Trip Report: Section 1, Team Two, Sheltowee Trace, Hike from Burnt Mill Bridge to Charit Creek Lodge Parking Area (Approximately 26 miles total).  

To start my report, I must preface with this: At the ranger station I bought a sprite from an outdoor vending machine. The soda can was WARMER to touch than the surrounding ambient air temperature. That is freaking cold. No exclamation mark required. Regardless of the temperature, I will go ahead and say it; this was another amazing trip.  

So I made it to base camp Friday night in the dark. It was lightly precipitating rain in a semi-solid state. Mom and dad were sweet enough to drive me to the starting point. Much like I had anticipated, it was just like being taken to summer camp when I was a kid. I was assailed with a million questions on the three hour drive to my destination about things like “did you pack enough clothes?” “How are you going to stay warm?” “What are you going to do about bears?” etc. etc. It was just the typical stuff that parents ask when they are concerned about your well-being. 

I bid them farewell, said I love you, waved good bye, and off they drove with my cell phone. I had made a call to my wife (now ex) mid-trip to let her know that I was in Somerset, and then stuck it in the center console. It was a dumb move on my part, but not a show-stopper. Nonetheless I was now without my camera, and my last potential life-line to the outside world. I started hiking way back in the day before cell-phones even existed. I could deal with this minor setback. 

So that’s how I met Daniel and his father Greg. My first assumption was that I dropped my phone on the ground when I was pulling gear out. Daniel was nice enough to call my phone and we both scanned the area with our headlamps. After our search in vain, I sat down at a picnic table to eat supper.

After a fitful night of sleep, I packed up early the next morning. At our destination, I wished Greg and Daniel luck, grabbed my gear amid the mad scramble and prepared to hike.  

At the trailhead we posed for our group picture (I’m on the far right). The group photo is a condition of the STA’s insurance policy (in case anyone goes missing then there is a picture of you the last time you were seen alive).  

Knowing that daylight is a critical resource in the winter time, I immediately hit the trail. I led the pack for the first 2 ½ miles, until the more athletic “adventure racers” in the group picked up their pace and began to pass me.

On my first ascent I met an older guy named Mike. He was really friendly, had a great big smile, introduced himself, and shook my hand. I liked him right away. As is customary etiquette on the trail, I stepped to the side so that the fast hikers could scoot past. Mike just laughed and waved a hand at me, and said “I’m sure you young fella will be passing me again, you don’t need to let me pass.”Being polite I let him pass anyway, and he promptly showed me what he could do.

After passing me, he took off at a ridiculous speed (still on the ascent), I could no longer see him for the smoke and fire he left in his tracks. I never saw him again that day until I reached camp that night. 

So the first day went well. It was a constant grueling up and down, scramble up rocks, scooting down rocks, sliding in the mud kind of day. I made a lot of friends on the trail Saturday. We were a motley parade of crazy people, all possessing the same kindred spirit only particular to long distance hikers.  

That night at camp, I got a chance to sit down and talk more with some of the other hikers. One girl had stashed two six packs of beer in the 5lb drop that we were allowed. She offered me a Newcastle Brown and I almost feinted with an over abundance of joy. OH MY GOD!!!!???? Newcastle Brown on the TRAIL!!!!???? Is this a sign from God or what???? But unfortunately I reluctantly passed on her offer and went over to a tree to silently weep.  

Alcohol is not a good idea on the trail, especially when you are constantly battling dehydration, exacerbated by the extreme weather conditions. I resolved to buy a six pack as soon as I got home (my wife and I went to the Pub on Sunday night and had a nice dinner with Newcastle). We were staying the night near the Leatherwood Ford campground which had heated bathrooms with running hot water.  

The next morning I poked around, went to the heated bathroom to complete my morning ablutions and fill my water bottles. I made a new friend by the way (its called Body Glide and it works wonders). I intentionally took my time so that ALL of the hikers would already be well on their way down the trail.  

After my morning ritual I hit the trail in the brisk morning. It was lightly snowing with a wind that could cut right through you. I passed the Trail Sweeps standing at the trailhead and started a good cadence at about 3 mph. It wasn’t long before I caught up with the tail-end of the pack. Everyone was jubilant and laughing; singing silly songs, and reciting lines from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. 

We proceeded about 500 feet in, and we started climbing over and under logs, and around huge boulders. I noticed the landscape around the trail had changed significantly. It was much more roughly cut.

To the observant eye, the differences in the trail were minuscule. We had spent nearly the entire previous day hiking along very treacherous environs, but my gut told me that we were going the wrong way. I noticed the guys behind us had disappeared.

We walked back about 500 feet and found a sneaky switchback that wasn’t well marked. We proceeded on our way up the enormous hill. We forged ahead, and over time our gathering broke apart as some hikers slowed down, and others sped up. I hiked with Greg and Daniel for most of Sunday.  

We made it to Bandy Creek, which is the National Park Service’s visitor center in the Big South Fork. It was the halfway point to the end of Sunday’s hike. We ran into Steve who was sitting in his van waiting for stragglers. I went to the nice heated bathrooms, filled my water bottles again, had a conversation with the park ranger on duty, got a sprite out of the vending machine and prepared myself for the last leg of the hike. I set out at a really strong pace. 

It was about an hour before dusk. I had just descended into a deep valley near Charit Creek Lodge. I was alone. I crossed several intertwining creeks. Some of them were 1 ½ foot deep. The last creek I crossed I spotted the trail blaze about a hundred yards down the creek. You actually had to walk in the middle of the creek to get to the trail.  

We all made it safely back to the parking area right at dusk. Thank God I didn’t have to walk in the dark. I had been praying, ALOT.  

I love backpacking, and I can’t wait for next months adventure! There is always something new and exciting.  

P.S. The trip leader Steve was sleepy, and he was supposed to be my ride home. I got to drive the STA van all the way back to Lexington while Steve slept in the passenger seat. Ha ha. That was a good deal for me since I like to drive.