Work travels took me to Bell County in South-Eastern Kentucky, along the Tennessee line. It was hot and humid, with rain clouds hanging in the sky. Google maps offered me a shortened route that turned out to be half make believe. It sent me looking for connecting roads that didn't exist as I wound through the tree covered mountains. Once I could no longer find the road, the app tried to re-route me; but of course there was no signal. Even my radio station went out as I entered the maze.
Despite not having my bearings, I was obliged to help this little box turtle cross the road. I saw another one further up the road, but wasn't able to stop because a coal truck was bearing down on me. Later, I found myself trapped behind a coal truck as we twisted our way down the switch-back roads leading to the valley.
Just as the coal truck turned off, a red truck appeared in the opposite direction with an "OVERSIZED LOAD" banner. He waived me over and told me that I needed to clear outta the way. "Gotta house coming through." The road was so narrow it didn't have white border lines, nor did it have a shoulder. When the house finally turned the corner, I had to raise my eyebrows. Seemed to be going in the wrong direction if it was headed to the dump.
Shortly thereafter, a rain shower erupted. It slowed my progress significantly, but I finally made it to my destination in the middle of Kentucky Ridge State Forest. I decided to skip the maze on the return trip and took HWY-25 to Corbin where I had lunch. I intended to get BBQ at Bubby's but ended up at the wrong exit. I realized my mistake the second I walked into Sonny's but stuck around anyway. There ice tea glasses are the size of your head! Their pulled chicken BBQ didn't disappoint, but the fries did.
Instead of heading home, I took a short detour to Cumberland Falls. The clouds hung heavy in the sky, but the rain held off. I parked at the lodge and checked out the view of the Cumberland River from the deck. Then I took the short trail down to the Falls. There I saw a man with a long white beard and a teeny grey kitten tied to a silver ribbon which served as a leash. I chatted with him a bit while I played with his kitten named "Gator"; born on the 4th of July & bottle fed. His family was on vacation from Ohio and Gator had seen Cumberland Gap the day before. I regret I didn't take a photo.
On the return hike, I spotted another box turtle. Since he was in the woods, I left him to his own devices after a short chat and photo session. He seemed the confident sort. Nice way to end the day.
I brake for turtles! I'm constantly scanning the roadways for signs of these little hobos, carrying their home on their back. Turtles generally don't need any human intervention or rescue. However, I always feel like I've saved a life when I help them reach the other side of the road. Last week, I had the opportunity to save two within a dozen miles of each other.
Shy box turtle
While traveling down rural HWY 7 from Little Sandy to West Liberty in Eastern Kentucky, I spotted this tiny box turtle in the road. I pulled over in front of an abandoned filling station and hopped out to rescue him. By the time I'd returned to my car, the owner had driven over to see what was going on. Turtle rescue, sir. Just trying to save the day. I dropped the little box turtle in the grass on the other side of the roadway & continued my drive.
The fine art of turtle spotting
To my great surprise, I spotted another turtle trying to cross HWY 7. This was several miles down the road, and thankfully had a generous shoulder to pull over and park. As I got closer to my mark, I realized it was a snapper. Ugh! Not to be deterred, it was small enough that I could flip it on it's back and carry it across. The drop off on the other side of the road was steep, so I walked him down to a lower lying area near a creek bed.
This snapping turtle looks like he just emerged from the bottom of a pond.
Spring has finally arrived and the capitol city of Kentucky is blooming. This is the most beautiful time of year to spend an afternoon in Frankfort. I walked around the Old Capitol grounds and enjoyed the flowers and fresh growth on the trees.
Girls play in front of the Old Capitol.
Frankfort is host to numerous flowering trees, including the native red bud and dogwood. A walk around the area promises to reveal magnolia, cherry and crab apple blossoms. While the modern Kentucky State Capitol building always hosts a fine display of tulips this time of year, the Old Capitol was dressed with the showy blooms of a pink dogwood.
Flowering dogwood The Capitol Annex, home to the Cabinet for Economic Development
I drove around some of the downtown Frankfort streets looking for blooms, circling out to Buffalo Trace Bourbon Distillery. Buffalo Trace is always a solid bet for beautiful seasonal landscaping. Even from the distribution entrance, the flowers didn't disappoint. The tulips caught the light just as the sun began to set.
Spring blooms at Buffalo Trace Orange tulip Warehouses filled with bourbon barrels
Having spent many weeks in the field with the guys, I decided to try my own hand at arch hunting in Daniel Boone National Forest. I headed to Menifee County in Eastern Kentucky for my first solo run. I began by walking along old county roads which have long been decommissioned, and are now simply dirt trails. Using GPS, I was able to locate two large arches in close proximity to each other but not without getting turned around once or twice.
