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The beginning and the end of our hike !!
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The little red truck was waiting for our arrival, not at a boat ramp, but at the North end of the N/S Trail. The North / South Trail traversing from one end of the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area to the other is approximately 60 miles long. Every piece of information we looked at seemed to give a different length, my feet say 60 miles, so 60 miles it is! I invite you to backpack it and decide for yourself, you will be glad that you did. Kentucky Lake is on the western side and Lake Barkley is on the eastern side of this land purchased by the TVA [Tennessee Valley Authority] way back in the early sixties. We meant a sixty-five year old women whose family had to sell the family homestead to the TVA in 1962, she camps in the area every year near the land her parents farmed. Cemetery's are scattered throughout the LBL left over from the settlements that were moved out, relatives and friends care for these graves and the memories they represent. Family, history, and tradition are important to pass on to the next generation.
My old friend Pete, we'll call him Pete, because that's his name! we'll call him old, because he's a month older than I am, and we'll call him friend, because only friends do hard things together. --My goodness! we've known each other for 40 years!! Now we are old fat friends!! One of us being mucho fatter than the other! We meet in the motel room and dump the gear from our backpacks and laundry baskets, and shopping bags onto the beds. Divide and conquer!! We decide who gets what and load up for this wondrous adventure in the wilds of Kentucky. After a good nights sleep and a simple Continental breakfast, the day One begins.
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| PETE |
The drive from Cadiz, KY to the North Welcome Station was uneventful, I just followed Pete, parked my truck, and loaded my gear in his Nissan for the drive to the Golden Pond Visitor Center. Both of us were ready to start the trip, but not in a big hurry to get started. I wandered around the visitors center, used the indoor plumbing, filled my water bottles and now am ready to go. I don't know what Pete is doing, at this point he reminds me of an old lady who doesn't know where she put her glasses.
Ten o'clock AM, March 29,2012. A nice sun shining, Two strong men, one with bilateral knee replacement less than two years old, the other says he is an 100 pounds over weight. We Begin!!!!
Our back packs weight between 50 and 65 pounds, our shoes are well worn hiking shoes, our trekking poles have miles of trail experience under their carbon tipped points, and our spirits are high! We sling the backpacks on and tighten them down, stand straight and make comfort adjustments, trekking poles ready like batons in the July fourth parade--March on! As we start across the parking lot to the trail the driver in the school bus yells to us, "I'll pick you up at the first road crossing." [ What do we look like through his eyes? A couple of not goin' to make it wanna be hikers! We sure fooled him! ] We chat a couple of minutes and laugh with him, then off we go. Cross the Trace-name of road running thru the middle of LBL - and instantly are confused as to where the trail is and where we are to go. Lost and haven't even started!! BUMMER, good thing we have 10 days set aside, we may need all of them--Plus some!! Walking up the road we go under an overpass and find a trail sign to the left. Made it, enter the woods and head north. Little red truck here we come!
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| N/S Trail-heading north! |
I love to hike. The forest is a place of comfort and solitude, it takes a weary soul, a tired body, and eases the life's tensions away. The mind wanders around the openness of the out doors and is refreshed. I-- in this state of tranquility, hiking up a gentle grade, am alarmed to hear a wild boar, maybe a razor back hog, who knows what? running up behind me! Glancing back over my shoulder all I see is Pete. Pete's red shirt is wet with salt stains, his legs are pumping like short pistons and the trekking poles tap like white canes in the hands of a novice blind man. He's panting and gasping for his last breath! If I'd a had a pistol I'd a shot him and put him out of his misery! "What have I got myself into? He's goin' to drop dead before we finish! Are you alright? Do we need to stop and take a break?" Pete's fine, for the next six days I hear this breathing as we hike. [ Let me say, Pete never complained and never quit. I admire him for hiking every step, he knew I couldn't carry him, and he knew I would leave him for those coyotes we heard singing. Just kidding!! Some one would get him. Enough about Pete, he's one tuff marshmallow man! ]
The trail guide rates the N/S Trail as moderate to strenuous with an elevation change of 200 feet. If this was a cooking show with a recipe for the N/S Trail, we would have a cup of easy with two cups moderate, one half cup strenuous and several pinches of hard hiking placed as needed! The 200 feet elevation change is not a one time change but several times and makes for good sleeping under clear skies and bright moons. I was amazed at the dry creek beds filled with stones, they reminded me of old road beds. Pretty green meadows were scattered along side the trail. Kept hoping to see deer feeding, but they stayed under cover during the heat of the day.
