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Rick
09-20-2009, 05:20 PM
I will be gone this week. I'm doing a little "boots in the field" as someone likes to say. I'm going to spend the week hiking Knobstone Trail. Should be an interesting week with a chance of rain or thunderstorms predicted for every day. That might work in my favor because the KT is a notoriously dry trail. So rain might be a welcome sight. Highs are supposed to average around 75F with lows around 55-60F. Nice temps, huh?

Some logistics for the trail. It's a linear trail. I'll be dropped off tomorrow morning at the southern trailhead about 10 miles north of Louisville, Kentucky. I plan on being picked up Sunday at the northern most trailhead.

The trail is 58 miles long.
Total Elevation Gain = 10,500 ft.
Total Elevation Loss = 9,620 ft.
Total Elevation Change = 20,020 ft.
I'll cross the highest point in Indiana (Round Knob) tomorrow afternoon.
My plan is to cover 10 miles per day. The KT is very much like the AT as far as elevation changes. There is hardly any flat land on it. It's nothing more than a series up ups and downs. Hard on an old man.

My pack weighs in at 51 pounds with 8 of that being water. I'm carrying two, 2 quart collapsible canteens as well as an empty 1 quart...just in case. There are three small lakes and one stream that might have water. The rest of the streams are generally dry this time of year.

I've filled out a trip report and emailed it to the South Regional office of the DNR and my wife has a copy as well. It contains all the pertinent info including drop off and pick up times. I have a topo of the trail as well as GPS, Cell and CB. So I think I'm covered in case something happens.

I'll post some pics when I get back. Crash and Sarge can take care of the place while I'm gone. Everyone cut them some slack and be your normal congenial selves. :innocent:

Ken
09-20-2009, 05:23 PM
Have a great time, Rick! Are you gonna' bring a knife? :innocent:

oly
09-20-2009, 05:24 PM
Enjoy your self Rick and have a safe trip.

crashdive123
09-20-2009, 05:28 PM
Have a good trip.

Rick
09-20-2009, 05:28 PM
A knife? Dang! Can anyone recommend the perfect survival knife?

crashdive123
09-20-2009, 05:30 PM
http://images.marketworks.com/hi/72/72210/9525_kfs_lexan.jpg

Rick
09-20-2009, 05:31 PM
Cool. I like blue.

Sourdough
09-20-2009, 05:34 PM
Have a good trip.

COWBOYSURVIVAL
09-20-2009, 05:35 PM
Sounds like you picked some really nice weather! Enjoy yourself. Stay Safe!

Pal334
09-20-2009, 05:37 PM
Play nice, be safe and I will keep an eye on you know who :)

oldsoldier
09-20-2009, 06:14 PM
Rick just make sure they know where to send the body:innocent: But seriously hope you have a great time and be safe.

doug1980
09-20-2009, 06:31 PM
Ah close to Clark State Forest...Been there several times. Always a good time there. Have fun Rick.

mccaw69
09-20-2009, 06:43 PM
have a great week,will be wating on the pics.b safe.

pocomoonskyeyes
09-20-2009, 07:43 PM
You've probably already gone but I hope you are safe. Take care of yourself Compadre!

finallyME
09-20-2009, 08:23 PM
51 lbs, your pack is way too heavy.

I am guessing that when you say elevation change you are just adding up all the ups. For instance, if you go up 10 ft and then down 10 ft and then up 10 ft, your elevation gain is 20 ft, even though you are standing at 10 ft from where you started. Am I right? I didn't think there was a spot in KT with an elevation of 10,000 ft.

Anyways, I hope you have a great trip. :clap:

2dumb2kwit
09-20-2009, 08:27 PM
Have fun, Rick.

...and don't worry about anything......I'll keep an eye on things, around here, while you're gone. LOL:bat:

pgvoutdoors
09-20-2009, 08:52 PM
Safe and Enjoyable trails Rick...

Winnie
09-21-2009, 03:58 AM
Late as usual! have a wonderful time, lots of pics please!

