I expected the Fall colors to be peaking by now, but it looks like the next 2 weeks will see the best of the colors in the Kentuckiana area.
On Saturday, I hiked 2 trails in Bernheim Forest (Cull Hollow and Guerilla Hollow) and the colors were definitely coming on, but as of now, the deep reds and oranges aren't quite there yet.
Here are a few early fall color images from Saturday. Look for a few hiking blogs in the next 2 weeks as I've had quite a few awesome adventures since my last entry.…
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Added by GonzoJohn on October 18, 2009 at 11:00am —
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My DSL smoked out last Friday. Glad to be back.
I've posted a few recent photos, enjoy.
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Added by GonzoJohn on October 8, 2009 at 1:30pm —
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The Siltstone Trail in Jefferson Memorial Forest has a small section near the Scott's Gap Rd. trailhead that is only twenty paces wide. What makes this section unusual is that this short width extends for many miles in length. It is what I like to call a power line cut; an area kept clear of forest for high tension power lines that extends to the highest point you can see in both directions, and beyond.
After hiking the entire 12 miles of the trail from Scott's Gap Rd to the Welcome Center and…
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Added by GonzoJohn on September 3, 2009 at 10:30am —
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Short stories from trails around Kentuckiana
Do You Smell Cucumbers?
On a recent hike, I joined the Louisville Hiking and Backpacking Meetup Group in Jefferson Memorial Forest. (A great group if you're looking to get into the local outdoors!) During the hike, I heard an interesting rumor about smells on the trail. That's right, smells.
Apparently, it is a popularly held belief that if you smell cucumbers while hiking, it means that there is a copperhead snake nearby. After a lit…
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Added by GonzoJohn on August 15, 2009 at 10:30pm —
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Gee, they profiled me on their website.
Aww shucks.
Check out the profile
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Added by GonzoJohn on August 13, 2009 at 8:42pm —
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While doing a little research online for an upcoming blog, I was looking at the map of Bernheim Forest and came upon a surprise. Having been a visitor to Bernheim since I was 3 years old, I thought I knew the name and location of every trail in the park.
But lo and behold, there it was, a brand new trail just outside the main body of the park called the Hike Bike Pike. So captivated was I by the thought of a new trail in Bernheim Forest, I made plans to visit it the very next day.
The Hike Bik…
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Added by GonzoJohn on August 10, 2009 at 1:40pm —
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There is a gem of a trail hiding in Jefferson Forest.
It's not very long, and it's certainly not well known, and it's hiding one of the more spectacular attractions in all of Louisville.
It's called Fairmount Falls, and I can only describe it with a single word;
WOW.
Before I let you in on this secret, lets look at some facts.
The Fairmount Falls trail (not Fairmont, like the sign at the trail head spells it) is approximately 1.1 miles long, located off of Thixton Lane in southern-central J…
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Added by GonzoJohn on August 7, 2009 at 10:15am —
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Louisville is flooded and we're getting hit again this afternoon.
Crazy day here. 8-10 inches of rain overall.
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Added by GonzoJohn on August 4, 2009 at 2:00pm —
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Not everyone enjoys strapping on a pack and traveling over hill and dale for many miles. If you've never hiked a trail before, the stories of all-day treks in the great outdoors might be a little daunting. In this blog post, I'm going to introduce you to a few trails in our area that aren't long on distance, but are chock full of interesting things to see.
Jefferson Memorial Forest, Horine Reservation Mitchell Hill Trail: 1.5 miles
The Mitchell Hill Trail in the…
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Added by GonzoJohn on August 3, 2009 at 9:08am —
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The
Mogan Ridge East trail in Hoosier National Forest is an interesting mixed habitat trail closely nestled to the Ohio River. To find the trail head, take I-64 West to the Sulphur Springs exit and then head South for about 18 miles on Indiana State Highway 66. Just prior to the turnoff to reach the trailhead parking lot, you'll pass a sign for the Mano Point Boat Ramp and then immediately af…
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Added by GonzoJohn on July 23, 2009 at 2:00pm —
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When I started hiking in earnest several years ago, the Appalachian Trail (AT) became sort of a mythical beast to me. I've read about it (Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods I can't recommend enough) and I've heard a lot about it from my sister, who has hiked sections of it. She even knows a few folks that have hiked its entire length from Springer Mountain, Georgia to Mt Katahdin, Maine. It was something I couldn't quite fathom, the enormity of it all.
