Fiery Gizzard (Aug 2013)

L2R: Levi, Michael, Ty, Chris, Troy

Day One: 4.8 Miles
Day Two: 8.2 Miles
Trip Total: 13

"Damn that fiery gizzard!!" when said by Davy Crockett may have been in response to burning himself on an actual turkey gizzard, but rest assured every time we said it on this trip, we weren't talking about turkey. The Fiery Gizzard trail from Grundy Forest to Foster Falls is 13 miles of beautiful hell.

After leisurely going 1.3 miles from the parking lot we came to Sycamore Falls a 12' waterfall and a one of our favorite spots on the trail. We hung out here for close to an hour swimming, fishing, and goofing off. From that spot to Raven Point Campsite is an insanely difficult 3.1 mile path in which each step is onto unstable and slick rocks. The elevation gains and losses are always offset by each other. The final .5 mile makes you question every single item you chose to include in your overall pack weight.

Raven Point Campsite is a nice spot and Raven Point is a beautiful view. It was nearly dark when Michael, Ty, and myself headed to get water. We misunderstood the directions to the nearest water source from some other campers and ended up going out of the way to the base of Anderson Falls for water (not a fun climb back!!)

The second day was just as amazing and a little less strenuous with the exception of the .1 of a mile ascent out of Laurel Gorge. This was the toughest part of the entire trail and caused me a fair amount of concern for Levi who had recently lost allot of weight battling Crohns Disease. Levi, just as the rest of us, powered through it and was rewarded with a much more level surface at the top.

From this point on we saw a fair amount of people doing day hikes from Foster Falls. Foster Falls itself is a 60' spectacular waterfall surrounded by 120' overlooks and symbolizes a successful completion of the Fiery Gizzard.

Although difficult, this trip is one of the most rewarding in Tennessee and I will most certainly come back for another round.

Cavemen on this trip:
   Troy Walls
   Levi Donoho
   Michael Marshall
   Chris Wood
   Ty Dixon

Total Cavemen Miles: 41.45

Sycamore Falls

Chris and Michael peering off into an old coal mine.

Foster Falls