Red River Gorge Underground Kayak Tour (Powell County, Kentucky)

 

After a good night's sleep at Hemlock Lodge, I awake and head off to my final adventure of this trip to the Red River Gorge area of Eastern Kentucky. For this one, I'll be doing something completely different - kayak underground. Gorge Underground runs a guide service that offers a short paddling trip through a flooded limestone mine just a mile or south from the lodge where I stayed last night. How could I resist something like that?

I arrive early and have to wait a short time for the other participants to show up, but we start pretty much on time. The guides go through a quick safety briefing and then we're off to climb into our boats. While I have my own kayak and have paddled a fair amount over the years, this will be my very first time using a "sit on" kayak instead of the traditional "sit in" type. Additionally, this guide company has a loading shoot, which makes it easier for the inexperienced to get into their boat without capsizing it - neat!

Soon, the twelve or so of us are on the water and admiring the gigantic rainbow trout that have been stocked in these waters (presumably to make it a little more interesting). A few lights have been placed underwater and give the dark cavern a sort of eerie feel. The fish seem to like the light and swarm near their placements. 

As we slowly paddle through the cavern, our guide tells us about the history of the mine, how it flooded when they accidentally hit a natural spring, and some of the interesting fossils discovered within, including the petrified roots of a gigantic tree in the ceiling of the cavern.

It's an interesting paddle though brief. I think we only paddled about a half-mile through the cavern before ending back where we started. The guides were very good and the overall experience was unique, but given the brevity, I wouldn't recommend going out of your way for it.

Original Natural Bridge Trail (Powell County, Kentucky)

 

My final hike for the day will take me to along the Original Natural Bridge Trail to the Natural Bridge for which Natural Bridge State Park is named. Yes, I said it that way on purpose to emphasize the Natural Bridge. Unlike most of my hikes though, the trail for this one starts just outside my the door to my room at the lodge - convenient. Knowing this is a short one, I drop my pack off in my room before heading out.

The humidity is pretty high and as I begin to ascend up the steep trail, I'm sweating pretty profusely. It's not all that challenging, but physical exertion in these conditions results in the need for a shower pretty quickly. The trail continues up a well traveled path and I pass quite a few hikers on my way up. Apparently, this is a pretty popular trail.

After only about a half-mile, I reach my destination. The trail approaches from almost directly below the natural bridge, which gives it a very majestic appearance. This another very large one and quite impressive, spanning roughly a hundred and twenty feet and rising perhaps eighty feet above its base. I walk around to get views from all sides, but soon my hunger gets the better of me and I decide to head back and grab a quick shower before heading to dinner at the lodge's restaurant. Tack on another 1.2 miles for the day - not bad.

Double Arch Trail (Powell County, Kentucky)

My plan for my next hike in the Red River Gorge area of Eastern Kentucky was to visit Star Gap Arch, which seems a really cool name. My plans changed a bit though and I ended up on the trail to Double Arch to the north of Star Gap Arch. After arriving in the parking area, I headed out on the well maintained gravel road. There are quite a few other hikers on this trail, but nothing overwhelming.

As I wander along the path, I take note of the carpet of poison ivy on either side of the road. I've had my battles with this treacherous plant since moving to this part of the country and have no desire to fight today. I do my best to avoid it. The road continues on around a curve and eventually, I begin to question my location. A quick check of the map indicates that I'm off of my planned route. No sooner do I notice this than I see a couple of hikers pop out from behind the tree line on a side trail. I ask where they are coming from and they inform me that they are returning from Double Arch. I thank them. Apparently, I missed a side trail further back that would have led me to my original destination, but since I'm here now, I decide to continue on to see Double Arch.

This will end up being the longest trail on my trip, but it's still pretty tame in terms of total miles. At one point, I'm presented with a sturdy wooden staircase to traverse down through a series of sandstone boulders while descending roughly thirty feet. It's easy enough, but it's always interesting to me to see these constructions so far out in the back country.

Soon, the trail begins to parallel a large sandstone cliff and I hear voices above me. I look up to see an arch through the tops of the trees. I don't really have a good view and the trail continues forward, leading me to believe it may take me to a better location for pictures. The trail quickly curls around to the other side of the cliff, which is actually more of a rock finger now that I have a better sense of it. It also leads up a series of switchbacks to deposit me right under the Double Arch. 

The arch itself is not as impressive as the previous one I visited, Gray's Arch, but it is unique in the fact that it has two crossbeams instead of the standard single, thus giving it the name Double Arch. What is impressive though is the view through the arch. Apparently, this sandstone finger was once a section of the cliff wall of the gorge and from here, I can see the opposing wall. It reminds me of Cloudland Canyon in Northern Georgia.

