Big South Fork National Recreation Area

With a half day at work we were able to get on the road early in the day on Friday and arrived at the Big South Fork National Recreation area around 4.  It's only a two and a half hour drive from Nashville, much of it very scenic.  We packed the truck with everything we have because we couldn't decide yet if we wanted to car camp or pack in.  We ended up staying both nights at Bandy Creek Campground, which was nowhere near full.  The air was crisp for July and we began the weekend thinking we were some lucky ducks.

Saturday morning we woke up early with the dogs and hit the trail.  The mission was to hike down to the Charit Creek Lodge and have a look around.  You can find out more info on the lodge here as it is under brand new management: www.ccl-bsf.com or by calling 865.696.5611.    Here is a picture:

The lodge is accessible to backpackers and horseback riders and is less than 2 miles in from the Twin Arches Loop trailhead parking lot.  The lodge is the oldest structure in any national recreation area or national park.  For $80 you get dinner and breakfast and a place to sleep.  We contemplated staying but as we had planned on only a day hike we had left all of our creature comforts at the car.  Seemed like really nice folks there though, and we will make a point to come back in winter time if possible as it looked like an awesome spot to hike in to and then enjoy some hot chocolate!  The wood burning stoves aren't so bad either - could be very romantic!

The Twin Arches Loop trail did not disappoint.  The arches are really amazing, but even more amazing are the huge rock house cliffs that we passed on the second half of the trail.  We remarked that it was one of the most interesting hikes we've ever had the pleasure of enjoying, and to think it was less than 3 hours away!

On Saturday night astronomers from the University of Tennessee brought telescopes to the Bandy Creek Campground and about 50 people found their way to a group of giant telescopes pointed at various parts of the night sky.  Despite a slight haze, we were able to enjoy this free offering and took in close up views of Mars and Saturn.  It was such a sweet bonus on an already gorgeous and fun packed weekend.  Later Saturday night a thunderstorm descended on the area with lighting and thunder that got our hearts pumping.  Our Gigatent, the preferred car camping tent, has been with us for about 30 trips since we bought it and has duct tape fixing several holes in the screen windows.  Suffice it to say, the Gigatent was taking on water like the Titanic.  Fortunately we were on a cushy queen airmatress high up off the floor.  Still, the water in the tent was embarrassing the next day.  It was with heavy hearts that we parted with it this morning, leaving it in a dumpster after saying a few short words.

Here's a video compilation of the weekend: