Finished my Sheltowee Trace thru hike yesterday

[10-K]

Congratz 10-K! Where does it end now? Leatherwood?? Rumor has it that it's going to connect to the Pine Mountain Trail??

Yep, Leatherwood Ford. I have to say, extending the trail into Big South Fork had to be a major win for the trail. I could hike the section between Hwy 27 in Whitley City to Leatherwood Ford over and over.

[traildust]

Siestita, Thanks for your support of the ST. The STA would like to add you to our End to End Registry to honor your completion of the Trace as we will do for 10K. Can you send me a photo of you on the Trace with the approximate dates you started and finished. BTW, we have surveyed the Trace road miles and it is 24% on hard surface roads which is down 3% from a year ago. We are now working on three specific sections with the Forest Service to move the Trace off roads and into the woods. In many cases the issue is the land is privately owned and when available for purchase there are no funds. Still our goal is to get as much of the Trace off roads as we can. Send info to [email protected].

The Forest Service maps show how much road walking there is. My 'wild guess' is that perhaps 15 to 20 percent of the total trail consists of road walks. Looking at the maps can give you a good idea of where those fall along the route. They almost all have low traffic, or no traffic. I only disliked road walking in three places: the road northward from the Railroad Branch/Indian Creek drainage area, the stretch of forest service gravel road several miles north of Cane Creek, and a half mile or so along the highway to Morehead's shopping center.

I originally only intended to section hike the southern part of the ST, southwest of I-75, because there are fewer road walks there than elsewhere, especially in the central section. But, having gradually worked north to I-75 I decided to just keep going, as something to occupy my weekends. Surprisingly, I found that I didn't mind those road walks very much, and especially enjoyed some of them. I wasn't expecting that hiking to be as pleasant as it turned out to be. I liked the road walk through the Wildcat Mountain Civil War battlefield, where for a mile or two the ST follows the Forest Service's narrow gravel remake of Daniel Boone's original Wilderness Road, winding upward through the woods. I also enjoyed tranquil road walks through the Horse Lick Creek bottoms, and, surprisingly, I liked the paved country lane that the ST follows immediately after its south bound departure from near the aforementioned Morehead shopping center.

The important thing is not to expect the ST to be an isolated wilderness trail. Even in sections where its all trail, road crossings occur fairly frequently. Whether they appreciate it or not, hikers get some exposure to rural Kentucky culture. If I hadn't done the whole ST, I would have missed seeing some attractions some attractions best known to locals. Within a half hours walk from one ordinary country road, I passed, almost simultaneously, a beautiful waterfall, an attractive rock house/shelter cave, and the remains of what had apparently formerly been a trail side still.

The SST's scenery often consists of cliff lines, eroded rock formations, and creeks. Except for the ridge top section near the northern terminus, which I mentioned previously, the ST typically retreats from civilization not by climbing ridges but instead by descending into gorges along creeks or rivers.

[wornoutboots]

Yep, Leatherwood Ford. I have to say, extending the trail into Big South Fork had to be a major win for the trail. I could hike the section between Hwy 27 in Whitley City to Leatherwood Ford over and over.

Yeah That's why I call the BSF my Playground I'm glad you go to experience a little bit of it! If you read my post from a few days ago in another BSF thread, I put together a really nice 50-100 mile loop for a guy throughout the park. You Can really Bury in & isolate your self there!!

[Dogwood]

Thanks everyone for the great info.

When I started adding up all the miles of paved road walking alone(not including the miles of hiking on dirt/gravel/old logging roads), some of it downright dangerous IMO, especially along stretches of Hwy 100 and some miles through Dalton in GA on the PT I wasn't impressed. I found the backwoods dirt road hiking, like on the forest service roads, pleasant even though I got caught in some light snow on two occasions. I would like to see the GA section of the PT more like the AL PT section! The AL PT is LARGELY nice single track just like you told us 10-K. I know a lot of factors can play into this but it also seemed AL has more of their act together with promoting and maintaining the PT. I guess it's just my hiking preferences. Got to appreciate it for what it is and that people have taken the time to put it together. Just my 2 cts. Thread Drift. Thought this PT info possibly related to what we were discussing for the Sheltowee Trace so included it here.

[10-K]

The GA Pinhoti will never be like the AL Pinhoti would be my best guess but they're trying to do the best they can. The AL Pinhoti mostly spans the Talledega Natl Forest which makes it easier I guess to have a single track trail whereas the GA Pinhoti is mostly on private land which from what I understand complicates things.

I feel you on the walks up Hwy 100... I did it in the rain, dodging 18 wheeler log trucks barreling by blowing spray on me. There were a few times I had to jump in a ditch to avoid the very real possibility of getting run over.

Definitely the AL Pinhoti is a much nicer hiking trail - no 2 ways about it. In a nutshell, I agree with your assessment of both Pinhotis 100%.

