Shedenhelm's Law of Backpacking states that, "All trails have more uphill sections than they do downhill or level sections." Boy, is that the truth! Especially o the way back to the car! Remember, I am a FAT girl hiking! :)

I am trying to start with more of the "family friendly" hikes. Natural Arch, off of US 27 between Somerset and Whitley City fits this bill perfectly. First, you pull into a beautiful picnic area. NOTE: There is a $3 day use fee for the area, but it well worth it. The picnic area includes a covered pavilion and grill, swings, and the cutest amphitheater!  (I am trying to figure out how to do a wedding there! The only drawback I can think of is that the bride would have to get ready in the outhouse!).

Unlike the first two hikes I shared, this one is to a beautiful arch! Natural Arch is one of Kentucky's largest sandstone arches. The arch is located in the Natural Arch Scenic Area a short drive off of US Highway 27 (approximately 20 miles south of Somerset, KY). From US 27, there is a small sign stating "Natural Arch". We had always seen the sign as we traveled along US 27, but had never ventured close enough to check it out. The Scenic Area is located about 2 miles from the highway on Day Ridge Road (KY 927). Turn right if coming from Someret. The area is easy to locate once on this road. Again, there is a kiosk with envelopes for your to leave the $3 for parking. There are blanks for you to fill out your vehicle information, but we rarely have a writing instrument in our Jeep, so we leave our portion of the envelope that you tear off, easily assessable on the dash board.


There is a beautiful vantage point about 200 yards from the parking area where anyone can see the arch without leaving the comfort of the sidewalk.

March, 2013

Another short walk will take you a bit closer to the arch. you must return to the parking area and take Trail 510. It is mostly black top/sidewalk, but as you get closer to the lookout, the terrain gets a bit uneven and would be difficult for some to maneuver across. Here you will find the second look out area.

This is why I love this park!
The entire family could enjoy their time here and get a great view of an amazing arch!

The trail continues on down to the arch itself. There are many stairs on this trail, which are the most difficult part of the hike, not including the trail that makes a 5 mile loop back to the arch. After about .2 mile, the trail intersect with Buffalo Canyon Trail # 508. Here, turn right and follow the combined path of both trails, to the base of the arch.

Tony at the base of the arch

 

The arch is 50 feet in height and 90 feet long.

There is a sign at the arch that tells about the Native Americans that once lived in this area. They called the arches "light houses" for the way the sunlight filters through the opening. I cannot think of a more beautiful name!

"Light House" seems appropriate, doesn't it?

You can return back to the parking lot the same way you arrived at the arch, or you can continue on the rest of the 5.5 mile hike. This day, we returned to the parking area due to the late time of our arrival. Later on, we  returned for the entire hike. As you will see by the pictures, the seasons are completely different! We returned in January of 2014, after a pretty good snow. This day was fairly "warm" for January, so we decided to take advantage of the weather and...HIKE! What we hadn't counted on was for the creeks to be up due to the melting snow.

The first of many creek crossings

 I originally took this shot for the "beautiful snow on the fallen tree across the creek" angle. I did not know at the time that the tree would be my way across the creek!

Tony, the Builder, crossed the makeshift bridge with no problem!

Becky, the Chicken, crossed inch by inch!

 Around two miles into the hike, you will cross Copper Creek. Usually, it is not hard to do so. The creek was up so high, we had to wander upstream and try to find an alternative way across. Remember Becky the Chicken? I was too afraid to cross on the wet, slippery rocks that my husband had no trouble bounding across. I think he was ready to ring my neck! But, we were too far from the Jeep and way too far from home to get wet on this January hike! So.......we hiked and hiked until we found a fallen tree sturdy enough to cross. Here I go...again!

 

A nice shot of my foot as I cross the snowy tree!

Of course, all that back tracking we did got us way off course for the trail on the other side. We don't like "Daniel Boone"-ing it (forging our own trail), but in this case it was necessary. 

Tony found a nice set of antlers in the woods.

 On this side of the creek, there was a lot more snow covering the ground. We took one wrong turn and had to double back to the trail.

Once back to the arch, you take the same, initial path. At this point, our 5.5 mile hike had turned into a six or seven mile adventure. The hike itself was great! But, climbing back up all those steps was not. I would, however, like to try it without the snow, flooded creeks, and tree trunk bridges. Maybe we'll go back...in June, July, or August!

The 5.5 mile loop is definitely NOT a Neeley Family Friendly hike. We'll reserve this one for just my husband and myself!

P.S. When we are out and about, we drop by Natural Arch Scenic Area from time to time. These were taken in late spring, while the dogwood trees were still in bloom. 

 

 

What Says ~Happy Father's Day!~ Better Than Dragging Your Hiker Hatin' Kiddos Through The Woods?

Naturalist John Muir said, "In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks". I am guessing that John Muir did not have children. Or, at least, if he did, they enjoyed the out of doors as much as he.
I am not that lucky.

The children look happy in this picture. But looks can be deceiving. At this point, Tony and I were enjoying hiking, but feeling guilty for leaving the children behind. So, Father's Day 2012, we emotionally blackmailed the three of them in order to get them to go with us. "This is what your dad wants to do for Father's Day," I pleaded. Reluctantly, they agreed to go. We also lured them with the added promise of lunch when we were finished (we were planning on a little Subway! Yum!)

