• Day 17 - Gladie Creek Log House to Raney-Ratliff Branch

I woke up to find dry socks, cloths and clearing skies. Knowing that there was good water and a place to relax three miles up the trail I packed up and hiked up the Sheltowee Trace, which followed Grassy Creek and then Gladie creek, until I reached one of my favorite places to camp. It was the same spot that I tried to get to the previous night so I thought it would be a good place to eat breakfast. Throughout this trip I was using a very different way of heating water than conventionally known. I was using what was called the "Pepsi Can Alcohol Stove". It burned denatured/distilled alcohol and was literally weightless. I was skeptical when Jay Buckner, Communication Officer for Berea College Public Relation's Office, first introduced me to it, however, it has proven to be almost essential as part of my gear.

After eating and reorganizing my pack, I made my way up a very long hill, out of the deep cool woods of Clifty Wilderness, and onto Corner Ridge Road where a trail head was situated. I noticed a horse farm of sorts just across the trail head. Knowing that I had a whole lot of road walking ahead of me I repacked my pack to reposition the weight. I also changed socks and applied a liberal amount of powder to my feet and socks. This helped greatly in preventing blisters from forming and added dry lubrication to by feet. It also kept the smell down so I didn’t kill all of the wildlife I was passing.

I soon came to Highway 77 and passed by many houses with barking dogs. A few came out to greet me. One in particular tried to take a snap at me and can now attest to the taste of the carbon tip on the end of my trekking pole.

It was getting petty hot and there were no streams in site so I found a water spigot in a cemetery and rehydrated there. There were some ancient grave stones in the area; some dating back to the Civil War era.

The road seemed to drag on and on and I was beginning to feel like a hitchhiker instead of a backpacker. At that moment car with a man and his kids pulled up beside me and informed me that the police would pick me up if I did not get off the road. I explained to him that I was backpacking the Sheltowee Trace, a national recreation trail, but he just kept telling me that the police would pick me up. With a puzzled look on his face he left, probably thinking that I was lost hiker from the Red River Gorge.

A little confused, and wondering if I was somehow breaking some local law, I kept going, hoping the police would indeed show up so that I could get a ride to the next trail head!

I finally came to a Y in the road. To my left was Highway 460, and to the right was the way to Clifton Road; as the Trail marker indicated. The beginning of Clifton road was actually a gravel road that turned into a wide ATV trail and was not passable by car. In one place a creek bed was part of the road/trail. Having been through here before, I was familiar with the quirkiness of the whole situation and was not thown off course.

I realized that I was getting close to a acquaintance of mine, Paul hays. I meet Paul a couple of years ago when last I backpacked through this area. The last time we had met he was sitting on a chair in his driveway and offered me a soda as I passed by. Paul was a retired factory worker from Detroit who had been born and raised just down the road and had come back to live out the rest of his days. We had talked at length about the area I was in.

This time was no different. A little amazed to see me again, he waved at me in recognition from his chair and offered me a cold drink. I dropped my pack and talked to him for a while. He told me about a mountain lion that his neighbor had shot and about the bears that were becoming more frequent in the area. He declined my offer to photograph him but was ok with me shooting his house. We said our farewells and I hiked the short distance to the intersection of highway 1274 and turned left.

After a couple miles I came to a red barn that marked the trail head that would take me North into Bath County and to Clear Creek Lake. It was great to be on trail again and wondered if the Appalachian Trail was like this or if it was all (or mostly) trail. The day was already coming to an end and the light was fading when I came across an abandoned house just off the trail on Raney-Ratliff Branch Road. I knew it would be a while before I came back into the area so I had to check it out.

The house had built well with solid wooden frame and I was given a clue to how old it was when I found newspaper on the wall that was used as a layer of wallpaper. The newspaper dated back to the 30’s. Not wanting to temp fate any longer, I left and climbed the next big hill and set up camp for the night on a nice breezy point overlooking the valley below, where the house set.

