Knobby Rock of Blanton Forest

Today we headed out to hike to Knobby Rock of Blanton Forest near Harlan, Kentucky.  Blanton Forest is a preserved old growth forest.  There are several very large hemlocks along the trail.  We had ten hikers today, several on their first hike with us.  We headed out Watts Creek trail a bit after 10:00, then took a left and headed up the Knobby Rock trail.  It wasn't long before the trail became quite a bit steeper, but fortunately it was only 7 tenths of a mile before we arrived at Knobby Rock.  The younger hikers arrived first and explored the rock as the rest arrived, each wowed by the peculiar looking knobs and massive size of the rock.  After relaxing on the rock, taking pictures, and eating lunch, we navigated down the rock and picked up the loop for the 1.1 mile back down to Watts Creek trail.   After getting back down to Camp Blanton, we were met with the aroma of a cookout.  It smelled divine, but we decided we couldn't invite ourselves.  Sadly, we had to get into our vehicles and leave the wonderful smells, gorgeous weather, and lovely scenery.

Till next time....Keep on hiking!