Berea Forest, Kentucky

Berea Forest Day Hike

Date: Sunday, September 12, 2010
Total Distance: 8 miles
Organized through the Louisville Hiking and Backpacking Meetup Group

Attendees: Sanjay, Jenny, Dan, Susana, Angel, Gary, Patty, Melaina, and Lou

I resolved to get up when the first alarm went off on Sunday morning.  I feel asleep tired and I woke up tired, but I pushed through to the first cup of coffee and a quick breakfast.  I ran around like a headless chicken gathering up everything I'd need for the 6.7 mile hike at Berea Forest.  The rest of my family was still in bed, listening to me zoom around the house from the comfort of their comforters - I bet they were glad when they heard the front door close.  Directions, maps, lunch, water, shoes, jacket and hopefully, my brain - time to go!

I met Dan and man's best friend Coby around 6:00 a.m. at Cherokee Park.  I wasn't in any shape to drive two hours, so Dan drove and I did my best to make conversation - I think I was still in a sleepy daze.  We pulled into the parking lot around 8:00 a.m. and right after landing Gary and Patty pulled up.  Next came Jenny, Sanjay, Melaina and Angel.  Everyone was on time so we went ahead and started hiking - we were missing Elisa, but I hadn't heard from her and assumed she was a no show.  I didn't find out until later that she arrived 15 minutes later and hiked the loop in the opposite direction from us.  We should have run into her at some point, but went wrong in a few spots so never saw her.

The light was pretty perfect and I couldn't resist lagging behind and taking lots of pictures.  The trail up to East Pinnacle was a moderate climb, well benched with logs and rock slabs.  We hung out at the first vista, the second vista, and so on and so on - all the way out to the end of the ridge.  It was a perfect day; blue sky, a few clouds, light breeze, and good company.

We hiked from vista to vista - lingering at the vistas and hiking the trails at a steady clip.  We hit up Eagle's Nest (no eagles, just buzzards), Buzzard's Roost (lots and lots of buzzards), Indian Fort Lookout (spectacular lunch/nap spot), and finally, after much debate about how to get there, West Pinnacle.  Turns out we went the wrong way, but we weren't bothered and it just gave us some extra trail/road time. ***Around Indian Fort Lookout there are a lot of areas to explore.  You can hike down around and up, lots of nooks and crannies here and there.  We didn't have time, but I'd like to explore this area more.

West Pinnacle offered spectacular panoramic views of rolling Kentucky farmland.  The adventurous climbed up to the top of a giant mushroom rock (that would be Dan and I) to get the full effect, and others climbed up a smaller boulder next to it.  Some hung out in the shade, but after so much time sitting, everyone was ready to head back down to the cars.

We hiked down, down, down heading back to the cars at a quick pace.  We reached a road, but were looking for a connector trail.  I'm still not sure how it happened - but next time I'll figure out where we went wrong.  We ended up hiking for a mile or so along the road and after that on a poison ivy infested path next to the road.  Angel conquered some spiderwebs on this portion and I gave her an assist over the last bit until we reached a wall of vegetation.  Sanjay consulted his GPS and we realized the parking lot was just through it.  We kept a sharp eye out for snakes, bushwhacked a bit and forged ahead.  It took less than a minute and we were at the bottom of the lot - our cars were parked above.

It was a perfect day and I'm looking forward to visiting this area again.  Beautiful views, well maintained trails, moderate climbs, and new friends made for a great 'recovery hike.'  I slept almost the whole way home - poor Dan, I wasn't good company!

Now to plan the next hike... I'm thinking more Kentucky.  Check out the Louisville Hiking Meetup to see where I'm off to next!

See you on the trail!