Trees, Trout, and Nothing

Over the last month I have been lucky enough to have some extra time to try out some new fishing spots. However, I wasn't as lucky when it came to actually catching anything. Here is a brief overview of a few of my Tenkara outings. I am still a beginner - so any helpful tips are always welcome! 

#1 - Indian Creek at Red River Gorge, KY. 

Full of excitement, after hearing about Indian Creek, I hop into the car with my KY fishing license and my Tenkara fishing gear.  Rob drives me, my father-in-law, and our dog, Baloo, the hour from Lexington to the Gorge. 

Now, I am of a stubborn nature. When we get to the stream, I immediately disregard any advice Rob may have and set out in my own direction!  I find myself alone on a stream that seems foreign. Indian Creek is nothing like the streams I know in Utah. I try to read the water but this yields no results. I hurriedly walk through large pools and stir up the water. The only thing I seem to be catching are clumps of leaves and trees! Grrrrr. I turn into the Hulk and stomp around the water every time I hook another tree. I finally catch up to Rob and his father and sit on a log to gain composure. They have caught fish. Lots of fish. I slowly count to ten. Did I mention I am competitive? 

Untangling line, even when I am just sitting the line got tangled! haha

I am missing something, but at this point I am tired and just happy to sit and watch them fish. Right now they are in deep stagnant pools (places I would have normally walked right by) and they are watching for glimpses of rises in the water. I take note.

Baloo being a very good dog! 

This doesn't apply very often, but when you're fly fishing and your husband is a fishing guide, it might actually pay to listen to him. Please, if you know Rob, don't tell him I said that.

#2 - Otter Creek, KY. 

It is a cloudy day and I am prepared for the rain. We pull into a parking lot. Two other anglers are there, sorting their rods and reels for a day of fishing. We park, get our waders on, grab our Tenkara rods, and start walking toward the stream. The Western anglers are still getting ready - another reason I love Tenkara! 

A five minute walk leads us to a cloudy, muddy, off color stream. "Uh Oh," I think to myself. But I follow Rob and take my time looking for any signs of fish. We walk, wade, and walk some more until we finally see an area where fish are rising. I cast to this area multiple times with no luck. I keep moving upstream and catch a little minnow. I barely felt the little guy on my line! 

We keep plowing ahead with no luck. We turn around and pass the area with the multiple rises and the fish are still in action! Rob reminds me to take heed of my back cast because I tend to be too forceful, and after (finally) taking his advice I catch a 12 inch Rainbow! I am so happy I am pretty sure I scared every fish in the stream as I dance around/land the fish.  I go home happy.

#3 - Back to Indian Creek 

I literally catch nothing. Not even a tree, or a rock, or a log. Nothing! I notice how low, calm, and clear the water is compared to our last trip to this creek. We spot fish, holding deep in clear cold water.  They quickly scatter each time our tippet hits the surface. Rob doesn't land a fish either, so it makes me feel a little better.

The only thing I do that day is take stream selfies with my Sato rod. (I know, I know... enough with the selfies!)  I had fun, so it was a good day with or with out a catch! 

Oh Christmas Tree!

This year I wanted to create an authentic Christmas memory to last through the ages! I had always wanted to search for and cut down my own Christmas tree, so this year I made my wish a reality.

I wanted to support a local farm. Hutton-Loyd Tree Farm was a perfect fit. This place is the real deal, offering all kinds of fun all year long. They operate a nursery and garden center, host weddings, and even run a private fishing club (which I will be checking out next year).

We packed up the car one Saturday morning and made the hour drive out of Lexington. For me, the drive is half the fun. I love traveling to new places and discovering different towns, farms, and random KY landmarks. As we drove, we passed through Fleming County. Apparently, this county is the Covered Bridge Capitol of KY! You may not know this about me, but I am a geek. Especially for things like antiques, old forts, and covered bridges. I sat at the edge of my seat hoping to drive past, over, or under a covered bridge. We made it to the farm without one covered bridge sighting, but I perked up when I saw the large tree selection!

They have many varieties including White pine, Scotch pine, Douglas fir, Nordmann fir, Norway spruce, and Colorado blue spruce. We walked through the different trees for a very long time searching for the so-called perfect tree. The only problem was that at this farm there were a lot of practically perfect trees! I even tried to "be one with the trees" to see if any tree spoke to me:

That didn't work. So we just picked one - a wonderful Norway Spruce. 

We cut it our selves, dragged the seven foot spruce to the car, tied it to the roof, and were on our merry way! The Hutton-Loyd Tree Farm staff were very helpful throughout the entire process.

I encourage you all to support a local tree farm in your area next year and if you are in Kentucky stop by the Hutton-Loyd farm. It was a blast and is fun for the whole family, including kids of all ages.

