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.
The hiking team headed out for another epic day exploring Red River Gorge in Daniel Boone National Forest, Eastern Kentucky. The forest service allows hikers to go off trail and explore. We walked unofficial trails along Copperas Creek before veering off in thick patches of Rhododendron and cliff walls. First we stopped at Hopewell Arch, an arch nearly invisible through the trees, until you stand inside rock cave home. With a little climbing and hard work, we also located Snow Arch and Double Deer Arch.
Snow Arch
Double Deer Arch
Hopewell Arch
Hopewell Arch
Sometimes we found faint trails as we followed the GPS. Other times we were walking through rough forest and searching for a place with enough rocks to cross Copperas Creek without getting our feet wet. Temperatures were in the forties and we had a lot of mileage to cover, so there was no time for hypothermia. We took a break at Sand Arch and enjoyed the feeling of the sun on our faces after marching through the cold, shady valley. Every turn was a new treasure of rock formations and natural beauty.
Sandy Arch, which also has a waterfall not visible here
Window at Sandy Arch
Beautiful pattern left behind as the sand stone erodes
View from a rock cave along a cliff line
Copperas Arch
Our team leader took us to eight natural arches/windows and several waterfalls, most very isolated. Some unnamed. We were also lucky enough to spot a young coyote and, later, two deer. Neither of which I had ever seen at RRG, although I've often seen their tracks. Great day in the field! Perhaps the best discovery day I've spent in the Gorge.
On our way out, we spent a few minutes taking in Eagle's Nest overlook and passed Moonshiner's Arch, near Osborne Bend trail along the Red River.
Looking to exhaust all the trails in Bell County, I drove to Kentucky Ridge State Forest. The forest covers Pine Mountain State Park and along the Little Clear Creek Valley. It covers 15K acres and I enjoyed driving down some of the old forest roads. I was hoping to stumble upon a good place to hike, but most of the paths I found were road beds headed to points unknown.
Old abandoned roads snaked off to the right and left of the forest road. I can't tell you for sure where I was, because the maps provided by Kentucky Division of Forestry do not have them labeled. But as the trees were beginning to grow thick around the road, I saw a path to the left. The sun struck the moss and illuminated a neon green glow that I could barely make out from my vantage point. On the hill, I found an old cemetery with a moss carpet thicker than shag surrounding all the stones.
There were many old stones of interest, but this marker was by far the most unique. The marker is a classic headstone for a married couple: each partner's name on one side, and the wedding date in a heart in the middle. However, it had been cut right down the middle and one half placed on the husband's grave and the other half on the wife's grave. What makes this interesting is that the wife was buried many years later and her grave is on a row behind the husband's. The plot to the right of him appears to still be empty. Not sure if this is the sign of an epic divorce or some other circumstance but I had fun musing over the possibilities.
Heading out of Kentucky Ridge State Forest, I stopped at the overlooks of Pineville. After taking few shots, I returned to my car and realized leaking fluid at a very rapid pace. Thanks to gmaps, I was able to locate the nearest auto repair place and drive there as quickly as possible. The little shop barely had room to park, as the lot was filled with cars in various states of disassembly, some on blocks. Two of the employees came out to check on my car. They both took a gander under front end and told me I was big trouble. I was pretty shaken watching the female get near the leaking fluid with a lit cigarette. I was sure we were all about to be blown sky high. She hollered abruptly, and jumped up dusting herself off. "Damn, I burned my hair!!" (I later learned that transmission fluid and oil are not flammable, which was a relief.) They claimed because my car was newer, it would be there for a week while they ordered the part from the manufacturer, so I better find a ride outta Pineville. That was all anyone needed to say to get me panicking, since home was ~140 miles away.
After more than an hour of searching hopelessly for options, calmer heads prevailed. I was able to snag a ride on the back of a trailer to Lexington for car repair. Friendly locals even helped us push my undriveable car up onto the trailer. Then I had to pull a Dukes of Hazzard move to climb through the driver side window, pack up my stuff, and exit out the back hatch of the car after opening it from the inside. Not a cheap trip, to be sure! But certainly not boring for a moment.
Pineville Overlook from the top of Pine Mountain, Eastern Kentucky.
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