Red River Gorge Marathon Hike

“The rental car didn't have an ice scraper in it and I had to use a Credit Card

you paid somebody to scrape your windows for you? :)”

“Sheesh! They're acting like the end of the world is coming. I'm going to see what the roads are like tomorrow morning. I have a leaking seal or something on the Jeep so I have to drive the PT Loser.”

“i thought you like the pt?...i'm gonna do the same...most reports here have the snow ending by morning so hopefully the roads will be clear by 12:00 which is when i wanted to leave...do you know if they're supposed to get any significant snow there?, i'm not really equipped for hiking in snow”

“I think it will not be much. As long as it's like 4" or less there's not much difference.”

“CB: I called you at home. Your mom is really nice! Give me a call later this evening if you get a chance. I left my number with her.”

“Tonight: Periods of snow, mainly before midnight. The snow could be heavy at times. Low around 21. Breezy, with a west southwest wind between 10 and 20 mph, with gusts as high as 35 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow accumulation of 2 to 4 inches possible.

Friday: A 30 percent chance of snow, mainly between noon and 1pm. Partly cloudy, with a high around 31. West wind between 5 and 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.

Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low near 18. West wind around 5 mph becoming calm.

Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high around 39. Southwest wind between 5 and 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.

Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 27.”

“Could be worse. Could be raining.

”

“You know the similarity of that picture to crash bang is amazing.”

“You guys are going to be hiking in slop! SWEET!”

“Wish I could join you guys, but my GulfStream is in for repairs. ;-)

For real, wish I could go. Y'all have a GREAT time. My 'local' backpack had to be canceled.”

“Wounded Knee: There is still time. Come slog with crash and I.”

“I would love to Jim, but I am charge of the little on on Sunday. Barbie will be in the city seeing Wicked all day.”

“Pack her in fiberglass bunting and hit the trail!”

“I was thinking out that little hike hosted by Diane, but Gracie doesn't have a lot of cold weather gear yet.

I am being cautious with her in the cold. Don't know if she is ready for it yet.”

“that's a good daddy!”

“Note: This 'Stomper' person is not one of my trolls.”

“Stove, we know she is not one of your trolls. She looks a heck of a lot better than you do....lol”

“Hell Ewker, so do I!”

“damn Stove, you gonna let Nigal slam you like that esp after your friend sent him the Rome DVD”

“God, I hope so Ewker. Poor girl would be bad off to look like me.
Still, she needs to get an earned trail name.

Nigal? I never pay any attention to what a man that wants to be a naked roller skating 'pull toy' says. ;-)
last edited: 12/08/05 3:54:05 PM”

“Heehee! Stovey, you know me. I'm not laughing at you...I'm laughing at you.”

“At least he's not pointing his fingers and laughing, LOL.”

““damn Stove, you gonna let Nigal slam you like that esp after your friend sent him the Rome DVD”
Ewker
3:49:58 PM

LOL
That's alright. I shipped it Media Mail so it will probably get to him after New Years. ;-)”

“I saw they were having a Rome marathon and showing the whole season New Year's Eve. Doesn't matter cause I don't even have cable.”

“I'm leaving tomorrow morning, if the roads are passable. I plan to be there in the mid to late afternoon.

See you then!”

“OK, I have this thing wired. Got driving directions, maps, etc all figured out. So I am leaving here early morning, around 6. I'll arrive sometime around 2:00 pm EST. I'll head to the camp site off of the Rough Trail near the Martin Fork trailhead and hook up with anyone else that might have arrived. I'll see about doing camp chores. Looking at the map there seem to be lots of cool things to see/places to go so I'll prolly explore a bit and then return to the camp around dark (5pm EST?)”

“We already have about 2-3" on the ground now. I'm going to see what the roads are like in the morning, pack and then get on the road about noon at the latest and down there by 5pm.”

“HOLY SH1T!!!...it took me 3.5 hours to get home from work today...it usually only takes 45 minutes

anyway, because of the snow my brother in law, who lives 2 hours away, couldn't make it up tonight and also he has to wait for his pay check tomorrow...long story short, we're coming saturday morning

mapquest says 3 hours 50 minutes so realistically more like 3 hours 15 minutes or 3.5 hours, depending on the weather...i'm gonna try to leave aroud 5 or 6, easier said than done with my brother in law LOL”

“I am outta here! See you folks later today!”

“Ya'll have fun! Wish I could be there.”

“Somebltch...

The roads were somewhat clear but there was a lot of ice. The Jeeps not an option because it's gotta go back into the shop and my wife told me she would go nuts if I was driving the PT Cruiser down. So here I sit...”

“Nigal is a slacker...
Nigal is a slacker...
Nigal is a slacker...


My damn trip got canceled too.”

“I know! I know! I told my wife, "Do you know how much shlt I'm going to take? Do you know how whipped this is going to make me look? It's all your fault bltch!". LOL! I have no problem making concessions for my wife's anxieties because she is always so cool about giving me the time to go backpacking.”

