In the morning, I had breakfast alone on the porch while the sun came up over the nearby Cowan Fork Creek. The trees were quite colorful with red, orange, yellow and ever purple splashes across the landscape. We thought mid-October might be too early to appreciate the fall colors, but we were wrong!

I basked in the quiet serenity for a few minutes before launching a lighting tour of geological formations at Red River Gorge. As I left the cabin, a small herd of deer crossed the road in front of me as a way of saying goodbye!

There are several short trails located within easy driving distance, so I was able to hike five trails in a couple hours. I could have done even more but decided to squeeze in one long hike at the end of the day.  

I began with the Chimney Rock trail which is only about a half mile long round trip. It is a partially paved path that follows along a ridge before ending in a scenic overlook of the aforementioned Chimney Rock. The sweeping panorama left me feeling a little uneasy, especially when another hiker deliberately ignored the warning signs and stood at the very edge of the cliff. More than 20 hikers have died at Chimney Rock alone since 1960, let alone numerous other areas. I took another anti-anxiety pill when I got back to the parking lot to ensure I could fully enjoy all the breathtaking sights.

Princess Arch was my next destination, and the trailhead is located in the same parking lot as Chimney Rock, which makes it an efficient starting point. The trail was also short and easy. It took only a few minutes to reach the “regal” arch which spans 32 feet. There are more than 100 arches, bridges and other geological formations in the Red River Gorge region. That means I’ll have plenty of excuses to return. The awesome natural powers of erosion and time made me think of the lecture from the park ranger in Death Valley. Visiting these natural wonders is a humbling experience.

After a short drive, I arrived at the trail to Angel Windows. These two small “windows” are located side by side. Whistling Arch is only a few minutes up the road and offers a wonderful view of the Parched Corn Creek valley. However, I was disappointed the arch didn’t live up to its name but still enjoyed the tranquility. In fact, the area was rather quiet, and the only sounds came from the creek and faint traffic noise. Since it was a weekday, only a few other hikers were on this trail or any of the previous paths. Unfortunately, quite a few visitors had left their mark by defacing Whistling Arch with graffiti.

Sky Bridge was my last geological attraction of the day. It was also very close to Whistling Arch and had more visitors than all the other previous trails combined. There are paths along both the base and the summit, although the upper path is the flatter and easier option while the lower path has some stairs. Sky Bridge is just as impressive as Natural Bridge, although it too has been defaced with graffiti. Some urban graffiti can be very artistic, but these were just crude defacements. I can barely fathom the mentality of someone who would deface something as beautiful as Sky Bridge.

For a change of pace, I decided to squeeze in one longer hike before heading home in the late afternoon. I picked the Copperas Falls trail, which turned out to be an “unofficial” path without a discernable trail head. The only indication of a trail is a worn footpath off the side of the road near the Copperas Creek canoe launch. The trail is about 3.5 miles in total and is moderately difficult. It follows the Copperas Creek, which was partially dried out when I hiked it. The trail crosses back and forth over the creek numerous times, so you could get pretty wet. I encountered an abandoned camp site which only added to the sense of adventure. The trail is also easy to lose since it is not well defined. Eventually, I reached the waterfall which was impressive and had a large cave behind it. Next time, I’ll make sure I hike an official trail since I discovered don’t enjoy being a trail blazer.

Overall, it was a great trip. I am glad I had the opportunity to satisfy my pent-up demand for hiking before heading home. There are still many other hikes to explore on my next trip to Red River Gorge. Nataliya also wants to go back since the weather wasn’t very favorable until after she left. I highly recommend driving along Sky Bridge Road and visiting as many natural wonders as you can even if you don’t have a lot of time to visit this amazing location! The trails were not particularly challenging, except for the Copperas Falls “unofficial” path. However, I think I will opt for quality over quantity next time.

After a weekend of wet weather, things finally dried out on my last day at Red River Gorge in October. I went down for a long weekend with Nataliya and her 11-year old son Alex. Since I have a lot of vacation time to use before the end of the year, I stayed an extra day by myself which made all the difference.

We drove down to the Red River Gorge Cabin resort on Saturday and checked in to our cottage at Hideaway Ridge. I planned ahead and downloaded the maps of the area ahead of time so I could use them offline. Previous experience had taught me that we might have only very weak cell service, if any at all. That let me drive right to the cabin. However, Nataliya was not so lucky. Her older GPS unit only took her to the main entrance, and then it didn’t track anything beyond that. I tried to talk her through the navigation, but the road forked several times and our cell signal was very weak. Eventually, we decided it would just be easier if we met at the main gate and then Nataliya could follow me to the cabin.

We eventually arrived and settled in. Alex was immediately attracted to the guitar hanging on the wall, even though he doesn’t play any instruments. Regardless, he picked it up and started strumming a few chords. Alex periodically gave us little impromptu performances over the next several days since we were indoors a lot. The cabin had two bedrooms and two bathrooms; however, the most important feature for Nataliya was the hot tub! The cabin had lots of large windows that let in a lot of light. Be sure to book well in advance!

I picked up pizza from Miguel’s, a prime destination for hikers, which was very busy despite the wet weather. Afterwards, Nataliya and I got to relax in the hot tub before cooking some smores. By the end of the weekend, I was rather bored with the traditional smores, so I decided to use some strawberry and cinnamon churros flavored marshmallows when we returned to Cincinnati. They are a great way to try something a little different, albeit a little pricey at $4 per bag. Alex likes his marshmallows charred while I prefer mine lightly toasted.

