Sunday, Ashley and I decided to combine hiking with letterboxing. We planned a route taking us about 80 Miles Northeast of Murfreesboro. Our first stop was a Burgess Falls State Park (one more to check off the list). The hike was short, only about 3/4 Mile, but was well worth it. Along the way we encountered 2 small-ish waterfalls, and at the end of the trail one gigantic one! We took some pictures along the trail, which you can see here. We didn't find the letterbox we were hunting at Burgess Falls. We descended the trail to the base of the falls. When we got there we were all alone, save for a family of 3 looking down from the observation deck 250 feet above. Looking at the falls, and the pool at the base, we were overcome with a sudden and overwhelming desire to jump in, despite not having packed our bathing suits! As we swam in the warm water, families and hikers began to arrive. We ate lunch and went for a final dip before packing up and hiking back to the car. How perfect!
We continued onward to the second letterboxing/hiking destination. The Bridgestone/Firestone Centennial Wilderness Area. I know it sounds kinda weak, owned by a tire company and all, but it was amazing! We hiked about 1/4 mile down the Polly Branch trail to find our 1st box of the day, before returning to the car.
We continued onward past our intended destination (bad navigating on my part), and arrived at Yellow Bluff Trail. After hiking in about 1/3 mile, we came to an overlook. We could see the Cumberland Plateau laid out before us. The plateau is broken here by a snaking valley 1000 feet deep. Cut by a river that has since run dry. We found our letterbox, stole a last look at the valley, and continued on our route.
We arrived at Virgin Falls Trail. We are intending to hike this trail in its entirety, but thats for another day. We set off to find 2 letterboxes on this trail. We located the first easy as pie, and the second minutes later. We were set to head home, but walking on the trail back to the car, Ashley spotted something lying on the ground about 2 steps off the trail. She stopped dead in her tracks, and looked at what appeared to be a big black leather wallet, which I then also saw. We looked at each other, confused for a moment. My brain knew what it was immediately, I'd seen one like it before, but my reasoning was getting in the way. How could we just find one sitting on the side of the trail? In disbelief, she reached down to pick it up. We had accidentally found another letterbox. We guessed it had been pulled from its hiding spot by a squirrel or raccoon. The outside of the case had a few small punctures in the shape of a tiny mouth. What's more, when we opened the letterbox to stamp our logbook, the stamp itself was beautifully hand-carved in the image of a raccoon.
