by Leslie Lytle, Messenger Staff Writer

“We don’t know exactly why it’s called Lost Cove, but our theory is because the water gets lost. We don’t know where it goes,” said Gracie Davis sharing one of the mysteries about Lost Cove with Sewanee Civic Association members and guests at the Oct. 5 dinner meeting. Recreation Coordinator for the University Office of Environmental Stewardship and Sustainability, Davis unveiled a glimpse of the 20-mile round trip Lost Cove backpacking trail currently under construction. Features of phase one include 180° views from Point Disappointment and a 100-foot cascade waterfall where, true to the cove’s name, the water emerges from a stone embankment and disappears into a cave at the fall’s base.

The waterfall and Rattle Snake Springs are the only sites with year-round flowing water on the 3,000-acre Lost Cove tract purchased by the University in 2007. A peninsula of land at the southeast end of the Domain, Lost Cove borders the Head of the Crow State Park. Projected for completion by the spring when it will be officially christened the Doug Cameron Memorial Trail, phase one starts at Point Disappointment, just off the Potters Ridge Trail, accessed from Bob Stewman Road, and travels cross-country five miles to the Natural Bridge. Phase two, scheduled to be under construction by next summer, travels from the Natural Bridge to a gate on Sherwood Road. Phase three will complete the trek ending at Buggy Top Cave, scheduled to be underway by 2029 and finished by 2031.

Commenting on the slow construction timeline, Davis said summer construction was done by Sewanee students, with construction during the rest of the year relying on volunteers. She encouraged community members to participate in construction workdays on Nov. 15 and Dec. 13, to work on the section of trail from Natural Bridge to the base of the cove.

Asked if plans called for transferring the trail to the state park system, Davis said, “What is Lost Cove will remain Lost Cove. The University will retain the land. We’re hoping the state parks help us with things like signage. We’re working with the parks to plot the trail. University land goes right up to the base of the Natural Bridge. It’s a collaborative relationship between our office and the state park.” Much current park signage reads “Lost Cove,” but will be changed to reflect specific locations such as Buggy Top and Natural Bridge.

An SCA member recounted a story about a contractor abandoning plans to build a lake in Lost Cove because the water disappeared. Asked where the water flowing from Buggy Top Cave came from, Davis acknowledged, “We don’t know.” The University has done extensive dye tracing, putting red dye in water sources upstream from the cave, with no evidence of the dye residue ever found in the Buggy Top waters. Davis speculated the water came from a large underground well.

In closing, Davis invited the community to the Domain After Dark ghost-stories walking tour on Oct. 26, 27, and 28. Meet at All Saints’ Chapel at 8 p.m.

Taking up SCA business, President Ben Tarhan reported the SCA set the Sewanee Community Chest goal as $118,000, with plans to fund 15 initiatives. Awardees include food pantries, children’s programs, animal rescue, programs serving senior citizens, health care needs, and other ventures geared to improving the quality of life on the Plateau. Send donations to P.O. Box 99, Sewanee, TN 37375 or donate online at <https://sewaneecivic.org/donate/>. Alex and Kathryn Bruce will chair the 2026-2027 drive.

The summer School Supply Drive raised $800 in cash and $1,600 worth of school supplies via the Amazon link. Donations to the Stock the Pantry Supply Drive, held in conjunction with the Community Action Committee, can be made at the CAC office, Taylor’s Mercantile, or via the Amazon Link <https://a.co/f6TXKX4>;.

The SCA meets next on Nov. 2. Mountain Goat Trail Alliance Executive Director Patrick Dean will talk about progress toward completion of the 35-plus-mile trail following the path of the Mountain Goat railroad line once used to transport coal extracted from Plateau mines.

Sewanee Community Chest Goal

Animal Harbor, $10,000

Blue Monarch, $5,000

Community Action Committee, $6,500

Early Literacy Ambassadors, $2,000

Folks at Home, $5,000

Fourth of July Celebration, $4,000

Housing Sewanee, $6,000

La Leche League, $300

MARC, $10,000

Mountain Goat Trail Alliance, $1,500

SES Parent Organization, $25,000

Sewanee Children’s Center, $18,700

Sewanee Community Center, $3,000

Sewanee Mountain Messenger, $9,000

Sewanee Senior Center, $12,000