Now, due to the variation in weather conditions this weekend, we suggest you hike with plenty of layers and bring a

Merino wool adapts to temperature change really well so if it's damp I keep warm, and if it warms up, my skin stays dry due to the Merino Wool's natural wicking properties. I always hike with my

Mullens Cove Loop Trail

Distance: 10.2 Mile Loop
Trail Type: Rugged
Difficulty: Strenuous- Tight Trails and Technical Elevation Changes
Location: Cumberland Trail, Prentice Cooper State Forest

Directions:
From I24- Take US 27 N to the Signal Mountain Rd. Exit Ramp
Stay on Signal Mountain Rd. for 3.1 Miles [passing Wal-Mart and Bi-Lo]
until you see a Left turn onto Suck Creek Rd. (US 27) This Left turn is at the base of Signal Mountain before heading up
Stay on Suck Creek Rd. for approx. 9 Miles- Look for signs for Prentice Cooper State Forest
Turn Left on Choctow Trail for .25 Miles- you will travel through a small housing area
Turn Left on Game Reserve Rd. and enter into Prentice Cooper State Forest and Wildlife Management Area.
Parking for Cumberland Trail is approx. 4 Miles on right [present end of section 9]
Mullins Cove Loop Starts Right or Left of Game Reserve Rd. We advise you to preview the Trail PDF below to plan your desired direction and desired sights to see along the Loop.

Trail Access Map PDF >

Attention to Hikers:
This is a managed hunting area. As posted by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA).
"Hunters take pride in their record of keeping hunting safe while sharing the public lands, and are very careful to look past their target before shooting. Hunter orange makes you much more visible to hunters and increases their confidence that they are aware of the location of any hikers or other hunters before firing. For this reason, hunters are very uncomfortable when hikers not wearing blaze orange enter big game hunt areas. Most hunters feel that not wearing hunter orange is discourteous and disrespectful. As a courtesy to hunters, we STRONGLY recommend that hikers wear hunter orange during the fall and spring in ALL Wildlife Management Areas. "

TWRA has posted a PDF for all Wilderness Management Area Hunting. It contains a Seasonal Guide for Small Game and Big Game. Prentice Cooper State Park is listed on Page 66-67. WMA Seasons PDF >

On the following dates in 2009 and 2010 the Prentice Cooper Wildlife Management Area will be closed for managed hunts and the section of the CT in this area cannot be accessed by hikers:

October 15-17, 31
November 1, 6-8, 28-30
December 1-3
April 6-11, 14-16, 22-24, 27-30
May 1-2

* When searching for information, hikers may discover a few variations to spell "Mullens". We try to be consistent with the -E- for Mullen's, but other may spell it with an -I- for Mullins, Mulins, Mullin's or Mulin's. Either way, you are looking at the same great hiking destination.

See all the Rock Climbing Gear you'll ever need and then some at http://www.rockcreek.com/climbing/

Dawson, along with Rock/Creek's Marketing Director, Mark McKnight, brought up Rock/Creek's branding campaign which supported local business professionals from Widgets & Stone .
"We looked at locations such as New York, Los Angeles, CA and other places, but our local talent was just as good" stated Mark. He went on to explain the importance of following the brand guidelines which adds consistency within Rock/Creek's stores and online at rockcreek.com.

A few members of the group who participate in activities such as soccer, dance, and other academic studies provided the perfect illustration for two key encouragements Dawson used in closing:

"You don't have to be big, to be the best"
which he related to Rock/Creek's Chattanooga location and goals to continue being a local business, forever focused on excellent customer experience and

"Ready- Aim- Fire"- are the three steps you need to take to move forward and be successful at anything-
"but it may not always be pretty" Dawson advised, "you just have to go back to the ready phase and prepare more for the next aim"

Rock/Creek is thankful for the sharing opportunity and time to encourage our local young minds. Thank you for thinking of Rock/Creek as a Chattanooga business example.

For more information about Rock/Creek and who we are, and our mission as a local Specialty Outdoor Retailer, please click here for "About Us"

Rock/Creek and Patagonia extend beyond the specialty retailer title, into a convicting forum of stewardship and right-doing for our green spaces. This donation marks the beginning of a strong partnership between Rock/Creek, Patagonia, and Tennessee Wild for regional wilderness preservation.