Sourdough
09-21-2009, 07:22 AM
Que the music from "Deliverence".........:innocent:

2dumb2kwit
09-21-2009, 07:38 AM
Que the music from "Deliverence".........:innocent:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tqxzWdKKu8

Ken
09-21-2009, 07:43 AM
Rick should be finished with breakfast by now.......... :innocent:

http://jalanjalan.com/letters/images/ihop.jpg

Fletcher
09-21-2009, 09:06 AM
Have fun be safe

canid
09-21-2009, 09:34 AM
a linear trail huh. sounds much safer than those temporal distortions i'm always hiking through.

stay safe sir. enjoy your break from our shenanigans.

aflineman
09-21-2009, 10:34 AM
Enjoy the cool weather. It is supposed to be between 98 and 100 the next 3 days here. Even the Coast may hit the 90s, that is unheard of.:eek:

Icemancometh
09-21-2009, 11:15 AM
Sounds like a good time. PICS

nell67
09-21-2009, 11:29 AM
51 lbs, your pack is way too heavy.

I am guessing that when you say elevation change you are just adding up all the ups. For instance, if you go up 10 ft and then down 10 ft and then up 10 ft, your elevation gain is 20 ft, even though you are standing at 10 ft from where you started. Am I right? I didn't think there was a spot in KT with an elevation of 10,000 ft.

Anyways, I hope you have a great trip. :clap:

Never been on the KT have you,I live ON the KT and I can tell ya,it has some big elevation.....

equus
09-21-2009, 11:44 AM
have a safe trip Rick.

lumpy
09-21-2009, 02:55 PM
Rick,you should have given us more of a heads up.I was off work today,I could have met you where the KT crosses hwy.160 with fresh water and some of my wifes cookies she baked last night..I'm less than 5 minutes drive from that spot.I've covered the stretch from Deam Lake to Liberty Knob Trailhead in one day.Lots of scenery,nice hike indeed.

finallyME
09-21-2009, 04:46 PM
Never been on the KT have you,I live ON the KT and I can tell ya,it has some big elevation.....

No I haven't, that is why I asked. The highest point in Indiana is Hoosier Hill at 1,257 feet. That is not very high. And, it is definitely not 10,000 ft. But, it makes more sense if he is adding up all the times he gains, and all the times he loses elevation. So, if he climbs 10 ft and then descends 10 ft, and then climbs 10 ft, and then descends 10 ft, and then climbs 10, and then descends 10, and then climbs 10, he can say he had a 40 ft elevation gain, and a 30 ft elevation loss, even though he is standing at 10 ft elevation from were he started.

2dumb2kwit
09-21-2009, 05:31 PM
51 lbs, your pack is way too heavy.


Yeah, but after he eats all the Twinkies, his pack will be back down, to like 12 pounds. :innocent:

canid
09-21-2009, 06:03 PM
39lb of twinkies... hrm; that's like 6 cubic feet of sponge cake and sweetened, whipped crisco goodness.

crashdive123
09-21-2009, 06:06 PM
Some people will go to great lengths to construct a shelter.

trax
09-21-2009, 07:52 PM
No I haven't, that is why I asked. The highest point in Indiana is Hoosier Hill at 1,257 feet. That is not very high. ... .

Really? All I can say to that is...don't jump. It's all a matter of how you're looking at them 1200 feet huh?

But seriously, yeah, I'm pretty sure he was totaling the climbing up and down to reach his numbers. The Minister of Science is just a thorough guy that way

And I can't wait til he gets back and reads what lumpy had to say about the fresh water and cookie break that he missed out on. hehehehheh

Ken
09-21-2009, 09:48 PM
Some people will go to great lengths to construct a shelter.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_B4E_1FBBwFk/SmxrrNOdn1I/AAAAAAAABAI/I50yl6DsAg0/s400/100_1347.bmp

Ken
09-22-2009, 07:48 AM
Wake up, Rick. Time to hit the trail.

http://www.wilderness-survival.net/forums/image.php?u=725&dateline=1250512567 (http://www.wilderness-survival.net/forums/member.php?u=725)

nell67
09-22-2009, 08:01 AM
Me thinks Rick is gonna be slippin' and slidin' up and down them thar hill's today,supposed to be storms again today and tomorrow.


Be safe there Rick.

