Daniel Boone National Forest - Natural Arch Scenic Area

"Daniel Boone was a man. Yes, a big man. With an eye like an eagle and tall as a big, oak tree...." etc. (Sorry...got carried away.)
Since we have not yet been scheduled to work, we took advantage of the beautiful weather to do a bit of exploring. Our first destination, the Daniel Boone National Forest. It's actually a VERY big forest- 638,529 square miles to be exact.

We started early in the morning, traveling over hill and over dale.

 Saw interesting things...

and met new friends.

We finally arrived at our destination, the Natural Arch scenic area of the forest. The arch is a significant, geological structure.

The arch and surrounding 945 acres, once home to prehistoric groups and later the hunting grounds of the Cherokee, were set aside to conserve the area's natural beauty. Archaeological studies are providing insight into the lives of prehistoric people who lived and hunted in this area. These people left no written records, but sites scattered throughout this area provide many clues about how they lived.
The area underneath Natural Arch is considered sacred by the Cherokee. The site is fenced and is made of red cedar, a tree revered by the Cherokee.

The huge, limestone cavern reminded us of Ash cave in Ohio.

Our adventure continued as we ventured on foot from the arch to the 5-mile, Buffalo Canyon trail. It proved to be a very unusual hike.
Our route from the arch sloped slightly and then became a steep descent along a narrow trail, frequently obscured by the blanket of multi-colored, fallen leaves. Although the air temperature at the top was on the cool side, it was warm and heavy with moisture by the time we reached the level creek- side pathway.

We soon were both shedding layers.

The trail arrived at a Forest Service access road where we turned to the left, following the markers. To this point, we were the only travelers through the Buffalo Canyon. Our feet had traveled about 1/4  mile on the service road when I saw something through the trees. It looked like a building.

Upon further inspection, we discovered a small, cleared valley with clusters of structures circumventing its perimeter; some small, dilapidated cabins, a few, ancient, travel trailers, sagging, wooden sheds and several, larger, metal buildings with no apparent connection to ranching, farming or camping. Three childrens' swing sets, a sliding board and a number of bikes and trikes joined a group of old, rusting pick-up trucks at one end of the clearing. Although no fence was in evidence, there was a locked gate closing the only gap in the forest wall. A hand-painted sign hanging on the peeling, blue paint stated, "Young's Ranch - No Trespassing!" At summer's height, vegetation certainly would make the compound nearly invisible from the narrow, service road, but on this day, vines, moss, falling leaves and tree branches meagerly clothed the area. All was quiet. No movement of people or animals. Not even the sound of a bird could be heard. Considering our distance from civilization, I was beginning to think we would soon be hearing banjo music...or the sound of shells clicking into the chamber of a shotgun. We moved quickly and quietly down the road, sneaking in a couple pictures as we went. Our discussion also included speculation as to the purpose of what we had seen. Should we watch for a growth of "MJ," a meth lab or maybe even a still?? Well, we did see some outhouses....

 About 500 yards on, we came to a ford in the road (no, not a fork). 

As we were debating the best way to cross the "drought" levels of water (still over our boot tops), we noticed evidence of someone using the area as either temporary or extended campsite.

Not really wanting to meet anyone too "interesting," we hastily decided that Larry would be able to cross the stream on some rocks. Since my legs are not as long as his, I followed and grabbed his outstretched hand to extend my jumping capability. I felt pretty good about getting across without slipping from the mossy rocks. It was about 1/2 mile later, after turning away from the service road, that we encountered yet another stream crossing. This time with even deeper water, no rocks in the area of the trail crossing, trees down and blocking the crossing...but not placed to possibly be used as a bridge, and a 12' high embankment along the opposite side of the water.

 

We walked around looking for solutions for around 10 minutes before determining the only possible way to cross the stream. Moving about forty feet upstream, we crossed the water on rocks. Again, the spacing was a real stretch for me and jumping was not an option since the rocks were not firmly placed in the stream bed and they were covered with moss. We both made it to the opposite side where we stood before the steep embankment.

 [This is a side view I took AFTER we were back on the trail. I couldn't get a shot of the embankment we climbed but, in the distance, under the fallen tree, you can see the rocks we used.]


Up and over was the only option. Larry went first. I put on my "brave" face and followed his hand/footholds up to where he was able to grab my hand and drag me over the top. With some bushwhacking, we got back to the trail. I was glad that the snakes are fairly dormant at this time of year!


By this time, we were too hot, dirty and out of drinking water. The trail now was taking us mostly uphill toward the arch where we started. Much of the flora and fauna were characteristic of deep, wet forest areas.

Our path took us up a steep incline to another of the large, limestone caves where we stopped to catch our breath. We took some pictures and were a little "freaked out" when we looked at them on the camera screen. At first, I thought the seeming over exposures had come about as a result of smacking my camera on rocks one too many times. However, uploading them to the computer revealed some eerie results! Also, the camera has been just fine since this one, particular time. (hear scary music clip that is not here....)
Okay...look slightly to my left and above. What do you see peering down at me? Leave a comment with your thoughts. 

Here is another interesting and hair-raising shot.

 

Do you see the "hands with fingers" reaching upward on the rock face?

This is an ancient area, sacred to the Cherokee and other tribes. I do believe in the existence of spirits. However, if anything, we felt "welcomed" in their space.

Well, it was a long hike and the blog has been a l-o-n-g read.
We made it back to the arch and were not that happy to see the long flights of steps to climb. They were much easier going down.

So we come to the end of yet another adventure. Hope you enjoyed it!