So, we left Cincinnati Friday afternoon and drove southeast to the Red River Gorge, which is in the Daniel Boone National Forest, which is huge! I went to the Gorge during college once, but that was definitely a different kind of trip! Anyways, we got into the forest area on Mountain Highway through Kentucky. The drive itself was gorgeous. We proceeded to our hotel, which was in Campton - about 10 minutes away from the Gorge entrance. It's really a bummer because we don't have equipment to camp. I know we'd be able to fit a tent and sleeping bags, but we don't have room for coolers, cookware, etc. - especially when we're en route to a new city because our bug is pretty packed! (On a side note, I'm eating the most delicious waffles in St. Louis as I type this. The cottage is considered a Bed and Breakfast, so the kitchen is stocked with all sorts of organic breakfast options!) But, if you ever decide to go to the Red River Gorge, definitely camp inside the park. You're encouraged to only camp in the Backcountry, so finding a sweet camping site is all in your hands.
Alright, back on track... So, we checked in to our hotel and got ready to explore the Gorge on our own. The first trail we did was only a 1/4 mile long, called Whistling Arch. This was cool because there was a huge valley of rocks and also a large boulder. Someone had tied a rope to a tree at the top of the boulder so you could pull your way up. We got to the top for some amazing pictures and also discovered a campsite that would be ideal (someone else discovered it first and were already camping there!).
We then proceeded to Sky Bridge Loop, which wasn't a loop at the time because they were repairing a portion of the trail. Regardless, you were able to walk to Sky Bridge, which is a natural bridge. By the way, the Red River Gorge contains over 100 arches or natural bridges - the most East of the Mississippi. Sky Bridge is one of the largest arches in the park, although it has been graffitied for decades as people feel the need to carve their name into the top of the arch.
The last trail we did that day was Rock Bridge Arch. This was about a 2 mile loop that brought you down into a valley where there was a small waterfall. The arch on this trail contains the only true natural bridge as it crosses over a river. The rest just cross over land. This was a nice hike and we met a professor who recommended we go to the visitor center the next day to find out about more good trails to hike.
After the last hike, it was getting dark and we were pretty hungry. We stopped on our way out of the park at The Crazy Climber's Cafe for some delicious food, Blue Chimay, and games of Connect Four. This was also a hostel and we were bummed we didn't find it before the hotel because we would have loved to stay there. We were told by an employee there to check out Miguel's Pizza, which was about 7 miles west of where we were. He said all of the climbers go there for the night to camp, talk about where they climbed that day and eat pizza. We thought what the hell, we're not climbers, but we'll check it out. So we get there and it's pitch dark, luckily I had my headlamp and fit in with the rest of the climbers! We went in to get a beer and discovered we were in a dry county so settled for Ale-8 (a Kentucky beverage) instead. We then went out back to check it out. It looked like it would be great if you were a climber or friends with climbers. I just wanted to yell that my friend had just climbed Mt. Everest, but held back. So, if any of you climbers ever go down to the Red River Gorge, definitely check out Miguel's Pizza off exit 33 on the Blue Mountain Parkway - you'll find out lots of good tips about the region.
Alright, well I need to get ready for a day of work and I still have a day of hiking to discuss. So, I guess I'll try and post part 2 soon, along with some pics, because I have tons. Enjoy the cool fall weather!
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