Tuesday, June 07, 2011
Last night’s run was a mistake. I haven’t run that far on hard surfaces often over the last ten years and certainly not since my cortisone shot. I was paying for it now. My knee ached as I walked around the hotel getting ready for my camping trip. I filled up my water containers, not knowing what access I would find to water in the forest, and headed out.
My destination was Red River Gorge in Daniel Boone National Forest. My sister had told me about the unusual rock formations and arches throughout the gorge and figured this would satisfy my need to climb things while providing ample opportunities for camping. I had done some reading on the area and discovered that there were over 100 stone arches in the gorge, many easily accessible by short hikes on well-groomed trails. I arrived at a trailhead to Gray’s Arch in mid-afternoon and ran into a couple of experienced Gorge hikers who alerted me to the best places to visit and where to camp. I tend to rely on knowledgeable people who have been in the back country of a Park for information. They understand quickly what you’re trying to experience and always seem to steer me in the right direction. These two were no exception.
I spent the next couple of hours hiking and sweating. The temperature was in the 90’s and the humidity was high. The bugs were loving me and following me everywhere. I seem to be a favorite target and wonder what they would have done for the day if I hadn’t arrived. The arch and rock formations were massive and impressive, and I did manage to find a way to the top of Gray’s by blazing my own trail through the woods. I met a little boy on the trail as I was hiking who made my day. He was probably around 8 years old and enthusiastically and spontaneously shared with me that “a huge butterfly landed on me and my dad took a picture of it.” Sometimes you just need to get them in the woods and let things happen. I’m guessing he thought it was better than any TV show…and definitely better for him.
I finished the day by slipping into a campground and utilizing their showers. I needed it desperately, but when I noticed the request for $5 for taking a shower, elected to leave without paying. I know it’s against some rule or law somewhere…but it seemed like an outrageous fee for a shower room full of bugs and two minutes of luke-warm water.
Hike duration: 120 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 75 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 700.
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