Sex on the Knobstone Trail

“On Friday, April 23, 2004, Tom and I met up with two internet strangers, Indy Hawk, a newbie on Trail Talk, and her friend Edy to go backpacking 31.5 miles on the Knobstone Trail in far southern Indiana. Edy had never backpacked before, and Indy Hawk had not backpacked in 12 years. Each of their backpacks weighed less than 30 pounds, so they were starting out right. The hiking started out at the Deam Lake Trailhead just after a long rain stopped last Friday morning. The first part of the trail was flat, then crossed numerous streams, and then some 200 and 300 foot hills. Indy Hawk and Edy scampered up these hills like mountain goats calling the taller hills “Snicker Bar Hills”, where one needing to eat a Snicker Bar to have enough energy to get up the hill. At mile 6 we enjoyed the famous vista at Round Knob 500 feet over the valley floor. Further down the trail we met several friendly turkey hunters. Seven hours after our start, we ended up on one of the highest hills and an excellent dry campsite at mile 9.8. On a clear day one can see the night lights and skyline of Louisville, Kentucky from this campsite. At dusk, a small owl dive bombed at Tom’s head making him duck.

Indy Hawk and Edy got up in time to watch the sunrise, and they showed up the old timers by being packed and on the trail 15 minutes before anyone else. The weather held to highs in the 70s and lows around 50, and on the second day of backpacking we continued to observe lizards, buzzards, turkeys, snakes, and turtles. Along the way, we met a hiker covered with webs from all the inch worms and we asked his permission to take his photo cover with webs to post on the internet. He asked us where he could view them, and we said, “Webshots”. He thought we were just making that up. Seven hours and 15 minutes of hiking took us to an excellent campsite along the North Branch of the Big Ox Creek at mile 21.2. G-force force marched all 21.2 miles on Saturday in less than 11 hours to reach the campsite before dinner. Chicken Taquitos, cherry cobbler, and liquid refreshments were consumed around the campfire that night.

A thunderstorm came through in the early morning hours, but all the rain stopped just after breakfast. The Knobstone Trail was slick on the steeper parts, and Indy Hawk slipped on some wet rocks landing sideways in a puddle. G-Force slipped going down a hill and ended up with a backside full of mud which he tried to wash off sitting in a stream. Near the Leota Trailhead, we came across some on-going sex right in the middle of the trail, which G-Force had to photograph:

http://community.webshots.com/photo/137639045/137641424vBZYjt

Seven hours and 40 minutes after our start that morning, the last of the group arrived back at Elk Creek Trailhead, and we went into town for a well deserved sit down dinner and a couple of pitchers. Some more photos of this Knobstone Trail trip can be found at:

http://community.webshots.com/album/137712190InpKan

Indy Hawk who hadn’t backpacked in a dozen years, and her friend Edy who had never backpacked turned out to be strong backpackers who were quite comfortable on the three day backpacking trip despite the hills, snakes, thunderstorm and slippery trails. No one needs to worry about them on future backpacking trips.”

“Great trip report! Sloppy Joe and I should have joined you guys. The rain washed us out of Kentucky this weekend.

Nice picture!”

“Dang, all I get is a big white box and a little red X.”

“Yah me too...I guess it wasn't the corporate filter blocking the pic...”

“Great trip report!
Thanks for posting it and the pictures.”

“good trip report gonna go check the web guy.”

“The sex picture came thru for me.”

“Funny, I can view the thumbnail of it.”

“When does the water start drying up on the Knobstone? I've been there a few times but water is always a worry to me.”

“gosh got to view these at home..too much of a firewall here”

“Ditto, no shot, but I could see the thumbnail. Hey, send that cute SEXy shot to me.

They don't call that secret porn star "Gary Galore" for nothing!! ;-P”

“Nice pics and good trip report. sounds like everyone had a blast”

“Hey! – they’re wrasslin’.”

“Nigal, I have been on the Knobstone in March, June, and now in April, and water has never been a problem. I have seen trip reports where most of the streams were dry after mid-summer though.

G-Force lent me his camera (dummy should not have left it unguarded) when he slipped and got his backside all muddy, and another time when he was washing this grey mud off the backside of his black hiking shorts. I hope he will post these shots. i got a good shot with my camera of G-force bending over at his tent just like he got a shot of Liz doing the same, but the camera lens was fogged up on that shot at the time. Lucky guy.

Blast is an appropraite word. Those Indiana girls know how to show the guys a good time. I never had a chocolate martini before. Never even heard of it. The ground felt uneven after a couple of them.”

“It's all a shell game. And why was she hiding her face from him? Why be embarrassed about good, clean, outdoor fun?”

“It was her first time in a porno shoot, obviously...”

“Hey Prosecutor, no fair. Fogged, yeah right##!@#!$# Post it!”

“Liz, you got mail. Butt shot for webshot was not a sure shot since it was a fogged up shot. Tough shot.”

