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Thread: Knobstone Trail

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    Default Knobstone Trail

    7 Veterans plus myself are going to hike the KT for the first time. On the first weekend in May. We are all novice hikers at best. Doing the 46 mile route. Any advise?

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    46 miles, how many days? That's a long distance for a first time novice hike with that many people. I don't know the trail in question, but a two day hike with one overnight more in the 20 mile +/- range would be more my recommendation. As novices, you aren't yet highly skilled in setting up and breaking camp, cooking, etc., with your unfamiliar gear. Yeah, I get that you're all veterans, but that doesn't always translate perfectly to hiking skills and tasks.

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    There a few other threads that may have some general information regarding the trail, but I think most are kinda old and do not have current conditions. I hope to do at least some of the trail, if not the entire thing, late next week. I'll provide a recap if so.

    Not to turn you off of the KT but i'd give the Adventure Hiking Trail located in O'bannon Woods State Park a look as well as an option. I've done it a few times now with the most recent being this previous Saturday. It is a 25 mile loop...could make it 27.5 depending on your entry point. Great views of the Ohio river at times, eliminates the need for a shuttle, crosses several roads in case of emergencies, and also has shelters (two being very nice) along the way. Ticks (for either trail really) will likely be terrible that late so treat with permethrin and have one of your buddies go first so they eat the cobwebs. Be happy to answer any questions I can about this one!

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    Below is a thread in another forum discussing someone elses trail experience from last fall.

    https://bushcraftusa.com/forum/threa...-trail.233639/

    Knobstone is on my list sometime this year or next and look forward to reading about your experiences. Did a couple of days on the Tecumseh Trail along Yellowwood Lake and posted further down in response to the above posting at bushcraftusa.com

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    Default Knobstone Trail

    46 miles in 3 days, little over 15 miles a day. thanks

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    Quote Originally Posted by RossDeschamp View Post
    ... We are all novice hikers at best. Doing the 46 mile route. Any advise?
    Quote Originally Posted by RossDeschamp View Post
    46 miles in 3 days, little over 15 miles a day. thanks
    Found this elevation profile at https://bushcraftusa.com/forum/threa...-trail.233639/ as Kittyslayer posted above.

    zzz.jpg
    The website Indiana Outfitters https://www.indianaoutfitters.com/De...tone_trail.htm had this to say, "Because the trail follows the Knobstone Escarpment, there are many steep climbs and descents. It can be regarded as a rugged, difficult trail to hike. It is managed and maintained at backcountry standards, and structures are limited to primitive steps and waterbars."

    There seem to be a reasonable number of road crossings where you could leave a car(s) if needed in case the hike gets off schedule or someone drops out. They suggest caching water near the road crossings if it's dry. And remember, a group is only as fast as its slowest member. Large groups (8 is large) tend to be slow. One person with blisters, or hurting feet, or knees or ??? is all it takes to slow the whole group down.

    The elevation changes on any one ascent/descent aren't as much as the AT, but there sure are a lot of them. Total elevation change of ascents is said to be 10,500+ feet over the 46 miles. So, from an ascent/descent standpoint (elevation change per mile) it's somewhat comparable to the beginning of the AT from Springer to Low Gap. But I'd almost bet the footpath, blazing, and trail maintenance (brush clearing) is not as good. There's mention of not having trail switchbacks. The planned distance, 15 miles per day, just seems like a tough 3 days for "novice" hikers who are out to enjoy themselves and hone some skills. Steep terrain takes it toll on feet and knees, especially for those not accustomed to it. Most recommendations for AT thru-hikers are to "start slow, then slow down". Typically that means starting off at a pace of only 8 to 12 miles per day. Lots of people get not just really sore but even injured within the first few days of a long hike trying to overdue it.

    Why not stage a car at say mile 30 or close to that, so that if you find yourselves off the planned pace you can adjust and have a car waiting at the end of day 3 no matter how far you make it?
    Last edited by 4eyedbuzzard; 03-28-2019 at 19:14.

