessee

National Trails Day Event in Tellico Plains
Saturday June 6, 9am - 5pm

Tellico Plains, "The Little Town with the Big Back Yard", is celebrating National Trails Day with a series of hikes and a work trip on a local trail on June 6. Tellico Plains is a designated TRAIL TOWN.   Join one of three guided hikes (various locations, lengths and difficulty levels - see descriptions below) or a work trip on the John Muir Trail. Those wishing to join a guided hike should meet in the parking area behind the Cherohala Skyway Visitor Center, Hwy. 165, in Tellico Plains at 9 AM. Those wanting to spend the day working on building a reroute on the John Muir Trail along the Hiwassee River should meet at the Quinn Springs Campground shelter along Highway 30 between US 411 and Reliance at 9 AM.

All hikers should bring a day pack with plenty of water, and your lunch. Sturdy shoes, hiking poles or a walking stick might come in handy. Trail workers need to wear long pants and sturdy boots and to bring water and a lunch. Breakfast will be provided by Tellico Grains Bakery.

Dinner after the hikes will be provided at the Cherohala Skyway Visitor Center, sponsored by Tellico Outpost. Two Dog Ranch Bluegrass Band will be playing old time mountain music, fiddle tunes, and bluegrass for the hikers at the Visitor Center. If you can, hikers please bring a chair to use for dinner and music at the Visitor Center. There is a covered pavilion with 4 picnic tables in place.

Dinner for the trail workers will be provided by Tennessee Wild at Quinn Springs. All trail workers on the work trip will receive a free T-shirt commemorating the day. Day hikers can buy these t-shirts at $5. Kids are welcome as well but must be attended by a responsible parent or guardian or youth group leader (church, scouts, etc). Leashed dogs are also welcome to join the guided hikes.

Guided Hikes:
1) Bald River Falls Trail - 9 miles
Rated moderate to strenuous due to length
    This beautiful trail climbs from the base of the 80' Bald River Falls and meanders riverside featuring stunning rock formations and several great views of other little falls along the way.

2) Unicoi Turnpike Trail - 3 miles
Rated Easy
    The Unicoi Turnpike Trail is recognized as part of the Trail of Tears, and in 2000 was designated as a National Millennium Trail. Walking this is like walking through history - literally. Your guide will share information about the history and heritage of the area, the Cherokee people and the site of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Camp Rolling Stone.

3) Falls Branch Falls - 3 miles
Rated moderate to strenuous due to short but steep descent
    This short hike has a BIG payoff at the end, the 70'+ Falls Branch Falls. The majority of the trail follows an old logging road, then turns for a steep but short descent through a medieval forest of old growth trees, large boulders and mossy rocks to the base of the falls. The hike itself is not difficult but there are slippery rocks along the creek.

5/18/15

National Trails Day In Tellico Plains

As part of National Trails Day, Tellico Plains, a designated "Trail Town" is sponsoring 3 hikes and a work trip on the John Muir Trail. This year's events take place on Saturday, June 6, 2015.

Those wishing to join the group hikes (various lengths and difficulty levels will be offered) should meet at the Cherohala Skyway Visitor Center in Tellico Plains at 9 AM.  Breakfast will be provided by Tellico Grains.

Those wanting to spend the day working on building a reroute on the John Muir Trail along the Hiwassee River, meet at the Quinn Springs Campground shelter at 9 AM along Highway 30 between US 411 and Reliance at 9 AM. Breakfast will be provided by Tellico Grains. Hikers need to bring a lunch and water. Trail workers need to wear long pants and sturdy boots also.

Dinner after the hikes will be provided by Tellico Outpost (Tellico Plains) and the Friends of the Cherokee National Forest (Quinn Springs). All trail workers will receive a free T-shirt commemorating the day. Day hikers can buy a T-shirt for $5. Kids are welcome as well but must be attended by a responsible parent or guardian or youth group leader (church, scouts, etc).

Please join the fun!


