Old Trace - Garrison Creek Loop

Distance: 6 miles, Moderate

The HFUMC Hiking Group has been going really well. We have a different group of people each time, but we are starting to get some "regulars." This hike was our furthest and most difficult so far, but it was also the one people were the most excited about. I was anxious to hike this trail again since the last time I hiked it we hiked so fast that I don't remember much. That is one thing that I love about our church group--there is no pressure: pressure to go faster, pressure to keep moving instead of taking time to take a picture or take in the view, pressure to prove you're in shape. We accept everyone right where they are.

The Natchez Trace is a very beautiful and historic area of our country. Someday I would like to do the whole thing. The Natchez Trace stretches from Nashville, TN to Natchez, MS. The Natchez Trace came into being at the turn of the 19th century as a trade route with the then French territory of Louisiana. Goods were floated down from the Ohio River Valley to the Mississippi River and down to Mississippi and Louisiana. The problem was that once you got down there, you couldn't travel back upstream. The longboats and rafts were too difficult to try to pull upstream. The US struck up a treaty with the Chickasaw Nation to allow a road to built from Natchez to Nashville that would be wide enough for a wagon. And thus, the Natchez Trace was born.

Travellers on the Natchez Trace would break up their rafts and sell the lumber. They travelled along the road on horses and in wagon with their pockets full of the gold they had accumulated. Of course, you can guess some of the diffuculties they encountered along the way. Thieves were common along the road. Stands and homesteads were not allowed at first, so there was no where to stay once you were a few days up the trail. Close to Natchez, MS you could sleep in a barn, and get a hot meal for 25 cents. Rates went up from there: When General Jackson brought his army up the Natchez, they had to pay $75,000 to take the ferry across the Tennessee River! Another trial was the thick clay that lies under the Tennessee dirt and soil. The trail was often muddy, and sometimes the horses got stuck and had to be abandoned. Eventually permission was given to develop stands along the way for folks to stay in. It was at one of these that Meriwether Lewis lost his life. No one knows exactly what happened.

The Natchez Trace's heyday only lasted for thirty years. The invention of the steamboat revolutionized travel along the river, and made the trip north easier and more safe. The trail was left abandoned for about a hundred years. The Daughters of the American Revolution sought to preserve the area for its history and started placing historical markers along the route. Thanks to their efforts, the Natchez Trace has been preserved, though in areas the trail has been moved from its original location.

The area of trail we did today was part of the original trail. These areas are called Old Trace, which can be confusing when you look at guidebooks (so many areas with the same name!). We could tell when we got to the original section of trail. The path widens here and you can almost picture the wagons and horses travelling up the trail. We hiked from there to a picturesque overlook and then down to Garrison Creek, so named because this was where the Army camped while clearing the Trace. We stopped at the pavillion for snacks, water, and restrooms. There are still people who ride this area of trail on horseback.

Our second half of the hike was from Garrison Creek to the Burns Branch Trailhead. To pick the trail back up, you have to walk across the meadow and under the bridge. There's a muddy creek crossing here where you can experience travel as they did 200 years ago. We got everyone safely across, though some were wet on the other side. Thanks to a new bridge, this is the only creek crossing you have to worry about now. When I hiked this last fall, the bridge was a log with a handrail, but now it is a regular footbridge. Sorry horses, you still have to cross in the creek!

The trail continues on through a tunnel under the road. We though this would be a great spot for a group picture! The trail is very pretty on this side though much narrower. We found a lot of ticks in this area, so be forewarned! Everyone was tired by the time we got back to our cars, but luckily we had the perfect day for this trail. We have been really fortunate so far in our summer hiking. I was really concerned that it would be too hot. I usually do not hike in summer (I'm in the water this time of year!), but we didn't want to lose momentum for the group. Today was our highest attendance on a hike--13 people!