It has occupied my mind for some time now.…
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Added by GonzoJohn on July 17, 2009 at 3:28pm —
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Stories from trails in and around Kentuckiana
Spider Wasps
On a recent hike along the Scott's Gap Loop in Jefferson Forest I took a moment and stopped for a nice long drink while descending the last hill of the day. Looking around, I heard a loud buzzing near my head, which is a pretty common occurrence on the trail in the Summer heat. Turning my attention toward the noise, I watched a black colored wasp fly past me and land directly on a wolf spider's web on the hillside just ab…
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Added by GonzoJohn on July 12, 2009 at 9:22pm —
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I'm the hiking blogger for the Louisville Courier Journal's new online Outdoors section of their website.
http://www.courier-journal.com/kentucky-outdoors
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Added by GonzoJohn on July 12, 2009 at 8:34pm —
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Taylorsville has a special place in my heart. My father was born and raised there, and a good part of my youth was spent traveling to Taylorsville on Saturdays or Sundays to visit any number of kinfolk in the area.
I watched my Grand-Pop fish on the Salt River long before they were even thinking about a dam for the lake. I learned to fish at my cousin's farm which now has the bypass running directly through what used to be their land. Even the ride to Taylorsville has some great memories, espec…
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Added by GonzoJohn on July 1, 2009 at 10:20pm —
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The Louisville paper is the Courier Journal, and they are re-organizing and redesigning the Outdoors section of their newspaper online. I've been blogging there for six months as a "reader's blog", but I'll soon be the official "hiking blogger" for them in the Outdoors section.
Not a huge deal, but nice to be recognized for the contribution. The content I blog here will be basically the same as what I blog for the paper. I hope you enjoy it and I'll post the URL as soon as the redesign and my…
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Added by GonzoJohn on June 27, 2009 at 10:00pm —
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Scott's Gap Loop, Jefferson Memorial Forest
I've gotten caught in stormy weather on trails several times. Almost every time it has happened, I didn't really plan for a sudden thunderstorm, but I was always prepared with a plastic poncho in my pack, so I was never worried.
On June 15th, the weather called for rain all afternoon, so I was prepared for a wet hike from the outset. I had not h…
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Added by GonzoJohn on June 22, 2009 at 4:17pm —
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Mother Instinct
It was rather startling.
I was just strolling along the trail, enjoying the greenery when to my left there was an explosion of feathers and noise.
After flinching, I watched a small brownish bird, no bigger than a child's fist, fly directly down the trail in front of me, and land, all the while screeching and squawking. After it landed, it flopped about helplessly, continuing its alarming cries. At first, I thought it was injured, but as I approached, it gathered itself…
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Added by GonzoJohn on June 18, 2009 at 11:00pm —
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Lick Creek Trail, Hoosier National Forest
On Saturday, June 6th, I picked the Lick Creek Trail from the list on the HNF web site mainly for being the right length. At just under 8 miles, Lick Creek is long enough for a full afternoon and offers a variety of terrain and habitat. On this particular day, it also provided me with the widest variety of butterfly species that I can ever remember spotting in one day on any trail in Kentuckiana. In particular, my all time favorite butterfly to photogra…
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Added by GonzoJohn on June 12, 2009 at 9:30pm —
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The first Saturday of every June is designated National Trails Day in the United States. On that day every year more than a million hikers, walkers and others take part in thousands of events nationwide in celebration of America’s trails.
Get outdoors today and enjoy your local hiking trails!
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Added by GonzoJohn on June 6, 2009 at 8:08am —
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While heading to the German Ridge trail in Hoosier National Forest, I was enticed off of Indiana State Highway 66 by the Oriole trailhead turn off. Pulling into the large parking area, I was struck by the number of hitching posts in the parking lot.
This was my first experience with a true “multi-use” trail in Hoosier National Forest (HNF), and as many hikers might agree, I wasn't very happy. Before I get to that, let's break down the trails.
The Oriole twin trails in HNF include the West and…
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Added by GonzoJohn on June 2, 2009 at 1:00pm —
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