Trip: Cumberland Gap Truck-in and Backpacking Trip
“`Ewing, VA
Date: May 4-5, 2024
Author: Cristian Baca
History:
For thousands of years, people and animals have journeyed through the Cumberland Gap. A combination of factors made this important transportation link possible. As the Cumberland Mountain formed, Yellow Creek cut through the mountain creating a notch in the mountain at the same time it was rising. The mountain began to rise faster than the creek could erode, causing the creek to change course. Thus, the Gap that the early Americans found was dry.
Not long after the gap formed, animals began traveling through the gap on their way north, especially bison. The bison blazed a trail through the gap, as they went north in search of saltlicks. As bison traveled north, early humans observed their movements and followed them through the gap.
During the 1700s, European colonists searched for a way west through the Cumberland Mountains. The first European to document his journey through the gap was Thomas Walker. In 1750, the Virginia Loyal Land Company sent Thomas Walker to find a pass into western Virginia (now Kentucky). Walker journeyed through the gap and named the mountain after Prince William, the Duke of Cumberland. Walker, though, argued the gap was not the best path westward. Nineteen years later, Daniel Boone came to a different conclusion. Boone heard about the gap from a friend and travelled through it on a hunting expedition. He told others of his journey and he was paid by a land speculator to blaze a trail through the gap for settlement. This path known as the Wilderness Road allowed approximately 200,000 and 300,000 European-American colonists to travel through the gap westward.
Experience
Troop 48 carpooled to Cumberland Gap Wilderness Road campground on May 4. We stopped at the gift shop at the campground to check in and they had some really cool stuff but the hoodies were a little pricey. We got to play in the big field until it was time to go on the first hike. We hiked to a cave that was blocked off by a metal gate (1.7 miles) but found our way around. We hiked on past the cave to a beautiful view where we were able to stand in 3 different states (Kentucky, Virginia, and Tennessee). After the hike we pitched camp and played football with some kids camping across from us. We had delicious hot dogs and chips for dinner and had a great campfire service with lots of fun skits. My personal favorite was the Moonstick skit. We woke up to pop tarts and oatmeal for breakfast on Sunday. We broke camp, cleaned up, and had a church service before we went on our second hike (Starlight cave, about a 4-mile hike). Parts of the cave had lots of spiders. We had bagged chicken on the trail for lunch. After returning to the campground to meet the backpackers, we headed back to our beloved families.
References:
https://www.nps.gov/cuga/learn/historyculture/cumberland-gap.htm
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