I’m in the top 2 or 3 right now with the theme “Light”.
Here’s my entry for this month:
I finished as a finalist (top 10), but no word yet if I will be judged as a prizewinner. Kinda cool regardless.
Louisville Hiking and Backpacking Meetup
It was a bracingly cold morning on Friday Jan. 1st as we hit the trail right at 9:30 AM and made our way down the Fire Tower trail to start our day. After a frosty group photo on top of the Fire Tower, we made our way down the #2 trail to Clifty Creek.
Brr (yours truly in red on left)
(photo curtesy of Tony Shulthise)
This was where I probably made a bad decision and I must apologize to our relatively new member Kate. After we walked up the Creek bed toward Hoffman Falls, we were confronted with a problem: crossing an unusually high Clifty Creek in very cold (teens) weather. I was so enthused to show off the creek valley in wintry conditions, I decided to attempt the crossing. All went well until Kate lost her footing and took a chilling dip in the creek. After some debate, a few members did not want to cross and so I led Vivian and Peggy back to the trail junction of trails 2 and 3 while the rest of the group (already across the creek and not willing to come back over) made their way down trail #2 to meet up at the Hoffman Falls trail.
Fateful crossing
Kate was quite a trooper and made it all the way to Hoffman Falls Overlook, thanks in part to Chris loaning her his dry pants and Eric loaning a dry pair of socks. Along the way, a large group also explored up Hoffman Creek to get a glimpse of what I’m now calling Little Hoffman Falls. On returning to the trailhead and head up to the Hoffman Falls overlook, Nathan’s friend Casey twisted an ankle pretty well and needed some help from Patrick, who fortunately had a gel splint for just such and injury.
Little Hoffman Falls
At the overlook, it was decided that Nathan go back to the lodge, get his truck and come back to pick up Casey and Kate, take them to lodge and get them warm. While we waited, Tony gave foot massages (to Kate who’s feet were cold and we checked for frostbite). We also found out at the overlook that a car was handy at the parking lot above the falls, so the ladies made it to the car and got warm and Nathan arrived shortly thereafter.
Neither Casey nor Kate were badly hurt, but my lesson was learned. I won’t let my enthusiasm override good judgement again. With about 2 hours left and the two injured hikers on their way to safety, we decided to go see Tunnel Falls and then take the shortcut back to the lodge through the campground areas in order to get back before they closed for lunch. All went according to plan from that point forward and we got back to the lodge with plenty of time to spare.
Tunnel Falls
Injuries aside, Clifty Falls delivered as always with lots of breathtaking views of frozen waterfalls, rock formations and lofty overlooks. I hope everyone had a great time and again, my apologies to Kate, whom I feel I could have prevented the untimely swim. I hope she’s not discouraged from hiking with us again.
New rule: no wet feet crossings when the weather is below 30. (At least when I lead a hike of this size.)
Total turnout was 20-22 (we were joined by a few hikers on the trail) which was quite surprising since it was New Year’s Day and pretty darn cold.
Well, I have two new notches on my trekking poles at least.
(Just kidding.)
I expected the Fall colors to be peaking by now, but it looks like the next 2 weeks will see the best of the colors in the Kentuckiana area.
On Saturday, I hiked 2 trails in Bernheim Forest (Cull Hollow and Guerilla Hollow) and the colors were definitely coming on, but as of now, the deep reds and oranges aren’t quite there yet.
Here are a few early fall color images from Saturday. Look for a few hiking blogs in the next 2 weeks as I’ve had quite a few awesome adventures since my last entry.
Haven’t had the writing bug, but I thought I’d share some of my recent photos.
Find more photos like this on Hiker’s Journal
The Siltstone Trail in Jefferson Memorial Forest has a small section near the Scott’s Gap Rd. trailhead that is only twenty paces wide. What makes this section unusual is that this short width extends for many miles in length. It is what I like to call a power line cut; an area kept clear of forest for high tension power lines that extends to the highest point you can see in both directions, and beyond.