1/7/15

Honoring Charles & Billie Nell Hall

Our community is mourning the loss of native son and influential community leader Charles Hall, who died at age 90 on December 31, 2014. Sadly, his wife of 71 years, Billie Nell, also just passed away, on January 5, 2015.

Charles and Billie Nell Lester Hall devoted their lives to their community. Charles served as Tellico Plains Mayor for a total of 31 years, two years as alderman-recorder, 12 years as a Justice of Peace and Commissioner. Charles and Billie owned and operated the Tellico Telephone Company from 1954 to 1985, bringing telephone service to isolated rural areas surrounding Tellico Plains. While raising their family of four girls, the couple actively participated in numerous community organizations. Charles was a member of the town's fire department for 52 years, organizing and training 11 rural fire departments throughout Monroe County. Charles was named "Monroe County's Most Outstanding Citizen" in 1969. He authored A History of Tellico Plains, TN in 2001, and, with his daughter Pamela Mathews, compiled A Pictorial History of the Tellico Plains Area 1849-1949, published in 2011, the 100th birthday of Tellico Plains.

Billie Nell was a member and leader in the Cherokee Women's Study Club, and worked tirelessly to support education, beautification and positive public relations in Tellico Plains. She was also honored as the 1986 Tennessee Mother of the Year. Billie Nell was also involved with Monroe County United Way, Monroe County Tourism Council, the board of directors for Overlook Mental Health Center, and chairperson of the Task Force for Better Schools.


Along with the numerous organizations both were involved with, Charles and Billie Nell spearheaded many projects that have developed the Tellico Plains area. Charles was involved with the Kiwanis Club during the 1958 Wagontrain. The Wagontrain was started to show the need for a road from Tellico Plains, TN, to Robinsville, NC. Charles was either the wagonmaster or chief scout for 49 years. The Cherohala Skyway opened on October 12, 1996. In 1997, the Tennessee State Legislature named the bridge over Laurel Branch on the Cherohala Skyway "The Charles Hall Bridge." Charles also played a leading role in the Tellico Dam construction.

Charles was a local historian since boyhood. Over the years, Charles and Billie Nell amassed an enormous and amazing array of local artifacts, antiques, and historic memorabilia. Showcasing their collections was a lifelong dream, and they opened the Charles Hall Museum in Tellico Plains in 2003. The couple filled two large buildings with stunning displays of guns, coins, tools, furnishings, and numerous treasures of local history. As former owners of the Tellico Telephone Company, the Halls included hundreds of telephones and related phone company hardware spanning decades, and well as a Model T phone truck and a unique life-size cross-section view of the unground cable vault. Many of the telephone company artifacts on display were donated by the East Tennessee Telephone Pioneers. Showcase after showcase unveils beautifully organized treasures from the past, many used by Tellico Plains residents long ago. Museum visitors were often treated to a tour by Charles himself, and the personal stories he shared will be cherished.

Charles also spent many years collecting old photographs from Tellico Plains, carefully documenting the people, places, and time periods. Many of these photos would have been lost forever without his foresight to save them. The museum displays over 1000 of his photos, uniquely preserving the visual history of Tellico Plains, including images such as old street scenes, logging operations from a century ago, mountain wagon trains, long forgotten town merchants, and school photos from years gone by. This museum was truly a labor of love for Mr. Hall, and the community will benefit far into the future with the history it has documented. View videos of Charles at the Museum and read more at http://tellico-plains.com/charles-hall-museum.html

The family will receive friends in honor of Billie Nell on Friday, January 9, 2015, from 5-7 with a memorial service at 7 at Myers Funeral Home. Interment Saturday 11:00 a.m. at City Cemetery.

Donations to the Charles Hall Museum, a non-profit 501 (c)(3) foundation, in memory of Charles and Billie Nell, are welcome. Museum admission is free, and donations are tax-deductible as allowed by law. Donate online at http://www.charleshallmuseum.com/