Mapping the Sheltowee

[Chilton]

It's official page 23 and 24 of the August issue of Backpacker features the Sheltowee Trace as a "Backpacker Rip & Go" feature. They even list www.sheltoweetrace.org as the reference to get maps. The backpacker link that is listed for the trip data is [url]backpacker.com/hikes/1049762[/url] but when I checked it there was an error.

They've showcased the section from Corner Ridge Trailhead to Whittleton Branch an 18.3 mile section. This is in fact my favorite section of the trace and I'm absolutely hyped. It's an awesome promo and I'm sure we'll be seeing some more traffic real soon.

[Tommy - The Tank]

That's great to get the trail that kind of exposure.

[Walkin'man]

Honestly, that's been my favorite section so far, too, but it's also been the most crowded. I had to stand in line to get across the swinging bridge over the Red River.

Attracting more people to an already crowded section of the trail may not be such a good thing, but the overall exposure is good to have. Maybe more people will take in interest in the rest of the trail.

I'm more excited about the guy setting up the program for the Boy Scouts (http://www.sheltoweetrace.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=762). This will expose legions of Scouts to the trail, with many of them making a lifetime commitment to the preservation of the whole trail. It's where I first heard about it and have dreamed of hiking it since then.

- Jeff

[jbd]

I hope my sister sees the article. I don't know if she is suscribed to the magazine or buys it from time to time.

I.B.Me takes his Boy Scout troop on Sheltowee outings on a fairly regular basis as I recall. I think the last trip they took was via bikes somewhere down south. He had posted some pictures.

[Tim York]

The July issue of Backpacker Magazine also gives reference to the Highlands Section of Pine Mountain Trail. I can say that I have walked both sections of the mentioned trails.

[Tommy - The Tank]

I hope with the exposure it will introduce people to other trails and other segments of the ST. I also hope that it helps shed some light on other projects like the Jenny Wiley Trail and the Great Eastern Trail. And that more people will become involved in volunteer projects to help some of the area's that have heavy traffic and the trail in general. I still think it is a good thing for the state and will bring in alot of attention and money needed in these area's!! Then maybe there will be more funding and grant money for other projects to take some of the pressure off some of these populated area's. Alot of people even in state people have no clue what the ST is and what it has to offer, other then these populated area's. As far as the scouts anytime they are involved that is a good thing. I'm glad that they are wanting to utilize the ST instead of going out of state. It's a win win for the state and trail just need the volunteer's to help keep it looking good!!

[Traildust]

Also look for the write up on the Pine Mountain Trail down south. Another excellent trail being developed and we hope we can one day hook the Sheltowee into the PMT and its bigger partner The Great Eastern Trail.

So many trails and so little time.

[Mark_W]

It took me a while to gather my thoughts about this article. They aren't positive. Forgive me for cross-posting from the KyWilderness forum, but this issue is important to me and I would like for y'all that don't read that forum to hear my concerns as well. It's great to see the trail get some exposure, but the poor quality of that piece shouldn't be overlooked. Additionally, it was frustrating to see a section of the ST that already sees a heavy amount of traffic profiled. Why not profile some of the ST in the Big South Fork or the section from Cumberland Falls to Hwy. 80? Very scenic areas but underused by most hikers in Kentucky. Seems the Gorge gets all the glory.

Personally, I was so infuriated by the quality of the article that I sent a letter to the editor(s). The errors made weren't subjective or for lack of "insider knowledge" -- it was simply poor journalism and not checking the simplest facts. I'll post in here if/when I receive a response. The entire letter, separated into two posts because of its length, is posted below:

Dear Editor,

As an avid backpacker who has spent a considerable amount of time outdoors in Kentucky, I’d always thought it would be entertaining to see one of the excellent backpacking trails in the state covered in Backpacker. When I learned that the section of the Sheltowee Trace which passes through the Red River Gorge was going to be featured as a “Rip & Go” trip in the August 2011 issue, I was extremely curious about how this section of trail would be represented to the national audience that Backpacker reaches. I picked up a copy of the magazine as soon as I had the opportunity.

Nothing could have prepared me for how disappointed, and to a large degree offended, I would be after reading the article. It is without a doubt one of the sloppiest pieces of journalism I’ve ever seen in a magazine of Backpacker’s stature. The errors in the article ran the full gamut – there were errors of exclusion and errors of distance, egregious errors and excusable errors. The broad and pervasive nature of the errors made it difficult to determine exactly where to begin a critique of this article, so I’ll address them in the order in which they were made. A link to the article is here ( http://backpacker.com/hikes/1049762 ); however, the published article contains several sidebars whose content was not posted online but will still be discussed.

Follow cliff bands to some of the East’s largest natural arches.

