My Review of REI Monarch IV GTX Hiking Boots - Men's

Originally submitted at REI

Amazing performance, fit and durability for wet weather. These waterproof hikers handle mucky trails with ease and are a true value.

REI Monarch IV GTX Hiking Boots - Men's

I Can't Understand These Boots...

By CrazySanMan from Baltimore, MD on 9/8/2008

 

3out of 5

Pros: Waterproof, Comfortable, Breatheable

Cons: Poor Traction

Best Uses: Hiking

Describe Yourself: Avid Adventurer

These boots are very comfortable. They fit true to size and width. I once wore them on an 18 mile, single day hike on a rocky section of the AT along the VA/WV border and didn't have a single problem. My feet stayed comfortable in them during several overnight trips in Shenandoah National Park in 90+ temps this summer. I would estimate that I put 150 miles on them this summer.

What I don't understand is that while the waterproofing is excellent, the wet traction of the soles is abysmal. I was on the AT in a HEAVY downpour on the 4th of July and the boots repelled the rain and mud but my feet slipped almost every time I placed them on a rock or tree trunk. I was the only person slipping on the trail, and one other person was wearing a pair of trail running shoes without slipping.

Dry traction is what you'd expect from Vibram soles - close to approach-shoe level. But when there is even the slightest coating of water I might as well be walking on ice.

I have slipped and fell every time I have worn these boots when it is wet. I've slipped on dew and condensation, in rain, during stream crossings, in the splash area of waterfalls, you name it.

These boots are like a double-edged sword because they keep my feet bone dry when it is wet but they are so slick I cannot wear them when it's wet.

(legalese)

P.O.D. - Picture of the Day

Bear Country

They sure aren't kidding!

This was taken at the Big Meadows picnic area in Shenandoah National Park. I went backpacking there this weekend and I'll have a blog entry about it in a day or two. I had 11 separate bear encounters on my trip.

Appalachain Trail (Keys Gap) - Loudoun Heights Loop Hike

I'm finally starting to get over my pleurisy and I have been dying to "get out there" so yesterday morning I did a little research on line and found the AT-Loudoun Heights Loop hike in WV-VA-MD. This 12.1 mile hike starts at the Appalachian Trail at the Keys Gap trailhead, goes north and loops around Harpers Ferry, WV, then joins the AT again and retraces south back to the Keys Gap trailhead.

"Perfect day hike" I thought. It was a little long for my first exercise in over a month but I would walk slowly, take breaks, and enjoy being out. I planned on the hike taking 6 hours - 2 miles per hour.

I brought a daypack with an internal frame that also holds a big Nalgene reservoir. I had a lot of snacks and some jerky for protein. I brought my Columbia sandals with me as well. These sandals have a super-grippy Vibram sole and they are great for hiking. They give good traction. You don't get blisters of hot spots because your feet get plenty of air. You can cross creeks and rivers by just walking through them.

I started out on the trail along an old wire fence.

On the AT at Keys Gap WV 7-5-08

and then the trail left the fence and headed deeper into some forest. The trail was very rocky and at some points the trail looked like someone came by and dumped large 1-2 foot wide rocks all over the trail. I believe that for the first four miles I stepped on rock more than I stepped on dirt.

At one point the trail entered a meadow that was a clearing for large high-tension power lines. I've never been under power lines like this before and I could hear the electricity humming and crackling very loudly. It was kind of eerie. I passed the power lines again when I was returning to Keys Gap. Here is a shot of the power lines each time:


A long Day


After four miles the AT joins the Loudoun Heights Loop Trail.

Which Way?


I turned left and continued to follow the AT on a series of switchbacks down a very steep hill. I crossed a road and continued the steep descent. Here and there stone steps were placed on the trail to aid the descent.

Rock Stairs Compliments of PATC


The trail finally came to the bridge on Route 340 that crosses the Shenandoah River. I walked on the side of the bridge and made an immediate right toward Harpers Ferry. As soon as I made the right there was a small trail entry blazed white that went up a steep embankment and climbed to the bluffs above Harpers Ferry. At the top of the bluff I took a blue-blazed side trail that led me through the Storer University campus to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy headquarters. This is the organization that owns all of the Appalachian Trail land and maintains the trail.