Focused on the benefits of wilderness for the Cherokee National Forest, Tennessee Wild is comprised of several regional non-profit organizations such as the Tennessee Chapter of the Sierra Club, and the Southern Appalachian Forest Coalition (SAFC). Together, all organizations offer efforts to educate the public on the benefits of wilderness and promote volunteerism and sound stewardship of Tennessee's wild place.
An example of a Coalition Member's awareness efforts is the SAFC, an organization that facilitates educational hikes, family friendly programs and trail maintenance into projected wilderness areas.

"People will not protect what they do not know and love. By bringing people out to interact with the land, a relationship is formed between human and nature. Post-hike, it becomes clear why we are working so hard to protect this land" says Jeff Hunter, Tennessee Field Organizer for the SAFC.

In addition to being a unified voice for non-profits to the local community, TN Wild has a national voice to be heard. In October, Rock/Creek's Marketing Director, Mark McKnight, toured some of the proposed wilderness additions with members of TN WIld as well as a representative from Senator Lamar Alexander's office (see adjacent photo). Shortly before Christmas, Rock/Creek received an update from Jeff Hunter, Tennessee Field Organizer for the SAFC, during his US Capital trip to meet with Senator Alexander. Mr. Hunter attended a series of Congressional meetings pressing for protection of nearly 25,000 acres of the Cherokee National Forest and has reported a positive response to pass legislation toward the expansion of areas such as the Big Frog and Little Frog Wilderness
[Click to View PDF Fact Sheet].

Areas such as these are captured in beautiful pictures and film in the video

In it, viewers of all faith backgrounds will be inspired with historical facts and a present day Christian voice united in a call to preserve these natural areas. Viewers are taken to an intimate group discussion among believers to determine " What are the spiritual values of wilderness in the Cherokee National Forest?" Through this experience, all Christians are encouraged to consider their personal future involvement to help wilderness preservation. People from other faith traditions may also find this line of inquiry useful.

"Rock/Creek is proud to be one of the grassroots organizations contributing to the protection of our Southern Appalachian natural resources. The donation is not about boasting in the gift of money, but rather, an awareness-raising factor that this is extremely important for our regional forests' future," says Dawson Wheeler, co-owner of Rock/Creek and long time advocate for the protection of recreational green spaces.

"We are so grateful for the support of Rock/Creek in this campaign. Whether it is Mark McKnight joining us to accompany a Congressional Aide out to see parts of the Cherokee or appearing on a local radio show, or funding provided for the video, Tennessee Wild could not succeed without this sort of help" concludes Jeff Hunter.

Through continued support from volunteers and donations, the collaborative voices of Tennessee Wild are pressing forward to be heard by Congress. In Chattanooga, wilderness supporters are strongly encouraged to make their case heard to the US Capital. By sending letters of wilderness support to Congressman Wamp, Senator Alexander and Senator Corker, we hope these leaders will understand the magnitude of support for wilderness legislation. For more information on the campaign, visit TN WIld's Web site, and join the TN Wild Facebook Page.

Jeff Hunter has provided several sample letters, which supporters may print out and mail to their District's Congressman and Senators.

For Chattanooga, supporters can view a sample letter, cut and paste, and send letters to Congressman Wamp.

For those living in Knoxville, Tellico Plains, Sweetwater, and other towns located in the 2nd district, supports can view, cut and paste, and mail letters to Congressman Duncan.

All residents are welcome to send letters to our Senators Alexander and Senator Corker.

Grassroots Outdoor Alliance unites independent outdoor retailers as a strong voice to protect and promote the experience of outdoor enthusiasts across the United States. We enable access to best business practices for our retail members, to the best equipment and apparel brands for the public, and to the backcountry for all.

Many exciting steps are being taken to unite this group of like-minded Independent Specialty Outdoor Retailers which brings even better products and service to our communities and customers! Look for more in the future from Rock/Creek and other member retailers.

Follow Rock/Creek on Facebook or Twitter, or check back with our Blog, Rock/Creek Chronicle, to continue learning more about Grassroots Outdoor Alliance in the future.

Click the image in this article to view more pictures from the day!

NASHVILLE - Governor Phil Bredesen and Department of Environment and Conservation Commissioner Jim Fyke announced today the closing of a land acquisition that will add more than 3,200 acres and 10 linear miles of trail to the Cumberland Trail State Park in Hamilton and Rhea counties.

The acquisition was funded through a variety of sources, including a grant from the Heritage Conservation Trust Fund, federal grants and private funds raised by the Cumberland Trail Conference. It includes a significant conservation easement put in place by the Land Trust for Tennessee.

