A Trail of Two Visits: The Cheeks Bend Bluff View Trail in Yanahli (and Why You've Probably Never Heard of It)

Last Saturday, June 18th, 2011 I took my mom, dad and younger sister, Carly, hiking on a 1.8-mile loop trail that they had never seen before. In fact, they had never even heard of it until I told them about my first hike there with some friends one weekend in May (my eco-explorer "practice run," at Leslie's suggestion.) So why is it worth mentioning that my family didn't know this trail existed? Because this particular trail is only a 30 minute drive from the house we have lived in for 10 years. The Cheeks Bend Bluff View Trail is secluded, diverse, extremely beautiful and (most importantly) located in Columbia, TN!


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The trail difficultly was easy, suitable for beginners and families with children or more experienced hikers looking for a quick, gorgeous trip with some neat views of the river.

Here's a quick clip of our grand entrance into the trail and introductions:

After some thorough sign-reading by Dad, we were on our way and goofing off as usual. Here's a series of short clips that summarize the silliness. Hopefully, you'll get a peek at the trail as well as a laugh or two.

The trail's terrain shifts along the way from wide-open and rocky with lots of shrubs, brush, and some cacti to dense green woods and a narrow, earthy path outlined by waist-high grasses and some truly massive deciduous trees. The best overlooks are marked by huge, moss-covered boulders, many of which dangle out far over the bluffs. During our hike, we saw a deer, a frog, a lizard, several cool insects, and a multitude of different plant species. Halfway through, I convinced my family to take a break and have a short "confessional" on a big fallen tree. Here we are, sharing our thoughts on the experience so far:

I'm only sharing the following clip at the insistence of my family. Please feel free to enjoy my naivety and humiliation:

I had no clue my dad was secretly filming me. Don't you love the way I blindly followed my mom's obvious prompts? It just goes to show you how mesmerized I was by that fantastic fungus. Hey, at least I got the shot:

The Cheeks Bend Bluff View Trail in Yanahli makes for a wonderful hour-long escape from civilization and should be enjoyable to nature lovers of all shapes, ages and sizes. It deserves to be seen, but certainly not exploited. I encourage everyone to take the time to check it out. But please, help maintain this nearly pristine piece of natural beauty. Leave nothing but footprints behind. Natives of Maury County will be amazed that they've never before visited this trail.

Thanks for reading. Please keep an eye out for my next Eco-Explorer post. (And happy trails!)

The First Adventure: A Float Down the Duck River with Leslie and Generation Conservation

The Duck River is polluted and nasty. The reason the water's so murky is that it's full of sewage. You won't find anything in there other than old tires and dead bodies. Don't eat any fish you catch out of the Duck!

Growing up in Columbia, Tennessee, these are the types of things I have always heard people say about our local river. I've lived here since I was ten years old, and only now (at age 20) am I finally realizing the truth about the Duck River — all of the statements above are invalid rumors.
         
Last Friday, June 3rd, 2011, I was fortunate enough to be included in a canoeing/kayaking trip down the Duck led by Leslie Colley and organized by The Nature Conservancy’s Generation Conservation, a progressive (and friendly!) group of young professionals from Nashville. According to Gen C’s Facebook group:

“The Nature Conservancy Tennessee Chapter's Generation Conservation group (Gen C) brings together a cross-section of Nashville’s brightest men and women in their 20s, 30s, and 40s who share a love of nature, a concern for the environment, and a belief that hope and action are indispensible for making a difference. Our goal is to ensure that our peers and the next generation of Tennesseans learn about and participate in conservation at a local, regional, and global level.”

By one o'clock, we were on the water and on our way down the river. Before long, we stopped on a shady shoal to have lunch: barbecue sandwiches, chips, brownies, and drinks:

Leslie on Mussels: “They have a great deal of value to humanity, and while they're not sexy and exciting like tigers and elephants and panda bears, I think they're really fascinating and important creatures...” Enjoy this wonderful talk that Leslie gave on a mussel shoal in the middle of our float. It’s extremely informative, easy to follow, and totally worth eight minutes of your attention.

 

 

Along the way, we saw a beautiful blue heron, a hawk, several gar, a tiny turtle, a frog, and (of course) lots and lots of mussels! Here’s one of the more exciting short clips from a very beautiful and very fun trip:

 

So, what can we take from all of this fun? Not only is the Duck River an excellent source of entertainment and a great example of a true “nature experience,” it’s also a very healthy river. Mussels are filter-feeders, and  if the water they live in is polluted, they simply can’t thrive. Any basic biology or environmental science course will teach you that the health of a river can be determined by the complexity of the life it supports. Crawdads, fifty-five species of mussel, and over one-hundred species of fish call the Duck River home. That says a lot.

At the risk of sounding preachy, I believe it is imperative that we defeat these misconceptions about pollution (which definitely encourage people to litter—it can’t get any worse, right?) and enjoy and protect this incredible natural resource.

I’m so grateful that I got to take this trip down the river with a group of forward-thinking, intelligent individuals. I hope it won’t be my last time exploring with them, and I’m certain it won’t be my last float down the Duck!

Keep an eye out for my next Eco-Explorer post, coming up soon.