The Photo Gallery - Day 17
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• Day 16 - Whittleton Branch campground to Gladie Log House

Today Jay and I parted ways. He was going back to his job in civilization and I was to continue northward towards the Clifty Wilderness but before leaving we took advantage of hot showers and fresh water that the campground had to offer. I also used to this time to “lighten my load” by removing extra food and batteries that I was carrying. I was very familiar with the remaining miles ahead and knew where I could get supplies if I needed them. I too, was running out of time before I had to return back to the real world and was looking for anything I could do to speed up my progress. Jay took some photos of his dog and me on top of a bridge near our camping spot the previous night.

He wished me luck and I said farewell to my harmonica playing friend as I continued up Whittleton branch trail and across the bridge that crossed Bert T. Combs Mountain Parkway and down tunnel ridge road. The trail cut to the left and wandered through the woods for a while before it cut across the road again. I followed the trail, knowing that the trail and the road were both going in the same direction and would intersect at the gravel parking lot at the Grey’s Arch trailhead. I took turns walking on the road, in the spirit of speed, and the trail, for the scenery and softer walking conditions. Hiking past an area that had been lightly burned a couple years ago, I noticed the mostly pine trees, that had been affected by the Southern Pine beetle, were mostly what the fire seemed to consume. After what seemed to be about a mile and a half I came to the parking lot and trail head of Grey’s Arch. Just down the trail, from the parking lot, I spotted Jim Graf’s memorial. He had died from falling off Grey’s Arch many years ago. Flowers and other decorations can often be seen at the arch, dedicated in his memory.

In the interest of time I decided to wander off of the Sheltowee Trace and follow another trail to the Martins fork trail head and follow the Nada Tunnel Road to Highway 77. From there I took highway 715 to the Gladie log house parking lot, the entrance to the Clifty Wilderness area. The day was unusually humid which made me stop more frequently for water breaks. It must have been pretty humid because the usual knats that pestered me on the trail were not out. What I did not realize was that the sudden humidity built up was due to an oncoming cold front. I soon found my self in a two hour down pour with little tree cover to offer me protection. My GPS was water proof so I was not too worried about it, however, the SLR camera had to be put into a Ziploc bag. Ironically, the rain lasted until I got to the log house at Gladie. I was already beginning to feel “hot spots” forming on my feet and if not dried soon they would turn into blisters. Somehow, through the rain, I spotted an unopened beer bottle on the side of the highway. Knowing that there was a State police DUI checkpoint on the other side of NADA tunnel on the weekends, I immediately associated that to the logic of finding an unopened bottle of beer. I took it with me…after all I did not want to leave litter laying around.

I finally made it to the Gladie log house where I was able to dry my gear on the front porch by pushing the moisture into the floor boards. I ate dinner and enjoyed my much deserved beer. Dusk was coming and lured some deer out of the woods to a muddy and sparsely planted field in front of me. They grazed on the young shoots that were attempting to grow. After a couple of hours of drying my gear out I packed up and continued on, using my L.E.D. headlamp, but a heavy fog from Grassy Creek had settled in just above the trail head. The trail going toward Clifty Wilderness was not visible and my intended camp spot was still three miles away on very rocky and wet trail conditions. Accepting the circumstances, I set my hammock up near the log cabin and stayed the night, waiting for the light of the next day to guide me though the Clifty Wilderness. A Whippoorwill found me again that night, among a pile of drying socks, and sang me to sleep.

The Photo Gallery - Day 16
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• Day 15 - Lago Linda Hideaway to Whittleton Branch Campground

After a day of relaxing at Lago Linda Hideaway Jay and I were ready to continue our adventure once more. My father meet us that that morning to re-supply us and to take us another 10 miles North, saving us a great deal of pavement walking. We were to camp that night at in Whittleton Branch Campground at Natural Bridge State park. Jay did his best to show what a really good bed head looked like while he made his coffee that morning. Before leaving Dad and I went canoeing around the lake. After following Highway 52, and Little Sinking Creek, he dropped us off at the intersection of Highway 1036 and Big Bend Road, near the small community of Zachariah. Two Ale81 trucks, carrying a local drink made in Winchester, KY, were parked nearby our drop off point. At the beginning of Big Bend Road, just to the right, stood three large oil tanks that belonged to Sun Oil Company. We were entering an area with a high concentration of oil/gas wells.