Devil's Market House Arch
Devil's Market House Arch is certainly unique, as it stands isolated from any cliff or ridge. It appears to have dropped from the sky, arising seemingly from no where in the middle of the forest. Perhaps that unexplained element is how the arch was given its name. Each angle of the Devil's Market House presents a new view and myriad smaller arches and windows, making it very fun to explore.
Posing from the other side of Devil's Market
Although spring flowers were still scant, many butterflies were enjoying the warm temperatures and gentle breeze. I was thrilled to see several enormous butterflies, about the size of my hand, floating around the rocky outcropping. For a while, they followed me along the trail.
Yellow Tiger Striped Swallowtail
View of the Cumberland Mountains, from above the arch.
A rookie day in the field is not without mistakes, of course. Initially, I walked far beyond where I should have turned off trail believing that the Devil's Market Place would be visible from the old road. GPS cleared that up quickly. Harder to find was Sprat's Arch. I nearly gave up, deciding that the the view of the mountains from the peak was as good as it was going to get on this trip. Then I realized I was standing on top of the arch!
Sprat's Arch
Posing for scale
National Forest Boundary
Although I found two large arches, there were several others nearby. I had the coordinates roughly translated, but couldn't get my topographic maps to line up. Had I been more patient with myself, I'm certain I could have found them. As it is, I have another challenge for a return trip.
It was a beautiful spring day on our last team hike in the Gorge. Skies were cloudy, but temperatures were above average and reached a high of 77°F/25°C. The weather was comfortable enough for t-shirts, which sadly means the camping crowds were also making their first appearance. Snakes are sure to follow, so we will have to wait until fall for more off-trail adventures. Thankfully, our last day together in the field was a good one.
Lost Camp Arch
Conglomerate stone layers at Mushroom Arch
Cherokee Arch was the largest of the arches we visited, seeming to hover like a heavenly staircase over a massive rock cave. Water splashes down from above, making a slight waterfall effect when viewed from the below. Massive boulders make wonderful impromptu tables for a snack or packed lunch. We spent our time shooting photos and shooting the shit.
Cherokee Arch
Peppered around the surrounding area is a collection of rock windows. Rock windows are smaller openings in the rock, not large enough to be considered an arch. The inartfully named Rat Windows run the gambit from easily accessible to requiring a rope and harness. We were able to approach some, while having to be satisfied by spotting another from a distance on a neighboring cliff.
Rat Window #1
Climbing through the window
As the leaves return to the trees, and the sticker bushes start to branch out, going off trail in the Gorge becomes much more difficult. And that's not even taking into consideration the return of the snakes from their winter hibernation. Or ticks. Or bears? Either way, the season for serious arch hunting is almost at a close. Thanks to my buddy Dale for taking us out into the woods to discover some beautiful and amazing things.
"Yeah, probably should go around. It's nothing but thicket through here." Haha! Sure thing, boss.
This week the hiking team visited Star Gap Arch and Arch of Triumph, two of the dozens of natural rock arches in Red River Gorge located beyond the official trails. Some arches are more accessible than others and these were along somewhat visible trails among a maze of switchbacks, campsite spurs, and dead ends. Good backcountry skills are required and sometimes so is the occassional cliffside scramble. Some trails go directly over the rock arch following the top of the sandstone ridgeline, while never revealing there is an arch hiding underneath.
View from underneath Star Gap Arch
Couple and their dog resting under Star Gap Arch
We left early in the morning and saw the mountains appear through a thick fog. The fog eventually cleared from the valleys but the clouds stuck around. Sometimes the sun would come out for a bit and the air would immediately warm up only to disappear again as soon as I'd removed my top layer of clothing. Thankfully we kept moving so the chill wasn't too bad.
Star Gap Arch across the valley and through the fog
The trail to Arch of Triumph is a good example of where a hiker could miss an arch. The trail runs along the top of the cliffline, and over the sandstone of the arch. Even from a view further along the trail, the arch can easily be missed. This image shows the Arch of Triumph, which will be even easier to miss once the leaves return to the trees.
The trail looking onto the cliff and easy to miss arch.
Arch of Triumph is only a few feet high.
Sitting in a rock window
In the afternoon, we moved on to another area of the national forest and set out along a rarely used trail. We had to drop down to the very bottom of the valley to reach Black John Arch and Spout. From our approach, the arch looked like a door-sized keyhole in the rock. However, after walking down and through the opening, the arch is revealed and was quite large. The cliffline continues and leads to a rock window named Black John Spout. It was one of the most interesting arches we visited, but sadly we weren't able to linger. I hope to return in a few weeks, but definitely by a different route with less cliff scrambles. I couldn't have made it to the arch without a helpful boost up and down a few cliffs. Thankfully we had a good team that assisted everyone in the difficult sections.
Below Black John Arch
Cliff looking back on Black John Arch. Note the people for scale.
