Tennessee Eastman Hiking and Canoeing Club

The Tennessee Eastman Hiking and Canoeing Club (TEHCC) is organized under the Eastman Recreation Club and is headquartered in Kingsport, TN. The club offers a year round schedule of trips and events including backpacking, camping, canoeing, caving, hiking, kayaking, mountain biking, social gatherings, and trail maintenance. Rental gear is available to members who belong to the Eastman Recreation Club and the Hiking and Canoeing Club, as long as they are members of both clubs. The TEHCC is an active member of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy and is responsible for maintaining more than 130 miles of trail along the Tennessee/North Carolina border.

Past Club Names
The TEHCC has been known by several names in the past, including the Eastman Hiking Club, the Eastman Recreation Club Hiking Club, the Tennessee Eastman Hiking Club, and the Tennessee Eastman Recreation Club Hiking Club. It is often affectionately referred to as “The Club.”

Club History

The Tennessee Eastman Hiking and Canoeing Club was formed on April 28, 1946 when Frank Oglesby led a hike to Clark Creek Falls (a trip that was later repeated for the 40th and 50th anniversaries of the club). At this time, the club was called the Tennessee Eastman Hiking Club. Throughout the club’s early years, hikes primarily took place on Sundays. However, there were also other activities for club members to participate in. These included music festivals, dinners, dancing, and even trips to Colorado, the Canadian Rockies, and Switzerland.

It was in these early years that Stan Murray, an influential and active club member, began the tradition of hiking Mt. LeConte in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The hike is strenuous and includes an overnight stay at the LeConte Lodge. This tradition still takes place each year. “Doc" John Wellman was an influential social leader during this time in the club’s history.

The TEHCC has been associated with the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (formerly the Appalachian Trail Conference) for most of its existence. On November 11, 1946, TEHC delegates met with ATC chair Myron Avery in Knoxville, Tennessee. They agreed to help the Carolina Mountain Club (CMC) maintain their section of the Appalachian Trail since help was hard to find after the war. Eventually, the club took over maintenance of a 6.23 mile section that was previously cared for by the CMC. TEHC members also met with the president of the Roan Hiking Club, Dr. Coolidge, to discuss maintenance issues. The Roan Hiking Club was responsible for maintaining sections of the AT that stretched between Damascus, Virginia and Winner, Tennessee, and between Limestone Cove, Tennessee and the Nolichucky River. The TEHCC agreed to begin maintaining these sections. Each Labor Day, the club also began meeting with other Southern A.T. Clubs during a “Multiclub” meeting.

Frank Oglesby joined the ATC Board of Managers in 1948 and introduced TEHC member Stan Murray at a meeting in May 1952. At this time, there were a couple problems with the AT route between Holston Mountain and Unaka Mountain. There were a growing number of electronic facilities on Holston Mountain, including an omni range radar system and television station towers. There was also a twenty-five mile road walk between Winner, TN and Limestone Cove, TN. At the ATC meeting, Murray proposed a fifty-four mile trail relocation that would eliminate this long road walk and avoid technicalities on Holston Mountain. This relocation would take the trail over the Little Rock Knob, Roan High Knob, the Roan highland balds, White Rocks Mountain, and Iron Mountain. The trail would also pass by Laurel Fork Falls. The project was approved and work was completed in 1954. This made the TEHC responsible for about 132 total miles of trail from Damascus, Virginia to Spivey Gap, North Carolina.

Under Frank Oglesby and Stan Murray’s leadership, thirteen club maintenance teams were developed and given responsibility for different sections of trail on a rotating basis. These teams carried out all maintenance responsibilities, including blazing (marking the trail with 2 inch x 6 inch white rectangles). In 1961, Stan Murray became the fourth Chair of the ATC and held this position for eleven years.

The club experienced somewhat of a setback when John Wellman, the club’s primary social leader, unexpectedly left East Tennessee. Clark Johnson and Hugh Thompson took over some responsibilities to try to hold the club together, but there was a significant drop in interest until the mid-1960’s.