After hiking the entire 12 miles of the trail from Scott’s Gap Rd to the Welcome Center and then back, I was enjoying the last few minutes on the trail in some pretty glorious cool weather considering it was still August.
Approaching the cut from the shade of the forest, I saw across the clearing a yearling white tail deer, still showing spots in its light brown coat. The deer emerged from the trail opening in the opposite side of the forest, oblivious to my presence in the shade, and moved quickly heading toward the large hill that defined the North horizon in this section of the cut.
The key to experiencing deer in the forest all comes down to who sees who first. If the deer sees you first, you’ll most likely get a view of it’s white tail flashing as its haunches bounce away and over the next rise.
If you see the deer first, freeze.
After stopping, you should then move very slowly and deliberately as any sudden movement will spook the deer and off it will run. From my vantage point in the shade, I watched frozen in my tracks as the yearling almost pranced through the clearing, pausing to nibble at random greenery like a child looking through the kitchen cabinets for a secret stash of cookies. As it made its way through the clearing and started to head uphill, I lost sight of the deer in the high weeds.
I moved slowly into the clearing and turned to look for my yearling friend as it re-emerged from the weeds and continued grazing on the hillside. I quietly took out my camera and slowly raised my arm to begin taking pictures when the deer noticed my presence. Looking back at me with his ears now pricked up at attention, I thought it would only be moments before I saw it bounce twice and disappear in the treeline.
Yearling takes notice
To my surprise, it reversed course from where it stood and started to take cautious steps toward me rather than away from me. As it continued to walk downhill, the deer again disappeared in the high weeds and I walked a few steps forward to get a better view.
The yearling re-emerged from the weeds again almost at a full bouncing trot, spotted me immediately in the clearing and froze. It was only about 20 yards away and now, the stare down began. I again raised my camera slowly and started snapping pictures. The yearling, clearly curious, started to look back and forth moving its head and swishing its tail nervously. I could almost hear its thoughts as it looked at this sweaty animal wearing a green shirt and hat.
“What the heck is that thing?”
With only my digital camera extended, I continued snapping pictures, the noise of the shutter very audible in the almost still air.
And the yearling took another step towards me.
And then another.
Not knowing what to do at this point, I lowered my camera and just watched.
The yearling took two more steps in my direction, all the while staring at me, ears alert, evaluating all the data, and curiously unafraid. Almost within 10 yards of me now, it side-stepped into taller grass and began a slow circular skirting path in my direction. Coming forward and maintaining its minimal distance, I slowly raised my camera again to snap pictures, expecting each shutter noise to be the last moment I would see the animal as it darted into the trees.
Still curious
But still it lingered, oblivious to me snapping pictures. At this point, having shared the last few minutes with my new pal, I had that silly human moment where I thought that any wild animal not afraid of me is tame, so I spoke to it.
“Hey there fella” I said in a soothing and soft high voice. The yearling came to attention, and looked at me strangely, with its ears pointed at the sound of my voice. “How you doin’?” I clearly recall saying out loud.
It didn’t bolt.
It calmly licked its muzzle and I noticed the shine on its wet nose. Details sprang forth and I saw how thick its coat was, the pattern of spots on its side and the long whisker hairs around its mouth. It swished its tail again nervously and lowered its head to nibble grass. It raised its head again and looked directly at me, still wondering what I was.
Still frozen, I raised my camera again and took pictures.
Behind me, I heard a breeze begin to rustle through the grass and felt it hit my sweat, cooling me in the warming sunshine. The yearling suddenly dashed into the woods.
In the blink of an eye, it had gone and I heard the crunch of leaves only twice as it bounded away in the shade and disappeared.
“Gotta go!”
On the breeze, I smelled the smoke of an outdoor fire.
I don’t think I scared off my friend in the woods, but I certainly enjoyed my 10 minutes in the sunshine with my new pal. So much so that the 6 hour/12 mile hike I had just completed seemed like an afterthought.
