Mapping the Sheltowee

[Walkin'man]

Hello all,

I've been meaning to post this for a month now, but life, as usual, got in the way.

I left Stoney Cove by the Dam at Cave Run lake, hiking south on Sept. 11th with two friends who were day hiking. We were a little confused by the first sign we found - it point in two different directions for the Sheltowee; one way was 13 miles and the other was 9 miles. My friends had to get back, so we went the shorter route.

This section of the trail is multi-use, with a lot of horse traffic. As we all know, it's very hard on the horses to carry out trash (/sarc), so the trail is loaded with it. The three of us tried, at first, to pick some of it up, but there was just way too much of it. I truly hope there some horse people on this forum reading this - you guys need to fix this horrible behavior or leave your horses in the barn.

Other than the trash, the trail was in good shape. Ironically, due to the horses. They keep the weeds back and the trail matted down. It was dry as a bone, so there'd been no chance for the horses to create large mud puddles. The trail in this area is well marked.

We finished up at Clear Creek Campground, did a car shuffle, and I camped there. I'd spoken to the camp host that morning and he said it was fine to leave my car parked at the bathrooms in the campground, and he kept an eye on it for me as his site was right beside it. Probably unneeded, but nice anyway. The picnic area gate closes at dark, so that is NOT a good option to leave a car.

The next morning, another friend meet up with me and we shuffled cars to Ky1274 just outside Frenchburg. Luckily, there's a property for sale just up the street from where the trail comes out and they had mowed out a nice track on the side of the road. We were actually going to ask one of the farmers there if we could leave a car in their drive, but the mowed track was perfect.

From Clear Creek to KY1274 is about 9 miles and this trail is also in good shape, although not as well marked. We hit a couple of forest roads/tracks that we had to walk in both directions for a good way before we found a sign. Going north the signage was there, but going south not so much. That said, it wasn't a big deal and there were only a couple of spots that need more signs.

We passed several people doing a 48-hour adventure race. They started Saturday morning with some paddling, and were riding bikes up portions of the Sheltowee. Well - pushing their bikes is more truthful; there are some steep sections on this portion of the trail and it's narrow to boot in those places, with a lot of logs down across the trail. One team said they'd had about an hour of sleep.

The highlight of the trip was the timber rattler we came up on. It was laying across the trail about two miles from KY1274. I almost didn't see him and was getting ready to plant my hiking stick on his head. He was watching me with his mouth open, ready to bite. Once I saw him, and backed up a step or two, THEN he decided to rattle. He slithered off to the side of the trail, curled up and continued to rattle. We tossed a couple of rocks in his direction trying to get him to move on, but he refused and rattled louder. We had no choice but to leave the trail, and hope there weren't more of them in the bush. My buddy tried to get a picture with his cell phone (attached), but it didn't come out very good. He didn't want to get too close!

I haven't see a rattler in Kentucky for many years, so it was pretty cool to see one. He was about four feet long, with four to five rattles. I sent an email to KY Wildlife reporting the sighting and got a response from a biologist who was VERY excited and said they are endangered in Kentucky.

Sorry for the long post, but I personally like detailed reports so I try to fill people in. I'm heading out this weekend to do the section from Corner Ridge to Natural Bridge. If anyone has any tips for this section, please let me know!

- Walkin'man

[Traildust]

Thanks Walkin Man for the report. Details are important. I only know of one Sheltowee Trace trail out of Caney Loop. It is up the gravel road from the parking lot and on the right. The Caney Loop can be used to get around to the Sheltowee Trace but the official trail path is the one to the right you were on.

We will have to get out to the trail at 1274 and check for directions. I know it was blazed last spring and it may be that folks are taking them for souvenirs.

Thanks again and enjoy the hike.

[Walkin'man]

Yeah, the shorter path from Stoney Cove is to the right, but the one to the left is marked as Sheltowee, too. If I'd had more time I would have went that way; I believe that's where the eagles nest. They both join up further down the trail close to Clear Creek.

I was thinking the blazers might have been going north and didn't think to turn around as much as they should. Both places I remember being issues were well marked if you were going north, but we had to work a little going south. Again, no big deal, but thanks for the reply.

[jbd]

Just got done hiking this section early last week. We were heading south as well and for the most part the trail was fairly well marked but there are some spots that could be better. I'm hoping to get get out this winter and mark some of these sections a little better.

