The Gorge
The bright yellow leaves mix with brown as your feet sink slightly into the soft mud underneath. The huge canopy of leaves casts a greenish glow across the trees. The humidity causes your shirt to stick to your sweat-glistened skin. A colorful bird swoops low overhead as you duck under a rock overhang. The shade is a welcome reprieve from the hot sun as you lie down in the limestone sand and stick your toes in the cool, fresh stream that trickles into a slow waterfall. As you read this, you are probably pretty curious to know where I am describing. Don't worry, this popular destination won't cost you a plane ticket, but rather a one-hour drive to Red River Gorge. Red River Gorge is home to many unique experiences. The most famous of these experiences, Rock-Climbing, has been a part of The Gorge for over 50 years and attracts thousands of people a year from all over the United States. With over 1600 routes to climb, ranging from beginner to expert in difficulty, you will never run out of cliffs to scale. If you are brand new to rock-climbing, many companies offer tours with guides that will show you how to climb. However, if you are not into climbing, there are several zip line tours as well as rafting and canoeing opportunities. Then, of course, there are 500 miles of trails available to hike. Red River Gorge is also home to some strange urban legends. One tells of a mysterious creature the size of a horse, with the skeletal structure of a cat and the flesh of a human, named the Clifty Catman. The Clifty Catman supposedly roams the back trails of The Gorge, singing in a beautifully deep voice to attract and eat wandering hikers. In a more believable tale, a man's ghost is said to haunt Grey's Arch, a natural bridge made of limestone after he died there. The man supposedly built a fire on top of the Arch and a burning log began to roll off the cliff. In order to keep the forest from burning down, the man ran forward to snatch the log, but tripped and tumbled off the edge to his death, still clutching the simmering log. Whether you are climbing, canoeing, or telling ghost stories around the campfire on a quiet summer night, Red River Gorge is a truly amazing place with something to offer to everyone.