With a newfound bounce in my step, I drank some water from my Camelbak drinking tube and proceeded on toward my car in the Scott’s Gap parking area.
Just another great day in the forest.
Looks like I’ll be tinkering with my home computer for a few days trying to get my boot drive back up and running.
Computers can be a pain in the a**.
I spotted a giant walking stick on the Mitc h McConnell trail in Jefferson Memorial Forest Sunday evening along with a patch of stunning, though unidentified mushrooms. Here are the images.
Giant Walking Stick (missing 2 legs)
Mushrooms on the Blue Trail
It was extremely humid and hot so I took the three mile shortcut as opposed to the full 5.4 miles, another first. The Blue Trail shortcut follows a running creek that was excellent habitat for fungi in a wide variety all along the valley.
Short stories from trails around Kentuckiana
Do You Smell Cucumbers?
On a recent hike, I joined the Louisville Hiking and Backpacking Meetup Group in Jefferson Memorial Forest. (A great group if you’re looking to get into the local outdoors!) During the hike, I heard an interesting rumor about smells on the trail. That’s right, smells.
Apparently, it is a popularly held belief that if you smell cucumbers while hiking, it means that there is a copperhead snake nearby. After a little research online, I could only confirm that the story is out there. I couldn’t find out if it was factual though. Once I started paying attention, I noticed that distinct odor a couple of times along the Purple Heart Trail in the Tom Wallace Recreation Area. I never spotted a snake, but I will start looking when I notice the odor and I hope I can snap some pictures of the olfactory offender.
Has anyone else heard that copperheads give off the cucumber smell?
Strike a pose
I really enjoy hiking, but in reality, hiking is just the means by which I pursue my real passion, outdoor photography. Don’t get me wrong, hiking is great exercise and I’ve come to realize that there is something almost spiritual about the serenity of a long trail in the wilds. But taking pictures of what I find out there and then finding out exactly what it is with a little research seems to speak to my secret Swedish heritage, my inner Linnaeus.
I’ve never splurged on any fancy equipment, and I still use the first digital camera I ever purchased (a mid range job by Panasonic). Some days, you might think you’ve captured some great images only to get home and find that you never really focused quite right, or the lighting was off. Any number of things can ruin pictures, but with most outdoor subjects, it comes down to their willingness to sit still long enough for you to snap a decent picture. (Birds can be especially maddening in this regard!)
On a recent hike along the Hike Bike Pike in Bernheim Forest, I was struck by the sudden willingness of several subjects to just strike a pose while I snapped multiple pictures. If I had to give one tip for taking digital photos, it would be this: when the subject sits still and you want a good image, take as many pictures as you can. Every extra shot you take increases the probability that you have at least one good image in the bunch.
On a sunny Sunday afternoon, a Tiger Swallowtail basked in the sun for 10 minutes while I snapped away and a Fence Lizard actually flexed for me.
Eastern Fence Lizard Closeup
Tiger Swallowtail
More firsts
It’s been an interesting Summer in the Bluegrass for sure. We’ve had plenty of rain and everything is lush and green in the great outdoors in our area. Finding a new trails in Jefferson Forest (Fairmount Falls) and Bernheim Forest (Hike Bike Pike) is certainly a first for me, and I hope you get to check them both out as soon as you can.
Mushrooms continue to be a big highlight this summer and on almost any hike I’ve taken, I’ve spotted golden chanterelle mushrooms in abundance. On more than one occasion, I’ve spotted patches of these culinary delectables that contained at least 50 mushrooms, each about the size of my fist. Morels might be the most sought after in Spring, but Summer has been chanterelle time. At Fairmount Falls, I also spotted a huge specimen of an almost alien looking white coral tooth fungus.
My first hike on the AT to Charlie’s Bunion also delivered my first sighting of Turks Cap Lilies on the trail. My first trip to Buzzard Roost in Hoosier National Forest also afforded me my first ever viewing of a Blackberry Lily, and my first case of chigger bites.
