The state of Tennessee is in the process of buying up land on Signal Mountain along the Cumberland Trail, which traverses the Cumberland Plateau in a piecemeal fashion.
"They're trying to buy land that they don't have ownership of right now here on the mountain, but I'm not at liberty to say some of it," said Sam Powell, who has tirelessly volunteered to build the trail on Signal Mountain and nearby for 40 years.
He said some land has already been purchased where North Chickamauga Creek comes up Signal Mountain near Lone Oak. Other parcels have been donated.
"The state feels they would rather own it because then it's there and it controls what's going to be there," Powell said. "If you own it then you control it and can use it for what it's made for."
The trail got its start from a group of hikers near Oak Ridge who were tired of clearing trails only to find they had been replaced with strip mines in their absence, according to Powell. Having the state own the trail's right of way further cements the trail's state supported existence.
"They've been buying land all up and down the trail right of way for a number of years," Powell said. "There have been some attempts where they'd do some land swaps here with the town of Signal Mountain and the state. It got to be more complicated because you've got to go through so much more red tape, so they've kind of given up on that. It's taken a long time over the years to continue to pick up the pieces here and there."
The trail-building effort has gone in much the same fashion. It is envisioned to one day run parallel to the Appalachian Trail into Pennsylvania, said Powell, who at one time used the help of 24 local Boy Scout troops while building the 13 miles that now emanate from Signal Point to Prentice Cooper.
"My hope is before the current governor goes out of office it will be completely finished or we'll know where it's going to be," he said of the overall network.
Every March, college students from all over the eastern United States come to town to help build out the trail system. They are currently staying and working in the Soddy-Daisy area.