Saturday, November 17th: Roan Highlands & Appalachian Trail Hike
Sunday, November 18th:
Please sign up below if you want to go on the Roan Highlands Trip, Guided Floods & Brews Tour, and/or Trail Runs! |
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Depart: 2pm (Carnegie Hotel Lobby)
Travel time: 1 hour (2 hours round-trip) Hiking time: 3-5pm Return: 6pm (Carnegie Hotel Lobby) Travel Arrangements: Two large vans The hike will traverse a Southern Appalachian spruce fir forest and one of the longest sections of grassy balds in the Appalachian Mountains. Grassy balds are highly unique ecosystems containing many extremely rare species. You won't feel like you're in the Southeast - the Roan Highlands have a climate most similar to New England and other areas much farther to the north. Wil Tollefson and Andrew Joyner will lead the trip to this biogeographical jewel of our area. We will hike a section of the Appalachian Trail that traverses both Round Bald and Jane Bald at elevations close to 6,000 feet. The hike is approximately 2.2 miles round-trip. Wear appropriate hiking clothes and shoes and prepare for cold and windy conditions. Temperatures are normally at least 15-20°F colder than Johnson City and are expected to be in the mid-30s on Roan Mountain that day. |
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Depart: 1pm (Carnegie Hotel Lobby); or meet @ 1:30pm HERE
Main Stops: 1) Founders Park (Flood Mitigation & Citizen Science) 2) YeeHaw Brewery (link) 3) Main Street Corridor (Redevelopment) 4) Johnson City Brewery 5) King Commons (Flood Mitigation & Art) 6) Atlantic Ale House 7) Model Mill (Redevelopment) 8) JRH Brewery (Time permitting) Return: 4:00pm (Carnegie Hotel) View the Story Map app HERE so you can take the self-guided walking tour any time! Johnson City has experienced a major downtown revival over the past five years, primarily because of their investment in flood mitigation strategies. Flooding has been a major impediment to downtown development for decades, but several new flood mitigation parks have completely changed Johnson City. This tour will explore the two largest parks as well as Johnson City's emerging brew scene. Ingrid Luffman and Wil Tollefson will lead the tour and provide information based on their own hydro-meteorological and hazard mitigation research! |
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Depart: 7am (Carnegie Hotel Lobby); or meet @ 7:30am HERE
Route: Along the Greenbelt to Downtown Johnson City before connecting with the Tweetsie Trail trailhead Duration: Variable Distance: Up to 10 miles (you can run all or part of the route) Optional: Biking - bring your own bike or rent one from our downtown Trek Store or from Local Motion at the trailhead. If renting a bike for this run, you must pick it up Saturday afternoon! Bananas and Water will be provided at the Carnegie AND at the trailhead The Tweetsie Trail (http://www.tweetsietrail.com/) is a 'rails-to-trails' showcase that was the catalyst in recently catapulting Johnson City into the top-tier of destination adventure towns. Just this year, Johnson City was voted as the Top Mid-Sized Adventure Town by Blue Ridge Outdoors in no small part because of the development of the Tweetsie Trail. The trail itself is approximately 10 miles long and connects Johnson City and Elizabethton. It has many beautiful vistas and features, including the Cranberry Rock Quarry and Milligan Depot. |
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Depart: 6am (Carnegie Hotel Lobby) Route: Along the Millennium Trail & Greenbelt to Downtown Johnson City (Founders Park) Duration: 30-45 minutes Distance: 3 miles Optional: Biking - bring your own bike or rent one from our downtown Trek Store or from Local Motion at the trailhead. If renting a bike for this run, you must pick it up Sunday afternoon! Get your full conference day started off right with a quick, early morning run from the Carnegie Hotel down to Founders Park and King Commons in Downtown Johnson City. The run will follow the Millennium Trail and State of Franklin Greenbelt before looping through Founders Park and King Commons. |