Knobstone Trail Thru Hike // Backpacking 50 Miles on "The Little AT"

[@Letsgoexplore2468]

Glad you did it man!!! I've done alot of sections of the knob and I know the struggles of that trail!!. I'm finally getting ready to tackle the whole thing in the fall!. Congrats again and order you the patch if you have lnt already!!

[@BluegrassBackcountry]

Hey thanks so much, both for watching my video and for the congratulations! It was a killer trail. I am trying to convince my buddies to do it to appreciate how difficult it truly is. I didn't realize they sold patches! I might have to get me one of those! Good luck to you this fall, you got this!

[@Letsgoexplore2468]

@BluegrassBackcountry thanks man and about that patch, you can go to the knobestone hiking trail association and think they are around 4 or 5 bucks. Not 100 on the price but under 10.

[@robertbrza869]

I’m going to attempt a yo-yo on the KT next month. You really did a great job capturing the landscape. Beautiful video.

[@BluegrassBackcountry]

I am SO sorry for being so late to reply to this. I hope that you are gearing up for your YoYo or that you have already conquered it. Thanks so much for watching and commenting!

[@beyondthecampfire]

2:10 Your intros are always relaxing and informative, but they also get me hyped for that logo reveal and the adventure to come! This is one of your best intros. Nice job with the shot selection and narration. 3:25 I’m glad you shared this story. The feeling you’re talking about is one that I sometimes experience, even at the best of times. You and Nick have played the Danny role for me multiple times. 3:40 You weren’t too tired to come up with some creative shots! I love the color in this one as well. 4:45 These ice flowers will always remind me of our GotG trip. 6:55 That was an ambitious plan, brother. Those hills look brutal, and you look wiped out! No shame in taking a shorter day on the first. I’m never up for big miles on the first day for some reason. 8:07 Wow! Dinner and a show! It’s amazing how much of a morale boost a nice sunset or other sight can be. 9:40 I like how you open Day 2 with the tent already broken down. Nice little touch for letting us know how short your morning felt. 10:02 I’m jealous of your filtering speed😝 10:15 Is this one of those hikes where you had to listen to music so the sound of crunching leaves wouldn’t drive you crazy? 10:45 This is one of my favorite shots in the whole video. The sycamores in the background are haunting. 12:04 At least the real AT has switchbacks… 13:40 Trail Santa provides! I’m glad you had some company on this trip. It helps immensely sometimes, even when we think we want to be alone! 13:58 My best guess on these mushrooms is that we’re looking at the underside of a hexagonal-pored polypore. 15:25 Seems like it would have been pretty tempting to hitch up one of those horses and jump into a carriage. 16:45 But you just set it up!😭 17:58 This leaf is trying to tell you that you have to have ice in your veins to complete this trail in 3 days. 18:55 Nice job capturing the sound of the sandhill cranes! That’s not something you hear very often. 20:11 That’s an Indiana mountain! 21:05 I don’t care what anyone else says, I’m still partial to this shot 😜This looks like the perfect time of year to do this trail. There’s still enough color for the fall beauty to come through, but the canopy has also opened up enough for some great views. 22:10 There’s an enormous expanse of hilly woodland out there! You wouldn’t think you were in Indiana based on these drone shots. 22:50 This is a great shot too. I like the silhouetted trees in the foreground with the sunny colorful hills in the background. And those sycamores again! 25:50 I love the ending of this one. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so relieved to be done with a hike. I was relieved just watching it! And the golden hour sunlight seems to be welcoming you back to Old Blue and civilization. 26:50 There’s something very nostalgic about this shot. Maybe it reminds me of many other drives home after a tough hike, listening to music, feeling triumphant. 27:40 Every video should end with Hannah complaining about taxes 🤣 I don’t know how you had time to get so many great shots while also completing this trail in such a short period of time, but you did it. Congratulations on finishing this thing. You should be proud of yourself. This video reminds me of your skydiving video in that you did such a good job portraying the experience that now I don’t need to go through it myself! 🤣🤣 No, I’ll probably do it as a 4-day hike at some point, but I’ll admit that it’s moved down the priority list, haha. Thank you for sharing this grueling experience, brother. Until next time!

