Sheltowee Trace- Day 10- Sinking Creeks

 Today was almost all road walk, or you could say it was all road walk. But one mile was more like off-road. And it was very interesting. We left a county road to walk down Little Sinking Creek. At one time, this was a road, but has long ago reverted to a soft surface and grass. With rocks! But the area was different from the other rocky places we've been through.

There were caves in the rock walls. Not shelf caves, but limestone, probably with tunnels and caverns. In fact, several of them had water flowing into them. I'm thinking that's probably how the Sinking Creeks got their names.

After a while, the berm that had held the road was all washed away, and the trail walked in the dry streambed. Look at the size of those raw hunks of limestone. Not very weathered. This section must be impassible at certain times of the year.

This is the confluence of Little Sinking Creek and Big Sinking Creek. Big Sinking had water in it. The old road reappeared and turned left along Big Sinking.

The trail crossed Big Sinking Creek at this large curved shelf cave.

Now, some of you know that I've decided I'm an historic transportation junkie. So here's the very cool part. The road did come here in the past. And it crossed the creek just about where we crossed. Here is one of the bridge abutments. I can just picture a car from the 1930's with a young couple coming down here to picnic at the cave. The kicker? This bridge was only abandoned in 1985 after structural failure. I can't quickly find a record of when it was built. But it all seems so old and reverted to nature, and yet, it was functional until I was 37 years old!

On the other side of the creek, the road continued with a fairly steep climb of 400 feet on the old roadbed. This part is now an ATV trail, so it wasn't off-road in any sense of the word.

We passed the 100 mile mark on the Sheltowee today. The rest of the day was roadwalk. The Sinking Creeks was the very best part.

Tomorrow we have to move campgrounds, and have a high-mileage day. It will be a challenge.

Miles walked in 2026: 435.7
Miles hiked of the Sheltowee Trace: 109

Sheltowee Trace, Kentucky, Combs Cemetery Road to Quillan Cemetery, 12.1 miles.

See Sheltowee Trace- Lawful Evil