Tennessee's Grand
Canyon
I
wanted to share this area with the earthcache lovers. Gates close
at dark.
The coordinates will take you to
Snooper's Rock where you will get a view of the Tennessee River
Gorge or Tennessee's Grand Canyon. It is a short and easy hike down
to the overlook from the parking. Did I mention that the road to
the overlook has a "JEEP" symbol posted. If you try this in any
other vehicle than a 4x4, then do it at your own risk. There is
cell phone service so you can call a wrecker if you get stuck. We
did it in a stock 4x4 vehicle and had no problems.
The
coordinates take you to a bluff. There is no barrier to protect
you. Use extreme caution if you near the edge. And keep a hand on
young folks. It is extremely dangerous to get to close to the
edge.
The gorge is cut into the Cumberland Plateau as the river
winds its way into Alabama from Tennessee. It is one of the most
unique natural treasures of the Southeast. It is the only large
river canyon bordering a city of mid-size, Chattanooga. It is the
fourth largest river canyon east of the Mississippi. Many
archaeological sites have been discovered in the gorge that show
that people have been dwelling in the canyon for at least 10,000
years.
The formation of canyons can be
related to the natural tendency of rivers to reach a base line
elevation. This is generally defined as the point at which the
river reaches the elevation of the large body of water into which
it will drain. Essentially, the larger the difference in height
between the river and its inlet into a large lake, the more energy
the river will expend in the process of erosion. Much of this
energy will be expended towards increasing the efficiency of the
drainage system, and facilitating a speedy drop in elevation.
Most of our
canyons are very recent additions to the landscape. In most cases,
the creation of canyons coincides with the departure of glaciers
from their valleys. As the ice began to melt, it not only released
ancestral river beds from their icy prison, but it also released
immense amounts of water. So much water was released that the
rivers were provided with an incredible erosional potential. This
extra water supply allowed them to rapidly alter their channels,
and the down-cutting may have begun almost instantly. As the
glaciers largely, eventually the initial deluge subsided, and the
rate of erosion slowed accordingly, but didn’t stop. Most of
our canyons continue to deepen even today.
To claim Credit for this
earthcach:
Email me the answers:
1.)
There is an object embedded in Snooper's Rock. Email me the
description of the
item
I'm pointing to something that has been edited out. Ahaaa!
2.) Tell me what and how the
Tennessee River Gorge was
formed.
3.) Tell
me what the altitude reading on your GPS unit is at the embedded
object.
4.) Picture
requirement:
My intentions are to have you post your picture with the gorge in
the background. If you refuse to post your face in the picture,
then each log must have a unique picture for each log. Tilting the
picture with a photo program will not be acceptable for unique.
Group photos must reference who's picture you are in otherwise. A
unique picture must be included with every log if you are not in
the picture. .
Remember that I will delete your log if you post a find saying you
will upload the picture or send answers at a later time. Please use
the "write a note"
feature.
PLEASE DO NOT POST ANSWERS IN
YOUR
LOG!
THE AREA WILL BE CLOSED AT CERTAIN TIMES OF THE YEAR FOR
HUNTING. YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO ACCESS THIS CACHE THROUGH PRENTICE
COOPER AT THAT TIME.
PRENTICE COOPER HUNT DATES - SPRING
2009
Prentice Cooper
State Forest and Wildlife Management Area will be holding managed
turkey hunts on the dates listed below. The area west of
Highway 27 (Suck Creek Road) will be closed to visitors except
hunters on these dates. The area east of Highway 27 including
Edwards Point will remain open to the public on these
dates.
March
31
April 1-5
April 8-10
April 16-18
OHV
GUIDELINES
Stay on designated roads. All motorized vehicles
including OHVs, ATVs, motorcycles, etc. must stay on designated
roads only. Only roads marked with the jeep symbol are open to
motorized vehicles. Some roads are open to designated use
only and are posted as such. Stay out of the woods,
fields, creeks, power lines, gas lines and right of
ways.
Respect road
closures. Some roads must be temporarily closed for
various reasons.
-
During the winter months the side roads are closed during
periods of wet weather. Winter months bring a lot of rain and
snow along with freezing and thawing. These conditions make
the dirt roads soft and muddy and most susceptible to damage,
rutting and erosion problems.
-
Some areas are closed from late April through early July to
encourage turkey nesting. Turkeys do not like to be disturbed
during the nesting period, therefore some areas are closed to
motorized vehicles during this time. Areas closed include:
Tower Drive south of Pot Point Road, Elder Point, Long Point and
Inman Point.
-
Some roads are closed for road maintenance and construction or
when a logging operation is going on in the area.
Watch your speed. The speed limit
is 25 mph on all roads on the forest.
Help protect the
resource. Slinging gravel and
making doughnuts in the roads adds to the time and costs needed for
road maintenance. The forest has a very limited budget for
gravel and maintenance.
Share the road. The roads are open to all forest visitors including
bicyclists and horse back riders. Be courteous when meeting
these visitors on the road. You may want to stop or turn off
your engine as to not to startle the horses.
Hours of
Operation. The area is open during
daylight hours, sunrise to sunset.
Don't forget to check out the nearest waymarks
on Waymarking.com
This Cache Was Placed By A Proud Member
Of
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Welcome!