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 Use video conversation to talk face-to-face with Windows Live Messenger. Get started. _________________________________________________________________ It’s a talkathon – but it’s not just talk. http://www.imtalkathon.com/?source=EML_WLH_Talkathon_JustTalk