[@BluegrassBackcountry]

2:10 Thanks brother! I definitely enjoy making the intros sometimes more than the actual full-length video, itself haha. And I definitely have learned a lot from you on how to make a good intro 😉 3:25 We all have been Danny to one another over the life of the Trail Tribe! Happy to support y’all and for y’all to support me. Definitely several trips I either could not have done or would have bene way more miserable without yall there with me. 3:40 I love this shot, too! There were still some decent fall color on this trip. 4:45 Same! GoTG was my first introduction to ice flowers, and they seem to continue to reveal themselves in new ways and new places. 6:55 I definitely try to consume more than I can swallow on trips sometimes (TWSS) 8:07 Definitely one of the more insane sunsets I have witnessed. The sky was almost blood-red in hue. 9:40 And getting up early still had me hiking almost to dark this day. Just goes to show those hills slow one’s pace down to a crawl for most of the time. 10:02 There’s definitely some movie magic happening here. Oh, how I wish my sawyer could filter this fast! 10:15 Good memory! Yes the leaf litter was driving me insane! Thank the Lord for headphones with music and podcasts haha. 10:45 There are some sycamores like this within Mammoth Cave National Park that give that same haunting feeling. We need to plan a trip there sometime soon! 12:04 Bwhahahaaha whoever designed the KT was a sadist lol 13:40 100000% I would have bailed if not for John. He was the real MVP for day 2! 13:58 Sounds like a better guess than I could have come up with! 15:25 With all the gunshot noise in the background from the occupants of those carriages, I don’t think our heist would have lasted long hahaha 16:45 Getting up those mornings were the woooorrrrssssttttt. Makes me appreciate our trips where we slept in our tents for 14 hours haha. 17:58 Lol there was some stupid stubbornness going on with this trip. My body was not cooperating but my mind was so adamant to not quit. 18:55 That was a nice little gift from trail santa during that moment, because while filming that shot I had just finished having a massive leg cramp haha. 20:11 Hell yeah is! #IndianaDOESHaveMountains 21:05 I ‘m glad you and I agree about this shot, at least. That was an amazing view up there. Definitely made the trip worth it. 22:10 The relief of the Knobstone Escarpment is pretty mind boggling. We’ve had some tastes of it together within the Deam/AHT/Tecumseh, but this takes it to another level. 22:50 Once again, you are making me kick myself for getting rid of this little camera that could! I loved this shot, too. 25:50 I was surprised how emotional I got once I reached the end. I think I battled with my mind more than I ever had on this trip, which made its completion that sweeter for me. And man, that golden hour light was just the cherry on top! 26:50 One of the best feelings, being in the vehicle after a successful trip. The pain, soreness, and smelliest is all worth it during that return trip home 27:40 That won’t be hard for me to setup; she hates paying taxes haha! Thanks so much for viewing this BB episode and leaving such positive things to say about it! I hope I get to see a BTC episode of the KT sometime in the future, I think you would bring your own unique spin on the terrain and have your own story to tell. And I also don’t want to feel alone with how hellish it was haha. Thanks again, brother! Hope to see you in a few weeks!

[@dewdrop6400]

A beautiful, rugged hike and well told. Thanks for sharing!

[@BluegrassBackcountry]

Thanks so much for watching and your kind words about the production! It was very rugged and beautiful, for sure.

[@19stoney64]

Just subbed your channel. Great job on the videos I’ve watched so far. I live a mile from the Deam lake trailhead. I’m 60 and going to attempt the AT in April. I’m on the knobstone all the time. Most of the time I just run up to Deam lake and go all the way around it just to keep in shape, about 7.5. You know kind of like when city folks go walk around the track field at the high school. lol….

[@BluegrassBackcountry]

Thanks so much for the sub and for tuning in to some different videos of mine! I am very envious of you doing the AT this spring, that’s a bucket list hike for me, for sure! And I need a good place like Deam Lake locally to hike around, that’s such a beautiful area to get some exercise!

[@thairob]

Awesome and inspiring. Thank you!

[@BluegrassBackcountry]

Thanks so much for watching!

[@scooter1022]

I am fixing to backpack some of this in couple days. Your video made me look forward to it even more.

[@BluegrassBackcountry]

Thanks for watching! I hope that you had a great time on the KT!

[@scooter1022]

@@BluegrassBackcountry thank you! I had a blast!

[@cravenoutdoors4619]

Great job!!! The knobstone trail is a very challenging but a very rewarding trail with great views. Really enjoyed you’re video. I haven’t been on it In a awhile. My dad and I loved walking on the knobstone trail and I will always cherish those memories on it with my dad. Thanks again for the video. Take care buddy.

[@BluegrassBackcountry]

Thanks so much for the kind words about my KT video! I am glad to hear my footage helped you reconnect with your own KT memories with your father. It is a beautiful and challenging trail, indeed. Thanks again, and apologies for my delay in replying, been out of the country for a couple of weeks.

[@tonyabrowninghikes]

Beautiful video of the KT and congratulations on completing the trail. I live 10 minutes from the southern terminus and still haven't thru hiked it. But I have spent a couple nights on it and it's definitely one of the toughest things I've done.

