Southeastern US PaDders meeting

[1designguy]

Would anyone on Pbase in the Southeast be interested in a spring gathering maybe somewhere in North Georgia? Faye W. an Kathy P. have voiced an interest. I'm in if the timing works out with my new baby due at the end of March.

Chime in with any ideas or alternate locations.

[fayewhite]

I'm in for sure!

[emmaelice]

I am all up for it! I only live less than a 2 hour drive, so it would be great for me!

Kathy

[mesullivan]

Count me in. I schedule 30 to 60 days ahead though and work some weekends so I might need a little warning.

[halesr]

I would be interested. I live in KY, three hours north of Knoxville. It would depend a bit on how far. But, once we know where everyone is located, perhaps we could pick a central location and try to minimize the driving for everyone.--Rene

[clickaway]

Just some advice from across the pond.

Our 'leader', John, agreed a date and place two months before the London event and I think that was a wise move.

We had 15 people and trying to organise a mutually agreeable slot at short notice could have been problematical.

We also chose a clearly identifable, safe (and dry) place for a rendezvous which in our case was a cafe. One of the 'locals' circulated a photo of the location by e-mail as well. A map was not really necessary in our case, but it might be useful for yours. We also had a meet-up time of 10.30 and 12 noon, so that we could pick up anyone who was going to be late without mucking it up for others.

I'm glad you are planning this - you guys should have a blast!

Ray

[1designguy]

A few <b>locations</b> come to mind:

1. Chattanooga has a lot to offer both urban and natural.
2. Robinsville and Joyce Kilmer Memorial provide a great but remote natural setting with Santeelah Lake wrapping around it.
3. Several destinations in the Cherokee National Forest come to mind.
4. The area around the Smokies (Townsend/Gatlinburg/Cherokee/P. Forge) could be interesting but some of these places are crowded in the spring. YOU OUT THERE BUZ

<b>Timing:</b>

I have about 5 weeks 'til baby so...

End of April (say 28-30 weekend) would be within reach but May would be better. Possibly Memorial Day weekend at the end of May. Weather and wildflowers are more predictable into May. Chattanooga is lovely in the spring.

I'm open to suggestions.

[fayewhite]

I was also thinking May would be better... more stuff in bloom then. All of your suggestions are worth a visit - my first choice would be the Cherokee Nat'l forest, but Chattanooga might provide more variety. I'm open for any site that works for everyone.

[1designguy]

Here are a few links to help get the ball rolling...

<b>Robinsville, NC</b> back into <b>Cherokee National Forest</b>:

http://www.cherohala.com/index.html
http://gorp.away.com/gorp/resource/us_n ... k_kilm.htm
http://www.ncwaterfalls.com/yellow_bullet_tn1.htm
http://www.ncwaterfalls.com/tellico_tn1.htm
http://www.ncwaterfalls.com/fall_branch_tn1.htm
http://www.ncwaterfalls.com/conasauga_tn1.htm
http://www.fs.fed.us/r8/cherokee/

<b>Chattanooga</b>:

http://www.chattanoogafun.com/
http://www.tennis.org/
http://www.10best.com/Chattanooga/Sight ... index.html
http://www.lookoutmountain.com/
http://travel.yahoo.com/p-travelguide-2 ... gs_to_do-i
http://www.backpackcamp.com/SavageGulf.html


Well... there is a little to chew on

[johnwaine]

Best of luck with this - it will be fun!

Just to add to Ray's comments, once we knew who was interested from the forum, we conducted the detailed arrangements by email to avoid any Internet weirdos knowing where maybe lone females would be - especially if you guys don't know each other.

Also, I think it would have worked a little better to have had a rendezvous time at the end of the day, so people didn't just drift off or get lost.

Looking forward to the pictures!

[mesullivan]

There is a lot to do and see in and around Chattanooga. If nature is your thing, there are plenty of drives and hikes around here, but the time to get there can be quite a bit due to winding mountain roads and traffic.

Downtown along the river, you have several bridges, many old factories turned into restaurants, the aquarium, ball field, coolidge park, etc. etc.

It might rain that day, so planning should include plan B if that happens.

[1designguy]

Chattanooga would give some wonderful options.

I would guess rough distance from anyone's home base and possible lodging would be a consideration. I am only about 2.25 hrs. drive from Chattanooga but about 3.5 from Tellico Plains.

I would think I'll likely stay wherever we end up at least for a night. Weather is always a concern in Tennessee (I'll be glad to hold umbrellas ).

If we pin down a date and location, we really should move to emails to iron out the details for privacy and security. I would like to stay here (PaD Forum) for another week to see if any interested parties join in. Let anyone you know of here on Pbase that could be interested know and we'll see where this thing goes.

[fayewhite]

Chattanooga seems like the best overall choice. Anytime in May? I would avoid the holiday weekend though.... Saturday or Sunday is fine with me!

[1designguy]

I'll start working toward Chattanooga for the end of May. Maybe the weekend before Memorial Day weekend.

Let's move the discussion in a week to a more private forum when we set the details. We can keep this discussion as an entry into the meeting.

I'm excited

[emmaelice]

I think Chattanooga would be a great location. So much to see, and many photo opportunities. Just keep me informed if there are any changes to this trip....I am following this post.

Kathy