[ggrulke]

RE: Litter on trail which was assumed to be from horsemen.....As a horseman, I haven't personally ridden at Caney Loop for over a year. I am as concerned about trash on the trail as any person who goes on trails to enjoy the natural beauty, but just wanted to let you know that it is in fact easy for horseback riders to carry out trash as most of us have saddle bags, and all those I ride with certainly carry out trash and in fact subscribe to leave no trace, or as close as reasonably possible. So I'm not sure you can assume that it is horseback riders who are doing the littering.
Nevertheless, we have work crews for all around that state which do trail maintenance and clean up, and if that is what needs to be done there (no matter who is throwing down the trash) please call me at the Horse Council and we will join hikers and mountain bikers on a joint clean up day there. KHC # is 859-367-0509.

[Walkin'man]

Thank you ggrulke. I was being a little sarcastic about the horses carrying out the trash. As we all know, it's easier for a horse to carry anything than it is for a backpacker.

I'm glad you commented and that you and those you ride with subscribe to leave no trace ethics. I assume it's horse people leaving the trash because most of the trash are beer cans, and I'm assuming that most hikers don't want to pack heavy cans of beer.

That's a lot of assumptions, and I will admit that I could be completely wrong. It may just be hikers that DO pack it in and are too lazy to pack it out. I've seen a lot of trash on hiking-only trails around the RRG (Tarr Ridge, especially) that is obviously left by hikers.

Sorry if I offended; obviously there are bad apples in every group. Thanks for volunteering to organize a clean-up. I'll call and we'll see if we can't setup a date/time to work together to get it cleaned up.

[chiggs]

I have witnessed trash being thrown on the ground by hikers, bikers, horseback riders, campers and hunters. Litterers are litterers--ignorant, ill raised or both. Just because a litterer is from a certain land user group, that does not mean that the entire group is nothing but a bunch of litterers.

[chiggs]

p.s.--Awesome pic of the rattlesnake, BTW. Too bad they don't go for closeups.

[ggrulke]

Good dialogue. If it is horsemen drinking beer and trashing the cans... Towanda! (Reference Fried Green Tomatoes for the younger set) Well, whoever it is of whatever persuasion, we'll have to pick up after them. But then I live at an intersection in Fayette County and can't tell you the number of cans and McDonald's bags I have to pick up right in my front yard. Obviously thrown from cars but I haven't nailed down the type of car yet.
Sigh....
(The good news is that it gets recycled after I pick it up.)

PS. very cool rattler pic, rather you than me behind the camera

Some horsemen coming down to Caney Loop this weekend to see the situation; they will pick up while they are there... unless we're talking dumptruck loads. They just have saddlebags to haul it out in.

[jbd]

Excellent points made by chiggs and ggrulke regarding this problem. Respectively, "litteres are litteres" & "we'll have to pick up after them".

The problem I have, which was also a comment made by a hiking couple I met the last time I was on the trail, I have very limited capacity to carry out the trash of lazy and or ignorant people regardless of how or why they use the trail. I am also out there to enjoy the great outdoors and have a good time. Picking up trash is not really a good time for me or anyone else.

In all honesty, I don't see any real solution to this problem. Trash is a product of human existance.

[chiggs]

As a significant part of the solution, you (and everyone else who enjoys the land) need to participate in a certain number of work days each year. No way around it. Litter pick-up duty is part of trail-loving life. Eventually, educational campaigns and social pressure will curb littering behavior, but we must always be ready to help land managers take care of the trails, which includes carrying in big strong garbage bags and carrying out the trash. Your work will be most effective if you involve others and follow a plan.

[jbd]

Thats why I am signed on with the Sheltowee Trace Association as a lead trail maintenance volunteer for the section from the northern terminus to the intersection of US 460 and Ky 77.

Trash pick up is as you noted a work day as opposed to a hiking trip for fun. People out for fun are just not equipped to pick up and carry out the amount of trash that is left on the trail. Even a designated work day can lead to a bit of a problem with carrying trash out. For example, the trail from the northern terminus to Dry Branch road is something like 9 to 10 miles. If a person starts collecting trash at the NT heading for Dry Branch Rd you will come to the point where you have to carry the trash for 4.5 to 5 miles just to get out again. Trash bags just aren't easy to carry in such terrain.

Regarding educational programs. The whole "Leave No Trace" concept has been around for decades that I know of. It has gotten through to a relatively small number of people but it is obvious from the amount of trash left on trails that it hasn't had on impact on the majority of people. The people who follow the protocol are usually members of a group like the Sheltowee Trace Association, Kentucky Horse Council, Sierra Club etc, etc. But I would say most people using the outdoors do not belong to such groups and will most likely not be reached by these groups. The fires burning in the Red River Gorge area right now are evidence of that.

