Where is "There"?

Tomorrow morning around 3am I'll hit the road and drive my kids to Indiana. I'll spend tomorrow night in a hotel somewhere in Kentucky and then begin my backpacking trip Saturday morning. My pack is packed. I've given myself a refresher in first aid, knot tying, weather identification, map and compass navigation, bear country survival, and general backwoods knowledge. I have applied extra waterproofing to the seams of my backpack, sleeping bag stuff sack, and tent. I have my camera batteries charged and I modded an old tripod to make it lighter so I can carry it with me. I've practiced putting up my tent with my eyes closed. I'm all ready to get out there. The only question is, "Where is 'there' ?"

I still don't know where I will go on Saturday. I have chosen two main sites and a close by alternate for each. I just can't decide which direction to head. Below are the four places I'm thinking of going and the pros and cons of each.

The first site is the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area. This 125,000 acre park is in Southeast Kentucky and Northeast Tennessee. The park follows the Big South Fork of the Columbia River. The terrain is rocky and rugged with many sheer sandstone cliffs, natural arches and bridges, and rock houses. The park encompasses the Blue Heron Mining Company mine and "ghost town" that was left behind when the mining company, which was prosperous in the 30's and 40's, went bankrupt in the 50's.

PROS:

• 125,000 acres is plenty of space
• the kind of terrain I want
• more than 125 miles of hiking trails
• backcountry camping is allowed almost anywhere
• beautiful mountain and river scenery
• I've never been to Tennessee before

CONS:

• Blackbears, wild boars, coyotes, timber rattlesnakes
• Very dense population of northern copperhead snakes
• 6-8 hours from where the kids will be
• snow on Sunday night and Monday high of 40, low in the 20's
• rain in the forecast several days next week

The alternate for Big South Fork is the Red River Gorge Geological Area. This area is 29,000 acres of the Daniel Boone National Forest in northeast Kentucky. The area has many sandstone cliffs and the highest density of natural rock arches east of the Rockies. This place is like Mecca for east coast rock climbers. The sandstone is everywhere, with many sheer cliff faces and boulders more than 30 feet tall.

PROS:

• beautiful scenery
• no bears
• lots of climbing
• easy to get to

CONS:

• crowded and pretty heavily impacted/polluted
• I can't climb solo
• 3-4 hours from the kids

The second area is the Mammoth Cave National Park in southwest Kentucky. Mammoth Cave was created to protect the world's longest cave complex. There are over 300 miles of known caves here and many more that have yet to be discovered. Above the caves there are 53,000 acres of forest that have 70 miles of hiking trails. There are two rivers that cross the park and countless streams, creeks, and waterfalls.

PROS:

• 70 miles of hiking trails
• Green River has great fishing
• Backcountry camp sites are close to trailheads so I can carry more stuff in with me
• only 1 1/2 to 2 hours from the kids

CONS:

• Backcountry camping is only allowed at 12 designated campsites
• campsites fill up quickly and are hard to get on weekends
• have to set up a basecamp and do day hikes instead of hiking through
• recent flooding in Kentucky has caused the Green River to rise beyond flood stage to 22 feet and it has not crested as of Thursday afternoon

The alternate for this area is the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area. LBL has 170,000 acres and over 300 miles of undeveloped shoreline along the Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley. The 65 mile long North-South Trail passes through this area. Some of the largest Elk in America are found here.

PROS:

• 170,000 acres
• two massive lakes
• elk and other wildlife to photograph
• backcountry camping almost anywhere
• 2-3 hours from the kids

CONS:

• lakes are probably seriously flooded right now
• Walking 300 miles of shoreline seems like it would get old after the first few miles.
• flat terrain

I really want to go to Big South Fork but the distance makes it hard, as does the weather and the nasty wildlife considering I'll be alone. The site has the highest risk but also the highest reward. I'm thinking of spending the first half of the week at BSF and then driving to Mammoth to set up camp and chill for the rest of the week. This is probably what I'll end up doing. A bonus to doing this is that I have two old Navy buddies who live near Nashville, which is close to LBL and Mammoth. I've already contacted one of them and we plan to meet up for lunch one day. I have yet to get in touch with the other but I'll get him.

Wherever I end up, I just cannot wait to hit the trail and get out there.