Continuing down the road/trail I crossed an area of fragmented forest due to power lines and it appears that there is plenty of ATV traffic along these corridors. Oil pumps and Sun oil Company signs could be seen everywhere just off the trail. There was one pump in particular that got my attention. It was leaking on to the ground and downhill into a watershed. I am not sure if anyone knows about this but was sure to plot the coordinates of this well (-83.7011484, +37.7234965) on my GPS and take several photographs, ensuring that the pump information was included in the photograph. This type of experience and a couple of others made me realize the potential importance of the technology that I was using for documenting events on this hiking trip. Further down the road that doubled as the Sheltowee Trace I spotted more oil tanks and huge ruts in the road/trail. Water filled the bottom of the rut so it was hard to tell exactly how deep it went. Good thing I was not walking through this area at night!

Jay, his dog, and I were now entering the southern border of Natural Bridge state park and it was about this time we were informally introduced the deer fly. It seemed that no matter what we did, or how fast we hiked, we could not get rid of them. Bug spray was completely ineffective! Ironically enough, I later found out that movement, heat, CO2, and shiny smooth surfaces (my sweaty skin) are the things that attract them! By the time we reached Whites Branch Arch I had swatted over 76 deer flies. The arch, located underneath the trail itself and not obvious to the everyday hiker, was the only protection from the flies we could find due to the constant air movement that the breeze way offered. Whites Branch Arch is an excellent camping spot; however, I will note that there is a couple hundred drop-off on one side. If we did not have to meet anyone that day we could have stayed the night.

Jay’s cell phone was picking up some good signals we used it to call our friend Cary to let him know that it would be a couple hours before we got to Hemlock lodge, a place within the state park. Thinking that the deer flies may have moved on by now in search of more victims we ventured back on the trail to finish up the last leg of the trail for the day. They found us… and I think there was an unofficial race to Natural Bridge from there.
As soon as we reached the bridge and started down into the moist, cooler valley towards Hemlock Lodge the attacks ceased. Next time I am bringing a flame thrower or an invisible cloak. We meet up with Cary and I downloaded my valuable data.

The Photo Gallery - Day 15
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• Day 14 - Todd's Road to Lago Linda Hideaway

Jay and I took a look around the place that we decided to camp the night before and saw that it was indeed an abandoned farm. It looked as if it was a pretty nice place in its day, complete with house, barn, coal house, and some other structures. Jay’s dog seemed especially interested in the coal house. I climbed up in the barn with my camera and found a very old bike lying in the hay. I thought that the light filtering through the cracks in the barn side added a great lighting effect for the pictures I took. Next to the house was an old well, still in production. We ate and left after taking advantage of the nearby stream, Copperas Cave Branch , where we washed dishes, cloths and our faces in (not necessary in that order). Our destination for the day was Lago Linda Hideaway, nice get away owned by Doug and Linda Black that offered cozy cabins and was located right next to the trail just North of Heidelberg.

Leaving midmorning, we followed Todd’s road until we came to an intersection. We followed the gravel road to the right which ran to the left of Sturgeon Creek. The Gravel road turned into a paved road after a couple of miles and passed a couple of small communities. At this point the sun was high in the sky and heat on the road was working on Jay, the dog, and me. We would have done anything to find some real trail to walk on but this section of the Sheltowee was all road walking. The locals did not find any trouble getting around as ATV’s seemed to be common form of transportation, replacing the need for cars, insurance, and extra money otherwise spent on high gas prices. Todd’s Road then turned Into Crestmont Road which took us across Upper Stinking Creek which emptied in to Sturgeon Creek. The heat and hard walking surface was already having an effect on our spirits and there was beginning to be concern for the dog, which did not have the luxury of hiking boots or sweat glands. We decided to take a break at a turnaround on the side of the road and hide in the shade of forest edge. We were not there but for a couple of minutes until a guy on an ATV came by and stopped to talk to us. He asked the usual questions and inquired about some of the area that we had come through. It turned out that he was from Northern KY and had some property in the area. He saw that we were in a bad section of the Sheltowee and that asked if we could go back and get his truck and give us a lift to better trails. Without much argument we agree happily. The dude came back with a huge expensive truck and cold bottled water that we accepted gratefully. We piled in and he took out of the area and north towards better trails and much closer to Lago Linda Hideaway. We crossed the Kentucky River at Heidelberg following State highway 399 north for a couple of miles until we got to the “old’ Sheltowee trail head next to White Ash road. At the time we did not realize that this trail, while not closed to the public, was no longer apart of the Sheltowee trace. After closer inspection of the trail map we discovered that the trail ahead of us stopped just short of Lago Linda Hideaway and that it used to actually traverse the property at one point. There were still many miles of road walking ahead so Jay used his cell phone to call Linda and have her pick us up. She was happy to hear we had made it and was on her way.