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    I used to love that trail when I lived in the area. The shelters were sweet, and you never saw anyone else. Water was a problem, but there were occasional wildlife ponds along the way that provided. There were some surprisingly large hills to climb, and nice views over the rivers. When camping at the site that overlooks the Ohio River, at night, you’d hear the rumble of barges as they would pass. You’re absolutely right that ticks will be something to be concerned about for either trail, but that trail would be a really good one for a a first hike. Since you’re from nearby (Beefsmack), there is/was a trail a little further to the west, around the Twin Lakes. I no longer know what forest/park that was in, but that would be another place to have a test hike.

    Quote Originally Posted by beefsmack View Post
    There a few other threads that may have some general information regarding the trail, but I think most are kinda old and do not have current conditions. I hope to do at least some of the trail, if not the entire thing, late next week. I'll provide a recap if so.

    Not to turn you off of the KT but i'd give the Adventure Hiking Trail located in O'bannon Woods State Park a look as well as an option. I've done it a few times now with the most recent being this previous Saturday. It is a 25 mile loop...could make it 27.5 depending on your entry point. Great views of the Ohio river at times, eliminates the need for a shuttle, crosses several roads in case of emergencies, and also has shelters (two being very nice) along the way. Ticks (for either trail really) will likely be terrible that late so treat with permethrin and have one of your buddies go first so they eat the cobwebs. Be happy to answer any questions I can about this one!

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    The only real issue with the KT is water. Since you are hiking in May you should have a couple of running seasonal streams. Many that hike will stash water at several of the road crossings.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Pringles View Post
    I used to love that trail when I lived in the area. The shelters were sweet, and you never saw anyone else. Water was a problem, but there were occasional wildlife ponds along the way that provided. There were some surprisingly large hills to climb, and nice views over the rivers. When camping at the site that overlooks the Ohio River, at night, you’d hear the rumble of barges as they would pass. You’re absolutely right that ticks will be something to be concerned about for either trail, but that trail would be a really good one for a a first hike. Since you’re from nearby (Beefsmack), there is/was a trail a little further to the west, around the Twin Lakes. I no longer know what forest/park that was in, but that would be another place to have a test hike.
    Thanks Pringles for the recommendation. Overnight or longer trails are pretty limited around here, so I am always looking for new spots!

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    I have also found in O'bannon state park the AHT (Adventure Hiking Trail) which is 25 miles long and most people say it takes 2 1/2 to 3 days to do. Pretty rugged i guess.

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    Most of us are in pretty good shape, all of us are outdoors-men and we hike alot just not this organized. I know for a fact that we could easily do 20 a day if we pushed it. So we decided 15 miles + or - is a decent number to shoot for. So, I say novice because none of us have ever done the AT or CDT or any type of through hike. Last year I was in the Hoosier national forest and hiked for 17 miles before i had found a campsite that i liked. Not to mention i didn't start until 10 am. So, as far as being in shape, I think we got that covered. They have decided that the pace will be set on me, since i am not as active as they are.

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    Quote Originally Posted by RossDeschamp View Post
    I have also found in O'bannon state park the AHT (Adventure Hiking Trail) which is 25 miles long and most people say it takes 2 1/2 to 3 days to do. Pretty rugged i guess.
    Yep....thats it! Rugged is probably a bit of an overstatement I'd say but some challenging parts. Overnighter for you guys it sounds. I took some video this past Saturday of my hike. I had my gps tracker on to track my pace so there is an annoying voice whenever I stop to film. If I still decide to share i'll post the link here. It was more of a practice attempt at filming a little for future adventures. Regardless of where you guys decide, have a great hike. If I decide on the KT next week i'll def have a post hike summary for you.

