Was it worth the risk? “Why did he have to joke about breaking a leg?” I agonized. If I broke a leg, I would not be able to dance. When I took my phone off airplane mode (to save on battery power while using AllTrails), my son had texted, “Peanut says, ‘What broken leg?'” My mind raced ahead. What if I hit my head and it was bleeding? Would I die before they got there? What if I slipped and rolled down? Would I fall off the cliff, or would a tree break my fall? What if I broke my leg? Would I be lying there writhing in pain on the rock, cold and hard as concrete? How many hours would it take paramedics to hike up it with a stretcher? Three hours? How long would it take a helicopter to get there? I’ve read search-and-rescue stories where people lie there in excruciating pain for six, eight, or twelve hours. Yet, I felt impending doom about the staircase hike all day. We hiked to Double Arch, Courthouse Rock, and Auxier Ridge, the #1 hike rated by the AllTrails community. I marveled over Double Arch framing the landscape and Courthouse Rock, a gigantic mass of rock. However, since it was a four-hour drive, I had planned an average, moderate hike for the first afternoon, so the test would not be until the following day. After watching a video, he assured me I could do it and reminded me that the best things come with challenges.ĭespite his assurances, I hardly slept at all. I emailed my backpacking brother, Dean, and told him I was freaking out. If I had trouble in an exercise class, would I have trouble navigating the footholds? I would have been physically agile enough to do this hike 20 years ago, but how much would I struggle now? Moreover, what if I slipped and fell? And died? On the other hand, in exercise class, I have difficulty with moves that involve fast transitions, such as burpee, which is a push-up followed by a jump squat. I walk, hike, dance, and/or attend weight training and aerobic classes seven days a week. Some might say you must decide for yourself and know your capabilities. I tried to visualize how I might need his help above or below. Dave is always accommodating, but should I have him below me or above me? I wished to hike it with two guys like they did, but I had only one man. On the scramble up the Staircase, one guy stood above and one below to assist the two older women up the rock. The third video was of a group of Kentucky hikers. The second was a guy breathing heavily into the microphone with his head-mounted camera, making it look like a sheer cliff as he climbed up the Staircase. The first video showed a family with two teenage girls leading the way, and they did fine. “This is my favorite hike, but be careful because it can be dangerous and even deadly.” Gee, thanks, buddy. My search for more information on Indian Staircase brought up blogs and videos. I had not reviewed our hiking plans until two days before, and the itinerary looked solid, except I had qualms about this hike. I then made reservations for October 2022, when the fall colors would be at their peak, and the weather might be cool and clear. We had planned the three-day trip to Red River Gorge over a year ago but had canceled it due to July thunderstorms. How dangerous was it? Reviewing Plans and Watching Videos Of course, we are experienced hikers and far from childhood, but still, I was curious if I could or should do it. People who wrote about it warned that this hike was advanced, not for children and inexperienced hikers. These two made it up Indian Staircase, but there is still a scramble over rocks to the top of the ridge. That means the park service does not claim responsibility for anyone crazy enough to try hiking it. Hikers climb on all fours like monkeys, using footholds carved into the rock by Native Americans. First, however, you must scramble up a sketchy staircase–200 feet of exposed rock. Indian Staircase, a trail in the Red River Gorge Geological Area, Kentucky, has spectacular views.
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