My involvement with the outdoors over the past 45 years has been through camping, hiking, backpacking, boating, scuba diving, and flying. In all of those environments I have encounterd trash. Trash everywhere between 140 feet underwater to 5,000 feet in the air.

Trash throughout the environment will remain a human legacy.

[chiggs]

See your point. I really wish litter laws had more bite.

Here is a feel-good story for you from a horsey friend of mine. It's like Litterer Meets Clint Eastwood. My friend was in a bank parking lot and saw a woman dump her entire car ashtray on the ground next to her car. He walked up to her and explained that she had two choices. She could clean up every bit of what she had just dumped by the time he came out of the bank. Or he could call the police and report her--he had taken down her license plate #. He walked out of the bank and found no sign of her or her mess.

Keep in mind that trash cleanup is an area where horsemen and hikers make particularly good partners. Horses can be equipped to pack significant amounts of trash. Also, a horseback rider makes a good trash spotter for the ground crew because he has an elevated view. Therefore, if you ever need help with a litter cleanup project on a multi-user trail, please don't hesitate to request help from the Horse Council or a local chapter of Back Country Horsemen. Feel free to contact me, Cynthia Higgs, directly at (859) 608-1597.

[jeanette mathern]

your horse comment breaks my heart. i ride as often as i hike and i also live near here. i, too, pick up others' trash as often as i can--usually of foot, but sometimes i even get down off a saddle to pick up bottles, cans, paper...i recently joined the Ky. Horse Council and more recently have concluded that horse-riders are of 2 general types here: educated/connected people who read and think; they'd rather cut off an apendage than throw down a V-8 can or yogurt cup. then there are the locals (Some locals) and older people (Some older people) who've been riding these trails before the trails had names and before cave run lake even existed or the RRG was called that. they just don't know. they've never been told that littering was a sin. it's sad. i've ridden with them and it just doesn't register...i'm teaching as many as i can and everyone else should do so, too, but it takes time and experience. oprah always says: "when people know better, they do better" and we've just got to keep helping people Know. spread the word, my friend. stay positive.

[ehconyers]

Dear Walkin man, A friend saw your post of the 14th Oct and I learned of this last week. As a result I rode the Caney trail and the loopback on the Sheltowee to Stoney Cove and to follow is my report. I hope this will make the hikers and bikers a bit more understanding that we the horse people are interested in keeping the trails cleaned up. Please let us know when there is a problem and we will happily HELP to clean up what various users leave behind (NOT JUST HORSE FOLKS).

On Nov 7, 2010, at 9:35 AM, Edith H Conyers wrote:
I rode the Caney Trail outbound from Stoney Cove Parking and returned on the Sheltowee Trace on Saturday the 6th.

There was one significant pile of trash in and around a fire ring right down next to the gravelly beach of the lake. It was primarily water bottle and a few beer containers and a fair amount of paper stuff including paper plates (which horse folks rarely, if ever, carry----thus maybe some boaters contibuted). There were hardly any trees showing any chewing by horses being tied to them (possibly meaning that maybe the horse folks are not entirely guilty of the trash situation at this spot). The entire amount would NOT have 1/3 filled a 40 gallon trash sack.

We saw two fairly large groups of hikers, one a day hiker group, mostly young folks and led by a couple of adults all of whom were very polite and nice. The second group was larger and were also young guys led by some adults and they all were carrying fairly large back packs as if they were out for a weekend of camping. Again they all were very nice, polite and chatty. They were eating lunch at the horse hitching rail area and There was no trash at this location at all. Tthey had all theirs bagged up as they were eating.

Although there were 6 other trailers at the parking area we never saw another horse person or biker on the trail the three hours we were out.

The western most convergence of the Caney and Sheltowee Trace hosts another tie up area and there was not one piece of trash there although there was evidence of considerable tree chewing indicating that it is a frequently used horse area.

All of the trash we saw would not have filled more than 2/3 max of 40 gallon trash bag.

Anne Husted and Kathy Caudill and I are planning to go on Thursday and pick up the entire trail.

As an aside I did notice that the Caney trail damage is minimal (realizing that the dry weather we have had in the last three months plays a part) but on the Sheltowee portion there is greatly more and more serious damage (also interesting due to the dry spell).

Edith