Mapping the Sheltowee

Traildust · Posted: Mon Sep 29, 2008 8:46 am Post subject: Clarity

Might be helpful if someone could be a little clearer about the location of "The Northern Terminus". I live in Lewis County kentucky and would love to promote and encourage the residents of lewis county to get out on the trail. I think sometimes, my experience thru hiking the AT, that we sometimes forget that new folks need simple info.

Is it possible that those who love backpacking and hking and biking this trail could come together in the way the AT Conservancy has come together to form a public private relationship in support of this trail?

Just a thought.

jbd · Posted: Mon Sep 29, 2008 10:30 am Post subject:

As I recall the northern terminus is close to 16 miles north of I-64 on state route 377. There is a forest service sign there. The trail starts on the east side of 377.

Traildust · Posted: Tue Sep 30, 2008 9:03 am Post subject:

thanks. i got the interactive map up. 377 northern terminus is only about 30 miles from my house. going out Wed morning to check it out. At one time I heard from the locals the trail didn't stop there, but went on the South Shore. Would be a great thing to be able to walk from the Ohio River to the Tennessee border. the locals also tell me you can walk old trails from the Ohio all the way to Florida. anyway thanks for the response.

jbd · Posted: Wed Oct 01, 2008 9:04 am Post subject:

Where is South Shore? Does it mean the south shore of the Ohio river?

Did you get out to the terminus today?

Traildust · Posted: Thu Oct 02, 2008 10:46 am Post subject: Day at North Terminus

South Shore is right across the Ohio River from Portsmouth.

Yes wife and I went out yesterday and hiked from 377 parking lot about 3 miles south and then back. Perfect weather for hiking. No one out. The trail from the parking lot up the slope to the ridge was passable. Still lots of briars and poison ivy to get past. Could use a good weed wacking before winter. The trail from the ridge south was great. A few places where the briars are working their way out on the trail but for the most part was a clear trail. Excellent blazes and directional signage. We will be heading back out when time and weather permit. We live 28 miles over the hill to the trail head.

Sadly the parking lot was littered with signs of youthfulness but nothing that five minutes of trash pickup couldn't handle. I would suggest the obvious maybe - each hiker who parks in one of these lots - take along a trash bag and pickup after those who think the forest is their personal trash dump. Enough soapbox for one day.

traildust

I.B.Me · Posted: Thu Oct 02, 2008 2:14 pm Post subject:

Thanks Traildust for the report. I am about 120 miles from the northern terminus so I depend on others a lot.

Jim and I put up the trail markers in July. I am glad they were helpful.

The plan is for all that can make it to meet at the northern terminus on October 18th at about 9am. I will bring a weed eater and chain saw. We will leave a vehicle at Dry fork road and knock out that ten mile section. If enough people show up, another crew can do from Dry fork south to I-64. We would need another weed eater with a steel brush blade for the other crew. Chain saw work should be minimal as we just cut these two sections this spring.

All who can make please come out to help.

Thanks,
Rick

Traildust · Posted: Fri Oct 03, 2008 5:10 pm Post subject: Trail

Kudos to you IBMe on the trail markers. I will be there to help with the maintenance. I have a chain saw and a weedeater as well. Hope everyone will come out. I will provide drinks, soda - G2 - Propel for everyone who comes out. If it is cold cold I will have plenty of Swiss Miss for hot chocolate. One day can make a huge difference.

traildust

jbd · Posted: Sat Oct 04, 2008 2:05 pm Post subject: Re: Day at North Terminus

jbd · Posted: Mon Oct 06, 2008 7:26 am Post subject:

I did a little research and found several references to Native American trails/trading routes that crossed the Ohio in the South Shore area. This route headed to Flat Lick Ky and then through the Cumberland Gap. I did find some references to trails that went towards Maysville. Others went to Crab Orchard and Boonesborough.

Once through Cumberland Gap the trail went south onto Georgia and Florida for trade with the Spanish in Florida at the time.

I found numerous references to Warriors Path in many of the states east of the Mississippi River.

My speculation would be that the Native Americans departed from South Shore and headed to what is now Vanceburg and then turned south and traveled through what we call the Daniel Boone Nat'l forest.

Chilton · Posted: Thu Oct 09, 2008 10:34 pm Post subject:

The way that the sheltowee can be hiked from Tennessee to Ohio is to start in the south at the southern term then hiking northward. There is a turn off in Rowan county at the dry branch intersection that is an access to the Jenny Wiley trail which can be followed north to the Ohio river. I Don't remember exactly where it comes out but it is and has been closed for a few years now. It can still be hiked however it is not maintained at all.

Rick (I.B.Me) and myself along with some local volunteers and students from Morehead cleared the section from the North Term through until Holly Fork. Before that it was very over grown and the trail was practically indistinguishable. Somehow last summer Rick was able to thru-hike it but it was an act of god (or just his great woodsman skills) that he ever made it. That section actually took his dog Jack out of commission. There are many people from Morehead who care about and use the trail but after the ice storm of 2003 the forestry service said that they would not clear it and were not allowing volunteer groups to work it due to insurance purposes. So we did it with out their permission and then said... look what we did, can you reopen it. I'm not sure if it has been officially reopen yet, we didn't finish it until about May then cleared out for the summer. I'm sure it could use some work now. The section from holly fork to 64 was never cleared but it was in the best shape of the last sections. It needs a lot of work but the last time I walked it the section was do-able, with a little common sense. Definitely not clear though.

I.B.Me · Posted: Fri Oct 10, 2008 9:46 am Post subject:

Chilton,
We did get the trees cut from Holley fork to I-64 but the logs are still laying there to be stepped over.

Jim and I hiked it in July and placed new trail markers as we went. It is in decent shape except the normal summer growth of briars and some logs to step over. I hope you, me and the Sigma Pi's will put it in ship shape on October 25th.

Me