Fall 97, Sheltowee Trace, Cumberland Falls to Laurel River Lake

Distance: 25.5 miles.

Hikers: Sean, Todd, Bill, Bob

Day 1: We drove through the night in pouring rain, hoping that it would stop by the time we got to Cumberland Falls… It didn't stop.  We dressed in the Falls' bathroom and headed out to a certain drenching.  It rained the entire day.  The hike took us along the Cumberland River below the Falls.  We followed the river for about 7.5 miles to our camp site at Bark Camp Shelter.  Along the way we passed Star Creek Shelter and Dog Slaughter Falls,  which is 3 miles from Cumberland Falls.

Bark Camp Shelter was a small, 3-sided shelter with the Cumberland River in front and Bark Creek on the right. The shelter was a welcome sight because we could get out of the rain. We slept inside the shelter that night with just the shelter's roof over our head.  I found out that night that Hiker was another gun carrier. He claimed that he felt something at his feet during the night and thought it was an animal coming to sniff. Instead it was Weinerschnitzler's feet.

Day 2: It was less rainy but still damp. We left the river when we crossed the mouth of the Laurel Boat Ramp and headed toward Laurel River Lake. We crossed the lake's dam and walked 4.2 miles of the lake's shoreline. We camped at Holly Bay for the night. Holly Bay is a state run camp ground at Laurel River Lake. It is a pay site with full facilities. We figured that since we were the only ones there that night we would be able to stay for free. We were wrong. Some bewitched lady approached us and demanded money. We tried to tell her we were poor stranded backpackers who couldn't go any farther and we didn't carry and money. That didn't work, we paid.  We were also charged for fire wood,  but we were able to take hot showers.  We decided to rename this camp ground "Bitch Bay".  That night we sat around the fire listening to the World Series on a radio that Wiener carried with him, until the rain came again.

Day 3: We hiked to our car that was parked at the junction of Hwy 1193 and Hwy 192.