River to River Trail and Shawnee Forest Exploration
Panther Hollow RNA -made it to the Ohio River, 3rd trip-2nd with Don Wall.
Panther Hollow RNA -made it to the Ohio River, 3rd trip-2nd with Don Wall.
This was the 3rd trip I made, the second with Don Wall. We had spent too much time exploring the first bluff the previous trip and hadn’t made it to the Ohio yet. We skipped the Panther Hollow valley this time, but I’m leaving it in the title, because if I named it Buckhart Hollow you wouldn’t know it was the same area.
So this time we got an added bonus, a layer of snow! It made the area look different, and wasn’t a problem. We saw a ton of interesting rock formations and features and at the Ohio, we found a very old homestead site.
Last year, I hiked the Ohio bank while it was very low and the water filled cistern I found on the beach was in front of this homestead site, but normally under water. I would say this site was occupied before the locks and dams raised the rivers height, and the homeowner had to dig a new cistern further up the shore where it is in these photos.
I believe the old homestead was accessed by a road following the ridge from Finneyville/ James Town road. (this is the only map that calls it James Town) I found another homestead site along the top West side of the bluff about where the point of the arrow for “caves and bluffage” is that was served by the same long gone road.If you pass by the old dirt roller, you are heading north in the right place. According to the boundary markers, its about 5-10ft. into private land, Though at this point I don’t think it’s an issue.
This is where we were going to camp overnight sometime. High up, big overhang, fire ring, and “stool rocks”. It is in Buckhart hollow, regular Shawnee, not RNA so camping is ok.
Heading down a sharp ridge to the Cane Creek from the upper ridge where all the caves and rocks were. There were still some more around the last cove we turned away from, but not major ones.OrchidsThe West side of cane creek is covered with cane in the valley. It is also private land.