ATC HQ

Here I got a drink, talked to some SOBO backpackers, and read a little about the history of the Appalachian Trail. Then I followed the blue blazes back to the AT and promptly came to Jefferson Rock.


Jefferson Rock

Jefferson Rock sits high above Harpers Ferry and from here you have an excellent view of the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers. Thomas Jefferson was so impressed with the view from this rock that he wrote "this scene is worth a voyage across the Atlantic". See http://www.nps.gov/archive/hafe/jeffrock.htm for more of Thomas Jefferson's dramatic description of this view.

The View From Jefferson Rock

This is the Potomac river as seen from Jefferson Rock.

The trail then goes down into historic Harpers Ferry. There are actually white AT blazes along the street. I've never noticed them before. Once through the town you walk along an old iron railroad bridge to cross the Potomac. On the other side of the bridge is Maryland and the C&O Canal towpath. The AT follows the towpath for about a mile to MD 340. Here you leave the towpath and climb up to 340. The 340 bridge has a very narrow walkway and you use this to cross the Potomac again, into Virginia. The trail has you follow 340 against traffic on the left hand side for about a quarter mile. Then there is a small path with a sign that says "Loudoun Heights Trail".

The Loudon Heights trail is blazed blue and it begins climbing immediately. Through a series of steep switchbacks it climbs 300 feet to a rock outcropping across the rivers from Harpers Ferry and 600 feet above sea-level.


The MD 340 Bridge Across the Potomac



Harpers Ferry seen from Loudoun Heights

After leaving the bluff, the trail continues climbing up to 1200 feet and follows this ridge line back to the Appalachian Trail where I initially turned left. When I got to this point I was completely exhausted. I felt like I couldn't walk anymore. I checked my GPS and the trip computer said I had gone 13.7 miles. It sure felt like it, but the whole loop was only supposed to be 12.1 miles and I had 4 to go.

I took the last four miles very slowly, walking easily. The sun was getting low in the sky and the trail was starting to darken. I passed four tents set up on this leg of the Appalachian Trail- through hikers who were stopping for the night after another hard but rewarding day on the trail.

When I made it back to the car I checked the trip computer on my GPS again. 17.8 miles. I was hoping, (or not actually) that my GPS was inaccurate and measuring mileage shorter than it really was, but the GPS, the sign that said 4 miles, and the guidebook were all right about this distance. It sure felt like I had walked nearly 18 miles. The trip took me 7 and a half hours and the GPS said I averaged 3.1 mph when I was moving. I went farther and faster than I set out to do, and I have been very sick for the past month.

I want to do this loop again sometime soon, but hit the Loudon Heights early in the morning. As it was I was shooting into harsh sunlight and a lot of haze and my pictures toward Harpers Ferry were very bad. In the morning the sun would be to my back shining onto Harpers Ferry instead of above it shining into my lens. I really want to see the view from there at peak color in the fall...

Another Backpacking Trip in the Works

I'm planning my second backpacking trip of the year. This one is going to be in the Shenandoah National Park from June 14-17. I'm going to access the park from I-64 so I'll stay in the South end of the park, mainly around Loft Mountain.

I'm thinking I'll park around mile 84 at the Jones Run Trail parking lot and hike the Jones Run Trail past the three waterfalls. I'll take the Appalachian Trail at the PATC Doyle River Cabin and follow it North.

I'm hoping to find a campsite for that first night somewhere on the approach to the Loft Mountain Campground or about halfway between the campground and the Frazier Discovery Trail. Both areas look relatively flat on my topographical map, the flattest land around. Sure, it's only about 5 miles from the Jones Run trailhead, but the first day I'll be driving to the park from Virginia Beach and I want to give myself time to photograph and enjoy the waterfalls.

I'm not real sure where to go from here. I would like to do around 10 miles Sunday and Monday and then do about 5 back to the trailhead and the car on Tuesday. I may head up the Rocky Mount/Gap Run Trail loop but that whole area looks very steep with no camping sites. I may head south on the AT and do the Wildcat Ridge/Riprap loop.

