Mapping the Sheltowee

[Chilton]

My pup and I went out a few days ago to explore where the Sheltowee enters the forestry road just off 799 (just north of Rodburn hollow mile 20). The road is in fine condition and using the odometer on my car put it to be 6.3 miles. However there are no markers where the gravel road meets the paved road indicating the trail is turning. This may because this section of the Sheltowee is officially closed. The only indicator that I found that this was the Sheltowee was the trail marker at the end of the road where the trail leaves the road. At first when I found this marker I thought that it was just marking the trail along the road however on further examination I found that it was the trail entering the woods. This was hard to tell because it was so grown up but the marker was slightly off cant (only by a few degrees) to the road so I figured I should check out the woods there. I found a very small unmarked trail which I continued to follow up a hill for about 50 yards. At the top of the hill I came across a bulldozed path only as wide as about the width of a single bulldozer. However this path was seemed long as it disappeared into the forest at a far distance. When starting I found what I thought to be one blaze on a tree but it was so old I could barely make out if it was really a diamond or my eyes seeing what I wanted them to see. I continued on the bulldozed path unsure if it was the Sheltowee or just a bit of construction. After what seemed to be about ¾ mile I came to another gravel road and at that intersection a Sheltowee blaze with a direction arrow on the last tree before the road.

We did a bit of walking further down this road and eventually decided to return. On the trip back along the bulldozed path I found a blaze on a tree that had been bulldozed down. These few blazes where the only signs of the trail that I found and it seems that a bulldozer was taken along the trails path. For what reason this section was bulldozed I personally am unsure. I’m not even really sure who to contact to find the answer. Hopefully this is a first step to restore this section of the trail but for some reason I doubt it.

If anyone has any insight I’d love to listen.

[Boyd]

Thanks for the info and pix Chilton.

Looks the trail was really excavated there. I think the trail is officially closed like you pointed out, so I wonder what the forest service is doing? Maybe making a connector road?

Your pup is a handsome trooper!

Boyd