Hiketoberfest: Celebration of music, nature, hiking - Oct. 20

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

photo Red-headed woodpecker

HIKE SCHEDULE

* 9 a.m. Edwards Point and Mushroom Rock hike (moderately difficult, 7 miles)* 9 a.m. Bird walk (easy, distance depends on the birds)* 10 a.m. "Geology of the Cumberland Plateau and Mushroom Rock" (easy, 3 miles, begins with discussion at pavilion)* 11 a.m. "Saving Our Hemlocks -- An Update on Hemlock Woolly Adelgid and Treatment Programs" (easy, 1 mile, begins with discussion at pavilion)* Noon. "Learn More About the Cumberland Trail -- Hike to North Suck Creek Bridge (moderately difficult, 4 miles)* 1 p.m. "Walking Into Prehistory -- Sandstone Rock Houses and Native American Cultural Preservation" (moderate hike, begins with discussion at pavilion)* 1:15 p.m. Field trip to Trailhead Nursery on Walden's Ridge in Sequatchie County (shuttle service)

LECTURE SCHEDULE

* Noon. "Seeding the Cumberlands"* 1:45 p.m. "Snakes of all Sorts"* 2:30 p.m. "Learn More About Sandrock Recordings, A Cultural Preservation Project and Record Label"* 3:15 p.m. "Birds of Prey"

For organizers of a festival Sunday, Oct. 20, on Signal Mountain, the name is a clue to what you should be doing this month.

Hiketoberfest, now in its third year, is a hiking, nature and music festival to highlight the riches of the Cumberland Trail State Scenic Trail, which begins within the Signal Mountain area of Walden's Ridge. It is presented by the support agency Friends of the Cumberland Trail.

Activities are planned from 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. at Shackleford Ridge Park off Sam Powell Parkway near Nolan Elementary School. The lineup includes hikes, walks, talks and music, along with a native plant sale, silent auction and door prizes. Music by hammer dulcimer player Justin Watkins, traditional Irish band Pay the Reckoning and string band Old Time Travelers will start at 4 p.m.

Suggested donation is $10 per person, $25 per family.

For more information, visit http://friendsofthecumberlandtrail.org.