Vampires, Werewolves, and Turds

Hey y’all! It’s been a minute, so here we are with another “Slice of Life-Darren and Rachel Gorge Time Episode-Adventure Podcast Time”! We talk generally about what kind of hikes we’ve been up to recently including time spent at The Wilds, Natural Bridge State Park, and some Gorge adventures including seeing Powder Mill & Wolf Pen Arches for the first time, and doing a loop trail featuring the “Adena Direct II” trail, and a section of the Sheltowee Trace and Bison Way trails! We also somehow get onto a conversation about vampires, werewolves, and – you guessed it – TURDS. Again. #SorryNotSorry

Trails featured in this episode:
* Sunset Point Overlook Trail (The Wilds)
*Powder Mill Trail featuring Powder Mill Arch/Wolf Pen Arch to Blackburn Rock Overlook
*Random Tunnel Ridge Road Trails
*Adena Direct II (featuring Adena Arch)
*Original Trail + Laurel Ridge Trail + Lovers Leap

Thank you again for listening and we hope you can get out and try some of these trails! Remember to #LeaveNoTrace and you can follow us on Instagram & TikTok @Tread_the_Red and find our Etsy Shop by searching “Tread the Red” on Etsy (or by using any of the included links in the show notes). Happy hiking!

The Gladie Cultural & Environmental Learning Center GRAND REOPENING!

Hi all of you listeners! We’ve got a special “feature” episode for you this week. Darren and I got the opportunity to talk with Brittney and Joey Santiago from FIND Outdoors all about the grand reopening of the Gladie Cultural and Environmental Learning Center! We learned about Brittney and Joey’s journey of how they ended up living and working in the Gorge with FIND Outdoors, about FIND Outdoors, and alllllll about the reopening of the Gladie Visitor Center! The center will be reopened on March 30th and there will be a weekend FULL of grand reopening activities on April 2nd & 3rd! If you don’t have plans to be in the Gorge that weekend, you should definitely make them and swing by the visitor center for an awesome time.

A Conversation with Dan Shields from RRG United

In this week’s episode of Tread the Red, Rachel and Darren chat with Dan Shields from RRG United. RRG United is a volunteer-based group established out of a perceived need to oppose a proposed development near the Red River Gorge, a proposed development that the members unilaterally agree is out-of-scale with the region and poorly located for the expressed benefit which it claims to be seeking. RRG United consists of local business owners, community leaders, and concerned residents unified against the “top-down” methods by which this development has progressed, and any other development that might overwhelm capacity of local infrastructure, disrupt local economies, and destroy or degrade natural resources in the region.
In this episode we break down the proposed “destination resort” of the Gorge and chat about what this means for the region. You can find this information and much more on RRG United’s website, rrgunited.org.
If you are able to, you can donate to the organization through Paypal, Venmo, or check. Every little bit helps, and they have an established goal on their donation page, as well with a break down of prices! Rachel is also donating 50% of her Etsy sales from the month of March to RRG United. You can find her shop, Tread the Red, on Etsy.
Thank you to everyone who listens! We hope this episode was informative and also provided some clarity on the issue at hand!

Where’s Waldo in Muir Valley – Waterfalls of the Red Pt.3

Here we are with Waterfalls of the Red Pt.3!! This will be the conclusion of this specific “mini-series” of the podcast. We hope we gave you lots of waterfalls to put on your list to check out sometime soon! In this segment (Pt.3), we discuss waterfalls located on specific properties in the RRG Region – Muir Valley Nature Preserve, the Creekview Property of Stayover Cabins, and Graining Fork Nature Preserve.
* Horseshoe Falls

New items listed in the Tread the Red Etsy shop! Also, 50% of proceeds from items sold throughout the month of March will be donated to RRG United to push objectives that protect the RRG area.

Thank you so much for listening! We appreciate all of you. 😀

A Muir Valley Introduction

Have you heard about Muir Valley? Muir Valley is a nonprofit nature preserve and rock climbing park that is located right within the Red River Gorge area! It is about 360 acres and features over 400 climbs (both trad and sport), and several hiking trails with waterfalls, caves, arches, and mountain streams. Some things to know before making a trip to Muir Valley:
* You MUST sign the online waiver before visiting!
* There is a $10/vehicle per day parking fee
* No dogs are allowed! For a comprehensive list of rules/regulations, click here.

You can view the Muir Valley Legacy Film on their website!

