Camp Review:

I have visited McKinny Falls State Park a few times and have always enjoyed my trips there. The camp sites all have water, fire rings, tables, tent pads, and aren't too close to each other. The bathrooms are all within a short walk of the campsites. Not all of them have showers.

There are several hiking trails you can take where you can check out the wonderful nature.

If you would like to swim, you can do so at the Upper Falls or the Lower falls. Both have a place to swim and a place to jump off rocks. The intensity of the waterfalls is dependent on the current at the time.

There are also day use areas for people to use that have a table and bbq pit. There are some near the Lower Falls that are close to a playground and some near the Upper Falls along the river.

McKinny Falls also has a bouldering area where people can test their skills. One of the few parks I know of that have that available.

Gear Review:

As a Ranger on The Dyrt, I get products to test from time to time and on this camping trip, I took two pieces of new gear from CRKT.

Firstly, the PAZODA™ 2 (https://www.crkt.com/pazoda-2.html). For a $20 knife, it was smaller than I had first expected, but with the quality of it, I am no longer surprised. It is a straight blade with a Thumb Jimping on it, which helps to cut. I used it for opening oranges or cutting veggies for dinner. When I was not using it, it fit very well onto my belt and I often forgot it was there.

It is solidly made, light, sharp, and has space to engrave on it, which makes it a perfect knife for a special occasion.

Secondly, I bought the WOODS CHOGAN™ T-HAWK (https://www.crkt.com/shop/outdoor-knives/woods-chogan-t-hawk.html) as well as the sheath for it (https://www.crkt.com/shop/accessories/chogan-woods-t-hawk-leather-sheath.html).

There were different styles of T-Hawks I could get, but I chose the Chogan because it had a hammer on the other side. I often go camping in places with hard ground, and this helped hammer in the stakes of my tent and shelter greatly.

The axe side also worked rather well. Out of the box, it was rather sharp already. I had no trouble getting a strong bite on my wood. During the weekend of me using it, I saw no wear and tear on the axe head despite me chopping through a cord of wood.

The website says it makes a good thrower, but I did not attempt that.

The sheath worked well for it with no issues at all. It is designed so I can hammer with the sheath on as well, which is handy.

You can also buy replacement handles (https://www.crkt.com/woods-t-hawk-replacement-tennessee-hickory-wood-handle.html) online.