Sierra Club members from across Tennessee attended the Sierra Club Tennessee Chapter Spring Retreat on April 27-29 at Nathan Bedford Forrest State Park, hosted by the Middle Tennessee Group.
(Full size photos can be seen in the Photo Gallery.)
Attendees enjoyed hikes lead by Park Rangers on three of the park trails during the retreat.
Pafford Wilson Trail – This trail is approximately 1 mile and follows a ridge running along Happy Hollow Road. It is a moderately difficult trail due to steep hills in some areas. Lots of birds on this hike.
3 Mile Trail – This trail starts at the Pilot Knob Folk Life Museum and is a 3 mile, relatively easy hike. It offered beautiful creeks. and amphibians along the way.
Girl Scout Interpretive Trail – This trail is approximately 1 mile long and is an easy hike. It is the newest trail and has signs along the way pointing out different things found in nature.
A Park Ranger brought a Barred Owl to the evening program to tell us about it. The owl posed for some selfies as well.
Saturday evening, we enjoyed entertainment featuring music by Antoinette Olesen and Buddy Farler. Antoinette is an award winning songwriter who has traveled internationally and performed with numerous world class artists from The Doobie Brothers to Bonnie Raitt. Buddy is Nashville native who as a young boy sold paper fans to the Ryman Theatre goers when Broadway was a seedy, peep show neon strip. His unique voice, colorful stories and memorable melodies stand out in the crowd.
Chefs Joel & Cyndi Gearhardt prepared hearty breakfasts and a superb Saturday night dinner.
On Saturday Greg Casini and Debbie Matthews of Sierra Club – National conducted a seminar on club administrative procedures and guidelines to help Executive Committee members with managing the functions of the groups.
Saturday included commitee meetings and a chance for members to relax, socialize with Sierra Club friends, share notes and discuss the pl;ans. The quarterly Chapter Executive Committee meeting including committee reports was held on Sunday.
Sunday meetings.
NB Forrest State Park, located on the western shore of Kentucky Lake, began as a local park constructed by the Works Progress Administration, a Depression Era work recovery program. Established in 1929, the park consists of 2,587 acres managed by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation. The area was designated a state park in 1963. The park contains more than 25 miles of hiking trails. It is home to the Tennessee River Folklife Interpretive Center and Museum situated on one of the highest points in West Tennessee, Pilot Knob. The center features the life ways and customs of folks on the Tennessee River including musseling, crafts, commercial fishing and more.