Blackberry lilies
Psyched about Fall
Last year, we experienced one of the best Fall color seasons this decade. With the quantity of rain that we’ve had this year, only a withering drought in the coming months will prevent us from having another banner year for the crimson and yellow leaves of Fall. I’m really looking forward to crisp days and a rich Autumn palette of color.
Necessities: August
Each month in my Trail Shorts posts, I’ll look at some gear you might want to consider taking on the trail. This month, the topic is trekking poles.
For a luxury item, I must admit I’ve become very reliant on my Leki Titanium trekking poles. I always walk with one pole on hikes under 8 miles. On any trail over that distance, or especially hilly or wet trails, a pair of trekking poles are really helpful for distributing some of the weight you carry to your arms and shoulders as opposed to your hips and knees. If you are a backpacker, trekking poles are almost mandatory.
While you may not want to spend lots of money on hi-tech trekking poles (200 bucks for a pair isn’t unheard of), there are alternatives. Many hikers prefer walking sticks that they fashion themselves out of wood found along the trail. You can also buy inexpensive single poles for under 20 dollars at almost any sporting goods outlet with a decent camping section.
Try a walking stick or a trekking pole and you too will soon make them a habit during your hiking adventures.
I don’t leave home without them
While doing a little research online for an upcoming blog, I was looking at the map of Bernheim Forest and came upon a surprise. Having been a visitor to Bernheim since I was 3 years old, I thought I knew the name and location of every trail in the park.
But lo and behold, there it was, a brand new trail just outside the main body of the park called the Hike Bike Pike. So captivated was I by the thought of a new trail in Bernheim Forest, I made plans to visit it the very next day.
The Hike Bike Pike trailhead is located past the main entrance on the left hand side of KY 245 (also known as Clermont Rd.). Take the entrance to the Jim Beam distillery and at the bottom of a small hill, you’ll see a small gravel parking lot at the trailhead.
Hike Bike Pike Trailhead
As the name suggests, the Hike Bike Pike is a multi-use trail for hikers and bikers. This is something of a departure from other trails in the park that are for hiking only. Additionally, with the trailhead located outside of the main entrance, the weekend fees for entry to the park don’t apply.
The trail is 3 miles long one way (6 miles total) and consists of both paved and gravel walkway. The first section of the trail is gravel for about a mile and a half, which transitions to an access road for a few hundred yards. After the access road, the trail returns to gravel again for about a quarter mile and then there is a long stretch of pavement to the end of the trail. The final section of pavement is a little over a mile long and there are patches of moss and debris, so bikers should be cautious on this section.
The trail is in excellent condition and really requires no special equipment outside of athletic shoes. There are no climbs of more than maybe 50 yards and the majority of the trail is flat, following the contours of a creek on one side and Clermont Rd on the other.
While Clermont Rd is seldom visible, it is a fairly busy roadway with industrial traffic. If you find automotive noise annoying, you might want to hike somewhere inside the park’s main hiking areas to enjoy a more quiet setting. In addition to traffic noise, you’ll also notice noise from the Jim Beam distillery for about the first half mile.
The first gravel section of the trail includes two bridges that cross the creek and provide nice views up and downstream. Even though the traffic noise was something of an issue for almost the entire length of the trail, it did not hamper the feel of being inside of a park. If you walk slowly, you’ll also have the opportunity to spot wildlife and interesting plants and fungi. On the sunny afternoon that I hiked the trail, I had unusually good luck getting butterflies to stay still long enough to get some excellent pictures.
Eastern Fence Lizard
Tiger Swallowtail
Great Spangled Fritillary
This trail is also set up ideally for those interested in exercise as well as enjoying the great outdoors. At six miles total length, the Hike Bike Pike provides a nice middle ground between of the extremes inside of Bernheim Forest. (Most trails inside of the park are under three miles, with the exception of the 14 mile Millennium Trail.)
Pros:
Cons:
LHB Meetup Group