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    Note that I have heard a portion of the AHT, including the area around and including the Ohio River shelter, is currently closed due to logging. They have an official reroute posted, but from what I have gleaned from an Indiana hikers/backpackers facebook group the reroute is primarily on a pretty chewed up and nasty horse trail. The recommendation was to avoid the official reroute/horse trail and do a 3-3.5 mile road walk instead. Map of the trail closures is here: https://www.in.gov/dnr/forestry/file...l_Closures.pdf

    This info has caused a hiking buddy and myself, who had originally planned an AHT hike in mid-April, to attempt the Adena Trace trail instead: https://www.hoosierhikerscouncil.org/adena-trail/

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    Beefsmack, do you have a YouTube channel?

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    Beefsmack, if you do have a YouTube channel, especially with pictures of that area, I’d love to see it. Pringles

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    I do have a channel....just no videos....and besides mom....no followers. The AHT hike was my inaugural attempt at filming. Certainly no Speilberg...but i'll get better. I tried out editing today and hope to finish sometime this weekend. I'll post a link here when I get it up. I also plan to film the KT hike so hopefully that will help you out some Ross. In the meantime here are a few pics of the first time I hiked the AHT a few years back. I believe this was in late May. Mainly just pictures of the shelters. The foliage really impeded any other of the views.
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    Attached Images Attached Images

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    Well.....as promised! I guess everyone has to start somewhere but this will at least give some highlights of the AHT. Longer than I wanted it to be! I'll get more concise though. Knobstone starts tomorrow.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTlV9XJx0nU&t=195s

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    You can do it in three days but it is going to chew you up. I've hiked all of the KT, some portions several times, and the elevation profile is comparable to the AT in Georgia, only you're going up and down a couple hundred feet repeatedly, and as has been stated, there are very few switchbacks, some of the climbs are straight up and then straight down. There are actually a couple of services that will shuttle you and/or cache water for you at the road crossings. Water sources along the whole trail except for the lake are unreliable. You have to cache it. The Knobstone is called the Little AT for a reason. But the area is beautiful. IU Press published a trail guide that is available (last I checked) on Amazon. It is heavy but you can take pics of the pages and carry that with you. I hope you decide to hike it. The KT is one of my favorite trails. Southern Indiana is beautiful.




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    Thought the KHT was much longer than 46 miles? Isn't the Knobstone named section most refer merely a segment of the KHT with more than 40 miles already built in the Tecumseh named segment of the KHT? It sounds like what people are referring is merely a segment and saying they hiked the KT when it is only one segment? This happens on the Ozark Highlands Tr as well.
    http://www.knobstonehikingtrail.org

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    The KHT is a new initiative with the Knobstone Hiking Trail Association (KHTA) taking the lead. The Knobstone Trail is the southern third of the proposed 150 mile KHT, which when completed will link the northern third (Tecumseh Trail) with a middle section that is still mostly road walking on remote country roads and referred to as the Heritage Trail. The KT southern terminus is at the parking area by Deam Lake, and proceeds roughly north. The northern section consists of two loop trails with trailheads at Spurgeon Hollow and Delaney Park. A KT thru-hiker has the option of hiking out to either trailhead and doesn't necessarily have to hike Delaney and Spurgeon Hollow loops, though many do. There isn't an easy way to hike both loops on a thru, because the center sections of the two loops intersect and you'd end up walking that section twice. No biggie for me, I've hiked them all, but many choose not to. I believe that the Heritage Trail will proceed north from Delaney Park trailhead and connect with the southern terminus of the Tecumseh Trail (I know that part is true). KHTA has pursued several land donations/rights-of-way along the Heritage Trail proposed route, and I hope to hike the entire 150 miles in the next couple of years, even with the road walking, just to say I was one of the first to thru-hike it.

    Quote Originally Posted by Dogwood View Post
    Thought the KHT was much longer than 46 miles? Isn't the Knobstone named section most refer merely a segment of the KHT with more than 40 miles already built in the Tecumseh named segment of the KHT? It sounds like what people are referring is merely a segment and saying they hiked the KT when it is only one segment? This happens on the Ozark Highlands Tr as well.
    http://www.knobstonehikingtrail.org




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