“The soil on the KT is good ol’ Indiana clay, and when it’s wet . . . it’s slick! Though I do have to admit that EVERYONE else made it down the steep incline ok . . . lol!! When I slipped I landed back on my wrist and slid down the embankment at least 200 feet . . . well maybe only 3 feet but ALMOST 200 feet. So today I have my wrist taped up and it’s sore!

The prosecutor failed to mention all the fantastic meals he let everyone sample . . . talk about the backcountry chef!!! Excellent!!! Everyone agreed we’re signing up for ALL of his trips in the future.

The KT is not the easiest trail for someone to tackle without some prior (backpacking) conditioning. So my hat off to the ladies for marching along like a couple of seasoned bpackers . . . especially the part we completed on Sunday. That stretch of trail might be the toughest section of trail that I can think of in IN or MI . . . LOTS of ups and downs.

I’ll post the rest of my pics tonight . . . just got home too late last night.”

“lizs, you want ot see my butt???? lol!!!”

“gforce - that butt shot of lizs is one of my all time favs! ;-)
MOOOHAHAHAHAHA

I think I can pass on seeing your butt shot. ;-)”

“Sorry I missed out this year prosecutor. Sounds like you all had a great time. Nice pictures too.

Those turtles should of got a room.”

“Hey, I found ya over herre, on a new thread!

Good job, Indy, and your friend for doing it! Do you feel sore today? When I first saw "sex on the trail" I thought that you and Prosecutor must have really hit it off. How much did you drink? Should I really believe it was just ... turtles?”

“"turtles" is just a code word, Grizbait. (shhhh! But now you know!)

Hey, that butt shot was certainly not worth the download time! phhhht!!! But thanks anyhoo.

LOL!”

“Great report, Prosecutor - I felt like I was there... ;)
My friend, Edy (Scattered Stride) amazed me with her endurance. It's been awhile since I was the slow poke and I certainly was on this trip. Go MOUNTAIN GOATS!!!
Gforce mentioned the awesome meals we ate - and so the other major point missing in the trail report is the generous spirit and commradery of the three seasoned gentlemen who graciously and spiritedly gave Edy (Scattered Stride) and me a fabulous experience. Thanks Prosecutor, Bliss*ter, and Gforce. You three are the best (and I do mean to the top!) :)”

“Good to hear you had a great time out Indy!

All Hoosiers Rule!”

“I forgot to mention how the ladies looked at the end of the three days of backpacking, hair tucked under baseball caps, mud splatters on their shirts, sweat all over from the hills, webs from inch worms all over, in short, real backwoods women.

Well the three guys entered the restaurant first and sat down for dinner. We guys were so bad the restaurant hostess called us guys, "stinky". The ladies did not follow us in right away.

A little while later, two quite beautiful women walked up to our table, looking vaguely familiar. When the beautiful women got next to our table, I recognized Indy Hawk and Edy (now trail named Scattered Stride). They had cleaned themselves up, changed into some clean clothes, and brushed their hair and ditched the caps. Wow. If they had robbed banks coming off the trail, they never could have been picked out of a line-up the way they looked now.”

“IndyHawk, you used my trail name before it even became official, is that a first? The asterik wasn't allowed. Hiking with ScatteredStride and you was a lot of fun and if you are still game I'd join you ol' "goats" anytime!

G-force, good hiking with you as well and you definitely inspired me to consider a "death march" day.

Prosecutor, kudos for excellent trip planning, and even feeding us! You're a top act. Well, you get one asterik, I got home at 4am.

Since this is my first post, I have to remark in a mixture of awe, envy, and amusement at how devoted to this web site some of you are!”

“BLISSter! You made it to the site! The MtnGoats are already plotting what trip we might do next (a one night with fewer hills was discussed). LMsoreAO!! I'm sure Edy and I would hike with you three anytime.”

“And I'm jealous, too! I've been wanting to do part or all of the KT for years now but something, either work or family related, always seems to get in the way.

Well, Prosecutor, good on you for getting this put together -- and for writing it up.

BTW, those Rodale guys really don't know what they are missing.”

“IndyHawk, I looked on the ULA website and am now including your pack on my list of options, although I must admit a couple of Osprey packs (Aether 60 or 75) are higher on my list. Thanks for pointing it out.”

“Finally got all of the pics uploaded:

Knobstone Trail Trip Pics

Indy - a one night with fewer hills . . . lol! . . . that would be ANY other trail in Indiana! I'm going to scope out the Adena Trace Trail around Brookville Lake sometime in May.

BLISSter - glad to see ya found the site! But 4:00 am!!!!! whoa!!!

It really was a pleasure to hike with everyone . . . hope we can get together again.”

“gforce, thanks for the pic link, but I only see the one now famous turtle shot, even tho it says there are 25 pics there, I can't see the other 24.”

“well BLISSter, webshots has been very slow tonight, but I think you can see them now.”

“BLISSter, Grorces photos finally loaded up and are viewable. Gforce even put in his muddy butt shot and the photo of him sitting in the cold stream trying to wash the mud off. See there Lizs.

Indy Hawk, any time you want to "do a one nighter with fewer hills", as you put it, you know who to call on. Ha Ha Ha.”

“I can see them this morning. Thanks. Great pics!”

