Kentucky Day 5

We were somewhat sad for two reasons: it was our last day & it was just starting to warm up. Regardless, a gorgeous last day for a hike.

We started off making the short trip to Pinnacle Outlook, then walked to a couple forts. After that, took the road trail to the Saddle Gap where we split off to the Tri Peak State Trail for our last hurrah. It took us a couple minutes to find the right trail once we reached the saddle gap but we were on our way in no time. When I was in 8th grade, my family & I hiked the same trail, but I didn't remember anything of the actual hike. Not even halfway through, I knew why- it was so difficult! Short but very steep ascent to the peak. Snapped a few pictures, took off a few layers, & enjoyed the sun all the way down. After changing into roadtripping clothes, it was back to Michigan. 

Pinnacle Outlook

Some road trail pictures 

Saddle gap, trying to find the Tri State Peak Trail

Yeah!

Kentucky Day 4

We drove for about three & a half hours to Cumberland Gap National Park. We hiked the Chadwell Gap Trail & took that to the Hensley Settlement. The park maintains it & during the summer, they apparently have volunteers who run the cabins that they kept there to give the full experience. Unfortunately, everything was closed when we got there but we did have an opportunity to take some pictures w/o feeling self conscious.
Dinner at La Esperanza in Middlesboro, KY. Exactly what you would expect from an authentic Mexican restaurant & it was delicious! They also had fuzzy mustaches for 50 cents in one of the kids' toy machines so I got one (:

Last day in Kentucky tomorrow

 Hensley Settlement

On the way back down the Chadwell Gap Trail

Kentucky Day 3

Starting off on a much chillier note, we headed to Mammoth Cave for the New Entrance tour. Not bad, not recommended if you aren't in decent shape or wider than a foot & a half due to stairs & how wide they built them. Overall, a pretty fun experience, walked through the Frozen Niagara, two hours of walking through the cave. Afterwards, we took a ferry to get to the backpacking trails in the park. Took Sal Hollow to Turnaround bend to Horseback (?) trail, pretty flat, nice for walking on though because it's nice soft ground so your heels don't hurt that much. Definitely recommended for the fall, not really much to see in the spring unfortunately. As always, great for reflection & whatnot.
For dinner we went to Sahara Steakhouse in Cave City. Although a little heavy on the seasoning on the steak, excellent place to go! I go the ribeye steak sandwich & I couldn't have been happier. My Dad loved his New York Strip Steak & my best friend got the fried chicken sandwich. Delicious.

Onwards to Cumberland Gap National Park tomorrow!

it's blurry but probably one of the best pictures I have inside the cave

Waiting for the ferry

Start of the backpacking trails at the Mammoth Cave National Park

Sinkhole

Kentucky Days 1 & 2

Yesterday my best friend, Dad, & I embarked on a trip to Kentucky! Yesterday we stayed in a town called Erlanger, halfway between our destination & home. Interestingly, a tornado touched down 15 minutes from where we were last night, we were lucky it didn't travel near us.
After a big continental breakfast (apparently so much that the lady next to us asked how we managed to stay so skinny), we headed to Mammoth Cave. We hiked on pretty much all the trails around the visitors center & what a beautiful day it was. With blue, sunny skies and temperate weather, it was a great warm up to the trails to come.

After a siesta, we drove down to Bowling Green for some dinner, choosing Samurai. Honestly, it was pretty disappointing if you're a 'purist' sushi (as in no crazy sauces/rolls, just plain) person. Or really if you'reused to traditional Japanese cuisine. Red flags should have gone up when my dad tried to order sea urchin but the server had no idea what we were talking about regardless of which language we said it in. There was some element of sacrilegiousness (I know it isn't a word, bear w/ me) eating salad that topped with a creamy mayo dressing instead of the typical tangy ginger one. Cuts of fish were tiny and questionably fresh- the yellowtail tasted like it was dried out & looked the wrong color. Even the wasabi looked like it was left sitting out for a few hours- when the top layer is a dark green/black compared to the usual minty green underneath, I'm skeptical of the quality. Lastly, though I know this shouldn't really reflect on the restaurant, our server left a lot to be desired- we ordered an entree & even pointed to it on the menu, he wrote it down & brought an appetizer not even remotely close. Overall, the nicest thing about this place was probably the bathroom because it was clean or that the green tea was served lukewarm every time so you didn't have to worry about burning your tongue. Yay? Man this sounds incredibly harsh. Oh well, bed time; long day ahead tomorrow.

August 2011

NOTE: Pictures will be put up soon, I left my camera at my apartment.

Last minute weekend trip to Northwest Michigan w/ my parents between my days during my internship.

Lodging: Our dentists' cottage...hahah. Gorgeous place, good times hanging out w/ them (albeit a little awkward).

