Mammoth Cave National Park Day 1 Travel

Awoke for an early, 6am easter. The boys wouldn't let the easter bunny just skip us this year. On the road by 8am. A quick bite to eat in Cincinnati, and we arrived at Mammoth between 3:30 and 4. A quick stop at the visitors center to get our permits, one small change of itinerary, and we were on our way. Just for the record, Isaac carried 10 lbs, Ian 14, Nolan 20, Angie, 25, and mine was 35 lbs. For a full 3 days.

I'm not sure how many places still use a ferry to cross a river, a first for all of us. We park and get ready at the Good Spring Church trailhead. An old single room church, and a graveyard (many of the graves date around the 1850's) are our last signs of civilization for the night.

Since this is a shakedown trip, and the first backpacking trip for my two youngest we are going to take it easy. We begin our hike on the "Good Spring Loop" to our first campsite named 'Homestead'. The trail initially decends into a couple small ravines crossing two small streams. After climbing back up to the ridge line the boys decide it is time for a break when we hit the junction with the 'Turnhole Bend Trail." We all get a laugh when our campsite trail splits off of the main trail not 50 feet down around a bend after returning to our hike.

A young couple are breaking camp as we arrive. The sites are nice. A fire ring, this one complete with about 2 nights of wood pre-collected. a single tent pad, and a few hitching posts. Many of the trails and campsites are horse friendly. Ask the boys about the mud pots and horse poo. This campsite is on a large flat ridge looking north over a couple intertwining hollows. just over the ridge is a rock lookout, 8-10 foot tall, and a spring waterfalls down 15-20 foot below that.

We set up camp, and the boys and I went to fetch our evenings water. After finishing our chores we bushwack a small dayhike down to dry prong creek. It is interesting how the streams here appear flow, pool, and fall for a short period only to dry up a few feet later, and then maybe reappear some fifty feet after that. The woods are very open, even for this time of year, maybe i'm just too used to the multiflora choked woods of Ohio. The only real thick understory we come across is the small bamboo patches. We circle back onto the 'Good Spring Loop' trail just as sounds of mutiny and questions of being lost begin to spring forth from the troops.



Mexican beef and rice burrito fixings, and a few roasted marshmallows fills our bellies as the coyote begin to make a ruckus off in the distance. Isaac is unsure, having never heard a coyote before. We settle watching the fire, picking out constellations, and noticing how positively quiet the woods are.

I sleep soundly, waking only for the occasional coyote, or bard owl hoot.