Care NET Making Elrod Falls A Much Cleaner Place

Last Thursday I made my first trip to Elrod Falls, located outside of Sneedville. However, the short hike to this beautiful 40-foot feet waterfall wasn't my only reason I came here. I accompanied members of our local Sierra Club Conservation Committee, Care NET to also clean up around the falls. It is now that I should first say a little more about Care Net. It is the local Sierra Club group that covers Hawkins, Hancock and Claiborne Counties. It is not a chapter, but one of two Conservation Committees in the Tennessee Sierra Club (other Clarksville-Montgomery County).  Our group works on environmental issues and one of those is keeping the area clean, which is what we were doing. 

Care NET program at St. Henry's Catholic Church.

Care NET getting offical status at the TN Winter Chapter Meeting.

So, we met up in Rogersville and drove to Mooresburg and then up Highway 31 over Clinch Mountain into Hancock County. It reminded me of the trip up the same mountain on Highway 70, except a little curver. 

Clinch Mountain...

...the winding road up it.

Signs point the way.

Once we arrived at Elrod Falls a course we had to take the short hike to see this surprising waterfall. From stuff I read, specifly the Waterfalls of Tennessee book where Gerogry Plumb gave it a two-stars, so I didn't know what to expect. So when it turned out to be such a nice waterfall, it was a pleasant surprise. Even though we went up to enjoy the falls, I took a trash bag just in case and I would like to say it wasn't needed, but you know that would be wrong. 

the trail to the falls.

A cool hole.

Elrod Falls.

Another view of the falls.

Teresa, Nancy & Bobbi enjoy the falls. 

After picking up and filling a bag around the falls we broke for lunch before moving on to the heavy lifting. Besides plastic drink bottles and aluminum cans, some of the interesting things we found was an old tire, part of a radiator and a full trash bag someone left. Oh, yes we also found some dirty diapers...oh yes nice. Overall we collected seven to eight bags of trash which the was collected by the local authorities. It was a successful day of putting the Leave No Trace etiquette into practice. So, for anyone interested in getting involved with the Sierra Club and Care NET, the group meets on the first Thursday of each month at St. Henry's Church in Rogersville.

An informal Care NET meeting.

A seasonal pond at Elrod Falls Park...

...there is also a pavilion.

Some of the trash...

...& where it belongs!