An hour later we were at the hideaway in a cabin and enjoying the comforts of home and washing the grit and sweat off our bodies. Later, we joined Doug and Linda for dinner and conversation in their log cabin that overlooked the cabins that surrounded their private lake. Linda, a pleasant lady from England, always has an interesting story to tell and is an awesome host. Jay and I took the canoe out and got some good night time fishing done. I caught 3 good sized fish. Jay caught 1.

The Photo Gallery - Day 14
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• Day 13 - Arvel to Todd's road

When Jay and I got up the next morning we noticed that we were not exaggerating when we were noticed that we were camped on the side of a mountain. The road that acted as the trail left enough room on the side; however, if we went any further we would have found ourselves rolling down the side of a mountain. Funny how things look different in the dark! After a breakfast of quick oats we quickly left in the pursuit of water and came across a spring with a sign on the right side of the trail that said “Water unsafe for drinking without treatment”. We decided not to procure water from there. Instead, we found a tributary of War fork Creek following the tail in the valley just below which crossed the trail just ahead. It proved to be good source of fast moving, clear water.
We saw a tributary of War fork Creek running below us that we soon crossed and got water from not knowing that there was something just up ahead that may have changed our minds about drinking the water from that source. We walked up to a natural rock overhang/shelter that held a large pole of water with many rusted out barrels laying in it. There was another sign that read “Water unsafe for drinking without treatment” designed in the same fashion as the previous one. What the barrels contained was unknown but we think that it may have been oil since there is oil drilling activity in the area. The ground had an oily look and feel to it and was just uphill from the tributary that we collected water from. The runoff from the pool of stagnate, smelly water was aimed downhill right in the direction of the creek. To make things worse I spotted a turtle in the pool that looked very ill and was not responsive to my presence. One of its front legs was damaged so badly that it could not close its shell. Whether or not the area in which it was in had anything to do with its injury was not clear, however, it was an interesting coincidence.
Just down the trail we spotted some abandoned vehicles in the woods as we neared Polly Sparks Road which connected to another road that went down a steep hill, and crossed Grassy Fork Creek, where another old abandoned house sat. It continued into the small community of Arvel where a very small Post office was situated. I have read in many guides that food and other supplies have been dropped off here to be picked up by hikers as they pass by. Upon arriving we quickly went to see if the P.O. / General store was open, though at first appearance it did not seem so. However, after asking a nearby man about the store hours we found out this he and his wife owned the place and only opened its doors on occasion. They seemed very reluctant to let us in but agreed to do so. I have never felt as if I had to convince someone to let me buy their goods! Jay stayed outside and watched the dog as I went in to get as much as they would let me. I got a couple bottles of water and some junk food, quickly paid in cash, as the lady watched my every move, and made my way for the shade tree in the front of the store. The women had already disappeared. Jay was happy to see my stash.
After leaving the Post office we walked (hitch hiked) down Hwy 1209 which turned into Hwy 587. The trail resumed again at the intersection of Hwy 587 and Hale’s Ridge Road. The location of the trail was at the edge of three counties so in just a of a couple hundred feet we were out of Jackson, into Owsley, into Lee in Owsley again and back into Lee county for the last time. I’ll have to remember this place the next time I am running from the police! The trail was extremely grown over and had seen very little use. In some places we had to stop and take a look at the GPS in order to make sure we were going in the right direction. Along the way we came to some power lines that were fragmenting the forest and stopped to take some photos. It may not seem like much but forest fragmentation is a pretty serious issue. After a couple of miles Jay, I, and the dog came to Hale’s Ridge road again where our next trail intersected the road and the next trail head was. At this point it was about two hours from getting dark and where I wanted to camp that night was three miles away, down by Todd’s road at an abandoned house and a clean water source. If we moved at 2.5 miles an hour we would have enough time to get there in time to set up camp. Despite the rush we still found time to stop and pick some blackberries.
As it turns out we got their just in time. The evening was filled with reflecting on the day’s adventure and talking about how we could improve our methods of travel. We camped next to an open field and it was nice to see the open sky again.