Horseshoe Falls

Horseshoe Falls is located within Muir Valley. Muir Valley is a nonprofit nature preserve and rock climbing park located in the Red River Gorge area and is about 360 acres with over 400 climbs (both trad and sport) and several hiking trails with waterfalls, caves, and mountain streams. The trail to Horseshoe Falls is about 1.8 miles out-and-back with Horseshoe Falls at the terminus. Horseshoe Falls is a two tier waterfall that falls from a rock shelter shaped like a horseshoe bend! It is really neat to stand behind the waterfall under the rock shelter and gain that unique perspective! I would definitely recommend adding a trip to Muir Valley for your RRG explorations – even if you are just a hiker and not a climber! Some things to note about Muir Valley:
*You MUST sign an online waiver on their website before visiting!
*There is a $10/vehicle per day parking fee to access the area!
*No dogs allowed!

You can view my introductory video to Muir Valley here, and you can also view the Muir Valley Legacy Film on their website!

Horseshoe Falls Trail

Rock Bridge Trail #207

Rock Bridge Trail (#207): WOW! This trail is one of the most popular loop hikes of the Red River Gorge and for GOOD REASON! Park at the parking lot at the end of the gravel Rock Bridge Road and hike this ~1.5 mile loop to see Creation Falls – a beautiful picturesque waterfall – and Rock Bridge – a natural sandstone arch that spans across Swift Camp Creek. According to the Forest Service, this is the only arch across water in the RRG region. This trail also features a cool rock shelter a short distance near the trail near the end of the loop (if hiking this trail clockwise like I do in this video!). This trail is perfect for kids and dogs and features a really cool sandy “beach” area near the waterfall. Definitely put this one on your list if you are visiting the Gorge area!

Rock Bridge Trail (#207)

If Ya Like to Get Your Feet Wet ;) Waterfalls of the Red Pt.2

Hello and welcome to Part 2 of our Waterfalls of the Red mini-series! We are back with some more waterfalls for y’all! Here’s a look at the ones we talk about in this episode:
* Copperas Falls
* Hopewell Arch waterfall (yes, I know this isn’t really a WATERFALL, but it is also really pretty when water drains through the crescent moon opening in this arch so shhhh)
*Big Trickle Falls (or Rainbow Falls if you’re me)
* Eagle Point Buttress Falls

Also, some “Red” Alerts!:
* The Gladie Visitor Center will be reopening in late March! The weekend of April 1-3 will be filled with fun re-opening activities/events, so you should definitely mark your calendars! There are also a couple of job positions available (apply online at gofindoutdoors.org !) And if you have any further questions about employment, interest in volunteering, or if you are a local that wants to be involved with educational events, email Gladie@gofindoutdoors.org ! Also, go follow the site manager of the Gladie Visitor Center on Instagram at @adventures.with.britt !

*Applications for this year’s Red River Gorge Farmers Market are NOW OPEN! Apply at rrgfm.com

*MOSS MADNESS!! It’s happening!!! Email me your mossy submissions no later than the end of this month (February 28th)!!! Also, know that these submissions can be both serious nice moss shots OR goofy weirdo shots of you posing with a nice bed of moss. I’ve only got a couple goofy submissions so far, so I’m hoping to get a couple more. Get out there this week/weekend and snag some good ones! Email them to treadtheredpodcast@gmail.com.

Hope everyone is doing well and happy hiking!

Who Even Names These Anyway? Waterfalls of the Red Pt.1

Hi and welcome to Tread the Red! We are back this week with something slightly different – we are doing a series of episodes focusing solely on waterfalls of the Red! Are y’all ready? 😉
Here are the waterfalls you can expect to hear about in this week’s episode:
* Lower & Upper Bell Falls
* Creation Falls (of Rock Bridge Trail)
* Okay…so this one is a waterfall of MANY names…you might know it as: Pooch Turtle Falls/Pooch’s Turtle Falls/Turtleback Falls/Turtle Falls – can be seen from above on the Swift Camp Creek Trail (very close to the intersection with Turtle Back Arch Trail).
* Henson’s Arch waterfall
* Whittleton Arch waterfall
* Upper Whittleton Falls (of Whittleton Branch Trail)

Whew! That’s a lot! If you liked this episode, keep an eye…ear?? out next week for the second installment of this series!
P.s. Waterfall season is NOW (winter/spring), so go chase some!

Rush Ridge Trail (#227)

Rush Ridge Trail: This is an official trail in the RRG and is used as a connector between Pinch-Em-Tight Trail and Rough Trail. To hike this trail, you can park at the Pinch-Em-Tight parking area along Tunnel Ridge Road and hike the Pinch-em-Tight trail to the first fork (about 0.3 miles), where you will take a left onto Rush Ridge Trail. There are plenty of trail signs to guide you at this intersection too!
Rush Ridge Trail itself is only 1 mile, but since it is a connector trail, you can create loops involving this trail to make your hike longer! Either way, I feel like this is an underrated trail of the Red. It is an easy ridge-top trail with some nice views and pretty forest surroundings. There is also a big downed tree that has been there for as long as I’ve been using this trail that has some really cool patterns in the wood! Check it out if you hike this trail.

Rush Ridge Trail #227