Compass Communications

Story and Photos by Tyler Adams

We’re so lucky to live in a place like Southern Kentucky. Being surrounded by these hills and hollers embeds in a lot of us a want to be outside from a young age. If you were anything like me as a kid, you were in the backyard or a field with dirt (mud depending on the weather, that of which changes every time you look up at the clouds) up to your eyeballs until the sun set, and that’s how you knew it was dinner time. As an adult things change and priorities shift, but one thing has never changed: the want and need to be outdoors.

As I’ve grown older and the stresses of life start hitting, I think that there’s nearly nothing more important than keeping attention on personal mental health. Everyone copes and handles these things differently, but why not utilize one of the most bountiful resources we as Kentuckians are blessed with: the outdoors?! Even just a simple walk outside could benefit you in different ways, and if that walk turns into searching up the nearest hiking trails-no matter your skill level or ability-you won’t hear a complaint from me!

I’m Tyler Adams, a husband and father of three who’s a Kentucky native, born and raised in Kings Mountain, just north of Eubank. Online I go by Skench Outdoors, a persona I created three years ago with a nickname given to me as a kid. Through this outlet, I have been exploring the deep recesses of our state and more specifically the vast and action-packed Daniel Boone National Forest. I’ve learned about so many things along the way and a lot about how the world is the setting for so many different creatures and plants that work together in a harmony. It creates a balance that’s so delicate and important, but strong. Armed with a camera, I take home the stories and lessons I learn while I’m out there, and share it with people who care about this land like I do.

I’ve spent these past few years studying plants, geology, and tons of other -ologies. Basically, if it fits in my camera, I take it home and learn about it a little at a time. This has been part of a journey that’s shifted a lot for me, as I find the way these things work together inspiring and captivating to say the least. What started everything was plants, arches and waterfalls. I had no clue we had such a feature-rich area surrounding Pulaski County!

Our geology in the southern part of the state calls for just as many cliffs and crags as our amazing Red River Gorge, but it’s much more shallow, covers a lot more area and offers a lot more opportunity for strong watersheds. On the other hand, a lot of the rock under our earth in this area is limestone but mostly sandstone which is super susceptible to erosion. This erosion helps create some fascinating formations tucked deep into the Daniel Boone National Forest.

Here’s something crazy to think about: in Kentucky we have over 2,700 documented naturally occurring arches, typically made of sandstone. In Pulaski and McCreary counties alone there are 706 arches! You can visit a lot of them as they’re in the Daniel Boone National Forest and the database is publicly available, but they’ll take some work to get to: some arches can be offtrail for miles, away from any drivable road and dozens more from civilization.

Hunting for these calls for a little bit of expertise just in navigating rough terrain and pre-planning, and a thirst for exploring areas that may not have been visited in the past decade or more in some cases. A geological inventory report run by a joint task force involving the CIA, FBI, Forest Service and other agencies in the early 1980s revealed that some of these remote locations contained remnants of Native Americans from nearly 2,000 years ago!

Some of the waterfalls in our state are absolutely second to none, too! We have nearly 1,400 waterfalls in our beautiful Bluegrass, and tons of those are visitable and on public property as well. McCreary, Laurel, Pulaski, Rockcastle, and Whitley counties are home to over 600 of them! We’re in a goldmine of an area for anyone with an explorer’s heart without a doubt. These are also able to be visited nearly at will as most are within the confines of the Daniel Boone National Forest.

Included in those impressive numbers are definitely some waterfalls that are harder to get to for the hiker looking for a challenge, but some of our greatest features have been so noticed and lauded that our Forest Service and State Park agencies have really made some amazing places and venues to enjoy them:

Cumberland Falls State Resort Park is a great place to view our beautiful Cumberland Falls, and it’s packed with family fun things to do nearly year-round. The amenities here offer up the ability for anyone of any skill type to be able to observe a beautiful, massive waterfall that’s a part of the Cumberland River. Cumberland Falls is 65 feet tall and 125 feet wide, making it the widest waterfall recorded in the state!

Natural Arch Scenic Area is host to Natural Arch, an amazing sandstone arch that stands over 45 feet tall and 100 feet wide. This is an arch with a fully paved pathway to a scenic overlook, so it can be enjoyed by anyone. If you are able and want to go further, a couple flights of steps are all that stops you from standing under the arch itself. The fall color here is pretty incredible to witness!

These places, along with tons of other places in the state have offered me such a new perspective into the landscape we were born in. I didn’t realize it when I started my first couple of hikes, but the effect that nature has had on my mental health is immense. Seeing new things and constantly giving myself the challenge of a new place to see or a new plant to spot has made me appreciate a lot of the smaller things that exist around me.

Per season, I intend on holding a group hike somewhere in southern Kentucky to help motivate people to get outdoors in any way they need the push. Some have told me they just wanted some people to hike with, some have said they didn’t know of any “good places to go,” so understand there’s no requirement other than wanting to get out and get some fresh air, and maybe learn something along the way!

Our last Group Hike was in August to Dog Slaughter Falls and to a couple of the off-trail arches I spoke of that are more easy to access, but are located off-trail. We had a blast and saw tons of wildlife, flowers and fungi along the way! The 2024 Fall Group Hike will be to two overlooks to observe our fall leaves and the beautiful colors they show off. Be sure to look for information on that coming soon via my Facebook or Instagram!

Be sure this fall season to get out and enjoy some of what Kentucky has right out your front door. No matter if it’s a planned 14-mile backpacking hike or a simple hike to an overlook or to a lake’s edge, I think getting out into Kentucky a little bit could be a good thing. ν

Find Tyler online on Facebook or Instagram at @skenchoutdoors where you can follow along on the adventures, see more photos, and find out about joining his next group hike.