“I blame that damn dayhiker.
He seems to love his little boy and didn't choose to take him out in the subfreezing temps.
Damn him! ;-)
last edited: 12/09/05 2:05:20 PM”

“you all suck!!! ;)...and so does mother nature...here's the email from crash in case you didn't get it:

i woke up this morning not feeling well, and to reports of bad road conditions, so i likely wont make it down tonight. depending on how i feel, and road conditions saturday, i may come down in the morn. so, if you dont see me this weekend, youll know why. needless to say,i wont be doing the 16 mile trek. i hope ill see you all tomorrow, if not, ill see you another time.

so did anybody tell poor jimmy san?...is he the only one that went?”

“oh yeh, by the way i'm not going either”

“Ya know, a few weeks back I was considering flying in to go on this trip.

Man, oh man, would I be pissed if I had, LOL!”

“.... I'll arrive sometime around 2:00 pm EST. I'll head to the camp site off of the Rough Trail near the Martin Fork trailhead and hook up with anyone else that might have arrived......”
Jimmy san
6:40:32 PM

Poor pitts, all alone

Been there, done that, and Crash Bang was involved also, LOL.”

“captain hook emaild me and said he is going. whether or not i go is going to depend on how motivated i am tomorrow morn”

“sorry i didnt make it to my own trip. i wish now i had gone. i guess the roads werent as bad as i thought they were. hook called me from kentucky and said there wasnt any snow.

i may go next weekend if anyone is interested”

“Slacker Bailers! ;-)”

“Man, it’s a good thing this didn’t go through. I am sicker than a dog. I would have been miserable.”

“looks whos talking stovebailer!”

“Says the King of Bailers. LOL”

“It was a great trip. I love the trails! I am sure Captain Hook, Stomper, and I will somehow make a trip report. We had a solid day of hiking in cool, sunny weather. It was perfect. Hope to see more of you next time!”

“For those of you posers who got "cold feet" you missed a good trip. No snow south of Lexington. Even if there was snow on the ground the roads were clear as could be. Went to Shell to get a detailed topo map, and they sent me across the street to Chevron. They sent me to the park lodge down the street. The park lodge of all people.... since they ARE the park service did not have the topo map. Frustrated I headed to camp after some scrumptious subway. Good directions everyone! I found the camp without a hitch. I can guarantee you that without the detailed directions in this thread I would have been on a different trail for sure wondering aimlessly for hours on end till dawn ect... I’m not fond of night hiking, and avoid it at all costs when in unfamiliar territory. Was surprised to come upon Jimmy San. We chatted for a good bit before the temp dropped to what we were guessing was 15 or so degrees. It was cold, but it was not miserable by any means.

Since we were the ONLY ones at the campsite in the morning we decided to go ahead and sleep in till around 9:30 and then make our own plans. We used our free Shell maps and navigated the trails just fine without the topo maps. In my opinion the trails were marked well in spots where the trail made funny turns, or splits. With signs at every trail junction and the simple map, navigation was cake. Wonderful sights and just the perfect hiking temperature. We just hiked around a few different loop trails and got back to camp around 3:30. After starting a fire who shows up but Stomper. This totally shocked both Jimmy San and myself as we clearly did not expect anyone else to show so late in the trip. We soon found out that she had also arrived late on Friday and went to seek shelter with some relatives in Lexington for the night. She was waiting for us at the parking lot at 7am. While I was still sleeping and Jimmy San was sipping some coffee.

We "chilled" by the fire till all the wood we had collected was converted to ash.

Saturday night was warmer and I slept like a rock till dawn brought me from my slumber, not Jimmy San's snoring :-)

We all decided that since we were in the Natural Bridge capital of the US we would pack up camp then visit some natural bridges tourist style before heading out. Again the weather was top notch and the hiking was easy. Many great views. We all agreed to make a return trip in the future. Jimmy San agreed that it was well worth the one way 7+ hours of car travel. It was well worth my 3 hours, and Stomper's 5. In my opinion this was a very successful trip. Before heading our separate ways we dinned at Subway. What a fairytale ending to a perfect winter trip! Thanks for planning a great trip Crash Bang!

Its time for a shower to remove this hiker funk!”

“Sounds like a fun trip. I really really really wish I could have made it. I got sad every time I looked at my pack. My brother-in-law was having trouble getting up to Indy cause of the weather plus he didn't really have the money. Then when Nigal and Crash said they weren't going I just decided not to go either, totally forgetting the two of you were still going. By the time I remembered I had already told by broinlaw that it was off and I(by that I mean my wife) had already made plans to do something else. Talk about castration, I went from a manly camping hiking trip in the cold to christmas shopping with the wife. LOL”

“y'all make fun of me for not going, but on the way to work this morning my battery light came on, probably meaning my alternator is dying. i wouldve hated for that to happen hours away from home”