Fun Fitness! Hiking Machine Falls in Tullahoma, TN

 

Here’s a fun photo & video tour of my hike at Machine Falls this week. The hike itself was a great workout, but we did exercises along the way on the trail too. 🙂

Machine Falls was well worth the hike. It’s absolutely GORGEOUS:

I’ll show you a video of the Falls in a second, but neither really do it justice. There’s nothing like standing right in the face of the Falls and feeling it splash you in the heat of the day! 🙂 Machine Falls is located in Tullahoma, TN near Rutledge Falls:

This is located in the Short Springs Natural Area.

When we set out for this week’s adventure, we didn’t exactly have a plan in mind – or a destination. But given how HOT and humid it is in Tennessee in June, we both knew it would have to include water. 😉 I didn’t pack a snack or lunch for this hike, but later wished I had – when we got turned around on the trail and lost in the woods. 😛

I did grab my waterproof phone cases though, made sure my FitBit was charged up, and threw on my favorite Northside Burke water hiking shoes.

And of course I brought my Contigo Travel Mug – because it keeps your coffee hot for HOURS, and there’s nothing like a hot coffee after a big adventure. 🙂

One of the things Joe and I both love about our Tennessee hikes is exploring all of the natural vegetation and wildflowers of each location.

We saw wild mint growing, and blackberries too:

There were so many different varieties of mushrooms on the trail!

This was one of my favorites:

There are several loops, trails & falls in the Short Springs Natural Area but we took the trail straight down to Machine Falls. It was a steep incline, and given it was so hot & humid… I was already MELTING halfway down to the falls. 😛

The hike down and the hike back out were both GREAT for the calves & quads. My legs were BURNING by the time we started the incline out of the falls, lol – I powered through though. Sheesh!

By the time I got to the bottom and saw the stream – the COLD runoff from Machine Falls – I had to just stop and sit down in it and cool off. 🙂

It was FREEZING clear beautiful water. 🙂 So refreshing!!

Finally cooled back down, we decided to ditch the trail and hike upstream to the Falls.

First we had to cross this “tree bridge” though. I admit… I was scared. 😯

I did it though! 🙂

That required A LOT of balance, lol – and if you saw me trying to hula-hoop recently you already know I don’t have much coordination. 😛

Here’s me “girling it” across the tree (ha!):

 

Joe and I both love to test our limits and goof off and play around in the woods on our hikes. It’s not ALL sweat and exercise. 🙂 Although crossing tree bridges and climbing rocks & fallen trees is GREAT for toning & balance.

I had to sit this tree out, but Joe had a good run up & down it. And it’s A LOT steeper than it looks. 😛 Brave man – does he not realize my cell phone was in a dead zone, and there’s no way I can drag him out of there if he falls to the rocks?! lol

You can see Machine Falls behind him in that picture. Here’s a quick video to give you a glimpse into just how BEAUTIFUL it is:

 

Of course by then we were both hot & sweaty again, so the Falls was a welcome site – and a great spot to cool off. 🙂

You had to cross through water and climb some decent sized rocks to get up to the Falls, but it was easy enough to hike all around the Falls and even up both sides.

That requires the right shoes of course 😉 and fortunately I had on my Northside Burke Water Sandals. They’re great for hiking, kayaking, creek wading, or even just summer walks. I LOVE these shoes!!!

Here I am standing in front of Machine Falls, while the sun was still shining (lol) which meant there were cool rainbows everywhere!

On the opposite bluff is a shallow cave where you can sit and cool off, with an amazing view of Machine Falls. 🙂 This is a GREAT spot for lunch, or for waiting out a pop-up thunderstorm.

The hike in and out was wet, rugged and strenuous. And of course steep declines and inclines, all of which made for a GREAT workout!

I was definitely in Peak Zone with my heart rate doing the hills, but just the straight paths (navigating rocks and trees and such) kept my heart rate in Cardio Zone throughout the hike. This was my heart rate while sitting down for a break, lol:

I use a Fitbit Charge HR to track steps, workouts, heart rate, sleep quality, etc.

In addition to the hiking and climbing, we also did Tricep Dips along the trails for even more exercise. 🙂 Those are so easy, and kinda fun when you’re looking for fun places to do them while out on adventures. Plus they really WORK!

 

It was such an amazing hike, with so much to see! We spent a lot of time exploring to and around Machine Falls so we saved the other loops & Falls in the Short Springs Natural Area for another day. 🙂 Hiking up the side of side of the falls to the big cave-like overhang was my favorite part…

That’s my new CaliCase Waterproof Phone Case around my neck. It came in VERY handy on this hike given how much water we played in. 🙂

It’s waterproof, it floats, and it even glows in the dark! It also comes with the handy strap and double-lock hook, so you don’t have to worry about dropping your phone.

I also discovered that you can USE your phone, and even take great photos, while it’s IN the case. 🙂 NICE. It was super convenient, especially with wet hands and sprays from the Falls. Definitely a must-have for outdoor summer adventures!

You can Check out the reviews on Amazon. Be sure to pick one that glows in the dark. Not all of them do. That will be ideal when you’re camping, caving, or out walking after dark. Or have to locate your phone after a fall or a “kayak tip” lol.

Hiking is my absolute FAVORITE way to tone up and get in shape. I’m having so much fun exploring Middle Tennessee as part of my goal to get in amazing shape this year. It doesn’t even FEEL like exercise! Well, until the next day. 😛 haha…

Stay tuned for more fun Outdoor Fitness Adventures!

🙂 *cheers*

Best,
Lynn Terry,
aka @LowCarbTraveler