Rick
09-23-2009, 01:45 PM
I am back. A bit worse for wear but back none the less. Apparently, there were heavy rains in the area on Sunday and the trail was a mud bog. In the valleys, there were areas the trail was actually standing in water. I've never seen it that wet. All the streams that are usually dusty dry were flowing with water. And yes, dear Nell, I did my share of slipping and sliding up and down those hills. The hard packed clay is slick as snot once the dust is washed off.

FinallyMe - You are correct. I didn't add the numbers up but that's what the trail is rated. Your assumption is correct. 10 feet and 10 feet down = 20 feet even though you are the same elevation you started at. You'll find those numbers at:

http://www.knobstonetrail.net/

The Bad News: As I said it was a muddy mess. I went down on Monday navigating a switch back. Stepped on a wet root and was on my back before I knew it. Slammed my elbow into a tree root so I've got a nice boo boo. Otherwise, the pack took the brunt of the fall. Lord but the US gov't makes a tough pack to catch me and stay together. Over 70% humidity on top of wet conditions and the skeeters popped out with all the rain. I'm not sure if it was one that stayed in my ear for the trip of a lot but I was sure glad to get away from it/them. Stopped to fill up with water and got nailed on the right shoulder by a falling tree limb. What are the odds? It wasn't huge. Just big enough to hurt. And somehow managed to pull my toenail off my little toe. I have no idea how I did that or when. Sounds painful but it isn't. Crazy foggy Tuesday morning. Delayed my start about an hour.

The Good News: Lot's of water for a notoriously dry trail. Lot's of animals, too. I was serinaded Monday night by howling coyotes just below the ridge I was on and woke up to a hoot owl Tuesday morning. It just doesn't get much better than that. The animals were pushed up out of the valleys because of all the water so I encountered more than I probably would have otherwise. The fog stayed on most of the morning and made some very memorable views. I've never seen fog on the trail before.

I told my wife when I decided to go down that this was my last great hoorah for the Knobstone. I find it a brutal trail under optimum conditions and anything less than that is a killer for me. I can only describe it as a roller coaster with dang few flat spots. You find yourself either taking baby steps up a steep ascent or baby steps down a steep descent. There's just no place to set up a pace.

So to the Knobstone Trail, I paraphrase a bit of verse:

"Tho' I've trekked you and played you, By the livin' Gawd that made you, You're a better man than I am, Gunga Din!

Indeed.

What would a trip be without pictures. So....

Here's one of the old man starting out.

http://i348.photobucket.com/albums/q348/safe_zone/knobstone_09aa.jpg

What most of the trail looked like:

http://i348.photobucket.com/albums/q348/safe_zone/knobstone_09c.jpg

A little guy I encountered:

http://i348.photobucket.com/albums/q348/safe_zone/knobstone_09d.jpg

Here's one I have never seen before. These are European Hornets. A realtively newcomer to Indiana. They first showed up in the early 70s in the Midwest. Here, they are gathering sap from an injury to a tree. I've never seen them do that.

http://i348.photobucket.com/albums/q348/safe_zone/knobstone_09e.jpg

Late yesterday morning. This was around 10:00 a.m.

http://i348.photobucket.com/albums/q348/safe_zone/knobstone_09f.jpg

A little guy I walked into face first. This is a Marbled Orb Weaver. A pretty good sized spider for this area. Relatively harmless venom wise but they are big enough that a bite is somewhat like a bee sting. Interesting spider. They spin a web at night and then eat it late the next day. They rest a bit and then spin an entirely new web.

http://i348.photobucket.com/albums/q348/safe_zone/knobstone_09g.jpg

Some pictures of the topography. Sort of gives you that roller coaster view:

http://i348.photobucket.com/albums/q348/safe_zone/knobstone_09i.jpg

http://i348.photobucket.com/albums/q348/safe_zone/knobstone_09j.jpg

Finally, for the mushroom lovers, I ran into these. I was almost certain these are chanterelles but not certain enough to eat them. They were actually quite large. About two feet or so from side to side. They are still there if anyone is interested.

http://i348.photobucket.com/albums/q348/safe_zone/knobstone_09h.jpg

Well, that's it!! I'm back and now get to clean dried mud off of everything. Hope you enjoyed the pics!

