Horsetail Plant

Normally when I’m guiding a backpacking,hiking, or even on a solo backcountry trip, it’s easy to feel as if I have stepped back in time. Often I think to myself, this is what the wilderness must have looked and felt like in the 1800’s or even 1700’s.

This trip however while hiking in the Big South Fork NRRA we caught a small glimpse of a time that dinosaurs roamed the earth!

As we hiked along a small creek a plant growing off trail caught my eye. Upon further investigation I found a large patch of Horsetail growing.

I explained to the group that Horsetail is a perennial plant that grows in areas of North America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.

Back when dinosaurs roamed the earth Horsetail was the most dominant group of plants on the planet. Although it doesn’t grow very large now, I have read that at one time these plants grew as large as our pine trees do today.

This variety of horsetail is also known as “Scouring Rush”. Because of it's very tough fibers and high silica content. This made these plants useful for cleaning “scouring” iron pots, pans, tin, and pewter. Native Americans used it in their woodworking to create a silky smooth finish. Knights were also said to use this plant to polish their Armor.

Horsetail is the only living genus in the Equisetaceae family of vascular plants that reproduce by spores rather than seed.

The American Chinquapin

We recently ran across one of my favorite treats in the backcountry! A delicious wild nut called a Chinquapin.

The American Chinquapin (Castaneda pumila) is a “species” closely related to the chestnut although smaller. Also commonly known as the Allegheny Chinquapin or dwarf chestnut.

It is a deciduous tree found mostly in the eastern and southeastern United States. Sadly populations have declined over the last several year.

The Chinquapin tree can range in size from a small looking shrub to a small looking tree.

It’s nuts are edible and quite sweet when mature in the fall of the year. It has single seed burs. This means each burr that opens into two halves will have one small nut inside which gives the tree a distinctive chestnut look.

Legend has it that Captain John Smith not knowing what they were wrote the first European record of a Chinquapin in 1612. “The Indians have a small fruit growing on a little tree, husked like a Chestnut. This they call a “Checkinquamins”, which they esteem a great daintie.”

History Lesson On The TRAIL From an Oak Tree

It usually isn’t my intention to give a brief history lesson on a guided backpacking trip especially if it didn’t actually happen inside the Big South Fork area but occasionally it does happen and this was one of those trips.

On our most recent adventure someone found something interesting on the trail.

I explained it's called an Oak Gall from an Oak tree and caused by a parasitic wasp. One might ask what’s so interesting about an Oak Gall.

Well I took my stag handle knife out and as I began to cut the Oak Gall open I started to talk about the 13th century and Runnymede a place near Windsor, England and the year of 1215.

Hundreds of years before the American Colonist revolted against the crown, rebel nobles in England drafted what is known as the Magna Carta meaning “great charter.”

The Magna Carta is a document that basically established the principle that everyone is subject to the law, even the King, and guarantees the rights of individuals, the right to justice and the right to a fair trial.

This Charter was written with a very special kind of ink that was made from an Oak Gall just like the one we found along the trail on our hiking trip.

As you can see by simply cutting this Gall open and sharpening a small stick it was very easy to use the ink inside to write on a piece of paper.

Mushrooms along the trail

I thought I’d share a few photos of some mushrooms we found along the trail during August. We found many but a few stood out above all others.

”To walk in nature is to witness a thousand miracles.”

”Never be so grown up that you stop seeing the magic in simple things.”

There is always something worth seeing.

”How can we doubt miracles when nature surrounds us with them everyday?”

May all your trails lead to the most amazing views and remember there is always an Adventure waiting for you at Backwoods Adventures!😉

Life older than the dinosaurs on the cumberland plateau

A couple weeks ago I was lucky enough to find a very unusual looking rock near my cabin. I actually had no idea what I had found.

Keep in mind I’m a backcountry hiking and backpacking guide. I have no background in geology or petrology. I did, however, know this rock was very unusual and something inside me told myself I just had to learn more about this strange find!

After reaching out to several people for answers I was put in contact with two different geologists who both seemed to agree on its identification.

I was told this is a fossil from a tree known as a Lepidodendron or possibly a fossil from the Lepidodendrons tree root system called a Stigmaria. Sometimes the Lepidodendron is also referred to as a Scale tree.

