Ed
From WildWiki
Sheltowee Trace Backpacking Trip
A. The objective of this trip is to hike the Sheltowee Trace. It will be a 268 mile long journey from Tennessee through the Daniel Boone National Forest in Kentucky(the majority, approx. 258 miles, of this will be in Kentucky). This trip gives us the opportunity to observe the unique natural landscape of Eastern Kentucky, the Cumberland Gap, and the homelands of Shawnee, Cherokee, and other Native American Tribes. Our purpose is to provide a medium level of difficulty trip that will be both fun and didactic. We will learn about the natural and cultural history of the area as well as identfying plants, animals, and other distinguishing characteristics of the region. Trip is designed for beginners and intermediates. Higher levels of ability would probably prefer a more challenging course. For my own purposes, this is going to be a trip between me, my brother, and two friends. However, I am designing the website as if it were for a course with about twenty participants and four leaders.
B. The trip is expected to last from September 1st through the 25th(the mildly warm weather will be preferable to July, along with the beginning of the leaf color changing process). We will be covering an average of about 10 and three quarters of a mile each day. The first few days will start out a little easier, progressively getting harder from that point onwards.
C. Our hopes and dreams for this course is that you will have a great time, learn gamuts of information readily and happily, see things that inspire you, and come out of the trip feeling better about yourself before you went into it. My expectations from the leaders are of the highest standard. They shall all be WFR certified, have a good background knowledge of the area, and have good leadership skills. My expectations of the participants is that they simply try their hardest and go into this with a positive attitude.
D. All campers must meet at our headquarters in Lexington, KY at 3204 Sweetwater Ct., 40515. They must arrive by 10 o'clock in the morning on August 30th. We will spend that day sorting out supplies and then we will set out for the starting point the next morning in shuttle buses(an extra driver for each bus will drive them back into Lexington--same driver arrive at the Northern Terminus on Sept. 25th). From Lexington to Picket State Park(Southern Terminus, our starting point) in Tennessee is about 158 miles. It will only take about three hours to arrive at the Southern Terminus. That day we will begin to divide into groups and practice getting used to equipment. The next morning(Sept. 1), we begin backpacking on the Sheltowee Trace. We then expect to arrive at the Northern Terminus of the Trail on Sept. 25th, where we will be about 85 miles from Lexington. Once we arrive there on the 25th, we begin to clean pots and pans at our campsite, with materials brought by the shuttle drivers. Then the next day, Sept. 26th, we will head back to Lexington to take care of gear checks, evaluations, and debriefing. The drive will be approximately 2 hours.
E. Related Links:
Map of area- [1]
Personal Gear List- Sheltowee Trace Gear List
Group Gear List-Sheltowee Trace Group Gear List
Logistics Page For Instructors-Sheltowee Trace pre-Trip Needs