With the arrival of backpacking innovations such as freeze-dried meals and light weight pack frames, hiking again began to gain popularity as a recreational activity. The growing environmental movement also contributed to people’s desire to “get away from it all” in the outdoors. Under the leadership of Zellie Earnest, John Kiefer, Don Kreh, and Charles Fletcher, Jr., the club grew and expanded its hikes to include family activities on Saturdays and participation in conservation rallies. Canoeing also became a major club activity and was added to the club name. Club members such as Ray Hunt led spring hikes for large numbers of people, and others began section-hiking the AT on long weekend trips. In the 1970’s, the TEHCC began taking international trips and traveled to a wider range of places in the US. A Beyond 6000 Club was also formed, granting membership to those who had climbed the highest 40 southern Appalachian peaks above 6000 feet in elevation.

More AT maintenance teams were organized, and the club hosted a large Biennial ATC meeting at Appalachian State University. Ray Hunt, the club chair, led an AT Guidebook Preparation workshop, bringing together all of the section editors for the trail. He served on the ATC Board of Managers and was the Chair of the ATC between 1983 and 1989.

The annual Canoe School was implemented in 1973 to introduce members to whitewater. In 1979 Terry Dougherty began leading annual May canoeing trips to the Bluestone River in West Virginia. Whitewater trips are now taken on a regular basis. Canoeing and kayaking clinics, whitewater rescue training, river cleanup days, and other trips are all part of the club’s schedule.

Throughout the 1980’s and 1990’s, the club became more involved with the AT community and developed improved maintenance concepts and processes. The TEHCC’s AT Committee developed strong relationships with federal and state “Agency Partners,” such as the US Forest Service, who jointly manage the AT. As club members learned improved construction techniques, the maintenance activities began to draw more attention than the club hikes. Awards and patches recognize the club’s most active maintenance workers, and maintenance trips are planned on a regular basis and in conjunction with other events.

The TEHCC currently holds two annual dinner meetings, sends out a club newsletter, maintains a comprehensive web site, and sponsors a variety of long distance trips. Several club members have hiked the entire AT, and day hikes and paddling trips are taken regularly.

Influential Historical Members

Frank Oglesby - Oglesby led the first club hike to Clark Creek Falls in 1946, convinced others that the Eastman Recreation Club should sponsor this new club, led the Clark Creek Falls hike for the club’s 40th and 50th anniversaries, served on the ATC board of managers, and was a leader in the trail maintenance movement.

Stan Murray - Murray developed the Mt. LeConte creek hike, proposed the 54-mile AT relocation between Holston Mountain and Unaka Mountain, acted as a strong advocate for the AT, and served as the fourth chair of the ATC for 11 years.

“Doc” John Wellman - Wellman led a strong social group during the club’s early years.

Clark Johnson and Hugh Thompson - These two members acted as club chair when Wellman suddenly left East Tennessee and Eastman.

Zellie Earnest, John Kiefer, Don Kreh, and Charles Fletcher, Jr. - They were leaders in the club as it gained popularity in the mid 1960’s.

Ray Hunt - Hunt led a popular wildflower hike to the Jeb Stuart Estate in Virginia, was a leader in the AT Guidebook Preparation Workshop, and served as club chair.

Terry Dougherty - Dougherty has always led the annual May tradition of paddling the Bluestone River in West Virginia.

Collins Chew, Bruce and Mary Cunningham, Joe DeLoach, Ray Hunt, Ted Malone, Darrol Nickels, Frank Oglesby, Ed Oliver, Bob Peoples, Steve Perri, Bill and Derrick Stowell, Frank Williams, and Jack Young have been particularly active members and have provided significant leadership to the club in its more recent years.

Membership
The TEHCC exists to benefit Eastman employees, retirees, and their families, but all people and community members are welcome to participate in club activities as program affiliates. Annual dues are $5 for employees, program affiliates, and Eastman retirees. However, there is no membership fee for retirees who elect to receive an electronic copy of the monthly newsletter. Seven club members are elected every year to serve two-year terms on a steering committee that guides the club’s direction. One of these committee members is then chosen to serve as the club chair. Club members can offer ideas or suggestions to the committee.

