Hiking This Summer? Try the Sheltowee Trail

Looking to tackle the notorious Appalachian Trail but not quite prepared yet? The Sheltowee trace (or trail to some) may be the perfect solution for you. While The AT (Appalachian Trail) runs the entire length of the Appalachian Mountains and covers 2175 miles, the ST (Sheltowee trace) covers slightly more than a tenth of that distance at 282 miles. The ST runs from Picket State Park in Northern Tennessee up through Cumberland Falls in Kentucky and all the way up through Daniel Boone National forest.

The ST's name comes from Daniel Boone himself, the Cherokee Natives called Boone "Sheltowee" meaning bib turtle, after they failed to kill him. Legend has it that members of the Cherokee tribe were chasing Boone through the woods. He hid in a pond and used a reed to breath while the hunters passed by. Later on he told the story to the tribe's elders and they gave him the name Sheltowee after his aquatic stunts. But the history behind the ST is merely one of hundreds of reasons to hike in Kentucky.

Starting out in Pickett state park there are two sizeable campgrounds. One at the trail head which offers bathrooms, showers, running water and grilling facilities and another known as Grand Meadows campground which lies about 20 miles down the trail. Grand Meadows has bathroom facilities and running water but now showers. The next 40 miles of the trail cover some fantastic ground and span ridge lines which give fantastic views of the surrounding landscape and also dip into valleys and Hollers which allow for hikers to cool off, campout, and refill their water in the cool clean streams of Kentucky's wilderness. For more information about how the trail continues I would suggest reading up at the official website for the ST, http://www.sheltoweetrace.com/.

Whether deciding on a few day hiking trips or training for an extreme several month long trek, the ST is the place to go. Hikers will always be close enough to civilization so that help can be found in the event of an accident, and yet the majority of the time it will seem as if you are completely separate from all of society. Two of my friends and I hiked for 60 miles in early June, and we found the trail to be excellent. We also found the trail to be fairly empty of other people, running into only two other hikers in the course of our 60 mile stretch. So if you are looking for some alone time then the ST is the place to go.

If what I have said so far is intriguing to you, then please check out the official website listed above, or check out Johnny Molloy's guide to the Sheltowee Trace (http://www.johnnymolloy.com). While Molloy is vague in his guide and some of his landmarks are outdated, the guide book he has written about the ST includes many interesting overnight hikes, and many options for first time hikers, or novices. To give you an idea of his vagueness, some of his landmarks included wording such as "mile 27.5 pass a small clearing", or the most notorious one we found was "mile 29.2 Pass campsite with car access and pond water". The campsite Johnny had noted in his book was merely a mosquito nest on a ridge line which did not allow for any potable water due to the pollution of the "pond".

So if you have to spend some time hiking in Kentucky this summer, then please try out the Sheltowee trace. The ST is incredibly beautiful and full of wild life, but be careful, any trip planned into such wilderness should be thoroughly considered before embarking into the ST. Remember to bring water purification equipment and first aid supplies in the event of an accident. Bring an excellent map regardless of how many GPS systems you have, and always bring a lighter just in case you need to build a fire for signaling or warmth. The Sheltowee Trace can be a wonderful experience, and I hope it is one that you have soon!