Oct 13-17, 2026.
The Sheltowee Trace NRT is 334.8 miles long and runs mostly through Kentucky. Its southernmost 45 miles are in TN though, so my goal last week was to hike that little portion. I will get the Kentucky miles when I do all my other Kentucky LifeQuest goals.
I have to go back next month to get those last 9.5 TN miles since the rental car company gave me a low-clearance vehicle instead of the high-clearance one I reserved. I attempted getting to the appropriate northernmost trailhead in that lovely yet completely impractical car and almost got stuck in the middle of nowhere on a narrow gravel surface that resembled a slightly kinder version of NH’s Sandwich Notch Road. I swap out that car in mid-November, so I will return at that time to finish out the state in a vehicle more suited to rugged backcountry.
The Shawnee captured and then adopted Daniel Boone in 1778, giving him the name “Sheltowee,” which means “Big Turtle.” This NRT is named after Boone and mainly runs through the Daniel Boone National Forest.
The TN portion lies within Big South Fork National Recreation Area and is a mix of a) rugged single track along/up/down huge sandstone cliffs and narrow gorges, b) wide gravel paths, and c) shared/sandy equestrian trails. The southernmost bits are the most rugged, with a couple of miles shared with the fun Honey Creek Loop, a trail I tackled and greatly enjoyed during my last visit to TN.
I averaged seven original Sheltowee miles and fourteen total miles a day, doing a mix of out-and-backs and creative loops using other trails and remote roads. My longest day was a 10.5-mile Sheltowee/20-mile total day with around 3000 feet of elevation gain.
I enjoyed the variety of the trail with the exception of some of the shared equestrian bits. Walking in sand/loose gravel pocked with deep horseshoe tracks is akin to walking on soft postholed snow. For the most part though, the days were enjoyable.
Only real downside is that right before I began this trail, I woke up with my left knee slightly off track. That leg was fine finishing up the Ice Age Trail. Then I guess I slept on it wrong..?? What the hell, body. I managed hiking with it anyway by creatively wrapping it, as thruhiking the AT taught me how to work with that leg in various ways, ignore the pain, and just “git “er done.” Not saying that is the wisest thing, but I just don’t have time for injuries. That being said, my entire left leg threatened mutiny after that 20-mile day. Spent yesterday (the 18th) lying on my small acupuncture mat, focusing the pressure on my left TFL and glutes to help release the too-tight ITB which is pulling that left patella off track. Today the knee is much better but still not back to normal. I have another rest day today and will continue lounging on the acupressure mat and doing strategic gentle stretches and exercises.
Met 77-year-old Joan Young about 25 miles from the southern terminus, by the way. She is the first woman to have hiked the entire North Country Trail and was finishing up the Sheltowee Trace. Love seeing women in their 70s and 80s out there chewing up the miles.