Pal334
09-23-2009, 01:53 PM
Welcome back. The "before" picture seems to show a chipper fellow on the way to adventure. Have an "after" pic? :) Seems like quite the adventure. Sorry you did not have good weather, but I bet you will carry the memories for some time. Dry off and get your favorite beverage and rest awhile

rebel
09-23-2009, 01:54 PM
Thanks for sharing the trip with the nice pictures!

Rick
09-23-2009, 02:01 PM
I don't know that you can ever have a bad time when you're in the woods. You can certainly have misadventures but even those offer up their own brand of charm. As long as you are prepared and you get out in one piece it's a good time as far as I'm concerned.

To FinallyMe - Yeah, 51 pounds was more than I would have liked. I don't mind a 40 pound pack but Knobstone is almost always dry making water holes few and far between. I elected to carry a gallon of water with me in two (2) quart canteens. In hind sight, I didn't need to carry any. Even a 50 pound pack is okay on a flat trail. But the two together is a little tough for an old guy.:blushing:

crashdive123
09-23-2009, 02:25 PM
Welcome back. Nice pics. Sit, relax, have a Danish (the pastry, not the people) as I hear that they help speed up recovery from minor bumps and bruises.

trax
09-23-2009, 02:31 PM
Awesome job on the report and the photos Mister Minister of Science!! Thanks, now all you have to do is start a tutorial thread on how to slide up hills, maybe MDN can help, you both seem to know. We're all waiting to learn.

nell67
09-23-2009, 03:35 PM
LOL Trax,you claw your way half the way up the hill,slide back down,repeat 3x's,then you FINALLY make it up the hill,sit on your hiney,and slide down the other side (this is called the resting period) then get up and start over again on the next hill,cuz our "hollar's" here in southern Indiana,just aren't that wide!

And Rick,those hornets have been around awhile as you said,one of my sisters disturbed a bunch of them once....ONCE and never again,cuz they fight like mad,oh and that was a baby spider in your pic,I get a face full of their webs everythime I go out!

nell67
09-23-2009, 03:37 PM
P.S. RIck,glad you had a good time....almost,LOL next time you choose a trail to go hiking on,ask someone what the weathers been like the past few days,I figure you missed the best hiking onthe trail by just a few days,we had some drier,cooler weather just before the STORMS (up to 5" of rain) hit this weekend!

crashdive123
09-23-2009, 03:39 PM
Nell - now your sis understands where the expression mad as a hornet comes from.

nell67
09-23-2009, 03:42 PM
Nell - now your sis understands where the expression mad as a hornet comes from.


Yep,I reckin' so,after she spent the night in the hospital,she never was much for the woods after that episode.

Old GI
09-23-2009, 03:54 PM
Did you see Gov Sanford? Oh, wrong trail.

trax
09-23-2009, 04:00 PM
....almost,LOL next time you choose a trail to go hiking on,ask someone what the weathers been like the past few days....


Um, just asking here, can't learn if'n I don't ask, but um...wouldn't that be something like, uh something some guy around here keeps saying about ohhhh, how the heck does it go? something about always prepare and prepare all ways? Something like that? Would it be? Just askin.....

nell67
09-23-2009, 04:05 PM
Um, just asking here, can't learn if'n I don't ask, but um...wouldn't that be something like, uh something some guy around here keeps saying about ohhhh, how the heck does it go? something about always prepare and prepare all ways? Something like that? Would it be? Just askin.....
Yep,exactly like that!

2dumb2kwit
09-23-2009, 04:05 PM
Welcome back, Rick. Thanks for the pics.




....now, what was nell saying, about her hiney not being very wide? I must have missed something.:innocent:

canid
09-23-2009, 04:06 PM
without seeing the Hymenophore of your mushrooms it's impossible to tell, but i'd give 95% odds those where C. cibarius based on the photo. shame, shame...

thank you for sharing your photos.

sorry to hear you had so much misadventure, but i hope it was worth it all. glad to see you back.

nell67
09-23-2009, 04:07 PM
Welcome back, Rick. Thanks for the pics.