I would love to start further north and include a summit of Hawksbill or Stony Man as part of the trip but I'm a little pressed for time and don't want to drive that much farther North on Saturday and Tuesday. I would love to get some photos of a bear and they are a lot more plentiful in the Southern end of the park, and the three waterfalls are also very tempting photo subjects. I can make a trip later on to Hawksbill and Stony Man when I'm starting out from here in Baltimore because that section of the park is much closer to Baltimore. Since I'm coming in from Virginia Beach this time I should stay near I-64.

If you are familiar with Shenandoah National Park and have some suggestions for a 25 mile loop or circuit from the area around the Loft Mountain campground ending at the Jones Run trailhead around mile 83 of Skyline Drive, please let me know.

My Backpacking Trip - Day 5

I was hoping I would get a chance to sleep in this morning since I was staying put for the remainder of my trip but a group of wild turkeys had other plans. I was (rudely) awakened by about a dozen turkeys clucking and gobbling and making this weird popping noise about 50 yards from my tent. I wanted to try to get some pictures of them but by the time I could get dressed in my tiny tent and then crawl outside they were gone.


Bluffs Backcountry Campsite Mammoth Cave National Park



I cooked breakfast and decided I would hike back to the car to unplug the cell phone charger so I would be able to drive home when my trip was over. I packed up some things I decided I no longer needed and hiked to the car. It was a little over three miles from the Bluffs campsite to the trailhead where I parked, so I had a nice six mile hike ahead of me. At the trailhead I sat at a picnic table, ate beef jerky for lunch, and called my kids. The cell phone signal was very weak at the trailhead and I couldn't get reception in the woods.


Some of the many hiking trails in the Mammoth Cave National Park


I hiked back to the campsite after my lunch, and since it was a warm day I decided to shower in the waterfall at my campsite. The water was absolutely freezing cold, like ice. I couldn't stand under the water for long because it was so cold, but it felt great to get clean. I cleaned my dirty laundry under the waterfall as well, spreading dirty clothes over the rocks that the water was beating onto where it fell.


My Own Private Waterfall


I spent the rest of the afternoon scouting around the campsite and dragging back any wood I could find for my campfire. After about an hour it was starting to get dark and I had an impressive pile of wood so I lit the fire. I sat roasting marshmallows and listening to music until after dark. Just after the sun went down the coyotes in the park became active.


Roasting Marshmallows



Being alone in the dark and hearing coyotes howling all around you is quite an experience for a city boy like me. I researched coyotes before I left for the trip and so I knew they were no threat to me; they eat mice and other small rodents, but it was still a little unnerving to hear so many coyotes all around me. Some were very close, at the top of the bluff above me and on the bluff next to mine, down the hill in front of me and up the next hill. Others were far off so they could barely be heard. At times I could hear a bunch of them snarling and growling and barking together, with the noises starting off quitely and working into a frenzy. I think they were hunting as a pack and would make lots of noise when they were making a kill. It could have been that the males were competing for females since it was early spring. At any rate, I had a good time sitting and listening to all the howling and snarling and being a little scared but knowing I had nothing to worry ab!
out.

The coyotes continued making noise long into the night, longer than I stayed awake. I retreated to my tent around 10pm and fell asleep to the sounds of growling, barking, snarling coyotes all around me.

My Backpacking Trip - Day 4

I woke up early on day 4, my internal alarm clock waking me up well before dawn. I had slept peacefully all night for the first time and I woke up feeling refreshed. I was outside for the first bit of morning light and the sunrise was a beautiful show to watch that morning.


Sunrise on the Big South Fork


Morning Mist on the Big South Fork River

I had packed most of my stuff last night so I broke camp quickly and headed toward the Yamacraw trailhead and my car. The walk back was fairly uneventful. I ran into two older men, late 50's or even early 60's, who had packs and walking sticks. They said they were coming from farther south and it got too cold for them so they had a friend pick them up and drop them off again at Yamacraw and they lost two days of their trip. They said the weather was going to be much warmer and they wanted to make the Catawba overlook today, which was a good 8-10 miles behind me.