"This acquisition speaks to the power of leveraging resources and cultivating partnerships to accomplish more than we could do alone," said Bredesen.

" I'm pleased that a variety of agencies and organizations were able to come together to accomplish an acquisition that will benefit Tennesseans for generations to come."


The property on Graysville Mountain is part of Tennessee's Cumberland Trail State Park. It will allow the Cumberland Trail State Scenic Trail to expand between Dayton, in Rhea County, and Sale Creek in Hamilton County. The area provides opportunities for fishing, day hiking, whitewater paddling, swimming, rock climbing and trail running.

"Not only will the Graysville Mountain acquisition protect priority land and natural resources, it also represents an important piece of the Cumberland Trail," said Fyke. "Under Governor Bredesen's leadership, we have made considerable progress on the trail, increasing the acreage managed by the Cumberland Trail State Park from 1,200 acres to 23,000 acres since 2003."

The project is funded with more than $3.5 million in federal grants and a $1 million grant from the state's Heritage Conservation Trust Fund from Fiscal Year 2007-2008. The Cumberland Trail Conference will contribute up to $300,000 in private funds for administrative costs. The Land Trust for Tennessee assisted in negotiating the transaction with the seller, Richard Kinzalow, and will hold a permanent conservation easement on the 2,197 acres located in Rhea County. The project marks the Land Trust's first in Rhea County and places a total of more than 5,000 acres under easement managed by the Land Trust in Southeast Tennessee.

"The Land Trust for Tennessee is thrilled to be a partner on this wonderful conservation project that will forever protect the incredible biodiversity of the unique, irreplaceable cove ecosystem along Walden Ridge," said Executive Director Jeanie Nelson. "We appreciate the opportunity to partner with the state of Tennessee and Mr. Kinzalow on this landmark acquisition, and the permanent contribution to the future generations of Tennesseans that it signifies."

The Cumberland Trail Conference, a non-profit organization that assists the state in a variety of efforts related to the continuing development of the Cumberland Trail, raised money to assist with this acquisition during its, Pathways for People, People for Nature capital campaign.

"We appreciate all the donors, volunteers and CTC staff that contributed and worked to execute a very successful fundraiser," said Tony Hook, Manager of the Cumberland Trail Conference. "It is because of their efforts that the CTC was able to assist with this land purchase to expand the reach of the Cumberland Trail."

About the Cumberland Trail State Park and Scenic Trail
Upon completion, the Cumberland Trail, the state's only linear park, will be 300 miles, cutting through 11 Tennessee counties from the Cumberland Gap National Historic Park on the Tennessee-Virginia-Kentucky border to the Signal Point near Chattanooga. More than one hundred and fifty miles of the Cumberland Trail is currently open and ready for exploration. For more information on the Cumberland Trail State Park and Scenic Trail, visit www.tnstateparks.com.

About the Cumberland Trail Conference
The Cumberland Trail Conference is an affiliate organization of the non-profit Tennessee Trails Association. The CTC is dedicated to the establishment and development of the Cumberland Trail. Since 1997, the Conference has assisted with land acquisitions, volunteer organization, trail construction and trail maintenance. Working with park staff, the CTC has constructed and maintained more than 100 miles of the Cumberland Trail to date. For more information, visit www.cumberlandtrail.org.

About the Land Trust for Tennessee
The Land Trust for Tennessee is a private, not-for-profit 501(c)(3) charitable organization, founded in 1999. Its mission is to preserve the unique character of Tennessee's natural and historic landscapes for future generations. To date, the Land Trust for Tennessee has protected more than 50,000 acres of land and is working with numerous other landowners across the state. The Land Trust works with willing landowners to find ways to preserve forever the historic, scenic and natural values of their land. The organization is supported primarily by financial contributions from individuals. The Land Trust has offices in Nashville, Sewanee and Chattanooga. More information is available at www.landtrustn.org.

Enjoy this video from Outdoor Research, and we hope you see why Rock/Creek is proud to bring such a rewarding company through our doors to share with our customers via in stores or online at rockcreek.com

Rock/Creek Race Team member and Signal Mountain native Josh Wheeler, currently a pre-med student at Appalachian State, talks about his experience as an ultrarunner. Wheeler won the 2009 Rock/Creek StumpJump 50k. He would come back to Chattanooga a couple months later and win the Lookout Mountain 50 miler as well.



For more race information on the race, visit rockcreek.com/stumpjump/

Thanks to Andrew Kornylak for the video and Spanner Sound for the music.