I was also told this type of tree dates back to the Carboniferous Period between 359 million to 299 million years ago. (To help put that in perspective the oldest known dinosaur is believed to have been around only 228 million years ago.

This particular type of prehistoric tree is believed to have reached heights of 130 feet with some having trunks 3 and half feet in diameter and thought to have thrived up to the late Triassic Period. By the Mesozoic era it’s believed that all these trees had died out and replaced by Conifers.

We truly live in an amazing world and if you slow down and really take the time to look closely sometimes it shares its secrets with us!

Backwoods Adventures

Scott

Death on the Banks of Station Camp Creek

As a backcountry guide I love researching the rich history “some happy and some not so happy” of this area and sharing it with my clients. I’m going to pass along this story as it was told to me.

My 8th cousin William Riley Hatfield also known as WR Hatfield. Born 1824- died from a gunshot wound January 22, 1892. He passed away on the banks of Station Camp Creek in what is now inside the boundary of the Big South Fork NRRA.

On January 22,1892 at age 68 WR Hatfield was on horseback near the banks of the Big South Fork River and Station Camp Creek on the Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee which is now inside the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area when he got into a heated argument with a guy on foot near the trail. As the tempers flared between the two WR spun his horse around in the attempt to trample the man that was on foot. The guy then raised, aimed, and fired a 45-70 caliber rifle striking WR in the abdomen. The large caliber bullet traveled up the body cavity exiting near the face of WR Hatfield. Even with such a devastating and deadly wound WR managed to hang on to life for a few hours before passing away.

He is buried in a small cemetery near Station Camp what is now known as Charit Creek Lodge.

Ironically WR Hatfield’s son William Claiborne Hatfield known as WC was also shot and killed at the age of 51 in 1924. He was killed by a man named Newton Blevins who served one year for the killing of WC.

Newton Blevins was later shot and killed as he rounded up cattle with his wife.

I have been asked several times if WR Hatfield and his family that lived near Station Camp were related to the Hatfield’s from the well known “Hatfield and McCoy feud”.

To the best of my knowledge I would have to say yes. I have traced his family originally coming from West Virginia into Kentucky and then down south on the Big South Fork River into Tennessee and then to the banks of Station Camp Creek where he lays at rest today.

WR Hatfield would be my 8th cousin and the Captain William Anderson Hatfield better known as “Devil Anse Hatfield” would be my 7th cousin. Devil Anse is known as the patriarch of the Hatfield family during the Hatfield and McCoy feud.

My research also shows Devil Anse Hatfield’s Great Grandfather is a brother to WR Hatfield’s Great Grandfather.

I have often wondered if WR moved here to get away from the original Hatfield and McCoy feud and it’s violence just to be killed in an unrelated circumstance.

backpacking trip To No Business with backwoods adventureS

Sign up to join us for a two day and one night backpacking trip Oct. 26&27.

The weekend before Halloween we will be backpacking into an area of the Big South Fork NRRA known as No Business.

This is an area so rich in history that by the late 1800’s nearly 300 people called No Business home. Today only an occasional hiker or horseback rider visits the area that now only the wildlife call home.

Your guide will be Scott Phillips the owner of Backwoods Adventures. Scott is not only a guide but he loves local history and is a member of the Fentress County Historical Society, he’s also a 4th cousin 6 times removed of Davy Crockett and a 4th cousin 8 times removed of Daniel Boone of which the Sheltowee Trace trail inside the park was named after.

We will start our backpacking trip the morning of OCt. 26th with a brief safety talk then begin to hike down into the historic valley. Once in the valley everyone will setup our basecamp and spend a little time relaxing. Then we will take a short evening hike to the Boyatt farm and cemetery, as the sun begins to set your guide will then lead you back to basecamp by the flickering light of a coal oil lantern just like the early settlers would have used in the area many years ago.

During this trip it will seem as you have stepped back into time. You will hear the story of No Business beginning with the Native Americans who hunted this area and called it home, the areas ties to the Revolutionary War, Moonshining, Farming, lumber and coal camps, life and death.

Learn about the love of family and community during good times and tragedy. (Yes you may have cold chills tingle up your spine at moments during this story!)

* Price for this overnight backpacking trip will be $160.00 per person with limited spots available.