....now, what was nell saying, about her hiney not being very wide? I must have missed something.:innocent:

Ummm,I don't beLIEve I said that:blushing:

2dumb2kwit
09-23-2009, 04:10 PM
Ummm,I don't beLIEve I said that:blushing:

I'm sorry. I must have mis-understood. LOL:innocent:

nell67
09-23-2009, 04:11 PM
I'm sorry. I must have mis-understood. LOL:innocent:
Absolutely,LOL,better go back and re-read my post?????

2dumb2kwit
09-23-2009, 04:16 PM
Absolutely,LOL,better go back and re-read my post?????

I'm gonna stop now, 'cuz I'm pretty sure I shouldn't be talking about your hiney!:blushing::innocent::winkiss:

trax
09-23-2009, 04:20 PM
I'm gonna stop now, 'cuz I'm pretty sure I shouldn't be talking about your hiney!:blushing::innocent::winkiss:

Yeahhhh, that'd probably be a real good thing to be pretty sure about. :hang:

Rick
09-23-2009, 05:39 PM
sorry to hear you had so much misadventure

Thanks, but I don't see it as misadventure. Not really. You learn something (or should) every time you go out. I list out the bad and list out the good just for folks' amusement more than anything. When you're laying there around midnight listening to coyotes a couple of hundred feet directly below you and you know, based on them playing, they don't have a clue you're there, it's kind of amazing. The breeze put me downwind of them plus the elevation difference so I doubt they even got a whiff of me. They played and yipped at each other for quite a while then got into some serious howling that set off every dog in the country.

You know what they say, no blood no foul. I do wish I could have beaten the trail but it is what it is. You accept it, you grow and you go on. There ARE some things in this world that are just better than you. To face them and be able to walk away is a good thing unto itself.

Rick
09-23-2009, 06:14 PM
now all you have to do is start a tutorial thread on how to slide up hills, maybe MDN can help, you both seem to know.

There really isn't any trick to it. If I can do, just about anyone can. There real secret is finding a location with weak gravity. That makes it SO much easier. You can test areas of weak gravity by stepping off the edge of...oh, say...a cliff. If you fall then that's not an area of weak gravity and you shouldn't try to slide uphill around that location. Only if you float or actually drift upward would you want to attempt a real uphill slide.

crashdive123
09-23-2009, 06:52 PM
There really isn't any trick to it. If I can do, just about anyone can. There real secret is finding a location with weak gravity. That makes it SO much easier. You can test areas of weak gravity by stepping off the edge of...oh, say...a cliff. If you fall then that's not an area of weak gravity and you shouldn't try to slide uphill around that location. Only if you float or actually drift upward would you want to attempt a real uphill slide.

Here's a place we used to stop at when I was a kid.

http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/cool/002027-2202-e.html

Rick
09-23-2009, 07:00 PM
See that? That's what I'm talkin' about. Oh, sure, they call it an "optical illusion" but it's really a government cover up because they won't explain the areas of weak gravity. They don't want people to panic. You go walking your dog down the street and he starts to float, you'll panic. You know you will. So the government keeps a lid on these kinds of things.

2dumb2kwit
09-23-2009, 07:07 PM
See that? That's what I'm talkin' about. Oh, sure, they call it an "optical illusion" but it's really a government cover up because they won't explain the areas of weak gravity. They don't want people to panic. You go walking your dog down the street and he starts to float, you'll panic. You know you will. So the government keeps a lid on these kinds of things.


Ohhhhhhhh....Kinda like they have us call dark suckers, "light bulbs"!

http://members.dslextreme.com/users/rogermw/darksucker.html

Rick
09-23-2009, 08:25 PM
Ssssshhhh! (looking around carefully). Yeah, but keep it on the QT.

lumpy
09-23-2009, 09:13 PM
Welcome back Rick.Conditions were so brutal this week that I actually thought about you a couple of times wondering how you were doing.Did you make it to round rock your first night? Nice area to set up a tent.That's a good stretch from Deam Lake.
I'm still planning on a overnighter on Sugar Creek in 3-5 weeks.This rain should improve the water level.

pocomoonskyeyes
09-23-2009, 10:25 PM
Yeah I was thinking about you too. Glad to hear your injuries are "minor".

finallyME
09-24-2009, 12:23 PM
Did you see Gov Sanford? Oh, wrong trail.

That is funny, I don't care who you are. :sailor: