[Bristol-Birds] FW: The Pinnacles on Sunday

MEBC Members and all others,
 
This is short notice, but here we go. Don Holt and I will meet anyone wishing 
to join us at the Bristol ETSU parking lot Sunday morning by 9 am. We need to 
leave there at 9 am. From there we will go to the Burger King in Lebanon VA to 
meet Richard Kretz who will guide us on what should be a fantastic journey. You 
have the option of joining us at that point by 10 am. Richard gives directions 
and an excellent itinerary below. The prospect of seeing those Metalmark 
species is very exciting. Let Richard or me know if you are planning to join us.
 
Larry McDaniel
(423) 773-9234


From: fatcatz33@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx: larrycmcd@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx: Re: The 
Pinnacles on SundayDate: Wed, 2 Jul 2008 10:03:57 -0400



Morning Larry...
From ETSU campus in Bristol to Burger King in Lebanon is just under an hour's 
drive. From Bristol take I-81 north to exit 14, go right at the light on to 
Main St. and go about .9 mile and turn left on to US 19 north. Go about 23 
miles (+/-) on 19 north and take exit 2 for Lebanon. As you come to the end of 
the exit ramp Burger King will be directly in front of you. I'll be in a white 
Explorer with Masonic plates. It takes about 15 - 20 min. to get to the 
Pinnacles from there. 
 
When we get to the Pinnacles we'll park in the upper lot. The immediate area is 
a high weed field marshy/bog/seepage area feeding adjacent Big Cedar Creek and 
surrounded by woodlands. A small portion of gravel road (a few hundred yards) 
dissects the area to a ford on the creek. Often find good butterflies and moths 
(birds too in Spring) in that area. From there we'll cross the swinging bridge 
over Big Cedar Creek and traverse a short trail through the woods down to where 
the gravel road emerges again from the ford. We'll the hike the gravel road 
(relatively flat) for about a mile as it parallels the creek and meanders along 
the base of rich wooded, but very steep, limestone/sandstone hillside on our 
left with a narrow swath of flat field along the creek on our right. There are 
lots of mud puddles and myriad wildflowers/plants and it's difficult to say 
what we might see. The gravel road ends at a parking area (no longer accessible 
by vehicle because the road is blocked back by the swinging bridge) that has a 
shelter and "facilities". This area has lots of milkweed, wild carrot, 
butterfly weed, etc. Trails/paths have been recently cut through the fields 
here that will make searching for butterflies much easier than it was just a 
month ago. Lots of potential for good butterflies in this spot. From the 
parking area we'll take a gravel trail between some boulders that leads through 
a grove of cedar and down through the woods  to "Big Falls" (about 1/4 mile). 
This is the area I often find Zebra Swallowtails and other good spring 
butterflies. The falls are a nice place to take a lunch break and rest and 
often butterflies are found resting on the mud/sand adjacent to the creek. I've 
had Giant Swallowtails here as late as July last year. After resting at the 
falls we have several options... Depending on how y'all are holding up we can 
1) call it a day and turn back; 2) continue to the Pinnacle trail, see the 
"Pinnacle" (but not go down the steep trail to the creek), continue down to the 
confluence of Big Cedar Creek and the Clinch and work our way along the creek 
back to Big Falls. This is the route I'd suggest as it's a relatively easy walk 
and chance of finding good butterflies and wildflowers is high or 3) we can 
hike up to Chestnut Ridge Overlook (not much to see from the overlook though) 
which I'll ballpark the elevation at about 2,400 feet. It's a fairly steep 
trail through the woods and is where I found the most Falcate Orange-Tips this 
Spring. I'm not sure what might be along that route at present as I've not 
hiked it since late April. Suspect we'd find some Satyrs though. Anyway, that's 
a high level  overview of the area to help orient you as to what to expect. If 
you have any questions gimme a holler. I'll probably be outside working in the 
yard most of the day and may not hear the phone. However, I come in 
periodically to take breaks and check messages, so if I don't answer, just 
leave a msg and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.
 
Richard
(276) 889-1713
 
BTW, are just you and Don coming, or is it a club event? If a club event, about 
how many? Another good butterfly place is around Hidden Valley Lake. Elevation 
there runs from approx. 3,500 - 4,000 ft. Also, if you don't have an 
Appalachian Satyr, I can almost guarantee we'd find some in a large mud puddle 
area of deep ruts in remnants of a forest road near where Charles Kennedy used 
to live.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: Larry McDaniel 
To: Richard Kretz 
Sent: Wednesday, July 02, 2008 8:48 AM
Subject: The Pinnacles on Sunday
Richard, We are thinking of meeting in Lebanon on Sunday 7/6 at 10 am. How long 
does it take to get from Bristol, TN (ETSU Campus) to the Burger King? How long 
does it take to get from Burger King to The Pinnacles? Larry  

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