About us
Are you an adventure enthusiast in East Tennessee looking for like-minded individuals to explore the great outdoors with? Look no further than our Meetup group! Whether you're into skydiving, scuba diving, biking, hiking, camping, rafting, kayaking, or exploring the lakes by kayak, our group offers a variety of activities sure to quench your thirst for adventure. Join us for thrilling excursions, scuba dive trips, and unforgettable experiences in the beautiful landscapes of East Tennessee. Come meet new friends, challenge yourself, and make lasting memories with our diverse and dynamic group of outdoor enthusiasts. Let's embark on epic adventures together!
Upcoming events
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Let's hike the beautiful Charlie's Bunion
Location not specified yetCharlie’s Bunion
Let's meet at Charlie's Bunion Trailhead at 8 a.m. Eastern time.,
Bring plenty of water and snacks and good footwear.This hike is an out and back total of eight miles. It's rated as strenuous. So bring plenty of water, high energy food, snacks and excellent footwear. Trekking poles are a must. Be prepared to encounter wildlife so bring bear spray. Also, be prepared for rain.
Charlie’s Bunion
Charlies Bunion is a mountain in the Great Smoky Mountains of the Southeastern United States, characterized by a large boulder-like protrusion just below the summit on its otherwise-sheer northern face. The mountain is a rare instance of a bare-rock summit in the Smokies.
Charlies Bunion rises to an elevation of 5,528 feet (1,685 m) above sea level, and is situated along the state line between Sevier County, Tennessee and Swain County, North Carolina. The Appalachian Trail crosses the mountain's northern slope some four miles (6 km) east of Newfound Gap, allowing day-hikers and rock climbers easy access.Geology
Charlies Bunion comprises the western wing of The Sawteeth, a series of narrow, jagged cliffs connecting the high peaks of the Central Smokies with the high peaks of the Eastern Smokies. These cliffs are underlain by a Precambrian metamorphic rock of the Ocoee Supergroup known as "Anakeesta Formation," which consists mainly of slate. The Anakeesta Formation, which comprises much of the crest of the Central Smokies, was created nearly a billion years ago from ancient ocean sediments. The rock was thrust upward during the Appalachian orogeny, when the North American and African plates collided around 400 million years ago. The steep northern face of Charlies Bunion is drained by the headwaters of the Middle Fork of the Little Pigeon River and loses 2,000 feet (609 m) in elevation in just over a mile. The southern face, which is more gradual, is drained by the headwaters of the Oconaluftee River, specifically Kephart Prong and Bradley Fork.Charlies Bunion, like most of the central crest of the Smokies, was fairly heavily forested until the 20th century. Large-scale logging operations in the Oconaluftee valley, however, left large piles of dry, dead brushwood scattered about the streambeds above Smokemont.
A few days after the 1929 cloudburst, a group of mountaineers led by Horace Kephart climbed to the crest of the Central Smokies to inspect the damage. When they reached the now-barren western flank of the Sawteeth, Charlie Conner, a mountain guide from Oconaluftee, removed his shoe, revealing a badly swollen foot. Upon seeing this, Kephart was said to have remarked, "I'm going to get this put on a Government map for you." There is another, slightly different, story told by Paul M. Fink in his book "The Names and Lore of The Great Smoky Mountains" in which Fink says that one of the group upon looking at the bare rock pinnacle left by the storm, and knowing of Conner's foot affliction, remarked: "Well that sticks out like Charlie's bunion" prompting Kephart to decide on that name. The United States Geological Survey gave it the name "Charlie's Bunion" shortly thereafter. The mountain rising above Charlies Bunion to the west was named after Kephart himself.
In 1935, the Civilian Conservation Corps constructed a leg of the Appalachian Trail across the northern face of Charlies Bunion for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which had officially opened the previous year. Today, the mountain's summit and characteristic boulder-like protrusion offer great views of Tennessee and the other peaks of the main ridge in the Smokies, especially Mount Le Conte and Mount Kephart.2 attendees
Past events
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