Last month, Explore Kentucky set up a humble little aid station at Mile 78 of the Chris & Amanda Chaney of Ascensionist Events' Red River Gorge Mountain Bike 100—a gnarly upstart 100-mile mountain bike race. Bursting with snacks, water, & EKI Swag, we hunkered down for over 80 racers all day long.
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We are proud to announce that the Explore Kentucky Initiative was featured in the Kentucky State Nature Preserve Commission’s (KSNPC) biennium report to the governor and the Kentucky state legislature. KSNPC is a state agency that was created in 1976 to protect the best remaining natural areas in the state, to preserve Kentucky's natural heritage, and to help citizens recognize our dependency on healthy ecosystems.
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From December 6 -January 1 we’re donating $500 from the the sales of our EKI Boot and EKI No.3 Decals to help match a grant from the Access Fund to the Southwest Virginia Climbers Coalition to re-bolt several routes with modern hardware at our partner organization Breaks Interstate Park.
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Tucked into a beautiful valley on the north side of Pine Mountain in Harlan County, this 100 year-old boarding-school-turned-education-and-retreat-center is worth the effort it takes to get to its remote location.
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Writing about the great outdoors is incredibly intimidating when you haveThoreau's Walden and Leopold’s Sand County Almanac at your bedside stand. But here it goes, and I’ll do my best not to murder their legacy with this page out of my sketchbook…
A few months before moving to Kentucky....
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As we met one another early Saturday morning, it quickly became apparent, that this was going to be a great event. The level of enthusiasm that Gerry brought to the gathering was contagious. Everyone was smiling and sharing a little bit about themselves. Rather quickly everyone was making informal introductions as they seemed eager to meld into a group.
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When we left camp we headed up to Sky Bridge to catch the beautiful scenery before the crowds came. Sky Bridge is a natural arch formation that can be walked across. It's one of many arches within the Red River Gorge National Geological area and Clifty Wilderness and is very similar to the larger arch Natural Bridge just outside of the gorge in Natural Bridge State Park. The biggest difference between Sky Bridge and Natural Bridge is that Sky Bridge is much higher while Natural Bridge is much wider and longer.
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Far off the highway in Eastern Kentucky’s Appalachian mountains, Blanton Forest State Nature Preserve is home to the largest known old-growth forest in the state. Old growth forests are rare in the eastern United States. Their trees die from rot, disease, and windfall, rather than from crosscut or chainsaw.
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I called the Forest Services's Gladie Ranger Station to see if Chimney Top Road was open. We found out it would be opening soon so while waiting we headed out to Swift Camp Creek Trail #219 by Rock Bridge where we quickly jumped off into the creek with our waders on and fly rods in hand.
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Greetings, fellow explorers! China Riddle here - a native Pike Countian, senior at Alice Lloyd College, foodie, and mini-adventure enthusiast. As much as I would love to be a member of the Explore Kentucky field team, I am moving after my graduation in December. So, they have graciously allowed me to act as a guest blogger.
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