[@BluegrassBackcountry]

Thanks so much Tonya! I didn’t realize you lived so close to the KT. It’s a brutal trail- one of the hardest I’ve done. I hope you can get out there and thru hike the whole thing sometime soon too! Thanks for watching!!

[@tonyabrowninghikes]

@@BluegrassBackcountry I'm shooting for next year! Can't wait to experience the agony! Lol

[@billsmith7357]

Beautiful video Brother. You have motivated me to get back into backpacking. Thank you.

[@BluegrassBackcountry]

Thanks so much for watching! I’m so glad you were able to get inspired from this trip of mine. I wish you the best in your endeavors getting back into it, let me know how I can help in any way!

[@PopPopTN]

Congratulations on your thru! Beautifully documented. Thanks so much for sharing!

[@BluegrassBackcountry]

Thanks so much, Pop Pop!! I love getting to share these kinds of adventures with everyone. Always appreciate you tuning in!

[@CarlsonAdventures]

Great job Samuel. As someone who has done the KT I can attest how hard it is.

[@BluegrassBackcountry]

Thanks so much, Brian!! Good to know people who understand how difficult that Trail truly is. Appreciate you tuning in to watch!

[@Smokeybeesnatural]

Who knew Indiana could have e steep hills?! Your face said it all 😆. Now it's time for you to earn your Ohio badge and do the loop at Shawnee State Forest! It's a right of passage for tri-state backpackers! Just do it the winter!

[@BluegrassBackcountry]

I think I''m going to use my "lived in Montana for one year" badge so I don't have to do Shawnee haha! Thanks for watching, brother! Can't wait to see your future Knobstone Thru Hike ;)

[@paulschuhmann4534]

Way to push thru Samuel! I live 23 miles away from Deam Lake. I shoot there often. If you do decide to do this trail again I can be your shuttle if you’d like me to.

[@BluegrassBackcountry]

Thanks so much Paul!! I also didn’t realize you were so close to the KT. I totally would have reached out on this trip if I had known. I might take you up on that offer if I sign up for this challenge again sometime. Thanks for watching!!

[@timgutzmer1550]

Paul, a friend and I are planning to hike the KT and wondering if you still provide shuttle service?

[@Bluehathiker]

Nice job! You guys gotta let me know when you’re coming up here!! The KT is a certain kind of trail, brutal, that’s a good word. Now that you’ve done a thru hike ONE direction, let’s do a DOUBLE thru hike! I did it last year as training. That’s the only way I can convince myself to do the KT! Great video though, always love the great shots. I’ll try to do an homage to your voiceover style while I’m on the AT, I love it! If ya’ll have time, I’d love to see ya on a section of the AT with me! Jason Wish is going to try, we’ll see, but I’d love to hike you and smokeybees! Thanks again!

[@BluegrassBackcountry]

Thanks so much, Bryan!! A double thru hike of that trail sounds insane!! It definitely would be a good training hike for something like the AT. I’m so pumped to see your AT Thru Hike footage! It would be amazing to get to share the trail with you even just for a few miles! I’ll text Jason about what his plans were for meeting up with you. Thanks again for tuning in, man!

[@Cornelius1821]

I've done parts of this trail system very rugged but very beautiful and rewarding. I love your videos

[@BluegrassBackcountry]

You are absolutely right!! Very scenic for southern Indiana! Hope you can Thru hike the whole thing sometime. Thanks for watching and your kind words about my videos!

[@leslieteague3423]

How did I forget about you doing this trail🤷‍♀️I’m just blown away at how rugged the territory was I was exhausted lol😮Kuddos to persevering and making it to the end. I know it took a lot of fortitude and determination, but you did it.🎉 The vistas were beautiful and the sunset at the end was breathtaking ❤.Is this trail near the Charles Deam Wilderness ? Just wondering because of the sign posting Deam Lake . So proud of you! Love you!

[@BluegrassBackcountry]

No worries on forgetting, I am so behind on my backlog that I forget what trips I’ve been on sometimes, too! It was very difficult but I am so thankful I kept pushing to the end! That was one of the best sunsets I’ve ever seen, so amazing! And yes! The Knobstone is just south of the Deam Wilderness. They have several things up Indiana named after that man who was the first state forester of Indiana. Thanks for watching, Mom! Love you!

[@coalminersdaughter]

Great accomplishment. Wow had no idea that region was that hilly or that beautiful. And yes taxes stink lol!

[@BluegrassBackcountry]

Thanks so much for watching! This area is very beautiful and highly underrated!! Glad to know we’re not alone on the displeasure of taxes 😉

[@slory17]

A friend and I did 23 miles in 2.5 days. It was really tough so I imagine the 50 miles was full days of walking each day.

[@BluegrassBackcountry]

Doing any amount of miles on the KT is tough! Thanks for watching!