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| Stone filled creek bed. |
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| One of several meadows. |
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| Narrow is the path. |
We safely and gladly made it to Higgins Bay by 6:00 PM, camped next to the bay there on Kentucky Lake. We were able to get water out of the lake by using a water filtration system, cooked freeze dried food and set up tents. No sign of rain so we did not put the rain flies on and slept under the bright waxing moon.
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| Kentucky Lake |
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| First campsite. |
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| Higgins Bay Sunset. |
Day Two begins at 6:50 AM. Eat a breakfast of pre -prepared food, break camp, and on the trail by 8:30. I feel the difference today, sore muscles, tired feet, a desire to put miles behind us as we hike along."Pete, are you having fun?" Pete's reply, "Am I supposed to be?" "Yes" Pete's reply, "I'm having fun!" This is the end of March in KY, it's not supposed to be hot---BUT it is! I remember that I have Gatorade packets with me, we mix this with the water we get out of the lake and flowing creeks we hike over.
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| Creek! |
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| Slow uphill trail. |
This is a long hot day, lots of hard panting and short breaks! Pete asks,"Why are we doing this?" My cheery response, "FUN" and we hike onward!!! We push ourselves arriving at Pisgah Bay about 6:15PM. Between 12 and 13 miles! Two hot and tired men, a strong order permeates off their bodies and they declare--We stink!! The water is very shallow and rocky, no easy way to bathe so they don't!
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| Pisgah Bay |
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| Second night. |
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We thought it might rain tonight so we both put the rain flies on. It didn't! The small green tent is mine, the big blue tent belongs to Pete.The shore was very rocky and stoney with both softball size and marble size stones. No place to sit and cook or enjoy eating our freeze dried supper, we just uncomfortably sat on the ground, the joys of camping and backpacking. Another clear night, I kept the rainfly door open at my head and once again was able to watch the moon track across the sky. When the moon's light no longer lit the sky a million and one stars winked and sparkled and flirted until the sun's rays faded them away. That's why we do it-to see natures beauty!
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| Packs packed, ready for Day Three! |
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| Trail about 50 yards from lake shore, following lake. |
Day Three starts with us crawling out of the tents about 6:45AM. I am refreshed and feeling good, we will reach the North Welcome Station this afternoon. Another hot day, so water is a concern. We are still drawing it from the lake and topping off our water bottles as we cross creeks. We still stink and we're still having FUN! The more I hike, it seems the better I feel and the easier it is to do. I keep leaving Pete behind. As long as I hear him, I know he hasn't dropped dead or passed out, so I keep hiking! We have hiked this North section in the right direction, from south to north because this third day the trail not only touches Kentucky Lake it also climbs up and over looks it. The scenery is made to stop and look at. I feel like this is also the most rugged part, but anticipating the end makes it not so challenging.
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| Rocky shore of Kentucky Lake. |
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| Pete enjoying a needed break! |
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| Overlooking Kentucky Lake from a high spot! |
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| Kentucky Lake |
As we near the end of this first section of the hike, people begin to appear- literally out of the woodwork! Mountain bike riders and campers and other hikers. We stop and chat with two men doing a day hike and speak "Hi, how you doin' in." to two thru hikers as we pass on the trail. It's a guy and a gal, they look like its there first time in the woods, oh well!" live and learn, or try and die!" We continue our trek and meeting the older lady whose family owned land here in the sixties we stop and spend several minutes talking with her. What a sweet lady! The need to finish this portion is overwhelming so we move on toward the little red truck. I see a building, I see a parking lot, I see the truck! Part one has ended!! In a few minutes Pete shows up, the heavy backpacks are put in the bed along with the trekking poles and I drive to the nearest vending machine for an ice cold Mellow Yellow. We now go to Pete's truck to replenish supplies and prepare for the South end of the N/S Trail
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| Looks like a moose head! |
In the woods or on the water,
Turtle
More to come!
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