With 172 people finishing this year, the 10k proved to be a great course. See the results for the Lookout Mountain 10k here.

See photos from Moncrief Photography for the 10k and McKnight Photography for the 100k.

Here's a great race report from Rock/Creek Race Team member and Boonies officer Kris Whorton:

We had big plans for the 2nd Annual Lookout Mountain 100k/10k, but Mother nature stepped in and let us know she had plans of her own. The week leading up to the event was wet, and the day before the race, Friday, the critical trail marking day, rain poured out of the sky until 4:00. Sections of the course were completely underwater and the forecast called for rain starting at noon on Saturday, temperatures dropping from a high of 45 to below freezing and snow flurries as well. Midday Friday we started talking about changing the course so runners wouldn't be traversing the hairiest, scariest section after dark in the slick, icy, possibly snow laden nighttime. With runner safety in mind, as well as an effort to protect one of the valued tracts of land we are fortunate enough to get to use, we settled on moving the venue from Lula Lake Land Trust to Covenant College, at the top of Lookout Mountain and cutting the course to a 50 miler.

Seventy-four runners showed up at the start line for the scaled down version of the race, ready for whatever came their way. They started off in heavy fog, with visibility approximately 10 feet. The flagging was hard to see but everyone made it along the bluff line to the north end and around the front of Lookout Mountain to the first aid station at Craven's house in the Chattanooga and Chickamauga National Battlefield Park without incident. They then dropped to the base of the mountain to the scenic Reflection Riding Center where the bulk of the water from the week of rain had collected. The entire lower portion of trail (as well as the access road) was underwater so the course had been rerouted to higher ground.

Josh Wheeler, 22, originally from Signal Mountain, TN ran comfortably in the lead to this point and through the riding center with Byron Backer shadowing him, but by the time they had completed the four miles of climb over an eight mile section back to the top of Lookout Mountain Josh had a 13 minute lead which grew over the remaining miles.

In the women's race, Laura Kloepper came into mile 23 (Covenant College or base camp) ahead of Jenny Chow, last year's 100k winner, but by Lula Lake Land Trust, Jenny had a 2 minute lead. Both women came in looking fresh and relaxed, and on their second time through, Jenny had built her lead to 10 minutes.

When Josh came back through Lula Lake at mile 42.5, he was enjoying a little walking break with his brother Jake before he took off again to secure his 6:52 finish. Byron finished first master's male and fourth overall.

Wind gusts sent the tents at base camp into the air a few times and volunteers scurrying for cover. We did have some drizzle and some flurries, but the aid stations off the top of the mountain were spared the howling wind. In fact, it was really nearly balmy, with the temperatures holding at about 36 degrees. Lula Lake Trust was the favored site for many visitors including Sean "the shotgun" Blanton. He downed a Southpaw Light on his way out of the aid station (at 29.9) and came back through and then shotguned a Schlitz Malt Liquor 16 ounce (at 42.5). He did go on to finish.

The change of venue also required a new course for the 10k. The 172 runners who showed up to brave the course certainly faced a challenge. The new course utilized several trails in the college's cross country park as well as some multi-use trail outside the park. Sawmill, a multi-use trail feeds into a powerline access road for a steep, muddy, and slick climb out and up to the finish line. Sam Dech, 30, of Oklahoma City ran an impressive 38:01 and Whitney Medlin, 23, of Homewood, Alabama, was first female in 48:30.

-Kris Whorton, Rock/Creek Race Team

Big thanks go out to all the sponsors, Rock/Creek, Vasque PROJECT, SmartWool, The North Face, Marmot, Salomon and Hammer Nutrition. Also thanks to all the volunteers who generously offered their time and talent, and the runners for sticking it out on a tough day and rolling with the changes we had to make.

We'll have a full race report up tomorrow, but we wanted to announce that final results have been posted and we have photos available from this past weekend's Lookout Mountain 50 miler & 10k trail race, presented by Vasque Project & Rock/Creek. If you haven't already heard, we had to cut the course short due to the severe weather, and we ended up changing the proposed 100k to a 50 miler. Wind, rain, and occasional sleet couldn't stop the 65 finishers in the 50 mile race [click here for Lookout Mountain 50 miler results].

With 172 people finishing this year, the 10k proved to be a great course. See the results for the Lookout Mountain 10k here.

See photos from Moncrief Photography for the 10k and McKnight Photography for the 100k.