I made it back to my car (it wasn't broken into!) and got everything loaded in it and headed for the Big South Fork visitor center in Stearns. When I got there the same ranger was on duty who gave me my backcountry camping permit when I left. I let her know I was back from my trip and I asked her about the clawed tree I had seen and asked her if it could have been a raccoon looking for grubs in the dead wood. She took one look at the picture I had taken on my camera's LCD screen and said "Nope, you found yourself a male black bear" with her Kentucky twang. We talked another 10 minutes or so about wildlife in the area and then I left and headed to Mammoth Cave National Park.

I took a detour and swung by the Cumberland Falls state park, which is called the "Niagra Falls of the South". Cumberland Falls is a massive, wide waterfall that casts a "moonbow" during a full moon. The area around the park looked nice. There is no backcountry camping at Cumberland Falls even though a part of the Sheltowee Trace runs through the park.

The drive to Mammoth Cave National Park was much longer than I thought and I arrived to the visitor center there about 20 minutes before it closed. The ranger here spoke slowly but intelligently and had a good but dry sense of humor. He very much reminded me of Steven Wright. He surprised me when he was talking about packing in fresh water and he said "Now I know you drove all the way from the Harford Road exit of the Beltway to get here and that water weighs 8.34 pounds per gallon and that it is much easier to boil water than it is to pack it in, but as you can see there are a lot of farm fields around here and a lot of the water is agricultural runoff and boiling will not remove chemicals and fertilizers and manure and if you want to make it back to the Baltimore Beltway so you can take that Harford Road exit and go back home to Parkville I highly recommend that you pack in water." He saw my driver's license, but this ranger had a thick Kentucky accent. How did he know which exit from the beltway I would take to get to my house? Later on in his ramblings the Ranger said something to the effect of "and I know I am just a park ranger with a cousin who lives on Bel Air Avenue in Overlea but...". So that was it, he has a cousin who lives close to me.

At Mammoth Cave National Park, backcountry camping is allowed at twelve designated back country campsites. The campsites are reserved on a first come, first serve basis. I was fortunate that I was able to reserve the Bluffs, which seems to be the most popular site and the one that is most recommended on all the internet sites I read about Mammoth Cave National Park.

I left the Visitor Center and stopped in the camp store. I bought a bag of marshmallows and two cans of Beanie Weenies. I would be staying put at this campsite, no more backpacking once I got there, so I decided I would relax and enjoy it.

I had to take a small ferry across the Greene river to get to the Good Spring Trailhead. The ferry was interesting. It held three cars and was guided by steel cables strung across the river. Once on the other side it was about a ten minute drive to the Trailhead parking lot.

I got out of the car, threw on my pack, and took off. I had a 3 mile hike in front of me and the sun was very low in the sky. I was worried that I would be stuck on the trail in the dark. I knew the trail to the Bluffs was steep and treacherous and I wanted no part of it in the dark with 70 pounds on my back. I hurried on, walking at a very fast pace, sweating profusely. The trails here were double tracks, nothing at all like the Sheltowee Trace, and that made the going easier.


The Buffalo Trail at Mammoth Cave National Park


The Buffalo Trail at Mammoth Cave National Park

I made it to the Bluffs trail with about 30 minutes of sunlight remaining. The trail was very steep and rocky and I slid several times but luckily my walking sticks caught my fall each time. The trail leveled out and there were several rock houses, two of them with waterfalls. About a quarter mile past the waterfalls I made it to the campsite.

The campsite had a lantern post, a steel fire ring, and a tent pad. The tent pad was not level, and it was filled with very course sand and lots of gravel. I got the tent set up and found a fairly level rock to set up my stove on. I cooked the cans of Beanie Weenies for dinner and then crawled into my tent and went to sleep. It was dark and I was very tired after my double time march to the camp site. The tent pad was sloped so the my feet were lower than my head and I kept suddenly sliding feet forward during the night. I didn't sleep well.


My tent at teh Bluffs campsite in Mammoth Cave National Park


As I was dozing off I realized I left my cell phone charger plugged into the cigarette lighter of my car. There was a red light that lit when it was plugged in. I knew the light hardly drained any power but I was going to be here for three nights. Would the light drain my battery in 3 days? I would have to go back and unplug it tomorrow...