I knew the hike couldn't be too strenuous, especially with 9 year old Hannah and 11 year old Jake along. I knew 15 year old Josh could handle just about anything! So, we settled on Princess Falls as our destination. What 9 year old princess wouldn't love to go to Princess Falls? :)

First, a little history lesson. Princess Falls is named for a Cherokee Indian, Princess Cornflower, born in the late 1700s. You will learn more about her in coming posts. This princess has ties TWO waterfalsl, one being much more tragic than the other. You see, Princess Cornflower, daughter of the war chief Doublehead, was supposedly killed in a massacre at Yahoo Falls while transporting Cherokee children to Chattanooga, TN to attend a white man's school. Some question whether or not this event ever happened. Anyway...Princess Falls is named after her!
The falls itself are not that tall, but are very "Niagra-like". It has a slender veil, emmerging from the top of a rock overhang. It was very dry when we were there, but we could still appreciate the beauty of the falls. They are located a little more than a mile from the trail head. (We had more trouble finding the trail head than we did the falls itself!).

So, we headed off for Whitley City, KY. The kids have their bathing suits on under their clothes so they could play in the water once we got there. I grab my camera, of course, and say a little prayer that we all remain "happy hikers"!

The trail head (Trail #631) begins in the parking area for the Yamacraw Day Use Area. You turn right into the parking lot just before crossing the Yamacraw Bridge on KY HWY 92.

Jake thought the trail was so easy, he could do it backwards!

In all honesty, I don't remember any difficult parts of the trail. There were no steep hills to climb, either. Along side the trail, there was another "falls" that we veered off the beaten path to check out.

It had a trickle of water coming over a large rocky area. This spot was steep and Hannah and I had more trouble maneuvering around it than Tony or the boys.Tony has a mantra that he says over and over to me while we hike (to help me remember, that is), "A wet rock is a slippery rock." He knows me so well!

After stopping here for a few photo opportunities, we head onward down the trail. I said previously that the trail was very easy to navigate. There was one spot where Hannah needed some help from dear ole dad.

But nothing too strenuous!

As you near the falls, the trail splits. You can continue on To Princess Falls or take the other fork to Lick Creek Falls. We haven't been to that falls yet! Continuing on, you come upon the falls from the top side.

Like I said, it was fairly dry. We had little to no trouble crossing the creek at the top to get to the trail on the other side. But, it was still beautiful!

Here, the boys are looking over the falls from the top.

The kids enjoyed playing in the water and along the fallen trees. All in all, it was a successful day!

Even the big boys like to play!

I'd have to say, this hike gets a top rating of all 5 Neeleys!

Keep in mind, the kids would never admit to liking it. Oh, by the way, that lunch at Subway? Never happened. We went to Golden Corral instead! :)



Happy Hiking!
Becky!

How Does A Fat Girl End Up in the Woods?

How does a fat girl end up in the woods? First of all, it helps is said fat girl (me) loves to take pictures. Secondly, it helps if said girl loves waterfalls and natural arches. Unfortunately, both are usually only found...yup! In. The. Woods!

This is me, Becky Neeley! 

My hiking partner and reluctant photo subject is my husband Tony. Hey! I am taking the pics, so someone has to be in them, right?

While in the woods, we adhere to this philosophy and hope that you will, too:

Friends and co-workers are always asking for suggestions on where to hike. I hope this blog will give you all the info that you need. We are not die-hard hikers! Nor do we aspire to be the the next Man Vs. Wild contestants. We simply enjoy a day hike with a beautiful destination in mind.


We had hiked all the local places of interest, The Pinnacles (in our hometown of Berea, KY) and Natural Bridge. As I began researching new places to hike, I found out more and more about the state I had called home for nearly 40 years! Kentucky has more natural arches (like the one found at Natural Bridge State Park) than any other state east of the Mississippi River! In fact, only Utah and Arizona have more arches...period! Who knew?!

Let's start at the very beginning. Our first excursion into the wilderness was to a waterfall near the iconic Cumberland Falls in Corbin, Kentucky. The most beautiful waterfall with the worst name is located about 4 miles from Cumberland Falls! I discovered Dog Slaugher Falls in a book a co-worker had loaned me. I had made a copy of the destination, but failed to get the directions (this is totally something I would do!). Eventually, I found my own copy of the book, thank goodness! :)

The book, Hiking Kentucky by Michael H. Brown has been my Bible of Hiking! As I found new places to hike, I would search the internet for more details or better directions. In this search, I would find a new waterfall or arch I hadn't found in the book. And so it began!

We started the hike to Dog Slaughter Falls with internet directions. There are two trailheads. One is located at Cumberland Falls State Park. The other is located of a FR (forest road). A bridge on this gravel road was under construction, so we had to turn the car around and begin our hike at CF. In Hiking Kentucky, Brown says the total distance is 7.2 miles, round trip. Take Moon Bow Tail as it follows the Cumberland River for the majority of the hike. 

There are many sites to see along the trail, smaller "waterfalls" in the wet season. My favorite spot was where there trail goes under some fallen rocks.

Towards the end, the trail will turn to the west and you will cross Dog Slaughter Creek. Take Dog Slaughter Tail (#414) for about 0.2 miles to the base of Dog Slaughter Falls.

I will give a rating system as to how difficult I feel the hike is. That is, my opinion. You may or may not agree. There are five of us in our family, Tony and myself as well as our 3 children. The kids? They. Do. Not. Hike! Soooo, I will rate the hike as to how many Neeleys I think could survive the trek! 5 Neeleys = easy peasy! 2 Neeley's? Better leave the kiddos at home! :)
This hike wasn't exceptionally difficult, but it was long. We started later in the afternoon in the fall, so we were under time constraints to get out before dark. Still, I would rate this hike 3 Neeleys.

I hope that this has inspired you to dig out your sneakers and your camera and hit the trails. I look forward to adding more destinations in the future!

Happy Hiking!
Becky! :)