The Photo Gallery - Day 13
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• Day 12 - TurkeyFoot Campground to campsite near Arvel

After a couple days of rest and dumping all of GPS and Camera data I came back to the trail but with a friend of mine that worked at the college. Jay Buckner, a Hazard Kentucky native, and his dog were ready for an adventure. We decided to start our hike by staying a night at Turkey Foot Campground and were surprised to find that the gravel road leading into the campground was closed due to some land slide activity. The half mile walk to the campground gave Jay some time to get a taste of what his pack weight was going to feel like and what it was like to Backpack with a dog. We brought some fine foods with us and celebrated our liberation from the fast paced world. Jay had brought his harmonica and with my Jaw harp playing we did little to create a pleasant harmony but were quick to improvise and invent a new “sound”. Jay ended to night with playing “Old Kentucky Home”. The next morning I took some good shots of the campground before leaving for the trail that followed Warfork creek. We had trouble tracking the trail because it kept disappearing and reappearing probably due the high water levels of the creek at times. We finally made our way out of the valley and above Warfork creek and took a water break. The dog, never having been in the woods was having a blast and was adjusting well to trail life. Jay was doing good as well. We called lunch break at a wide creek crossing, just east of where Big Buck Lick and War Fork join. Cold underground water was surging out of the side of the mountain adding many gallons of water per second. The water had to be at least 50 degrees and was refreshing on the hot summer day. We took the opportunity to take some excellent photographs and in the process found a cave. The cold air that was blowing out of it was condensing and turning into fog which gave a surreal effect along the creek. Jay and I found the source of the cave and sat just in the mouth of it. The air too had to be around 50 degrees and after a couple of minutes we found ourselves turning back to warmth of the day. We both agreed that it was nice to know where some natural air conditioning was if we needed it. Like I said before, Jay’s dog did not have a lot of experience in the outdoors and had never gone swimming, but today would prove to change that.

We continued along the trail for the next couple of miles, with War Fork to our left, crossing it again after a couple of miles. We took advantage of the clear running water and used Jay’s water filter to re-hydrate before ascending into an area that had no water. The day was ending a bit earlier than we had anticipated and light was becoming scarce. Although we had headlamps, we decided to call it an early day instead of pushing on in the darkness and risking injury. (Perhaps we had spent too much time at our lunch spot…!) Our “on the spot” camp spot was on the side of the trail amongst a patch of young trees that were just big enough to tie a hammock to. The Hennesey Hammock proved once again to be a valuable asset to our trip, being deployable at a moments notice at any location.
The last notable event for the day was the small snake that I found on my poncho liner while we were eating dinner. Its round pupils, as opposed to the cat like pupils of poisonous snakes, told me it was safe. At about midnight we both noticed gunfire in the distance and wondered what was going on. This would be the case for the next couple nights while we were in the area. No explanation.