My Backpacking Trip - Day 3

Last night I had hypothermia, or nearly had hypothermia, I'm not sure which. I woke up on the morning of day 3 and felt warm from all the hand warmers on me. I lay in my sleeping bag for a while then finally sat up and peeked outside. It was sunny! I got up and got dressed in warm clothes and went outside into the sun. I dug my stove out of my backpack and boiled water for coffee and some nice hot oatmeal for breakfast.

It clouded up as I was making breakfast and then snow flurries started coming down. The snow got harder and harder and the wind really picked up, driving the snowflakes horizontally.






I had a decision to make- should I continue on with the trip or should I stay here and hunker down in the snow? Today was my last full day and night in the Big South Fork, tomorrow I would drive to Mammoth Cave National Park. I didn't want to go too much farther because it would be too much distance to cover back to the car tomorrow and still make it to Mammoth Cave before dark. I also had no idea how much snow would be coming, how cold it would get, or if I could even see some sleet or freezing rain. If I pressed on I faced a long hike tomorrow on a trail that could be covered in snow or ice.

I decided to stay put since I had a decent shelter with the tarp over my tent. I set myself to work gathering firewood so I could stay warm all day. As I was gathering wood the snow stopped and sun came out and it got warmer. I went to the creek to get water for the day and I brought my dirty clothes with me. I threw the clothes in the creek and got them soaking wet then rang them out as best I could. I did this several times. My hands were shriveled and frozen when I was finally finished with the clothes. I went back to the campsite and as I was hanging the clothes on a line to dry the sky darkened and another snow squall moved in. It was windy and snowing hard before I finished hanging the clothes.

I went under the tarp and a few minutes later the snow stopped and it got sunny again. I decided to try a short day hike of a few miles so I would have something to do and so I could see more of the trace. I brought a backpack with some snacks and water, a cigarette lighter, and gloves and a hat and hit the trace once more. I walked about a mile when I ran into two guys walking toward me with packs and walking poles.

"Are you the two guys from Ohio who drove that red truck?" I asked.

"Yes, why?" was the reply.

"Oh, I was wondering if I was going to see you on the loop or not. I'm parked next to you. Just trying to keep tabs on who else is out here." I answered.

"Oh, thank God. The last time someone asked us that here my truck had been broken into." The guy said. I told him I had hiked back to the parking lot yesterday and his truck was OK at that time and he seemed a little more at ease. He told me there was a wooden lean-to shelter about a mile on down the trail from where we were and he recommended that I move there if I was going to stay here tonight since the snow kept coming down.

I thanked them and walked on. I decided I would go check out the shelter and see if it was better than the place I was in now. I hiked for at least a mile and a half and never saw the shelter. I passed the Cotton Patch Creek on my walk. This was set up similar to Negro creek in that there was a small bridge/ladder to climb on top of a large boulder that had fallen and wedged above the creek bed. Once on the boulder it was a jump down off of it.


Cotton Patch Creek crossing


I turned around at one point and went back to my campsite. I never saw the shelter and didn't want to hike that far with all my gear in potentially bad weather. There was no where that was flat along the path I walked where I could set up camp in an emergency. If I couldn't find the shelter I would be stuck out in the open overnight. It had began to snow yet again and that just seemed to prove to me that my decision was the right one.


The view of my campsite in the snow when I returned from my day hike.


When I returned I ate some Power Bars and beef jerky for lunch and had some hot chocolate to warm up. I continued gathering fire wood for the fire that night. My clothes were no where close to being dry. Surprisingly out of all the clothing my good old fashioned DuoFold long underwear was the driest and the several Under Armor items were the wettest. In the middle were the North Face Tekware and a Columbia Titanium shirt. I thought the Under Armor would have been the first to dry.

I cooked Mountain House Chicken Teriyaki with Ricefor dinner. It was very, very good.


Dinner, night 3

The sun came out as I was eating and set behind the hill across the river. I sat up for a while drinking hot chocolate and playing with the camp fire. I had the best cup of hot chocolate I have ever drank right there, as the sun set and I sat in front of the campfire, alone, at peace with the world, and happy to be alive.