You'll love the BMT I bet...

BTW, the AL Pinhoti folks really, really want their trail to be an extension of the AT. One of the #1 reasons that won't ever happen is because the GA Pinhoti is between the AT and the AL Pinhoti.

[Dogwood]

I feel you on the walks up Hwy 100... I did it in the rain, dodging 18 wheeler log trucks barreling by blowing spray on me. There were a few times I had to jump in a ditch to avoid the very real possibility of getting run over.

Exactly. Me too. I had the same experiences. It was raining too. There's no shoulder on much of narrow Hwy 100 in GA where the PT is routed. Every time I detected a vehicle coming up behind me I would stop and try getting away from the side of the road. Once, I fell backwards into a bramble filled drainage ditch into a foot of water avoiding a semi. Got scratched up. Could have really hurt myself falling into the ditch. F dat!

[German Tourist]

10 K,
thanks for the info on the Sheltowee. When preparing this winter's hike I was also considering the Sheltowee Trace. But as it was much shorter than the Pinhoti/BMT I ended up in the Appalachians (where I also met you on the GA PT).
But with your rather positive review of the Sheltowee and the prospect of more road walks being rerouted on single file trail the Sheltowee is on my bucket list now for my next visit to the US.
GT

[German Tourist]

10 K,
thanks for the info on the Sheltowee. When preparing this winter's hike I was also considering the Sheltowee Trace. But as it was much shorter than the Pinhoti/BMT I ended up in the Appalachians (where I also met you on the GA PT).
But with your rather positive review of the Sheltowee and the prospect of more road walks being rerouted on single file trail the Sheltowee is on my bucket list now for my next visit to the US.
GT

PS: Have you uploaded some more pictures of the Sheltowee somewhere else or are you planning on doing so?

[10-K]

GT, I think you would like the Sheltowee. If you want a challenge hike it from north to south which you could do with your experience - it's not so easy.

The Trace is unique among the southern trails I've hiked... The BMT and the AT are quite alike, the Pinhoti's are both unique, and the Sheltowee Trace is different than the others the primary difference being the geology and differences in topography. The gorges and rock formations are really something to see as is the hike along the Cumberland River to Cumberland Falls. There are no long or steep climbs - it is a low elevation hike - and for the most part easy hiking. If you recall section 13 of the Pinhoti, just north of Hwy 278 where the trail was obliterated by logging or a fire or something - there is one section like that but otherwise you can cruise if you want.

Anyway... I believe I am going to hike it again in September - southbound again. Now that I know the route of the trail and won't have to worry about navigation I think I'd enjoy the hike more.

[wornoutboots]

The only difference in hiking KY in Sept is you won't be able to see through the heavy canopy & enjoy ALL of the Rock formations. I personally think a mid October hike would be the best, you can hit it in it's Fall Splendor & while the leaves are falling

[Dogwood]

GT, when do you anticipate you'll be back in the U.S. doing the Sheltowee?

[Ktaadn]

I recently stumbled across the Sheltowee Trace NRT and the trail looks pretty appealing to me. I read through 10-K's journal and the poor blazing and his belief that a GPS is need to successfully navigate the trail makes me a little nervous. Yes, I've been spoiled by the AT.

So, how is the cell phone coverage on the trail and would I be able to use the GPS on my smartphone to navigate with? I don't own a stand alone GPS unit and I'm not really interested in buying or carrying one.

[Cookerhiker]

I recently stumbled across the Sheltowee Trace NRT and the trail looks pretty appealing to me. I read through 10-K's journal and the poor blazing and his belief that a GPS is need to successfully navigate the trail makes me a little nervous. Yes, I've been spoiled by the AT.

So, how is the cell phone coverage on the trail and would I be able to use the GPS on my smartphone to navigate with? I don't own a stand alone GPS unit and I'm not really interested in buying or carrying one.

Cell phone service is spotty meaning it's not non-existent but you can't count on it. If you want to hear more from those who have hiked the entire ST including this year's monthly "Challenge Hikes," send a PM to Traildust here on WB.

[10-K]

If you hike the Sheltowee starting in Big South Fork going north you could probably get by with a guidebook and the ST and Daniel Boone Forest maps. It's all paper though so be careful in damp/wet conditions or they'll self-destruct and all of the maps will tear or get holes in them after folding a few times.

I wouldn't attempt a southbound hike of the ST without a GPS unless you have a lot of time to wander around trying to figure out which way to go because the guidebook isn't very helpful to the SOBO hiker... None of the road walks are blazed and in many places blazing is inconsistent and/or confusing regardless of the direction you're hiking.

It's an adventure... fun trail and every one I met along the way was pretty nice. And, the ST Association is on the ball - it's possible that some of my issues have already been addressed.

Oh.. I have Verizon and didn't have any problem with cell service really until I got to BSF.