The Chattanooga Hiking Club, in keeping with its stated purpose, provides outings
every weekend for persons of different skill levels. Hikes scheduled in the current
month and the upcoming month are described in detail. Tentative hikes
are simply listed in the Outings Schedule and are still in the planning stages.
All of our hikes are lead by club members volunteering their time
to the cause.
The information below is provided as a guide only. Each hiker assumes the risks associated with hiking in the great outdoors, including the responsibility for paying any bills associated with rescue efforts or medical care. The wise hiker always carries drinking water, food, and first aid items.
Easy(E): 5 miles or less; mostly level ground; hills will have slight incline.
Moderate(M): Distance will not exceed 10 miles; may include
rocky slopes;gain in elevation generally will not exceed 350 feet per mile.
Strenuous(S): Any distance more than 10 miles: however, shorter
distances may be strenuous due to elevation gain or rocky slopes; may
include long streaches hiking on boulders (where it helps to be a
mountain goat); any elevation gain of more than 350 feet per mile. Includes
virtually ALL backpacking due to the weight of the pack.
Extremely Strenuous(S+): Usually involves distances of more than 14 miles, tree-grabbing steep climbs, total elevation gains of more than 2000 feet, long streches of rocky terrian, and/or deep stream/river crossings. Applied at the discretion of hike leader. Note policy above.
Death March Hikes exceeding 22 miles, generally scheduled by someone
wanting to avoid backpacking.
Whenever you go on a hike with the Chattanooga Hiking Club, please bring WATER with you. Hiking can deplete you of this vital liquid, and at best, dehydration can make your hike a miserable experience, at worst, it could be dangerous to your health if you become too dehydrated.
On most of our hikes, limits on group size are up to the discretion of the hike leader. However, due to regulations governing wilderness areas, we are limited to a group size of 10 on hikes in wilderness areas within the Cherokee National Forest. This applies to Big Frog, Little Frog, Citico, Gee Creek, Bald River and any other areas designated wilderness where we lead hikes.
"Hiking in Citico/Slickrock Wilderness" Photograph:Eric Skrivseth