Adventure Series: Locale 3 - Cherokee National Forest

GPS Coordinates: 34.99453, -84.62510
Date Visited: October 7, 2022
Wood Species: Uncertain but heavily spalted

Me and my two closest friends - one of which lives in North Carolina - meet up once or twice a year for a weekend camp out. This time it was a trip to the Tennessee - Georgia border for four days of off-roading, hiking and camping.

We met up in Chattanooga, TN for lunch, then headed off into the woods of the Cherokee National Forest. We have a tradition of watching Top Gear / The Grand Tour together, even though we now live 12 hours apart. So, we did what anyone would do: we brought a TV to the middle of the woods to catch up on things! We drove through blinding dust, waded in rivers, ate like kings, and laughed like brothers.

Throughout the weekend, we were frequently frustrated by gated trails, but we found plenty of trouble to get into. At one point, we found ourselves at a dead end, requiring me to turn my fullsize pickup around among some very close trees. That was a 45 minute endeavor that ended up giving my truck a new name, Broadside.

On one road, we saw a beautiful waterfall and stopped to stretch our legs. I started climbing the rocks and promptly fell from a ledge. I was uninjured, other than a severely bruised ego. On my way back to the truck, I saw a log that looked like it might have some great spalting inside. That wood sat drying in my shop for the past six months, and is now a batch of gorgeous shave brushes!