Middle Tennessee on Foot

Middle Tennessee on Foot
a review by Roger Jenkins

Many times I have been over in the central part of Tennessee, wanting to go on a day hike, and yearned for a hiking guide that covered the State Parks, etc, in that neck-o-th-woods. (Evan Means' classic Tennessee Trails [Eastwoods Press, 1979] and Kelley Roark's more modern Hiking Tennessee [Falcon Press, 1996] focus more heavily on the mountainous areas of East Tennessee, and describe only a smattering of trails west of the Cumberlands.) Well, I don't have to yearn any longer: Middle Tennessee on Foot (John F. Blair Publishing, Winston-Salem, NC) is here. Written by former Chancellor Robert Brandt, this is the definitive guide for on-foot adventures in the central part of the State. Sure, Middle Tennessee doesn't not have the high mountains and big wilderness areas that characterize East Tennessee. But that doesn't mean you should give up the idea of going out for a hike. Brandt's book will help you ferret out all those places that you just knew were there, but could not find written up. He covers most of the trails in the State Parks, Natural Areas, a couple of battlefields, and even throws in some walks on country lanes, for those of us who don't want to stray too far from the pavement.

Brandt's writing style adds a lot to the book. He weaves a sense of history with an appreciation of the natural environment. When you've read the hike write-up, you'll feel like you've learned something. He interleaves wildflowers, geology, and forestry as he winds his way down the trail. And his descriptive narrative combines a sense of the terrain with the emotional impact as you traverse it. As I read one section on Fiery Gizzard Gorge, I could almost feel the wind through my hair as I imagined myself standing out on an overlook on a late fall afternoon.

Each area has a good starter map (with a listing of the USGS quad that you should use for hiking), brief directions to the trailhead, and a statement of hiking highlights. I found myself wishing that there had been a few more photographs, but such is a pretty small criticism for an otherwise fine manuscript. In summary, if you spend any time hiking in Middle Tennessee, or have been thinking about it, you need to have this book. Period.