Mapping the Sheltowee

[I.B.Me]

Day 7 Friday 7/6/07
I broke camp at 6:38am and for the first time saw just how pitiful a camp spot I had chosen in the dark. The hill was at a 30+ degree slope. It was covered with poison ivy, deer ticks, rocks and boulders everywhere. I had the water to eat breakfast here but still moved on due to the tick situation. Millions of deer ticks were marching up my legs as I took down the hammock and bear bag. Once back on the actual trail, I stopped and reapplied my deet in a liberal fashion.
I was worried that I would not sleep well without Jack but in fact I slept much better. Many times the racket outside that wakes me during the night is Jack. He was raised a city dog and gets restless at any noise. My wife and I liberated him from the pound after he outgrew his owner’s apartment. He was past due to be put down when our farm dog of 13 years passed and we found him. Our old dog “Spot” had traversed the entire Sheltowee with Ryan and me. She was the perfect guard dog only getting excited when necessary. Once on a hundred-miler on the Ozark Trail in Missouri she stayed up all night and defended our camp from marauding raccoons. I figure that Jack when faced by a bear would just motion towards the Hennessy as if to say to the bear “there’s a low hanging food bag”.
After a brief side trip tour of Turkey Foot Campground including pumping water and eating breakfast, I was on the move again. I could tell that this area was once a railroad bed because there are old spikes laying everywhere. I like the old rail beds because the grades are gentler and thus easier on my 43-year-old knees. My weak knees are why I use two trekking poles to transfer some of the load to my arms.
This day I passed the half waypoint of the trail and I had a quiet little party in my head. The highlight of the day however was Horse Lick Creek. You only have to ford it three times but due to my haste to find the trail, I forded a couple extra times. I think I figured out that I’m a Chevy man because fords are too much trouble. Still the Horse Lick Creek area was very nice. Nearing dark I met Scott and Sheri Miller riding their ATV and we spoke at length. We figured out that Sheri’s dad’s niece worked for me at my day job. They seemed most interested in why I would attempt a 280-mile trek across Kentucky. Coincidentally I had been wondering that too. At 8:40pm I made camp after the last ford of Horse Lick Creek. I wanted to get across the creek because several four wheelers were playing on the other side and as I suspected they kept going into the night. Data for day seven: 25.2 trail miles hiked, 1.3 extra miles hiked, moving time 8:37, stopped time 3:29, average moving speed 2.9 mph, total average speed 2.1 mph.