Officers
The TEHCC has three categories of officers: the Steering Committee, Appointed Officers, and the Appalachian Trail Committee. The Steering Committee is composed of the club’s current chair, the past chair, the secretary, four general members, and the Eastman Recreation Representative. The Appointed Officers include an events coordinator/schedule editor, historian, librarian, membership officer, two newsletter co-editors, a paddling contact, a records officer, a rental equipment coordinator, two South Beyond 6000 representatives, a treasurer, and a webmaster. The Appalachian Trail Committee includes a committee chair, a maintenance coordinator, a structures coordinator, a signs coordinator, a guidebook editor/data compiler, a land acquisition management liaison, an open areas/cell towers liaison, a Konnarock liaison, a relocations coordinator, and a special projects coordinator.

Awards
Awards are given annually to recognize members who have shown outstanding participation and leadership throughout the year. These awards include: the Stan Murray Award, the Frank Oglesby Maintainer of the Year, the Paddler of the Year, the Hiker of the Year, and the National Park Service Golden and Silver Service Awards.

All awards except the Stan Murray Award are determined based on point accumulation and hours of participation in club activities. They can be given to different people each year, to the same person in multiple years, or to nobody at all if no club members meet the criteria that year. The Stan Murray Award is considered the most prestigious club award and is given to a dedicated member whose volunteer service has been particularly noteworthy.

A Beyond 6000 award is given to members who have hiked 40 of the highest peaks in the southern Appalachians.

Beyond 6000
Beyond 6000 was started by the TEHCC to award those who climb 40 southern Appalachian peaks over 6000 feet in elevation. Although there are about 60 peaks total that rise above 6000 feet, 40 of them were chosen to meet qualifications for the program. The peaks must be summited on foot in order to qualify for the award. The program was started by Hugh Thompson in 1968 with the help of A.L. Edney, Leroy Fox, John Davis, and Ed Dunn. Beyond 6000 is jointly sponsored by the TEHCC and the Appalachian Mountain Club. There are similar programs used in the White Mountains of New Hampshire and the Adirondack Mountains of New York.

Appalachian Trail Maintenance
The TEHCC is responsible for maintaining about 132 miles of the Appalachian Trail from Damascus, Virginia to Spivey Gap, North Carolina, including a section that is accessible to people with physical disabilities. This wheelchair-accessible section is located on the Osborne Farm in northeast Tennessee between Elizabethton and Shady Valley.

Maintenance of the AT includes removing obstacles and brush from the trail, preventing erosion, building necessary trail relocations, posting signs, painting blazes, constructing and maintaining shelters, and ensuring the accuracy of data in AT guidebooks. Maintenance is done on an ongoing basis by club members who “adopt” a section of trail. These sections typically cover a few miles of trail and are maintained by one or two people throughout the year. This method was a switch from the rotating team basis the club used in earlier years. Group maintenance trips are also taken on about a weekly basis. These trips are useful for completing large projects or digging relocations.

The TEHCC must complete a complex relocation process whenever circumstances show that a section of trail needs to be moved. There is an ongoing list of proposed relocations that are rated based on several criteria. When a general area for the most important relocation is determined, a clinometer is used to determine an approximate route with the correct grade. This route is then flagged for review by the US Forest Service. A biologist and an archaeologist must do a walk through of the proposed route before any work can begin by checking for sensitive plant and animal species or unique historical sites. In sensitive areas, the public is allowed to comment on the proposed route.

Once the route has been approved by the Forest Service, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, and the scientists, an exact path is flagged along the ground. Trail crews can then come in and dig the relocation, taking care to preserve the area’s natural beauty. Finally, the completed route is blazed, opened, and measured using GPS and rolling measurements, and the information is printed in any new versions of maps or guidebooks that are published. The old trail is brushed in and white blazes are removed. The TEHCC’s largest relocation project was the building of 54 miles of trail through the Roan highlands, Iron Mountain, and Laurel Fork Falls.

Contact Information
More information on the Tennessee Eastman Hiking and Canoeing Club can be obtained by contacting the club at:
Tennessee Eastman Hiking and Canoeing Club
400 S. Wilcox Drive, B-310
Kingsport, TN 37662
(423) 229-3771
www.tehcc.org

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