Metro to Mountain Journal

In an effort to finish our adventures in the Warner Parks we returned to Percy Warner Park to walk the rest of the road. We needed to walk the "Eleven-Two Loop". The Loop is 11.2 miles long; but we had already walked a section of it - the remainder was from three mile hill to nine mile hill, about six miles.

It was Mother’s Day. After a great lunch we headed to the Park. Two significant events had just occurred in the Park - the Nashville flood from last weekend and the Iroquois Steeplechase on Saturday, the day before our walk.

Parking at the Cross Country Course on Highway 100, we took the Cane Connector Trail to the Park’s Main Drive. We chose to walk against the traffic (clockwise) because we had Jake, the big dog, with us. He only walks on our left side, so we walked the route backwards to conform to the passing norms with vehicles.

Soon we were sharing old stories with each other of bicycling, running, and hiking adventures we had had on the road and nearby trails. There are lots of memories that live in the Park. The miles passed quickly.

From time to time there was evidence of the flooding and the Steeplechase Race. Downed trees and small mud slides reminded us of the flood. Fencing. signage, and barricades reminded us that it was race day weekend.

After descending Nine Mile Hill we turned left at Beach Woods Picnic Area, still following the Eleven-Two Loop. The road makes a sharp bend at Shotgun Curve (as noted on the Park Map). Oops, remember we are walking the Loop backwards. The section of the road which parallels Chickering Road had the most damage. One section was still not cleared from a mudslide. Other sections of the road received significant damage. It will not be a quick fix.

We had a great hike in nearly perfect weather. It was sad to see the flood damage. Though, the flooding closed a section of the road, it was minor when compared to the flooded lives of Nashville residents. We will patiently hope and wait for a repair.

A few trail notes...

• The Eleven-Two is also the Main Drive.
• There were no facilities or water on the section of the road we walked.
• There were quite a few walkers, runners, and bicyclists in the Park.
• One family we met were out for a Mother’s Day walk. They had taken a wrong turn, had walked miles, and still were miles from their vehicle. They were unfamiliar with the Park. They walked with us to our car and then we took "Mom" to her car. They were good people and added a bit of fun to our walk.
• The mud slide and trees blocking the road will be removed.
• The damage to the road goes beyond the mudslide.
• If the damaged road section is un-repaired it will shorten the 11.2 mile loop to 10.1 miles. Luckily, the damage is on a section of the road which can be bypassed.
• The road seemed (from a non-engineer) to have structural damage. It might need more than a band-aid.
• Our total distance for the day was 7.2 miles.

Happy Mother’s Day trails.