Trip Report: The Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area

Rally Point's first out-of-state outdoor road trip was to be at the Big South Fork National River and Recreation area in Kentucky and Tennessee.  After a few unfortunate cancellations, Mark Raven and Matt Winfree left the Winfree residence in North Ridgeville, Ohio, at 1:32 PM.  The weather was windy, cold and damp, but the further we got from Northeast Ohio, the weather progressively improved to warm and sunny.  Our departure time made for some complications, however, as it required us to forge our way through the early Friday rush hour in Columbus and the late Friday rush hour in Cincinnati.  We made Lexington by nightfall, at which time every local radio station began playing high school football games with the merciful exception of the classic country that accompanied us through southern Kentucky.  After a few disagreements with Google Maps and a trek down the most winding road I have ever driven, we arrived at the Bandy Creek Campground at 10:30 pm.  We made quick work of setting up camp, explored the campground, had dinner in the car (Matt with carrots, grapes, and water, me with snack cakes, chips, and diet pop), and then retired.

We awoke at 9:30AM, stopped at the visitor center for a map, and departed Bandy Creek for the first destination of the day... Twin Arches.  The trail splits at 0.7 miles, the left going to the North Twin Arch, the right going to South Twin Arch, but both arches are only a few hundred feet apart.  The south arch is the more impressive of the two.  On our way to the Leatherwood Ford area, we were ambushed and came face to face with sheer evil.  I calmly pulled the car to the side of the road, got out, and let Matt play hero (in attempt to build up his confidence, which I had taken from him on the ride down) and he crushed the fiend with a Doritos bag, leaving a remnant of this demon on my windshield as a monument of his victory and a testament to his bravery. 

At Leatherwood Ford, we hiked down stream along the Big South Fork for two miles until we reached Angel Falls Rapids, a famous chute of Class IV rapids that runs through a boulder field.  This was a very cool area to explore and worth the 4-mile investment of time and energy.  From Leatherwood Ford we trekked back up the mountain to the East Rim Overlook and met a 7-foot tall man who greeted us with a "howdy-do".  From there, following winding one-lane gravel roads through the hills, we went to Bear Creek Overlook.  Continuing through the mountains, we were unexpectedly honored to pass the home of Medal of Honor winner Wilburn Ross, who saved his company by standing against an enemy assault, killing or wounding 58 enemy soldiers in 5 hours of combat.  After enjoying the view high above Devil's Jump, we drove through Whitley City to Yahoo Falls, the highest waterfall in Kentucky.  However, we only caught a glimpse of Yahoo, as the trail to the bottom of the falls had been wiped out during a storm earlier in the year.
With daylight waning, we made a decision to leave the BSF and go to Cumberland Falls State Park Resort, home of Cumberland Falls. 

We arrived at sunset, and after photographing the falls, we learned that on this  night, there was a possibility that a moon bow would form at the falls (which happens on the few nights of and around a full moon, on clear nights).  A moon bow is a rainbow created by the light of the moon and the mist of the falls.  Given the information that this is the only place in the western Hemisphere this phenomenon occurs and that it was already nearly nightfall, we decided to stay and see a moon bow.  However, once darkness had arrived, there was no moon to be seen.  So we continued to wait for the moon to peak over the mountain and shine down into the river, eating, watching Epic Meal Time videos on my phone, discussing the virtues of the old hymns and what a truly great female vocalist sounds like, and me retelling fond memories of the great disappointments of Cleveland sports of my youth.  At 11:30, the moon finally showed itself and created the illusive moonbow.  After an hours drive through intense darkness, we returned to our mountain top home at Bandy Creek and went to bed.

I awoke at 9AM to learn that the chilly mountain air had brought some discomfort through the night to the ill-prepared Winfree.  In near record time, we tore down camp, loaded up, and left the Big South Fork.  On our way back to the I-75, we noticed that around every hill there was a full Baptist church on this sunny Sunday morning, and that every radio station had a southern preacher speaking about the love of Christ or the godlessness of movie theaters.  We stopped for gas near Stearns, Kentucky.  When we crossed the Ohio River, it was 79 degrees and sunny.  But when the skyline of Columbus came into view, it was illuminated with the sun and the dark backdrop of the meteorological ugliness that we would soon encounter.  In North Ridgeville, Ohio, it was 55 degrees, windy, and raining when we returned, which was more pleasant than listening to the Browns game.  

At the Big South Fork National River and Recreation, we hiked 8 miles in exploring the magnificence of God's creation in brilliant warmth and sunshine and magnificent fall color.  It was also a great time of fellowship and a needed respite from the daily grind for all participants.