As an arch enthusiast, this claim immediately caught my attention. Not only does the hike described only pass directly by two arches, with one of those arches being only of moderate size for the Red River Gorge, it certainly doesn’t pass near any of the East’s largest natural arches. According to an article published by the Natural Arch and Bridge Society ( http://www.naturalarches.org/span-0001-EasternUS.htm ), although four of the 10 largest arches in the eastern United States are located in Kentucky none of them are located in the Red River Gorge. Only one of these (Natural Arch, not to be confused with Natural Bridge) is located in the Daniel Boone National Forest.

Not off to a great start, but not a big deal, I reasoned. There is a lot of inaccurate information about arches out there, some of which unfortunately comes from government or other “official” agencies, so I can see how someone could mistakenly make such a claim.

The first 3.5 miles follow Salt Fork to its confluence with Gladie Creek and a shallow, 100-foot ford.

I’ve been to this crossing a half-dozen times and it’s not even close to approaching 100 feet. The small floodplain created by Salt Fork is perhaps 50-70 feet and the stream itself is only a few yards wide.

At mile 5.5, cross Klaber Branch creek before passing a junction with the Bison Way Trail. After .5 mile, a side trail leads to Indian Staircase, a test of mettle that pays off with a view of the sprawling valley below.

The “side trail” mentioned here is unmarked and unmaintained; it’s simply a high-traffic user-trail. This could certainly cause some confusion among hikers who are looking for a marked intersection and a blazed trail. Somewhat concerning, but not necessarily a “life-or-death” error.

Continue .4 mile to Indian Arch, a 20-foot sandstone span sitting on the ridge between Sargent and Greasy Brooks. Set up camp and climb the arch from the west for an unobstructed view of the gorge.

This is the point in the article where I realized that I should drastically lower my expectations before I continued reading. Sargent and Greasy Brooks? Using a distinctly Northeastern adjective to describe streams in eastern Kentucky was a mildly amusing error, but it was the source of the error – lazy journalism – that I found to be troubling. Topographic maps of the area refer to small streams as branches, such as the previously mentioned Klaber Branch, and used an abbreviated version of this word for other streams, showing Sargent and Greasy Branches as “Greasy Br” and “Sargent Br”. Inexplicably, the author of this piece made the leap of logic that rather than standing for “branch” it stood for “brook”, despite the fact that numerous streams, including two referred to in the article, are listed as “branch”.

Next day, cross Greasy Brook and swing north around a pinnacle called Cloud Splitter. In 1.7 miles, reach a 200-foot suspension bridge over the Red River, with Chimney Top Rock to the southeast. Follow the trail in the Chimney Top Creek’s floodplain, then climb to a treeless peak. Gray’s Arch, tall as a full-grown pine, stands to the northwest.

While Gray’s Arch does indeed stand to the northwest of this location, it is separated by several ridges and, at least in my experience, is not visible from the location mentioned. I found this to be somewhat disingenuous as it implies that the arch can be viewed from this “treeless peak” (a more appropriate description would have been “bald rock knob”; there’s nothing alpine about this particular landform). The Sheltowee Trace passes within a mile or so of Gray’s Arch, but it is not visible from the trail, at least in any meaningful sense.

This is also a spot where a little bit of research would have gone a long way and allowed for the cultural importance of the area to be conveyed to the reader. A 3,700 year old squash rind was discovered at an archaeological site near Cloudsplitter, Along with evidence from other rockshelters, it was determined by archaeologists that the Red River Gorge (and the larger Eastern Woodlands geographic and cultural area with which the indigenous populations of the Red River Gorge were associated) was an area in which plant domestication efforts were undertaken by prehistoric humans, putting it in the same category as more well known areas like the Andes area of Peru (potatoes), Mesoamerica (corn/maize), east Asia (rice) and Mesopotamia (wheat and barley). Such information would have been easily found through a simple Google search for “Native Americans” and “Red River Gorge”:

http://www.southeasternarchaeology.org/grant/past/kla/LAW_Gorge_Rockshelters.pdf

http://www.wku.edu/~darlene.applegate/Living_Arch_Weekend/educational_materials/LAW_Plant_Domestication_Handout.pdf

Another 3.5 miles takes you past mini waterfalls along the Whittleton Branch. Cross over the Bert T. Combs Mountain Parkway, and pick up the Whittleton Arch Trail. Hike 1.2 streamside miles to a .2-mile side trail to the arch. Return to the trail and track 1.3 miles to the Natural Bridge parking lot.

