Red River Gorge

Grandson Connor wanted to do a backpack trip. His Dad, Gregg, agreed reluctantly - not being a camper person at heart, So, we planned our trip to scenic Red River Gorge area in Kentucky. I spent hours poring over maps trying to find the best combination of scenery, manageable hiking distances, and decent back country camp sites. But weather and a forest fire in the area disrupted my planned itinerary. That's one thing I have learned in 30+ years of backpacking trips - be flexible.

The long range weather began to look ominous the week before our trip. Forecast weather was for rain on Friday, then lows were in the 20s, highs in low 40s for the weekend. That's pretty cold for neophyte campers without certifiably warm sleeping bags and clothing. So we decided to stay in the Koomer Ridge campground rather than backpack. We could have campfires there; no fires were permitted in any other areas.

Car camping, as I call it, is a little easier. With a vehicle, we could cover more area than with a backpack trip. And hiking without a backpack is easier. The campfire is a plus in cold weather. The backpack experience would wait for another trip. I brought some extra firewood from home.

Friday dawned bleak and cold, but dry. I left at mid-morning, so I could scout the area, find a campsite, and set up the tents. The boys would arrive in the late afternoon. I arrived at the nearby hamlet of Slade, KY, for a few supplies and extra firewood. The rain had passed through, thankfully.

Slade was memorable from our family camping trip there in the mid-1950's. On that trip, we had become lost - there were only winding 2 lane roads then - no interstates. A kid gave us directions in the finest Appalachian drawl. My mother had misplaced a spatula needed for the camp kitchen and went into a general store (no convenience stores or WalMarts then) in search of one. "A what?", the girl behind the counter asked. "A spatula," Mom replied with a reassuring smile. The girl consulted someone else who asked what we used it for. The other lady finally said to Mom, "Are yew'all lookin' fer a pancake tarner?" Yes, that was it! We still talk about that and many other camping adventures from our youth. I digress....

Koomer Ridge campground was surprisingly busy considering the weather. It's a nice campground with wooded and generally roomy sites. I found a double site with a lot of privacy and set up camp. The guys pulled in about 5 pm.

Connor immediately started setting up the campfire. The rain had stopped, but it was cold - upper 30's by then. We cooked then visited around the fire until we used up our first day ration of wood, then went to bed.




Saturday dawned cold but with a few breaks in the clouds. Connor again built a great fire. We breakfasted, then set out to hike to nearby Silvermine Arch. We hiked through pretty mundane forest, wondering when the scenic stuff would happen. Soon we came to the edge of a cliff, hiked down some long steps, and around a series of narrow, blind turns - until....suddenly a massive cliff loomed before us. We hiked into an opening and saw the arch. Connor's reaction was one of amazement. He started climbing all over and through it. A picture is below. He was hooked on Red River Gorge scenery.




We drove and hiked through several more scenic areas, mostly in the Skybridge area. Skybridge itself is spectacular - a stone arch surrounded by stunning drop-offs with a nearly 360 degree vistas of the surrounding gorge. Later, it was back to camp to recount the days adventures - and restart the campfire, of course. We took a late afternoon hike to Hidden Arch, with several more cliffs for Connor to scramble around.

Sunday, we packed up and headed to Natural Bridge for a final hike before leaving for home. It was cold but sunny. We hiked up a trail built in the 1920's by a railroad company which promoted this amazing natural wonder as a tourist stop. Natural Bridge is a large stone arch. It and surrounding cliff line trail offer incredible vistas in every direction.



We took off for home and the favorable prospect of a warm bed and hot shower. I will always recall Connor's excitement at seeing the arches, cliffs, and vistas. It is one more adventure in the Bittersweet Woods life experience bank.

Emily's First Camping Trip

Our grandson Connor actually prompted us to set this trip up. The idea was to see if Emily, age 9, would take to camping. My theory is that it's important that kids try different things when they are young. Otherwise, they may miss a lifetime of enjoyable activities because they never had the experience.