My Backpacking Trip - Day 2

I woke up the morning of day 2 and stayed still and listened. I wanted to make sure that I didn't hear anything outside before I moved. Satisfied, I got dressed and crawled out of my tent to inspect the damage. It was a sunny morning. I walked down the hill to the trail and found my food bag still hanging in the tree. That was a good sign. Looking back past my campsite and back down the trail that I had hiked yesterday I noticed a large dead tree. At least it used to be.


Clawed tree


This tree had been torn to Hell last night. There was a fresh pile of woodchips around the base of the tree. It was clawed by a black bear, probably to let me know that I was in his territory and he didn't like it. The sight of the tree, so close to my tent, freaked me out a little. I got down my food bag, then went back to my campsite. I broke camp and left quickly without breakfast.

Other than worrying about bears the night before I was worried that my car was going to be broken into. I couldn't get it out of my mind. I ended up hiking back to the trailhead to check out the car. It took me about 2 hours to get to the car and it was fine when I got there. I dropped off some clothing that i had that I didn't need and removed a few other items to try to lighten my load. I probably trimmed about 10 pounds from the pack and it felt a lot better. Once again I passed the sign at the Yamacraw trailhead and hit the Sheltowee Trace. The sky had turned gray, the temperature had dropped, and there were snow flurries here and there.

I passed my campsite from the night before and as I was walking I noticed all sorts of signs of bear activity. Bear footprints. Clawed trees. Clawed fallen trees. How could I have not noticed all of this yesterday? I would have to be more careful.

The trace followed the river and after going around another turn I came to a beautiful stretch of the river. The Big South Fork here was flanked on each side by massive, 30- to 50-feet-wide charcoal gray boulders. There were a lot of whitewater rapids along this stretch. I stopped and cooked a can of Hormel Chili for lunch. I actually had a cell phone signal here so I called my kids and wished them a happy Easter. My feet at this point were absolutely killing me from the boots I bought that were too big so I took off the boots and my socks and washed my feet. It was very cold but felt good. I didn't see any blisters and that was a good sign.


The Big South Fork river



After my break I continued on and about a mile further I came to a spot where a large creek named Negro Creek met the Big South Fork. The guidebook said there were good campsites to be found in this area and it was around 5pm so I decided to find a good site and stop.

Crossing Negro Creek was difficult. There was a small wooden bridge, more like a ladder, that led up to a large boulder. On the other side of the boulder was a small wooden bridge. The creel flowed on either side of the boulder, about 15 feet down. On the far side of the boulder the creek flowed into a large pool that looked to be about 6-8 feet deep, like the deep end in a swimming pool. I would have loved to be there in the summer and jump into that water, but now it was bitterly cold and there were snow flurries so I wanted no part of it.

After crossing the creek the trail went through a series of switchbacks up a steep embankment and then went around a sharp turn. I looked down before me and there was a perfect camp site. It was an area, about 40 feet wide and 120 feet long, that was the floodplane of the river. It was flat, compressed sand. There were some trees scattered about. There was a large fire pit made of stacked stones. The best part was the tarp. Someone had set up a tarp using a long branch as a center support and a combination of rope and vines from the corners of the tarp to four nearby trees. Behind the tarp was a steep drop off, about 20 feet tall. Below that was another floodplane that was still about 8-10 feet above the river. The view of the river from under the tarp was incredible. I looked around and didn't see any trees with bark missing. There were a lot of horseshoe prints around. This looked like a very popular and well-used campsite so I'm sure all the wildlife avoided this area.


This was my campsite for night 2


My campsite for night 2, with my camp fire burning.


I set up my tent under the tarp, got water from the creek, and gathered wood for a fire. The sky began to clear and the sun came out. I kicked back and ate Backpackers Pantry Freeze Dried Pad Thaifor dinner. I made some hot chocolate and enjoyed the campfire until after dark. The sky remained clear and the sky was filled with stars. I should have recognized this as a bad sign but I was too caught up in the peacefulness of this place.

