Thu, Jan 1 2009 - Hiking - Chatt. Jones Bridge (new members welcome!) (View Original Event Details) Trip Leader(s): Tony C, Joseph Martin Participants: Roe, Lisa Luciano, Terry, Sherri, David Bennett, Sarah Strang, Kim, Joe C., Sharon, Leah Carroll, Trish, Noreen, Linda Picardi, Viranuj, Tony C, Joseph Martin, Chad Wisinger

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Write Up:
We had eight new aoc members join us, and we all started 2009 off right with a vigorous six mile hike on a perfect wintry day. If you like cool weather, you couldn't ask for much better...lots of sun, clear blue skies, and temps in the mid to upper 40s. We were in for a treat before even taking the first step as about seven deer ran through the woods right beside the parking lot. They are seen at this park nearly every time we visit.

We warmed up quickly as we started off down the trail, and of course our first stop was near the old Jones Bridge to snap the obligatory group pic. We then headed south but stopped at the scenic overlook platform where we had a great view of the bridge and could see West Jones Bridge park right across the river. After this short break, we continued south and hiked up into the woods where we saw a "herd" of about 9 deer running up a small ridge not far from us.

We made our way to the southern border of the park and then a few extra steps where we turned around at the monkeybars (see pics) before heading back into the park. We stopped for a long lunch at some picnic tables and traded some trail talk about our past hiking adventures including some conversation about the LeConte lodge and other Smokies hikes.

After finishing our powerbars and sandwiches, we jumped back onto the trail...headed north and along the river. The sun was lower in the sky and began to emit more of a golden glow as it dropped even further. We made another brief stop at the overlook and then headed back up the final hill and down to the parking area. We had a great group and hope to see them all again soon on a future aoc event.

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