About Unicoi County, TN

Hiking in Northeast Tennessee is always a delight.  We have some really great Mountains and trails.  I've highlighted several hiking area in Northeast Tennessee last winter, it is my favorite time to hike!  You can subscribe and visit all my videos at my You Tube account. Rock Creek Falls is in Erwin Tennessee and has several hiking trails.  The one we hiked yesterday was Rock Creek Falls.  I hope you enjoy it.

My 3 day 60 mile walk, for Susan G Komen, is in a week and a half and I have had to bump up the training to 10 and 12 mile training walks. I am incorporating community trails that are for walkers .runners and bikers. The trail I've been walking the past few days is called the Erwin Linear Trail. It is 4 1/4 miles one way through streams, bogs, shade, and even the Unicoi County Dog Shelter. It is paved with asphault in places, but mostly packed down earth. A rest area stop 2 miles in and a very safe and friendly place to walk, run or bike in Unicoi Tennessee.

My walk this year is in Cleveland Ohio and is July 28-30. If you are a Cleveland AR'er, please come visit me! I'll need all the support I can get.

All proceeds go to Susan G. komen Foundation for Breast Cancer Research.

I am especially excited about this Sunday because it is right smack in the middle of a holiday weekend. We went to Rock Creek Falls today and hiked. (I blogged about that in another blog below) The Rhododendrons were in bloom and I found this one to be especially beautiful. So much for speechless. ( I have a problem with that anyways!!)!

We hiked Rattlesnake Ridge in Rock Creek -Cherokee National Forest, Unicoi, Tennessee today. What a hike that was. 7 miles round trip (not counting the mile into the trail) and the way up was exactly that, UP. It was really fun..and hot. Here is what we encountered about half way in... Okay, never seen this before, I was a tad bit freaked out. We registered. The path forward was a a tree covered canopy and I swear I heard bears the rest of the way through the hike!! Actually, on the way back down, we think we did hear one, than it sounded like he pulled down a tree. (The tree came down)! My pace really picked up! The hike was beautiful. I have hiked Rock Creek Falls before, but this was the first time hiking Rattlesnack Ridge.

Northeast Tennessee is such a great place to adventure!

TROUT FISHERMEN UNITE - Save the hatchery

One of the things that attracts people to Northeast Tennessee is that they want to enjoy the lakes and rivers - and the great fishing, especially trout.

Most of the high-quality trout eggs for hatcheries in the whole Southeast come from the Erwin National Fish Hatchery, which is in danger of being closed as one way to make a tiny cut in the budget.

I didn't realize until recently that this was more than just a local issue. The economic value of this facility has enormous effects all over the Southeast - on jobs, tourism, retail sales, taxes, etc. A recent study calculated the economic return was $67 for every tax dollar spent, including 3,277 jobs and $85.2 million in wages.

Fishermen everywhere can appreciate that it's more than a money issue. Please sign the petition at www.UnicoiCountyTN.gov . The petition that goes to US Senate, House of Representatives and Department of Interior. There’s a lot of interesting information also.

While you're at the Unicoi site, look at all the good things Unicoi County has to offer, and consider that county along with its neighbors, Washington and Carter and others, as places to enjoy great vacations and second homes, or for your retirement.

In addition to the lakes and rivers and fishing, Johnson City and the nearby communities are surrounded by beautiful mountains and enjoy milder weather in summer and winter than just about anywhere else.