This is a poorly organized description; when taken as written it is physically impossible. You must first cross the Mountain Parkway to access the Whittleton Branch trail if hiking from the north, as this route describes. The stretch of the Sheltowee Trace after the “treeless peak” and before it crosses the Mountain Parkway is a ridgetop hike followed by a brief walk which parallels Tunnel Ridge Road. Only after crossing the parkway does the trail parallel Whittleton Branch.

[Mark_W]

Additional errors in the online article: The two USGS topo maps listed for this trip (Pomeroyton and Scranton) in the information section at the beginning of the online article do not cover the entire hike. The Scranton quad covers only the first mile of this hike. The Pomeroyton quad covers a good chunk of the mileage, but nearly a third of the hike is on the Slade quad.


The following errors are contained in the sidebars on pages 23 and 24 of the published article.

Trip Planner:

Shuttle: Sheltowee Trace Outfitters; (800) 541-7238. I called this business to inquire about their shuttle services and the employee I spoke with stated that Sheltowee Trace Outfitters does not provide shuttles in the Red River Gorge area; they are located approximately 80 miles away.

Map: Free; sheltoweetrace.org. I could not locate a map suitable for backpacking on this site. Maps suitable for backpacking are available at sheltoweetrace.com. However, in my opinion, the most appropriate map for this hike would be the official U.S. Forest Service map of the area which shows all official trails, waterways and topographic features and is printed on the same durable material as Trails Illustrated maps.

Backpacker letter-to-the-editor continued:

See This:

At mile 6.5, a side trail leads to Indian Staircase . . . some say the indentations were made by the Adena tribe, which inhabited the area 1,700 years ago, but 19th century salt miners exploring for mineral deposits were probably responsible. Scramble to The Council Chambers, a football field-size sheltered spot beneath a rock overhang. Then hike to Ohm Dome, an opening in the rock’s roof. According to legend, the dome was used for religious ceremonies because of the deep “ohm” sound produced when talking. Camp here (bring water) for a five-star view of the Red River Gorge.

Again, the “side trail” is unmarked and unmaintained. Also, it was saltpeter (an ingredient in gunpowder, also known as niter) miners that likely made the indentations, not “salt miners”; calling the Adena a tribe is also somewhat inaccurate according to most anthropological sources.

However, the biggest problem in this sidebar is its implication that visitors should feel free to camp in a rockshelter. Camping within 100 feet of a rockshelter or the base of any cliff has been prohibited in the Red River Gorge area for several years. Countless archaeological sites have been permanently destroyed as a result of careless campers and numerous sensitive plant species have also been impacted, which ultimately led to a ban on camping in rockshelters.

There’s no doubt that the rockshelter referred to is impressive, but it was disturbing to see readers encouraged to violate a regulation designed to protect cultural resources and sensitive plant habitat. It would have been nice if readers had been suggested to tread lightly and keep their eyes open for white-haired goldenrod, a threatened plant species that only grows in rockshelters in the Red River Gorge. Instead, a tired “legend” was re-told and visitors were directed to camp at an area that has for years suffered from overuse and abuse.

Locals Know: Just off KY 77 after crossing the Red River you’ll find Creature Feature (5.9), one the gorge’s most popular routes. Rising between you and success: 100 feet of jugs and a roof. Get more routes at climbing.com/redrivergorge

Not just locals . . . the Red River Gorge is an internationally known climbing destination. The length listed for Creature Feature in the online guidebook for rock climbing in the Red River Gorge is 60 feet. The website for climbing information listed in Backpacker does not work when it is typed into an internet browser.

Key Skill: [see article]

This skill involved heating up rocks in a pot of boiling water, drying them, placing them in a sock and then placing the sock in your boot to dry it. While probably functional, intuition tells me that this “skill” likely falls under the category of “more trouble than it’s worth”. The possibility of getting wet boots on this hike was greatly exaggerated (“With muddy river bottoms and a handful of creek crossings, this hike guarantees wet boots”). Except for immediately after heavy rain and a few weeks in spring, most of these crossings can be done without getting your feet wet simply by rock hopping, even in non-waterproof boots.

I’ve learned over the years not to expect too much from Backpacker. Like most publications these days they are forced to do more with less and as a result their content often leaves much to be desired. Relying on redundant tips and skills that are often recycled from past issues, hike-by-number “Rip & Go” pieces and reviews of every piece of hiking paraphernalia on the market to fill up the magazine instead of publishing thought provoking long-form articles and columns by regular contributors is disappointing, but as long as the information is accurate I suppose the magazine can’t be faulted too much.

However, this article disappointed me on levels for which I was completely unprepared. Inaccurate information regarding shuttles, maps and regulations is inexcusable in an article touted to contain enough information to allow the reader to “Rip & Go”. Allusions to Native American “legends” and playing up Daniel Boone are par for the course in descriptions of many hiking areas in the eastern United States, but the fact that space was wasted for these clichés at the expense of truly important facts about prehistoric activity in the area was especially saddening. The extensive petroglyphs and archaeological sites in the Red River Gorge are of such significance that the area was designated a National Archaeological District in 2003.

