chester in the stride
Joined: 18 Jan 2012 Posts: 56 Location: Slade, Kentucky
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Posted: Tue May 28, 2013 7:41 pm Post subject: Day 7 Cumberland Falls to just north of Holly Bay 20.9 miles |
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Day 7 Cumberland Falls State Park to just north of Holly Bay Area (20.9 miles with ford over Bark Camp Creek)
I woke up well rested and ready to tackle anything that came at me that day. After a nice, hot breakfast at the lodge, I headed out on the trail. Right off, I passed a sign “Bridge out over Bark Camp Creek, DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CROSS IN HIGH WATER.” The Cumberland River was swollen onto the banks and the Sheltowee was under water in a few sections. After a couple of 4th class climbing moves over tall boulders, I managed to get through the tough sections and continue onward. The rapids were raging and swift. My imagination began to get the best of me. I began to wonder what Bark Camp Creek would look like. Would it be like Big Creek but wider? Big Creek wasn’t even listed as a ford in the guidebook. The Sheltowee forums were full of warnings about Bark Camp Creek yet Big Creek wasn’t even mentioned. I knew it had to be more challenging than Big Creek. So, I spent the next few hours worrying…
As it turned out, its bark was bigger than its bite. I heard it before I saw it and it sounded ferocious. But upon further inspection it was not nearly as rough as Big Creek even though it was wider. Halfway across the creek the sun came out and I was tempted to sit on one of the big boulders and have my lunch. But I knew people were watching me on my Spot tracker and would freak if they saw me stopped in the middle of Bark Camp Creek after I had made such a big production about crossing it. I decided to have lunch up the trail a bit. Far enough from the creek to show them I was indeed across.
Something else my husband had mentioned was that I should be running into Thomas (the guy heading southbound) sometime that day. He had been keeping an eye on Thomas’ Spot and span between us was getting smaller and smaller. I was excited to meet him and to talk about the trail conditions north.
As the day wore on, there was still no sign of Thomas and I knew if I didn’t see him that evening, we were close enough to each other that he would end up passing me while I was sleeping (Thomas started his hikes around 5am and I didn’t start until at least 9am). I waited as long as I could and started looking for a place to leave the trail to set up camp. Just as I was about to step off the trail, Thomas popped around the corner. He was just in time! We decided to set up camp together and discuss trail conditions. I was very thankful for this chance meeting for a few reasons, first and foremost…I was able to meet this great guy who had turned into a mentor to me while I was planning my trip. Secondly, we were able to give each other good advice on the trail conditions and such. Thirdly, setting up camp with Thomas meant that I was not going to be in the woods alone that night, something I had yet to experience. |
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