Cave Run Lake Day 2- Amburgy Rocks to Stoney Cove

Miles 29.5 - 37. 9.2 recorded miles.

Boy am I glad I took my time with this section. I did 8.5 miles plus a side trail that was about 0.5. I woke up to the beautiful fog and noticed how unbelievably quiet it was. It was pretty cloudy, but at 2pm, the sun came out. I made coffee and it wasn’t even bad! I climbed down back to the Trace and started the spider web whacking immediately. The trail was very well maintained and blazed... by me! I walked by the blaze Mason and I put up back in January while we were volunteering with the Sheltowee Trace Association. The trail went from the woods onto a overgrown gravel road and I was greeted with beautiful wildflowers and butterflies! I took a side trail to Limestone Knob- the highest point in Rowan County. It was a straight up hill eroded trail but I saw this weird looking blue mushroom on my way up. I would think it is a rare mushroom because I haven’t seen any pictures of such a mushroom, especially in Kentucky. There was a very old geocache up there. It was placed there in 2007. There wasn’t anything interesting in there... Oddly enough, most of its contents were hygiene products. I brought a few mini index cards, so I got one out and wrote what had been on my mind this morning. “Whatever you do, do it with all your heart.” I stuck it in with the log notebook and began the climb down to the Trace. I kept going on a hilly, ridge-top single track trail and met 4 mountain bikers at an intersection. Mountain biking looks so fun! I went down the Trace, Trail #100, and they soon passed me. I stopped for about an hour to eat lunch on the side of the trail. I wish I had kept going because there was a man-made bench just around the corner that would have made a great spot for lunch! I soon got to highway 801 and met some nice labradors who wanted my spider stick. I turned on the road and made my way across the Cave Run Lake Dam. Woooow! I stopped and took it all in. It was huge and the mountains in the background were gorgeous! Everyone had their boats and wave runners. How fun! I walked down to a rocky beach and sat in the water for a good long time. Then I dried out on the grassy knoll for a good long time. Then I sat down at the picnic table and snacked and watched the boats go in and out, also for a good long time. I walked up back into the trail and only had to walk 3 minutes until I found the campsite I planned on using. Well 3 minutes from the lake meant I could still here all the noise. Then 8 ATV riders were riding past my campsite for like an hour. It’s still a bit noisy now, at 9pm. I tried a new freeze dried meal that I put together myself. Freeze dried chicken, freeze dried green beans, instant mashed potatoes, and garlic salt. It wasn’t the best.... but it wasn’t bad! 13.3 miles to go tomorrow and then I have to drive 2.5 hours home. I hope I can get a early start!