The overnight trip was set for Hueston Woods State Park near Oxford, OH, where Emily and her family live. That minimized travel and gave us a fall back location (going home!) if weather turned really bad or there was some other camping malfunction. Good idea. I have much of the camping gear and prior experience. So, I began packing and making lists. I asked the Wentzells to bring the food for them. My minimalist backpack menus would leave them hopelessy undernourished.

The big weekend approached. I drove to their home Oxford - about a 4 hour drive from Marietta. The late September weather was pleasant enough, but distinctly dark clouds loomed in the west as I approached. Emily had just finished a soccer game but was ready to roll. Connor decided not to go since he had more important activities with football buddies. We have become second rate participants in his teenage life.

Gregg dug through a pile of papers on their kitchen counter looking for the camping reservation. Amy finally printed us a new one. We threw their stuff in the van, and off we went. The local weather forecast assured us that there would only be only isolated passing showers, then clearing and cooler. Good. We wind our way through the park to the campsite.

The campsite is level and spacious. Other campers are settled in, mostly sitting well established campfires with full beer coolers. Emily is excited. It was about 1:30. Time to get the tents set up. Yes, those are light sprinkles of rain.

We sort through all the gear scattered about the van. Where is the.....I shockingly realize that I forgot to bring the two person tent that Emily and Gregg were to occupy. DANG - after all that planning!! Luckily I brought two single person tents, so we set those up. Emily and her Dad dutifully follow my instructions with the tent stakes, ground cover, tent set up, and rain covers. She inserted all of her stuff into the smallest of the tents. Gregg can have the other tent; I will sleep outside. The rain will be long gone by bed time....I hope.

Time to tour the park, get some firewood, and wait for the rain to stop. It is a steady rain now. We stop at the nature center. Emily studies the maps and stuffed animals. I soak up the history of the park depicted on a wall of old photos and press clippings. Planning had started in the 1930's - much earlier than I suspected.

Outside in an enclosure there are a mountain lion and bobcat. In a large loft we look at raptors, including a bald eagle and golden eagle. Impressive. It is raining harder. We drive around the rest of the park, peering through the rain for the miniature golf (closed) and horseback rides (darn-summer months only), and lodge(missed the turn - oh, well).

A while later, the rain has lessened. We park and hike the west side trail along the lake. There are some nice views. Emily handles the hiking well, including a few awkward climbs over downed trees. But after half an hour she announces that we should turn around when we get to the next open view. We do that.

We go back to the campsite after procuring firewood. Rain has stopped. Next project: start the campfire. Emily has been waiting for this. We coax some decent flames from the kindling and gingerly add in larger wood. The fire takes off the chill and makes us feel like real campers. A sudden shower surprises us; we sprint for the van.

Just then Amy and Catrina arrive in their van with real food - brats, beans, and such. The rain stops - for good. We enjoy the food, stoke the fire, dodge the smoke, and have fun being together.




Later, after dark, Amy and Catrina leave for home and warm beds. We survivors head to the RV campground for a halloween festival, including the scare trail. It is a series of trail stops where they try to scare the hell out of you. We sign up. Emily squirms as we wait, clearly anxious about what horrors lie ahead. She clutches her dad's hand and occasionally screams as we endure slamming doors, blood soaked murders, snarling dogs, and chain saw killers. Wow. It was really well done.

Back to camp for a campfire warm up and off to bed. Gregg decided to sleep in the van. I stayed in the other tent. Everyone slept well and stayed warm. Up at daylight. I managed to restart the fire. Emily emerged from her tent and helped me keep the fire going. After a hearty pop tart and oatmeal breakfast, we go home.

Driving home, I recount the activities. I was grateful for a successful outing, complete with the rainy part. Any outdoor outing will have to cope with the weather; better to learn adaptive behavior right from the start. I will remember this trip; I hope there are many more for Emily.