The only sounds I heard in my tent were from the river flowing down below me. I fell asleep quickly. A little after 2am I woke up abruptly. I was shivering violently. I could not feel my feet or move my legs. I could barely open or close my hands. I felt drunk. I realized almost immediately this was hypothermia and I would die if I didn't act right away. However, I could not get myself to do anything. It was amusing to me, funny, that I was laying here shivering like this. I knew I had to move but I didn't want to and I wouldn't. It took what seemed like an eternity for me to try to move and when I tried I couldn't. I managed to get an arm out of the sleeping bag and it fumbled around on the floor of the tent as I tried to find some clothing to put on. I found a fleece hat and after a struggle I got it on my head. I felt instantly warmer with the hat on. The next thing I found was a bag full of Heatmax Hand Warmers that I had picked up on clearance at Wal Mart on day -1. I bit into one of the packages because my hands still weren't working good and I tore it open. I held the handwarmer in my mouth and shook it to mix the powders inside and start the chemical exothermic chemical reactions in the pouch.

I managed to get four hand warmers open and warming and I put one on my chest over my heart, one on each thigh near the femoral artery, and I slipped one under my back. The heat from the hand warmers not only warmed my body, it warmed the air inside my sleeping bag and I was becoming nice and toasty, but I was still shivering. It took what seemed like forever for me to stop shivering. Once I could feel my feet and could move my hands well enough I sat up and put on a wicking base layer shirt, a fleece shirt, thermal long underwear, and polartech socks. I noticed the condensation on the inside of the tent had frozen so the whole inside of the tent was covered in white frost like gound beef in the freezer. I kept the handwarmers held against my skin by the Under Armor shirt I slipped on and fell asleep with them there even though the directions said not to sleep with them.

I have since found out that on that night it got down to 19 degrees. The forecast I had printed two days earlier said it would be in the lower 40's that night. My sleeping bag is rated to 35 degrees. I absolutely believe that if I did not take those hand warmers out of my pack and place them near me in the tent I would have died from hypothermia that night.

My Backpacking Trip - Day 1 Part 2

I had ate lunch, gathered all the extra stuff to carry with me, and set off with about 75 pounds on my back. My son is right around 75 pounds and him on my back is lighter than the pack was with all the added stuff.

I started up the gravel trail that I drove in on to a sign that I remembered seeing as I drove to the parking lot.


Sign at the Yamacraw trailhead


The Sheltowee Trace is a 263 mile long trail through the Daniel Boone National Forest. It goes through numerous Kentucky State Parks and the Big South Fork as well. Sheltowee is the name that was given to Daniel Boone by an Indian chief who had captured Boone and was impressed by Boone's skills in the forest.

I started along the Sheltowee Trace and immediately wished I didn't have the extra weight on my back. The Sheltowee Trace is very narrow in places, very steep in places, and very treacherous in places. Since it was March, there were no leaves on the trees, save for magnolias, rhododendrons, and fir needles. There was green moss and green ferns everywhere, and this made the landscape kind of surreal in the mix of dead brown and vibrant, living green.


Moss growing next to the Sheltowee Trace


The Sheltowee Trace


Scenery along the Sheltowee Trace



The area I was hiking through was the Big South Fork floodplane. There was a steep hill on either side of the river, carved by the river through millions of years of flow. Freshwater springs flowed down from the tops of the hills or out of the ground everywhere and drained into the river. Every 200 yards or so there was a spring to cross.


A small spring cascading to the Big South Fork river


Some of the springs and creeks formed waterfalls. I have never seen so many waterfalls before. This was the first large one I came to:


Unnamed waterfall


This waterfall was 20-25 feet tall and about 3/4 of a mile from the trailhead.

Continuing on, at 1.2 miles I came to a wooden bridge. There was a wide doubletrack path that went to the right and a smaller path that went to the left and over the bridge. There was a large creek rushing under the bridge and before the bridge the creek formed a large, loud, cascading waterfall. I stopped to check the guidebook and determine which path to take because there were no clear markings. The Sheltowee Trace is blazed with white turtle on a blue background or a blue turtle on a white background. I couldn't see either here.