The Photo Gallery - Day 12
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• Day 11 - Day of driving around

I was now back in civilization and was once again depending on four rubber tires to take me from place to place. Knowing that there were many road miles ahead my Dad and I decided to continue documenting the Sheltowee from a drivers perspective until friendly trails resumed. We first came back to the area that he picked me up from and decided to explore “ATV hell” in the light of day in order to get better photographs as well as a better look to what was going on in the area. The first thing we noticed was that there was an actual notice posted by the Forest Service indicated that off road vehicles were not authorized in the area. I could not help but wonder if this was actually being enforced or not. The light of day drew a very realistic picture of what poor land management can result in as well as the effects of off road vehicles when not used responsibly. After taking many good photographs my father and I continued across I-75 and on our way up to Camp Wildcat, location of the first Civil War battle in Kentucky. Along the way we passed by several Turkey Buzzards circling in flight over some type of carrion as we waited for a train to pass. We come to a trailhead that marks the beginning of a long ascent, one which I am glad that I did not have to walk! It is also the old Wilderness Road that Daniel Boone used as passage into new western lands. At the top lies Camp Wildcat monument, an old cemetery, and a shelter that is surrounded by informative signs that paint the picture of the day of the battle. There is an old farm that I took a picture of on the way down the hill. My dad, the best driver/navigator in the world, decides to follow along the Trace until S-tree, noting where the trailheads that cross the road are. I decide to track our position and to see the land that the trail runs through keeping an eye on how close we are to the actual trail. If you look at the online photo album you can actually see the GPS on the dash of my dad’s Jeep. The dark line at the top of the screen is the trail and the triangle in the middle was my current position and direction I was traveling. We crossed the Iron bridge that goes into Rockcastle County and drove along side the headwaters of the river…or the lack there of. The drought had taken its toll on the river and there was not a drop to drink… or more importantly to cool off in. The day was very hot and I am not even sure where I would have found any water if I was road walking this section. About this time we entered what is known as the Horse Lick creek watershed which is inside of the Mill Creek Wildlife Management Area (WMA), home to the endangered fresh water mussel. There were couple of mudslides on our way through and we even saw a house out in the middle of nowhere that did not seem to have a driveway or a vehicle. It was about that time I saw just about the funniest thing on the trail. A custom made headstone with an inscription that will not be soon forgot. Still don’t have a clue what it means but it is funny regardless. About 100 ft. away from “Leroy’s” grave runs Horse lick and several signs that go into detail about the life of fresh water mussels and their value in nature. Horse Lick Creek is one of the last places that they reside. Poor water quality is a big killer among the Mussel, unfortunately for them they are an early warning system to us for bad water conditions. Salutation is one example of degraded water conditions that kill off the mussels and ATVs and off road vehicles are primarily responsible for it. In previous travels through the area I have seen numerous ATV usages in the area, the kind that dump tons of sediment and top soil into the water supply. My dad and I then walked a little ways to an abandoned farm he had come across in his adventures. The barn had fallen in recently and the house had been long reclaimed by nature. It was hard to imagine a family living here and Dad took me just up the hill to S-tree, the half way point of the Sheltowee Trace. S-tree is a free public campground that is frequented by ATV’ers and dirt bikers. It is a great place to camp if you arrive in a vehicle and bring enough water. Otherwise you be searching in some interesting places or hoping there are some campers that give you some water because the closest supply is Horse Lick and it is a couple miles down hill. I took a couple of pictures of the area and then Dad and I headed back home, stopping by Berea College to drop off some supplies.


The Photo Gallery - Day 11
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• Public presentation on Sheltowee Trace - Oct. 5th

I would like to invite all who are interested in attending a presentation on the findings of my indepentent study, Tec 390A - Using Technology to Document the Sheltowee Trace. The presentation will be held in the Danforth Industrial Arts Building at Berea College in room 112B on Wednesday October 5th, 2005 at 7pm.

Room 112B is designed to hold 40 people so if you are interested in coming please shoot me an email at jim_mcwhorter@berea.edu and a seat will be reserved for you.

For the Forest,

-Jim

Links:
Technology and Industrial Arts Department - http://www.berea.edu/tia/
Danforth Industrial Arts Building - http://www.berea.edu/buildings/danforthindustrialarts/default.asp
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http://JamesMcWhorter.com
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• Day 10 - 7 miles South of Highway 80 to Interstate – 75.