*To signup send us a message,email, or call 1-931-397-3490 so we can can get you on our list!

(Feel free to ask any questions you might have about this trip. We will be happy to answer them.)

The Hanging of Cal Logston

 Well, I’ve told my share of stories and I’ve heard a lot too.                                 I’d say most of what I’m about to tell you is true and the rest... well, I’m going to pass along as it was told to me.

Cal Logston was the last man in Fentress County, Tennessee to be hung by the court system. He was accused of murder.

  In 1872 a horse drawn wagon carrying Cal’s coffin pulled up in front of the old Fentress County jail. Cal and a Rev. Wright came out and climbed into the wagon and sat on Cal’s coffin to ride to the site of the hanging. At 1:30 pm they reached the gallows. A large crowd had gathered. Men and women wore their Sunday best on this beautiful, sunny day for the big event.

   Cal was able to shake hands with family and friends. Once standing on the hanging platform, Cal requested to make one final statement.

“I’m innocent and to prove this I will be hung three times as the rope will break twice”.   The rope was then placed and tightened around his neck. The trap door was released and Cal dropped straight to the ground because the rope broke instantly. The crowd hushed as a new rope was placed around Cal’s neck. This time when the trap door released the rope held for 30 seconds before breaking. A third time, a weak and groggy Cal Logston was lead to the platform and he weakly raised his hand to silence the crowd. He had something else to say. Cal warned the crowd that he was in fact innocent of this crime. He also added.                                                    “ If I’m hung for a third time, you will know you have hanged an innocent man, as there will be three days and three nights of rain as never seen before in this county. Tomorrow will be the biggest flood that has been on the Obey River. Also, 100 years after my hanging, on the site of my burial a multitude of poisonous snakes will emerge. If I’m quilty , these things will not be.”

Cal was then hung for the third time. After the trap door was released Cal hung suspended for 27 minutes before he finally met he’s death. 

Immediately after his death on this sunny day, it started to rain. The crowd panicked and ran to their buggies and horse drawn wagons as the rain came out of nowhere.              

It rained for three days and three nights straight and the Obey River was transformed by this flood.                    

One hundred years after Cal was buried, venomous snakes came in multitudes near his graveite. In 1972 professionals from the University of Tennessee were called in to help with the removal of so many snakes in the area behind York Elementry school near Cal’s grave here in Jamestown, Tennessee.

         Cal’s body rests in a grave marked with a simple sandstone marker that reads “Cal Logston hanged 1872”.

 I’d also like to add what we discovered on our recent visit to Cal’s grave.  

Although most people will tell you a Red Fern does not exist, there’s  a Native American legend that says that only an angel can plant a Red Fern, so wherever a Red Fern grows it marks something very admirable and special. 

Teaching Flint and Steel Firemaking to a group on a recent Adventure

Eastern Red Columbine

The Eastern Red Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis)  

  a perennial native to woodland and rocky slopes in eastern North America.

Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis)

Some of the Native Americans had several uses for the Bloodroot plant. They would use the bright red dye made from the root as war paint and dyeing baskets and clothing.

   It was a custom for a bachelor of the Ponca Tribe to rub the bright red root into the palm of his hand and then try to scheme a plan to shake the hand of the woman he desired to marry. By doing this he would color her hand as well. This was meant to be a type of love spell. ​

(Be very careful this plant can be toxic to ingest!)​

The Mystery of Fiddler’s Rock by Backwoods Adventures

This past falI I set out on a quest to find a place called Fiddler’s Rock. After a lot of research, some map reading, and a little time in the forest near the Tennessee - Kentucky State line; I found the rock and took these pictures.

    There are many legends about Fiddler’s Rock, too many actually to mention them all. These are the ones I found the most interesting. 

     #1   According to one local lore, there was an old man who came through this area with a fiddle. He would stop at houses to play for them in hopes that they would feed him. One day, he supposedly walked into a cave and was to never be seen again. The story goes that the locals could still hear him playing but never were able to find where the sound was coming from. Some say on a still night, you can occasionally  hear a fiddle playing near Fiddler’s Rock even after all these years.

    #2   Another legend is that there was a moonshiner who lived nearby who played the fiddle. This legend explains that the carvings on the rock were a secret sign to let people know the direction to his cabin if they wanted to buy his moonshine.