The guidebook told me that I had to take the small path to the left and cross the bridge. It also mentioned a small trail that lead .2 miles to the Princess Falls waterfall and said it was well worth the trip. I decide to take the trail to the Princess Falls waterfall. Am I ever glad that I did...


Princess Falls Waterfall


At 45 feet wide and 17 feet high the waterfall was absolutely gorgeous. It is named for Princess Cornblossom, a famous Native American princess from the area. I had learned of Princess Cornblossom earlier from a Kentucky Historical Marker that I saw in Stearns:


Kentucky Historical Marker about Princess Cornblossom


Princess Falls waterfall


Princess Falls waterfall


I spent a lot of time photographing this waterfall and some of the others I passed and since I had a late start it was now after 4pm and would be getting dark in the next few hours. I needed to start looking for a camp site. I considered a large flat area at the bottom of the falls but the thought of all the mist from the falls and the fact that many wild animals would go there to get water changed my mind.

I continued on the trail back to the bridge over the Lick Creek. Coming from the falls, it looked like this:


Sheltowee Trace Bridge over Lick Creek


The trail was rough on the other side of the bridge for about half a mile and then finally leveled out after going around a bend of the river. I continued on for about 3/4 of a mile and saw a fairly flat area on the hill above me. There was a large rock outcropping and below it a huge boulder had fallen. The prospect of a campsite with rock on two sides appealed to me so I climbed up there to take a look. The area was not level but I found a flat spot large enough for my tent to fit in. As a bonus it was right next to a fallen tree so the tree would provide a wind break on that side.

After I got the tent up I set my thoughts on dinner. I decided on Mountain House Freeze Dried Lasagna with Meat Sauce. There was a long flat rock about 40 feet from my tent site and I decided to cook there, on top the rock. In my How to Avoid Encounters with Wild Bears article I described how important it was to do all your cooking far from the tent site. After the meal was cooked I sat on the large rock with my back to the river and ate. While eating I happened to look at the rock outcropping in front of me and noticed that at the top of it there were three trees that had large areas of bark removed.


Black bear territorial marking on a tree. notice the grooves made by his claws and the fresh, pale yellow wood of the tree indicating this was done very recently.

"Oh fuck" I thought. I looked around and saw other trees with bark scratched off them. I had managed to pick a campsite that a bear also claimed as his. It was getting dark and there was no time for me to try to move and find another site, so I decided to hunker down here and hope for the best.

I finished my meal and then looked around for a suitable place to hang my food for the night. It was harder than I thought to find a suitable branch but I finally found one and got the bag hung about 15 feet off the ground and 6 feet from the tree trunk on a small branch. The bag was about 200 feet from my tent.

Next I went back to my cooking area and built a small campfire on top of the rock. I burned the lasagna package and put out the fire. Then I found my way to the tent in the dark and got inside.

I was comfortable and about to fall asleep when the woods around me seemed to explode with wildlife. I knew from photographing wildlife that if you go out and sit perfectly still for about 10 minutes or so the animals will get used to you and come around again. That must be what happened here. It started with a very loud screech owl that must have been in a tree right near me. He was answered by another on the other side of the river. This continued on all night. I could hear coyotes howling in the distance. Every now and then I heard a sound like a cat screaming out. I don't know if it was a bobcat or an eastern cougar, both live in the Big South Fork. Then I heard what sounded like several dogs snarling and growling and barking at something that was growling and snorting back. It was coming from above me, probably over the hill and on the other side or maybe even a hill away. I knew I was still close to the Yamacraw trailhead and close to some houses so I am assuming I was hearing someone's dogs barking at a bear and the bear growling back.

The dogs and bear died down and at some point I started to fall asleep again when I could hear a deep snorting, sniffing, huffing, and occasional growl outside the tent, very close by. I could hear leaves rustling around and I think I was being visited by the bear. I lay perfectly still, not breathing, and listened. The noise seemed to get softer and aofter as if the bear was moving away, then it stopped altogether. Several minutes later I heard a loud thud and thought "There goes my food bag". Around 11pm or so all the noises seemed to stop and I finally fell asleep.