Food: Mostly cooked & brought from home by my mom. We hit a couple restaurants downtown including a mom&pop style one in a local hotel as well as an asian fusion deal across the street. We also went to a place that I want to say was called The Barrel or something like that by the dock for the ferry to the North & South Manitou Islands. Lastly, a breakfast & bakery shop also near the ferry.

Trails:

1. Private beach/sand dune/woods hike along Lake Michigan, showed to us by our dentist.

Total miles: about 4

Significant points: I tried to teach myself how to skip stones along the beach & failed miserably. Sad.

2. Pyramid Peak + loop trail connected to it

Total miles: about 4 again

Significant points: The dune at Pyramid's Peak is incredibly steep! The incline has to be at least 70degrees. It looks like a lot of fun to go down though & it takes you straight to Lake Michigan. Between the chilly weather & what I knew would be an arduous climb back, I wimped out. It's justified w/ a 'next time'

3. ? Loop trail

Total miles: ?

Significant points: My parents & I climbed up an extra dune off trail & kept going for about a mile or two up & down the shoreline.

4. Sand Dune hike

Total miles: 9

Significant points: This trail was a revisit from when my brother, dad, & I attempted to do this hike when I was 8. Back then, my brother got an allergic reaction & we headed back so it was nice to finally tie up that loose end. Sand is a lot more difficult to walk in than it seems- especially when it's one massive hill after another. I was sweating like crazy & got the worst farmers tan ever (backpack + tank top + sports bra line...fail) but it was definitely worth it. Sunny w/ a nice breeze going & took us straight to a pebble beach on the shore of Lake Michigan. Definitely worth the labored breathing & burning calves.

Etc: We didn't make any extraneous stops elsewhere other than taking a short walk around downtown & checking out their beach. Nevertheless, I'm extremely happy that we fit in four trails into three days, it had been forever since we had last hiked a decent trail & for more than one day- how I've missed it.

Lesson learned from this entry: never procrastinate chronicling our trips- I can't remember half of this stuff! Sorry.

The 'beginning'

This is my attempt to chronicle all the hikes/traveling my family has done from this point onwards as well as detail what we can collectively remember from the last 11 years of hitting the trails. Bear w/ me as I crank the dial back, it's going to be a long journey due to other obligations in life (:

A little bit of my family:

Awkward, unconventional, unique. Family of four- talented dad, expressive mom, lovable-in-the-oblivious-way brother, & me.

Though I know people will eventually read this (AKA you), this blog is more for me to remember everything because after a while, trips unfortunately start to blend together. That's not to say that I don't hope you can find some use in our experiences!

A little re-hashing from another blog post (but a lot more in depth, I've underlined a few key phrases so you can skip ahead as necessary, it's wordy):

I was on the phone w/ one of my good friends recently & he asked me why I like to hike so much when taking walks is more or less the same thing. I think my answer both surprised him & me- I've always told everyone who's asked how much I love to hike but never thought about the reason behind it until that moment. So this was my answer: when I take walks, I do it as a way to discover the area. I take in the surrounding scenes, make mental notes, explore, & involve myself in what I see. On the other hand, hiking is completely different. It removes you from our busy world of technology (if you so choose, that is) & allows you immerse yourself in a few things. There are three components to my passion for this seemingly pointless hobby- nature, mental, & physical; all great for the soul. It's beautiful & breathtaking to see the Earth the way it was before landscaping & settling- hiking offers a window into this world. In addition, it takes all the distracting elements of the suburbs/city & throws them away. On the trail, you can hear the quiet, broken only by an occasional greeting to a passing hiker or bird calls in the distance. In regards to mental, if you allow yourself, it's one of the best opportunities to get in touch w/ yourself again. As said earlier, we are a society always plugged in to a system through our phones, laptops, mp3s, tablets, etc. constantly running around making & breaking plans on the fly. Not only that but if you're like me, I try to keep in touch w/ friends & usually end up stretching myself out a little too thin. On the trail, it's only me, unplugged from modernity. Phone on silent, mp3 left in the car, no distractions. It provides a great environment for reflection & thinking. I'm able to think about whatever I want for however long I want w/o feeling rushed or guilty that I'm not spending that time doing something else. In short, it allows me to re-center my emotions & priorities. Lastly, physical. You are the boss, it's not about the people in front, behind, or next, it's about pushing your own boundaries.

It wasn't all rainbows & butterflies when our family first started hiking. As a grumpy 10 year old forced on a trail by my parents I didn't see the point or the beauty to seemingly trivial walks on a path, 'trees are great. They're also in my backyard, wow.' However, at some point I started to see things differently & that's when my love for hiking began.

I will now refer you to the Great Block of Text above if you ask me why I bother to hike, thanks for reading/skimming!