Got off to a good start on the day, however, when I climbed out of the valley and onto gravel road, I meet up with a
Timber Rattlesnake. The morning was surprisingly cool and it was sunning itself in a sunny spot. It did not make any attempt to come towards me; however, it did assume a defensive position. I did not choose to move any closer to it than the zoom on my camera would allow. I got two good shots and left him be. I continued down the trail just a bit and came up on the Johnny Mac cemetery. There were several graves that were recognized only by the sunken ground and header and footer. Others were well recognizable, yet had been disturbed. The main headstone indicated that almost all of them had been born and died in the 1800’s. I followed and unimproved road and crossed a stream where I stopped for a water re-supply. The dirt road I used while climbing out the valley was severely eroded dumping tons of silk into the stream below, choking aquatic life and damaging the ecosystem there. On the ridge above the valley I passed several ATV puddles that had oil slick on them and in between ATV use and being open to rain were rutted out. I went into another valley and crossed a swinging bridge that crossed Sinking Creek and passed by an old campsite of mine that I used in past hiking trips.

Coming out of that valley I entered an area that had been cleared. The heat of sun was very obvious at that point and the few trees that were there did nothing to spare me from the sun. I passed by a SUV of sorts that had been torched and left, spilling its toxic contents onto the ground. Just across the trail from it was another pile of trash long forgotten? Out of sight out of mind right?

A couple hundred feet from the paved road that took me to Pine Creek Church I happened upon an interesting photo opportunity. I mostly dried puddle that I had just stepped through had captured more than just me and my trekking pole. In it were the prints of a turkey, deer, and a raccoon. It reinforced my perspective that we are living on the same earth. Those reading this are encouraged to come to their own conclusions as to what this means…

Pine Creek church, with out electricity or running water, sits on a small hill just off the side of the road that is acting as the Sheltowee at the moment. I took advantage of the covered picnic area in the heat of the day to eat lunch and use the hot pavement to dry out all of my socks at once. This drops a little bit of pack weight but every little amount counts when you’re carrying your life around on your back.

I crossed Pine creek, got some more water and then continued on to Cross hwy 80, a 3 minute glimpse of the real world before disappearing back into the woods. If needed I could have probably caught a ride into London. It is good to know your resources on the trail if you need them.

About 2 more miles down the trail I Crossed hawk creek using its Swinging Bridge and began my entrance into what I call “ATV hell” country. This very sad part of the trail (or lack there of) has been extremely exploited and demonstrates what happens when human recreation goes unchecked. Severe erosion was everywhere and was damaging the Rockcastle River watershed despite the sign at the entrance of this area that is easily seen from entrance from I-75, the destination I was going to for the day. The sign forbids vehicles to enter the area but I don’t think that anyone is paying attention to it. I was sure to document this area with many photographs to show exactly what is going on right underneath our noses. In some place the top soil had been cut 6-7 feet in the earth
Beer cans were strung everywhere giving a clue to the state of mind to the recreates that frequented the area. There were no trail markers to be seen in this maze of improvised ATV trails and I only got out by heavily relying on the downloaded track information that was on my GPS. Having gone through it previously also helped. About a mile from my destination I meet a guy that was riding his ATV. He asked me if I was lost and I told him that I was on the Sheltowee trace and was just passing through, heading towards the interstate. He looked at funny and pointed a wavering hand toward the direction I was already going and said goodbye after taking a drink of his beer and seating it back into its official beer holder. A little bit later, chasing the last rays of light, as usual, I made to I-75. I was early. A couple day to be exact and I called my father to come and get me out of ATV hell country. I am not even sure where I would have chosen to stay that night if I had camped. It was not exactly a place that you pick to “reconnect with nature” and the scenery was that of a war zone. I would have stayed in the military and gone overseas if I wanted to see that. While I was waiting for my ride at the 49er fuel center. (Exit 49 on I-75.) The employees inside were a little more than curious to why I was carrying a huge backpack and why I was so dirty. When they heard about where I came from they immediately offered me food from their grill and asked to have a seat and enjoy a good hamburger and french-fries. I had just finished them when my dad arrived. I was sleeping in a bed that night but I couldn’t help but wonder how a whippoorwill could sing to me if I was in air conditioned room.

The Photo Gallery - Day 10
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Sheltowee Wanderer
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