Shop Local and Have A Merry Christmas!

Mammoth Cave - An Introduction to Caving

A few months ago, I had the chance to do something that I had wanted to attempt for years.  I took the Introduction to Caving Tour at Mammoth Cave National Park.  Mammoth Cave National Park has over 400 miles of explored caves and is the longest cave system in the world. I remember the days when there were only 350 odd miles of cave! (Geez, I sound old.)

First, let me say that I have been to Mammoth Cave every year of my life... for real. Both sets of my grandparents live in the area and my parents ended up moving 30 minutes down the road, so it has become one of my favorite national parks. Favorite doesn't begin to describe it - it has become a second home. After moving away multiple times in my life I am always pulled back to this place! My ancestors have had a strong connection to the cave, my great grandfather helped in the attempted rescue of Floyd Collins, my grandfather worked in the cave as a young man, and my grandmother was even on a popular postcard back in the day! I worked a summer job at the Mammoth Cave Hotel and would happily roll my eyes at families checking in that expected hot tubs, pools, and five star resort services. I would always let these families know that in order to preserve the integrity of the cave system we could not have a pool (something I may have made up) and that it was either this or they could camp. 

Sure, there are parts of the park that I have yet to explore and trails I have yet to hike, but I feel so comfortable there and have pretty much gone on every tour they offer. Except for the Wild Cave Tour. That made me uncomfortable. Not because I am afraid of small spaces or anything, it is more that I have an overactive imagination.  I pictured us plunging into the cave carrying torches and rope, crawling over rocks, and repelling into deep chasms! I thought that maybe I would fall and break both legs and yell to the rest of the group, "Go, save your self. Tell my family that I love them!" But hey, I am a romantic.

So I thought, instead of starting with the Wild Cave Tour (5 miles), I would start with the Introduction to Caving Tour (only 1 mile). Here are a few of the things you need to know before taking the tour:

• You need proper footwear. They will turn you away if you show up in anything less than sturdy boots with tread.
• No personal caving gear allowed.
• Cave is at a constant 50 degree temperature.
• Your hip/chest measurements cannot be over 42 inches. If you are over that you will get stuck! 
• If you are claustrophobic, this isn't for you.
• This tour takes 3.5 hours.
• They provide coveralls and helmet with light. (I was sad we didn't get torches!)
• You crawl, a lot.
• We clean off all of our gear and shoes after the tour to prevent White Nose Syndrome (WNS). This is something new that the park system has been doing over the last few years to help increase the bat population. WNS is a fungal disease that kills millions of bats. For more information about go to http://www.nps.gov/maca/parknews/nr-wnsinparkbats.htm or https://www.whitenosesyndrome.org

I get to the park, check in, get suited up and we are off! The funniest part for me was that in the very beginning. The guides make every one climb through the first small passage in the cave. After, they ask if anyone couldn't handle it. We sat there for about five minutes as the group leader stressed the importance of being honest with yourself - this was the last chance to turn around if you were claustrophobic. No one in my group seemed scared, so we pressed on!  We spent the next 3 to 4 hours on our knees, Army crawling, learning about the caves history, and sliding through small openings to other passages. It was a blast! 

I am 100% confident in taking the Wild Cave Tour next year, and encourage you to do the same! They even have a version of this tour for kids 8-12 years old called the Trog Tour.  

For more information on any tour at Mammoth Cave go to there website: http://www.nps.gov/maca/index.htm 

Final thought. I am trying to get out of my comfort zone, branch out, and experience new things. I feel that mixing it up and trying something - even in a place that feels like home - can be a good thing. At first, I was apprehensive about going and doing something new alone. What was the result? Nothing but fun.   Here are some photos from that day:

Before 

Group in front of me. How low can you go!?

After

Bourbon and Horses and Tenkara? Oh, my!

So far, Kentucky has revealed to me the traditional staples of the state like horses, basketball, bourbon, coal, and climbing.  I have done the distillery tours, hopped on the bourbon trail, placed a bet at Keeneland, and had a blast doing it all! However, months after returning to the Bluegrass State I had not found a stream to fish Tenkara.  I started day dreaming of living in Utah once again where trout streams are seconds away from Salt Lake City. Ok, so maybe I wasn't day dreaming, but I was pretty mad at myself for not taking advantage of the easy access I had to ideal Tenkara fly fishing while in Utah.

And then it happened! I went on a hike that happily turned into a fishing trip. I found my own "honey hole" that was pretty amazing located in . . . well, that's my secret. But I can share pictures of the unexpected joyous occasion:

Casting alongside Baloo, the best fishing partner I know!