It's a great view, but late afternoon is settling in now and I still have another hike to get in before I call it a day. This one put another 4.7 miles on my trip odometer for the day, but it was definitely worth it for the view.

Gray's Arch (Powell County, Kentucky)

 

Hike number two of this weekend in the Red River Gorge area of Eastern Kentucky takes me to a much larger sandstone arch hidden in the thick foliage of the area. Gray's Arch is one of the larger natural arches I have ever encountered (and during the time I lived out west, I've encountered a lot of them). 

The trail to get to Grays' Arch is pretty straightforward and similar to most trails in this part of the country. After dropping down into a gigantic sandstone bowl, the massive arch becomes visible through the trees above me. It is apparently the opposite side of the bowl, where the center has eroded away over the eons to leave a this huge stone structure. It requires a little rock scrambling to get to the base of the arch, but nothing too crazy. The arch itself spans roughly a hundred feet and rises about this same height from it's base. It's pretty impressive as far as natural arches go.

After climbing around a bit on the rocks below the arch trying to get some good shots, I make my way back down the scramble and head back towards the parking area. This trail added about 3.1 miles to my total for the day, but there is still more to come.

Rock Bridge & Creation Falls (Powell County, Kentucky)

 

A couple of years ago while driving through eastern Kentucky, I came across Red River Gorge Geological Area. I didn't have the time to explore it during that trip, but made a note to come back at some point in the future. This weekend is that point. I drove the six or so hours after work on Friday night and stayed at a lodge at the nearby Natural Bridge State Park. 

Though I ended up sleeping in a little later than I had planned, I still got out pretty early to start exploring some of the nearby trails and natural wonders located within the area. The first couple of trailheads I drove to were either completely full or required some pretty serious off-roading to get to (I do miss my Jeep at times like this). Eventually though, I found my way to the parking area for Rock Bridge and Creation Falls. It was pretty busy here as well, but I managed to find a spot to park my Subi.

The trail is a small loop and as it was my first in the region, I really didn't know what to expect. It was easy going though; a pretty standard single track through the woods in Appalachia. At about the midway point, I reached Swift Camp Creek, which is little more than a shallow stream. Much of the surface here is made up of the same sand that formed the sandstone arches and natural bridges, which give the area it's notoriety. And there out of nowhere, the first one of my visit appeared before me just as I rounded a turn. 

I didn't recognize it at first due to the angle of my approach, but soon it became obvious that the Rock Bridge was right in front of me. This sandstone structure spans the creek about fifteen feet above the surface of the shimmery water. It connects the opposing banks; a distance of maybe fifty feet. Presumably the waters of the creek have eaten away at the soft sandstone over the centuries and eventually bored a hole through it, which has now become known as the Rock Bridge. It's a pretty cool feature.

Just a short distance further, I encountered the other highlight of this trail, Creation Falls. This two-tier water fall allows the creek water to plummet twenty or so feet into a large shallow pool before it continues downstream to the Rock Bridge. It's far from the most magnificent waterfall I've ever seen, but it is charming in its own way. A large family group is here taking in the scene and wading in the cooling waters. They ask me to take a picture of them in front of the falls. 

The return to the parking area is a little steep, but nothing crazy and I find myself back at the parking area a short time later. This trail was only about 1.8 miles, but is hopefully a good preview of what I should expect on other hikes in the area over the next couple of days.

Rottenwood Creek & West Palisades (Cobb County, Georgia)

I've been in a funk lately and haven't really gotten outdoors much in the past couple of months. A number of factors have been contributing to this, but regardless of the causes, it needs to stop. Today, I'm joining the Meetup group for the first time in a few weeks to further explore an area that I've only had a taste of. The Rottenwood Creek Trail is a mostly paved route departing the the Paces Mill and West Palisades units of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area in the heart of Atlanta. I'm looking forward to reconnecting with some of my hiking friends.

As I arrive at the parking lot a few minutes before the scheduled start time, I see the group leader at his car and walk up to say hello. I always feel very welcomed with this group. The thirty or so of us group up in the shade and do a quick round of introductions. Soon, we're on the trail alongside the Chattahoochee. The surface is a fine gravel in this section and it's almost perfectly flat. We make good time along this section and then hit the first fork to head off into the woods. 

