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Cooley Creek
Manly hike above Cooley Creek in Newton County in search of bluff action
9/9/17
Cooley Creek! Where the hail is that dang deal? In my search for new territories, many areas like this particular creek are stumbled upon. At 3:00 a.m. breakfast was had, once more at South Park Restaurant in Clarksville. Some refreshing coffee beverages were swigged and some, as usual, cold biscuit and gravy with burnt bacon and tiny eggs were ingested. The hash browns were pretty damned good. Some local law enforcement dudes and dudettes joined me, at the cafe that is, not at my table. I assume their food was crappy as well. Why do I keep eating there? Well, the nearby Waffle House is, well...you know. After this, some regular grade petrol was obtained for $2.40 a gallon. Up Hwy 21 then...man.
It was 5:05 with clear sky weather and 62°. Humid though. Just past the parking area for the Glory Hole a road enters the forest. Here, entry was made for my initial penetration. Secondary penetration occurred just down this road a ways. The woods were thick and grabby. My determination remained steadfast as this tangle of saplings, vines, poison ivy and other assorted shrubberies attempted to hinder my progress. After a time, the semblance of a bluff line came into view. My powerful and expensive headlamp illuminated the area nicely. It was a ragged excuse for such but tracing it to the northeast would surely yield better results...I thought. This was not the case, for alas...the underbrush remained a deterrent and no lovely rock surfaces came forth to welcome my ass. I plodded on with hopes of a proper view down the valley for sunrise action.
A small but adequate spot was eventually found and occupied. The view was less than optimal but would suffice. Goldenrod and other assorted flowers and grasses adorned the bluff top. I communed with the many naturally occurring items surrounding me and was pleased with our transaction. They provided beauty...I did not pick them...no wait...I did pick some of them. With not much more to see, I wandered back out of the valley and arrived back to the car at 9:30 with 70°. Four miles was covered on this hike.