Black John Spout Arch
Colby Cumberland surveys the rockwall at Star Gap Arch
One of my most beloved places in Kentucky is Townsend Mountain, in Daniel Boone National Forest. The mountain is located at the intersection of Powell, Estill & Lee County in Eastern Kentucky, just south of Natural Bridge State Park. It is heavily forested and home to natural arches, rocky vistas, caves, cliffs, beaver pond, and the occasional black bear strolling along Kentucky's longest trail, Sheltowee Trace.
View from White's Branch Arch, Townsend Mountain
Townsend Mountain was first named in 1815 when James Townsend and his Choctaw wife Sukie (Robertson) purchased 10,000 acres of land with a small cabin along the headwaters of Miller's Creek. Their one-room home was in a cleared, flat spot near a large limestone cave where cold & clear Miller's creek spills into short waterfalls, surrounded by the Cumberland Mountains. They kept livestock, grew corn, harvested timber and distilled spirits. James Townsend continued to buy and trade land throughout his lifetime, expanding his holdings to eventually cover 69,000 continuous acres. Under his stewardship, Townsend Mountain became home to future Townsend generations. Each of his children carved out a plot for their own homestead and raised their children nearby.
Looking out from inside Townsend Cave
Sadly, James Townsend's possession of the land ended abruptly when he was murdered by Confederate guerrillas in October 1862. Local and family lore holds that the rag tag bunch believed James, age 72, had silver and other valuable items and would be vulnerable because his sons were all away at war, fighting for the Union. They began an assault on the house, but James held them off with a shotgun. His wife Sukie assisted him after sending the grandchildren to the mountain to hide. She reloaded the rifle for James several times, before being struck in the head by a Confederate shot and killed. James was eventually captured and tortured for the location of his supposed silver fortune. None was found.
These murders were avenged by James' son William "Bad Bill" Townsend, who was notorious for his temper and violent streak. He is described in the Townsend Mountain book as a "whirlwind demon of death and destruction." He killed several men he believed were responsible for the death of his parents; some after luring them to Townsend Cave. The story lives on in this song by local bluegrass band, Kentucky String Ticklers.
During the last decade of his life, James Townsend had struggled against lumber corporations attempts to dispossess him from his land. After his death, they were successful in their pursuits. James had provided for his children by giving them 100 acres lots, but courthouse fires and changing county lines made it difficult to prove. The family found themselves embattled in a number of lawsuits; fighting for access to roads they had used for decades. They continued to float their timber down the river to market in Clay City, until finally the railroad arrived in 1889 and changed the face of the mountain.
Natural Bridge Historical Postcard. Gilliam Collection, Eva G. Farris Special Collections, W. Frank Steely Library, Northern Kentucky University.
In 1895, the Lexington and Nashville Railroad saw the tourism potential of Natural Bridge and founded a park and lodge. The train made several trips on the weekends, bringing visitors from Lexington to hike and enjoy the natural beauty. The railroad brought the timber boom to epic proportions, leaving most of the area with few trees. Next was the discovery of oil. Sadly, Townsend Mountain did not fare as well as Natural Bridge. It's timber was clear cut and the land eventually leased by oil companies. The tract is now part of the Nature Conservancy and Daniel Boone National Forest, but there are many traces of it's past buried in the forest. The area remains littered with old rigs, rusted barrels and old buildings buried among the trees.
Tourists at Natural Bridge, 1895. University of Kentucky collection.
James Townsend was my great (x4) grandfather and I share his love of Townsend Mountain. I have returned again and again, to hike its various paths and to watch the seasons change. There is still so much to explore! Thanks to the remediation work done by the national forest, Townsend Mountain is once again a woodland respite.
Author (R) posing with Boulder on Townsend Creek
The Townsend Family left behind a voluminous historical records, another great place to explore. Some of the family folklore has been recently re-released in the book Townsend Mountain, available as an e-book on Amazon. However, I've found fun details by patiently flipping by hand through bundles of court records from Estill County. Eventually, I hope to compile my research for publication. The Townsend's were a hardworking, colorful bunch and not afraid to speak their minds! One interesting story is as follows:
Logrolling; Kentucky historical archive image
Joseph Swope v. James Townsend Estill Court Records 1820
Claim: Assault and Battery
Townsend proclaimed that there was to be no more boasting by Joseph Swope of his logrolling abilities while on Townsend land. Swope continued. Townsend fetched his shotgun and laid it against the side of the house. Swope came into the yard, bragging and such, and Townsend set to striking him. Several witnesses swore to the "whippin." Court finds for Swope.
It was another unseasonably beautiful February day in Kentucky. I enjoyed a sunny morning hiking in Red River Gorge, from a new approach. Indian Creek lead to an off-trail natural arch, unique because it's cut from limestone, rather than sandstone. Lots of interesting cliffs and sink holes in the area. The capped the hike off with Blackburn Vista, which offered an expansive view of the Red River Gorge along Spaas Creek. Looking forward to revisiting the area once it's greened up a bit.