There is a pretty extensive trail system here and it's easy to get turned around, but most of us on the trek have a good sense of direction and getting lost is not really a possibility. That said, we make an attempt to connect to trails that parallel the river further up, but steep drop-offs provide no where to walk and we're forced to turn back. On the way, we encounter a young couple carrying a pair of stand-up paddle boards through the woods and struggling pretty mightily. It seems they got separated from their group and decided to come ashore at an opportune spot. Unfortunately for them, the nearest parking lot where they might get picked up is nearly a half-mile away, uphill, and along a single-track dirt trail through the thick woods. As we can see how badly they are struggling, a few of us offer to help and take some of the weight of boards. The couple thanks us over and over again, as we finally lower the paddle boards onto the grass at the parking lot.

After getting a little bit of an upper-body workout carrying the paddleboards, we decide to stop at a group of picnic tables near the parking lot for a quick snack break. I enjoy a Clif Bar and two of the Nature's Bakery Fig Bars to recharge a bit. After just ten minutes or so, we hit the trail again. From here, we'll be mostly on pavement. 

As we review the map on our phones, we realize we need to go through a gated community to get back to our intended route. As an Amazon Prime van enters, we hold the gate and head through. I comment that the residents will be horrified by this rabid hiking group terrorizing their community. The folks around me chuckle. Soon, we leave the neighborhood and are back on our intended route. 

This puts us on the roads near Truist Park, where the Atlanta Braves play. I have to say that I'm not all that fond of all of the road walking today, but it can't be helped given the area we are in. Eventually, we reach Rottenwood Creek, which has a well maintained paved trail running parallel to it. This is probably the most scenic part of the trail. The muddy creek water flows over a series of small waterfalls and large boulders, which provides some very picturesque scenes.

Soon, we are back at the junction with the trail we started on and then back at the parking lot. We covered almost exactly 10-miles today. It was kind of a mixed bag, but overall, there was definitely too much pavement involved. Some of the scenery is nice though and it's always great to hang with these folks. Now, we'll head to a nearby restaurant and allow the other patrons the pleasure of enjoying the aroma caused by hiking in ninety degrees and ninety percent humidity for a few hours, while we enjoy some food and drinks. Slante!

Nickajack Bat Cave Sunset Kayak Tour (Marion County, Tennessee)

 

If spending a little time on the water in a given day is a good thing, then spending more time on the water, must be even better. I'll put that to the test today. After departing the Cartecay River area in northern Georgia, I headed northwest past Chattanooga and onward to Nickajack Lake, which was formed by damming the Tennessee River. The plan is to kayak out a short distance to witness the local brown bat population leaving Nickajack Cave just after sunset. I'm joining a local guide service for this trip. I was actually supposed to do this paddle twice in the past couple of months, but had to reschedule due to family visiting and then due to my mother being temporarily hospitalized. Today's the day though.

I arrive pretty early and take advantage of the time to finish off a Subway sandwich I picked up a short time ago. It's about 6 PM and this will serve as dinner before going back out onto the water. After I finish stuffing my face, I walk out to introduce myself to the guides. The van pulling a trailer full of kayaks pretty much gave their identity away. The guys are very friendly and give me quick overview of the evening and then ask me to sign their safety waiver, which is pretty standard for these types of things. 

Soon the rest of the group arrives and after picking out our boats and getting them adjusted correctly, the guys give a basic lesson in paddle strokes. Luckily, everyone here has kayaked before and this takes very little time. With that, we load up and hit the water. It's still about an hour before sunset and so, we take some time to paddle around the lake a bit and under the bridge, before returning to the cave. Ospreys soar above us scanning the lake for any signs of a meal. Our guide points out a couple of nests in the electrical towers. I've seen osprey nests before, but I'm always amazed at how large they really are. He also tells us that the osprey often prey on the tiny bats as they leave the safety of their cave in mass. 

https://youtu.be/JgDExt91llk

With the sun now behind the horizon, we've position ourselves just a little ways from the cave entrance. Our guide says that while a lot of people actually congregate right at the cave entrance, the spot he has lead us to will see many more bats. As he tells it, the bats leave the cave and then immediately head into the trees, which provides them some protection from the waiting Osprey. They pop out of the trees immediately above where our boats now float. 

First we see on bat, and then another just a second later. Within a few minutes, hundreds of bats have flown overhead and many have dove down in and around our kayaks skimming the surface of the lake for a quick drink of water. Maybe not as fast, but considerably more maneuverable than birds, these tiny little mammals are headed out out for a night on the town to feast on the most delicious insects a hot August night has to offer. 

It's been a really amazing experience, but as darkness settles in further, we paddle back to the nearby launch and pull our boats in. The guides were very knowledgeable and the spot the picked for us to encounter the bats was fantastic. In total, we paddled about 2.2 miles around the lake, but now it's time for the long drive home.