     #3 This story says that the rifle is pointing in the direction of Johnathan Swifts’ long lost silver mine. Most people who know this story all agree the long lost mine has never been found and  is most likely in Kentucky, Tennessee, or South West Virginia.

     #4  This local lore is the one that I believe more and seems to be the most true.

According to some this was a place members of the surrounding communities from both Tennessee and Kentucky would gather for dances and to court much like a barn dance without the barn.

The old road itself served as the dance floor. Evidence of the old road bed can still be seen by the rock today. The fiddler would stand on the rock facing the crowd. This would explain why so many names, dates, and initials are etched into the stone.   Among these is a nearly full size outline of a man wearing cowboy boots, a rifle, and a fiddle with its bow. All of which could play a part in any of these legends.

 The mystery of Fiddler’s Rock may never be solved. But at least now we know the place is real ! 

The Pearl Harbor Tree

Hidden away off trail inside Cades Cove in what  was once Golman Myers front yard, stands a Sweet Gum Tree, known as the “Pearl Harbor Tree”. Today one could easily walk past the old homesite unaware there was even a home that once stood there. 

  On December 7, 1941, the news of the attack on Pearl Harbor made its’ way into the Cove.   

     While mourning the loss of life in Hawaii and dreading the impending war that would surely pull his draft age sons from the family farm, Gorman Myers made his way into the mountains to return to his home with a small Sweet Gum seedling.

    As Mr Myers planted the small tree in his front yard, he told his family “We will remember this day forever.” 

 Today the Sweet Gum has grown into a very large and mighty tree.

   Mr Myers was right. We will remember that day forever.

Backwoods Adventures exploring Fontana Dam NC. and the Appalachian Trail

Backwoods Adventures would like to say a special thank you to the Hike Inn at Fontana Dam NC. for inviting us to visit.

  We had a great time and look forward to returning soon for another Adventure!

Honey Locust

Here's a Honey Locust we found a couple weeks ago while on the trail.

(Gleditsia triacanthos) 

Fabaceae family​

As you can see this is one tree that's better viewed from a distance!​

Indian Pipe Legend

On our last adventure, we ran across several specimens of Indian Pipe growing. 

    Indian Pipe is known by several names. Just to name a few : Ghost Pipe, Ghost Plant, and Corpse Plant.

    Indian Pipe is more commonly found pure white but may have black specks on it and have pink colorations.                                       Rare variants may even have a deep red color.

A Cherokee Legend...

"Before selfishness came into the world, which was a long time ago, the Cherokee happily shared the same hunting and fishing lands with their neighbors. However, everything changed when selfishness arrived. The men began to quarrel with their neighbors.

The Cherokee began fighting with a tribe from the east and would not share the hunting area. The chiefs of the two tribes met in council to settle the quarrel. They smoked the tobacco pipe but continued to argue for seven days and seven nights.

The Great Spirit watched the people and was displeased by their behavior. They should have smoked the pipe AFTER they made peace. The pipe is sacred and must be treated with respect. He looked down upon the old chiefs, with their heads bowed, and decided to send reminders to the people.

The Great Spirit transformed the chiefs into white-gray flowers that we now call “Indian Pipe.” The plant grows only four to ten inches tall, and the small flowers droop towards the ground like bowed heads. Indian Pipe grows wherever friends and relatives have quarreled.

Next the Great Spirit placed a ring of smoke over the mountains. The smoke rests on the mountains to this day and will last until the people of the world learn to live together in peace. That is how the Great Smoky Mountains came to be."

~Lloyd Arneach

Spruce-Fir Nature Trail 13Aug2017

The Hellgrammite and Dobsonfly

    When fully grown the Dobsonfly is also sometimes know by the name Luciferfly.

   It starts its life as larvae living in streams, creeks, and rivers.                            At this stage of its life it's known as a Hellgrammite.                                       Once its starts maturing it will come out of the water and grow wings as an adult. This is when it's referred to as a Dobsonfly.

                                The males have very large mandible jaws that look very fierce.

  While the females have much smaller mandibles.

The bite from a female can be more painful than the male and will sometimes bite if felt threatened. 

Backwoods Adventures on the East Fork of the Obey River

Here's a short video of last weeks adventure on the Obey River.  

Backwoods Adventures at Bronco Overlook