Further, the unique geological characteristics of the Red River Gorge were barely touched upon and the many federal designations that have been bestowed upon the area were ignored. The area contains perhaps the highest concentration of natural arches east of the Rocky Mountains; the state of Kentucky is only behind Utah, and possibly Arizona, in the number of natural arches it contains. The Red River is a federally designated Wild and Scenic River – the only river in Kentucky with such a distinction. The first several miles of trail pass through the Clifty Wilderness, an area that was extensively logged in the late 19th and early 20th century but has made a remarkable comeback.

Those issues aside, what I found most disturbing about the article was that it undermined the efforts made by the US Forest Service and Leave No Trace to raise awareness about the heavy and detrimental impacts of certain recreational activities in the Red River Gorge. The Red River Gorge was named as a Leave No Trace HotSpot in 2010 –damage caused by heavy traffic on social paths and illegal camping were two of the primary reasons why – and the Backpacker article instructed persons to take a user-trail and then camp in violation of Forest Service regulations put in place to protect sensitive cultural and ecological resources.

Nearly every error in this article could have been caught and corrected if a minimal amount of time had been spent perusing the Daniel Boone National Forest website or calling the Cumberland Ranger District for information on regulations.

The fact that that so much inaccurate information made its way into this piece makes it impossible for me to ever fully trust any “Rip & Go” that has appeared or will appear in the magazine. The erroneous content of this article not only did readers and the overworked and underfunded federal land managers of the Red River Gorge area an incredible disservice, but it contradicted many of the statements made in the Backpacker Magazine Mission statement.

Despite my qualms with Backpacker’s content, I have dutifully purchased the magazine from retail outlets for the past three years. I did this rather than subscribe because I knew that magazines profit more from newsstand sales than subscriptions and was happy to contribute to the sole publication that focuses on the hobby – the lifestyle – which I hold so dear and am so passionate about. Unless the online article is corrected and a statement published in a future issue apologizing for such a lack of professionalism in regard to the “Rip & Go” for the Sheltowee Trace I will certainly not purchase any future issues and will encourage other outdoor enthusiasts, both in person and through online mediums, to do the same.

If Backpacker considers itself to be a friend of hikers and the public lands available for outdoor recreation, the content of its “Rip & Go” for the Sheltowee Trace brings to mind the saying “With friends like this, who needs enemies?”

[Tommy - The Tank]

Mark_W I agree with what you are saying due to backpackers inaccurate info on many issues they write about is wrong. But the exposure is still good to put it on the map of letting people know it's here!!! Many people that are avid day hikers here in kentucky know nothing about the trail. That is where people that are familiar can comment on the page and let others atleast know what we are talking about and post on there public page. Backpacker and the editors are very wrong on alot of the post they post, from my experience especially with info on this great trail. But atleast we are on the map to where experienced hikers of the trail can comment and express or concerns of there short falls.. I agree 100 percent with what you are saying!!! There is alot more to experience on the trail then what they posted and there is alot of miss informed info!!! I was reading an article last night talking about covering up and playing dead during a black bear incounter with cubs and everything has show that is only maybe good, during a griz attack
(plus alot of other missed informed info other then that)!! Even though they are not perfect it is up to the one's that know the trail make sure they correct the miss informed issues thanks for the post!!!

[Tommy - The Tank]

I never take the advise of a mag. they are out there to make money and throw articles together by the set of their pant's. I feel most avid backpackers and people interested in hiking a new area's (or would hope) best bet is getting with a local trail crew. Like our Ridge Runner Trail Crew which has a Thru hiker manual or an org. like that that takes care of the trail to make sure of the conditions and would ask questions about it first!! I want info from those who are on the trail or who have been on the trail recently to answer my questions!!! Which don't get answered or are in correct in alot of there issues!!! Always trust those who are on and live on the trail not those who write about them!!

[jbd]

The "Thru-Hilers Manual for the Sheltowee Trace" which is authored by Scot Ward is available through the Sheltowee Trace Association. The Ridge Runner Trail crew is a part of the Sheltowee Trace Association. There are a couple of other trail crews that do work on the Sheltowee Trace.

[Traildust]

Thanks Mark for sharing your letter to the editor with us. Right on with your analysis. We were never consulted about the content only told they were writing a piece and asked to provide photos. As solid as your comments are, we will constantly struggle to get National coverage on other sections until we can build the volunteer base to make the entire trail as meaningful as a trip to RRG.