Driving down Elkhorn Creek this morning, a soft quilt of ice crystals shrouded the top of the Pine Mountain.
I could never see above the bottom of the great spine that defines or parallels most of Kentucky's southeastern border. How fitting for a 120 plus mile ridge that holds more shadows and secrets than anything Hollywood could devise!
The long ridge, never more than 4000 feet above sea level, has defined this region. It has defined this state. But many who live in our county couldn't find it on a map. Ask someone in Pikeville what the Pine Mountain Thrust is and you'll get a blank stare or a slap in the face.
But the big ridge runs through four Kentucky and two Virginia counties. Elkhorn City, Jenkins, Whitesburg, Cumberland, Harlan, Pineville, and Middlesboro in our state lie along the base of the Pine Mountain. There is a national park, an interstate park, and two state parks in the Pine corridor. Oh yes, and a state scenic trail that currently runs 80 percent of it's length. It's an outdoor tourism dream. Seems like someone would promote the whole thing, not just bits and pieces, doesn't it?
Oh what do I know?
You might be asking why I'm fixated on this Pine thing. I'll tell you why. While many of you were recuperating from too much Thanksgiving turkey or out trying to save a nickel on whatever it was Walmart was selling at the time, I went for a hike last Friday.
I went with some close friends who have been hiking up on that mountain every Friday after Thanksgiving for a lot of years. You could say it's a family tradition, but hardly anyone is blood and nobody feels obligated. It's a tradition you better want to be part of.
Here's the thing that seems to discourage a lot of local folk: hiking around here isn't easy. Hiking requires getting off your butt, first. Hiking over several days requires getting off your butt and carrying lots of provisions so you don't starve. Hiking over several days late fall/early winter requires getting off your butt and carrying lots more provisions so you don't starve or freeze to death.
Like most things around here, hiking the Pine Mountain Trail is a bit on the extreme side. It's so extreme, most locals wouldn't be caught dead on it off a 4 wheeler or the back of a horse. It's not climbing a mountain, getting to the top and coming back down. It's jagging up, jagging down, jagging up, jagging down, jagging up, jagging down, all long a ridge that is ellusive to track and confusing to follow.
Yes it's hard. Yes you've got to want it. And yes, it is one of the most rewarding things you could ever do for yourself.
High up on that ridge, it is easy to understand how and why we have been so isolated in this region. The beauty of our steep hills and hollows can only be appreciated by stumbling through them. The protection and comfort of this beautiful isolation runs deep within everyone who has spent most of their lives here. It's why many of us want--need--to stay here.
But don't just listen to me. You really should try and see it for yourself.