In Pursuit of a Hike

For months now, I have dreamed of packing up the family and going to Kentucky for an amazing hike. I grew up spending summers in Kentucky, but we mostly traversed the waterways via boat, and played euchre by the light of lanterns around a campsite with 75 of our closest relatives. Never once do I remember hiking, but I do have a very strong connection to that area and couldn't wait to explore the forests that are so familiar from the perimeter. In fact, when we settled in Missouri, I frequently said how much it reminded me of Kentucky. And guess what! Daniel Boone thought the same thing when he passed through Missouri. It reminded him of the forests of Kentucky too, which is why we have forests named after him as well. So anyway, months ago, I started looking for a trail that we could hike over Memorial Day weekend, when we would have time to travel to Kentucky. I started pinning ideas to a Pinterest board for Kentucky trails and almost immediately was drawn to this trail t...

"Now I see the secret of making the best person, it is to grow in the open air and to eat and sleep with the earth." -Walt Whitman When the forecaster said we would be having more seasonable weather later in the week, meaning full winter gear is on the horizon, we headed for the trails. It may possibly be the last fare-weather hike we take in a while - or maybe not - Missouri weather can be fickle. But any excuse to hike, right?  This is the third time we've been to this location, on the south side of Mark Twain National Forest. We were here first when we were scouting a location for our family pictures. We came back a second time to take our family pictures. It was on that trip that Eli spotted a trail head and we immediately made a mental note to come back. Which brings us today, our third visit.  This is seriously the third abandoned metal frame bridge we've come across in this area, while exploring a new area.  The beautiful view of Cedar Cre...