“Pros and Gforce - the pics are great. My kids were awed to see their mom on the trail.
Gforce - how is your wrist today? I'll have to check and see where the Adena Trace trail is.
BLISSter - are you rested up? I can't believe you came in at 4...all the more reason to thank you again for waitin' on the girls.
Pros - I'm going to make your chicken spaghetti for my kids this week. Thanks again all three of you for a great trip!!”

“prosecutor's talking "one nighters"... HMMMMMmmmmm...

Yeah, that butt shot was MUCH 'BUTT'ER than the fogged butt. LOL! And sitting in the stream?? Reminded me of my post caving experience last summer. Didn't have extra clothes on or along, so a washing in the local creek was definitely called for (plus, two wash cycles, I think -- BUT nothing was ruined!)

You pervs....


LOL!”

“Great pics gforce!
But that butt shot lizs liked so well just didn't did anything for me. ;-)”

“poor poor SS (actually it's a GOOD thing!!)

Those were a lot of nice flower photos. LOL! On the Sierra Club trip in Yellow River a weekend ago tons of flowers were out. (But did I take any pics of them?? LOL! NOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooo!!)”

“gforce, who'd have thought that Indiana was cultured enough to have a bidet along a hiking trail just for your personal hygiene?:-P”

“Stovie I'm REALLY glad my butt shot didn't do anything for ya . . . because if it did I might be a little worried . . . lol!

My wrist is still real sore and swollen Indy, but I think it's just a bad sprain . . . at least, I hope so!

Pekka that might look to be a good thing but the water was VERY cold to sit down in like that - high shrinkage if ya know what I mean. ;)”

“Hey guys! The newbie is finally online. I want to add my thanks to you gentlemen for making my first experience a great one. I never dreamed I would eat such gourmet food on the trail.. to you Pros. BLISSter thanks for all of your help... just don't call me that "A" name LOL. Gforce ... glad you waited for me to get down the hillside before you took the fall. Hope to be out there again.”

“You must have had a good time that you two dedicated and proficient backpackers have joined the forum. Welcome BLISSter and ScatteredStride to Trail Talk.”

“Prosecutor,

Nice trail pics. I've hiked a couple sections of the Knobstone, and looking at hiking the whole thing this Fall.

Salem”

“Thanks for the "formal" welcome, Prosecutor. This is a nice forum and I enjoy it, but no offense I guarantee you I will not be out here daily. I'll get back with you in a second. I'd also like to welcome ScatteredStride. May the "Power" be with you!

SS & IndyHawk (& gforce for that matter), the Prosecutor was nice enough to loan me a couple Falcon guide books on hikes in the West. They have a rating system for the difficulty of hills so that their various guides were consistent. They rate from a 5 (easiest) to a 1 (difficult), and worse than 1 (below 1) they simply rate H (for horrible). Every 200 feet of climb in one mile's time starts it from a 5 to 4 to 3 but its a curved scale. 500 feet in a half mile is a 1, but more than that, or 1000 feet in one mile, is an H. I am sure we had 7 or 8 500+ ft hills that last afternoon alone. Which is a long winded way of reiterating what the veterans are saying, you girls kicked A!

I noticed the (now past) trip posting and related thread. I only skimmed it but can say that now I understand why GrizBait has gained such notoriety. But we all got to remember we all started out missing a lot of answers ourselves. Go GrizBait!

Prosecutor I also gleamed a little gem in terms of your 4-5-04 posting on that thread of your trip weight. I can see why the MountainGoats got into the ultralight mode (SS’s ditty bag notwithstanding!) I'm tempted to make an Excel comparison to my weights if for nothing else than for my benefit. The new “go light” mantra has had its impact on me for sure, but I can only go so far. And you and I both know a veteran hiker on the Knobstone for a weekend who started with 50 pounds. You probably wouldn't believe what backpack I bought yesterday!

Since I am a newbie to this forum, what I want to know is if I should post a friendly "great weight debate" or if anyone cares? And if so, Mr. Prosecutor are those 23 pounds your final answer? There was a 4-19-04 post telling GrizBait what NOT to bring, can I assume you follow your own advice? And now I am curious and didn’t notice, did you bring a toothbrush? Ha!”

“Hey welcome aboard there ScatteredStride! I'm glad I waited for you to get down the embankment too . . . or the pic may have looked as though we were doing a little mud wrasslin'.

BLISSter there's a neat little program that I use called the Backpacking Gear Weight Calculator. You can download the version 5.12 for free. I've found it really helpful in keeping the pack weight down and deciding what equipment I'll bring on a trip.”

“I never told GrizBait not to bring a toothbrush. I told him not to bring toothpaste. The brushing with water for a couple of days in a row will keep the plaque off. The toothpaste is for cosmetic purposes.”

“Pros:

I thought toothpaste was for your companion's benefit.”

“Why do you think I offer my companions samples of my trail food. I flavor my garlic with food. Lots of onion too. Ha Ha Ha. (enough to kill)

After a couple days without showering, no one gets close enough to tell if I have bad breath. That is why we hike in the fresh air.”