Unfortunately, the weather was pretty wet on Sunday, so we didn’t do any hiking. Alex loves snakes and reptiles, so we went to the Kentucky Reptile Zoo near Natural Bridge. The zoo has more than 75 species of snakes, turtles, lizards and alligators. Most of the exhibits were indoors, but there are several small outdoor exhibits too. It was probably the highlight of the trip for Alex, who declared the snakes were “cute,” much to Nataliya’s dismay. Alex has been begging for a pet snake ever since, although Nataliya is trying to negotiate down to a turtle or guinea pig!

Due to COVID-19, the zoo had suspended its usual daily programming, which tyipcally includes venom extraction demonstrations. Only a few people were allowed in at a time, but I was still very reluctant to enter. Ultimately, I went into the zoo but did not go into any of the buildings out of an abundance of caution since I am high risk for COVID-19. In fact, the zoo is rather dilapidated and is not that large. However, the staff is very knowledgeable, and the price was not unreasonable ($11.50 for adults and $7.50 for kids).

After that short excursion, we went back to the cabin for another night of relaxing in the hot-tub and making smores. Alex has also become an avid fan of the classic Monopoly board game, and I brought along a Star Wars themed version. I think Alex enjoyed playing something new although nobody actually won (as is usually the case). Alex still had a lot of pent-up energy afterwards. But he quickly wore himself out by re-enacting scenes from Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace while we watched the DVD later that evening.

Monday was the last day for Nataliya and Alex before they went home, and we were finally able to get out and do a little hiking. I had been to Natural Bridge about 10 years ago, so I was happy to return. We rode up in the skylift even though I am afraid of heights. I took an anti-anxiety pill beforehand, but it didn’t help as much as I had hoped. In addition, the chair behind me had a couple of male teenagers who loudly discussed potential mechanical failures until we reached the summit. Nataliya and Alex rode in the chair ahead of me, so I was by myself. I concentrated on the colorful leaves, and the massive rock formation that loomed in front of me in the morning mist. Although the skylift slowed several times, thankfully we didn’t stop. Being suspended over what felt like any abyss would have been much more unpleasant.

Eventually, we reached the top, and I was much relieved to be back on solid ground. Alex had promised to avoid the edge of the Natural Bridge after Nataliya had begged him beforehand. However, he immediately forgot his promise upon reaching the summit. A band of carefree teenagers also sat on the edge which did not set a good example for Alex either. Without a hint of fear, Alex ran right up the very edge and remarked about how high up we were. Eventually, Nataliya coaxed Alex back from the edge, and we walked to the other end of the bridge. I did not linger to take any photos from the top, which is much less interesting than being underneath the arch in my opinion. We descended under the bridge and passed through Fat Man’s Squeeze. We snapped a few pictures from under the arch before hiking down to the parking lot. The arch is an amazing testament to the power of erosion which carved out the rock formation over millions of years. It is a humbling and awe inspiring monument.

The hike down is about a mile and has some steep stone steps that make it harder to ascend than to descend. Alex quickly began to complain that he was hungry and that Nataliya had not bought enough snacks at the gift shop. I tried to distract Alex by pointing out intriguing rock formations and describing how erosion worked, but he was absorbed in self-pity. To make matters worse, Nataliya yelped in pain when a hornet stung her several times, and she had a nasty reaction. To my utter shock, Alex ignored his mother’s discomfort and continued to pester her for more candy even after she cried out in pain. Alex often speaks without thinking because he has ADHD and is unmedicated.

Nevertheless, I lost my temper and yelled at him. While I tried to comfort to Nataliya, Alex hurried down the trail ahead of us. After a brief pause, we started walking again, but quickly lost sight of Alex as he raced ahead. We eventually caught up with Alex when he sat down on a rock beside the trail not far from the parking lot. A sullen Alex continued to sulk during the car ride back to the cabin.

Before heading home, Nataliya bought tickets for a zipline tour, and the tickets were not cheap even though she received a discount since we stayed at the adjacent resort complex. I had considered joining them out of a desire to conquer my own fears, but the skylift ride had shown that discretion would probably be the better part of valor in this instance. Although the first segment of the zipline was not elevated too high above the ground and was relatively short, the last segment was 2,000 feet long and passed over a gorge more than 300 feet deep! Another rider in Nataliya’s group was too intimidated and decided to skip the last section. I definitely made the right choice! On the other hand, Alex claimed he was disappointed because it wasn’t scary enough. I wish I was as fearless as him!

Afterwards, Nataliya and Alex went home, and I returned to the cabin alone. It was a pretty eerie night, being alone in the cabin, even though I had neighbors nearby. I had previously intended to spend a week, or maybe a few long weekends, alone in a cabin for a “digital detox.” I remained largely off the grid this weekend, but it seems like I preferred to have company more than I expected.

I had planned to do at least a little hiking every day, so I had a lot of pent up demand. The wet weather had kept the three of us indoors for a large part of the weekend, so I wanted to see as much of the gorge as I could in a day. It turns out, you can visit quite a few natural attractions there in a short amount of time.