Introduction
In looking for new longish trails to hike, Sheltowee Trace (SOBO) was chosen for my 2019 hike. It was a rewarding experience, and I owe a debt to members of the Sheltowee Trace Association (STA) for their excellent support. The opinions in this review are strictly mine, and do not reflect the opinions of the STA or any other hiker. Not claiming hiking expertise.
Highlights
The Trace parallels numerous streams and is well blazed. There are numerous caves and rock overhangs. It seldom climbs above 500 feet and the trail tread is generally pleasant. Most memorable sections involve descents into a gorge as opposed to climbs. Descending elevations such as Salt Fork Creek are beautiful, but feel isolated and lonely. Checking GPS location can be a challenge, especially in the morning fog. While timing of my hike did not coincide with the Moonbow, Cumberland River area was something to see. There is a lot to like about this trail but I’m not giving away the candy store by listing everything, you’ll have to hike this trail. Are you tired of hiking with the masses (e.g. AT)? You won’t be doing that here.
Navigation
Not my area of expertise (look at my trail name), Sheltowee Trace needs a more proactive approach than some of the more traveled trails such as the AT, SHT, & OHT. The 333 mile walk includes about 60 miles of road. Walking the trail from blaze to blaze is a recipe for missing a turn. Sections with trail turning to road walks are most problematic. I finally got the hang of road walking when the map was checked in advance and used dead reckoning to guesstimate where specifically the road ended and the trail turnoff began. There aren't any neon signs at the trailheads; you really have to look sometimes. On top of that the ST is represented by turtle blazes, white diamonds, John Muir blazes, Kentucky Trail blue blazes, and pink ribbons tied to trees. Most of the time, the white diamonds put you on the Trace, but not always. Same for the pink ribbons (spot on most of the time, but there is a pink ribbon for a wrong turn on HWY 490), I would not walk this trail without GPS waypoints on my phone (Caltopo GPX Files).
Other Challenges
Morehead, KY went 30 days without a drop of rain and the temperatures were in the mid 90’s the first week. Normally I have a good handle of water requirements, but all bets were off in this situation. Carrying a lot of water made my pack really heavy for the first 150 miles.
The hiker will be greeted by a series of dogs on a road walk around mile 98. Didn’t get bitten, but the situation was pretty imposing. Important to plan a hike that allows you to be in the woods at the end of the day.
Sheltowee Trace has a reputation for being home to a lot of poisonous snakes. I saw one copperhead, but that was it.
Equipment Issues
A hammock was used to hike this trail. Went hardware free using the becket hitch. Going from the Kevlar/Amsteel to Kevlar 3.3 allowed the becket hitch to be easy & problem free. I was surprised how the J-Bend & Lapp Hitch was also easy to untie with Kevlar. Remember Phantom Grappler saying something to the effect that proper knot tying, dressing, and getting the right webbing/rope for the situation are everything. Agreed
It’s hunting season on the ST in October so I wore an orange shirt, buff, & backpack cover (cheapie from Amazon). Maybe overkill, but it felt safe.
My NU25 headlamp tanked in the middle of this hike. Either the switch went out or it was a victim of too much moisture. Too bad, because I used it to hike in the dark several nights in the first week of that mid nineties hike.
Final Thoughts
Time spent hiking the Sheltowee Trace was rewarding & enjoyable. Glad I did it. The trail towns are proximate to the trail making the logistics very doable.
While the people factor isn’t important to everyone, I found Steve Barbour and members of the STA helpful and likable. Their love for this trail shows; it has a great future. My car was left the Southern Terminus and Double D Adventures shuttled me to the North. Susan & Tom were true trail angels.
The last surprise was meeting McGyver 4 miles from the Southern Terminus. We spent a lot of time on the AT together., The surprise meeting allowed us to catch up on old times.
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Originally Posted by Smckinney0031
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