 I went out with Tenkara USA's Rhodo. I like using the Rhodo because it is so light in hand and, like all Tenkara rods, it is very easy to take on a hike. The kebari, or fly, I used was a purple and blue affair called a Dinky Dye. The best part of the trip was successfully reading the water - casting to any place I would live if I was a trout!

The fun didn't stop there! Unfortunately, I dropped my iPhone in the stream* attempting to take some pictures. Luckily, this was followed by the discovery of a wonderful gourmet hot dog and beer joint on the way home! Overall, it was a great day!

Even though they featured amazing local and craft beers I had to go with some Dr. Pepper!

*No iPhones were harmed in the making of this post.

I Put the Wildcat in KY!

Go Cats!

If you are from Kentucky you are either a fan of the Big Blue Nation or you are nothing. So it was no surprise to me that the next outing I picked was surreptitiously named Wildcat Trail No. 228.  Then I did what any true Kentucky Basketball fan would do once arriving to the trailhead... kinda. I chanted the years (in chronological order) of the 8 national championship we had won, did a good luck dance, and dedicated my hike to Adolph Rupp. After all of the compulsory crazed fan ceremonies and rituals were done I was able to hit the trail!

Overall, the Wildcat loop was a easy 5.3 mile jaunt in the woods, which gave me and the pups time to truly appreciate the scenery and nature around us. About 0.5 miles into the trail you come to an old overgrown road and take a right. Shortly after this, the trail forks. You may go left to continue the trail, or right to see a small family cemetery.  The day I was hiking a tree had fallen blocking the left fork so I choose the right fork at first and was able to see the cemetery. There were many old and new tombstones and one even paying tribute to a Sergeant in the US Army.

We continued past the fallen tree on the left side of the forked trail and were able to navigate trough many overgrown and fallen trees for the remainder of our hike. Things of note along the trail included the numerous fungi, flora, and rock formations that we encountered. I especially enjoyed the rhododendron and the various mushrooms we discovered.

We also took a slight detour off of the trail to Swift Creek and let the dogs cool down with a quick swim. It also gave Rob and I and chance to see if the creek was fish-able, but I couldn't spot a single fish.

 Mourning our lack of fishing options, we hopped back on the trail and quickly finished the rest of the hike.  We emerged on pavement near the Parch Corn Creek trailhead. A short 1 mile jog along the road completed the loop, depositing us back at our car. It was a great day for a hike on a beautiful trail that would make any member of the Big Blue Nation proud!

Arches... in Kentucky?

When you think about seeing natural arches you automatically think of Arches National Park in Utah. Right? Most likely you picture these arches...

I had a great time visiting Arches in Utah. I loved the red rock and all of the formations and would love to go back.  So when my husband mentioned that he wanted to go check out the arches near us I thought he may have hit his head. You see we had just moved from Salt Lake City, UT, to Lexington, KY, for his job. I did what I always do (ignored him) and figured he had just temporarily forgotten where he was now. However, I was pleasantly surprised when he wasn't kidding.

Since moving to my home state of KY, I had been sort of depressed because I felt I had missed out on all of the amazing national parks, hiking, fishing, and backpacking that Utah and the surrounding states had to offer. I had never been to Bryce or hiked the narrows in Zion! I didn't fish the Green or the Provo nearly enough! What was I to do now? So this time I vowed that I was going to get outside and take advantage of all the wonderful trips and treks that I could... even out here in KY.

We headed out with our two pups to Red River Gorge which is located about an hour away from our home in Lexington, KY. We stopped the car at the Auxier Ridge Trailhead and got ready to start our 4 mile (out and back) hike toward Double Arch. With the first few steps I noticed something I didn't when hiking in Utah - humidity. After an easy mile I was dripping in sweat which had tricked my mind and my thighs into thinking we had been hiking for 10 miles! Despite their fuzzy coats, the dogs (and my husband) didn't seem phased by the heat, so I pressed on to the Double Arch Trailhead!

As we walked on, I became lost in thought and in the beauty of the trail. I hadn't realized how much I missed the green while living in Utah. When compared to the red deserts of Utah, I felt as if I was hiking in a jungle. I was so lost in thought that I almost missed the double arch. A quick look up and to the left, and there they were! Rounding the end of the cliffline, we climbed a set of stairs to reach the top of the arches, and were rewarded with an amazing 360 degree view.

I had a great time, and found I am just as happy with bluegrass cliffs as I am with red rock ones. My trip to Double Arch made me look forward to getting back into hiking, backpacking, and fishing again. And this time I will make sure to take advantage of all of the wonderful resources near me! I hope you follow me as I try to explore as much of the wild outdoors as possible.