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Welcome to the first Tread the Red episode of 2025! We took a little break and we’re going to try and stay more up to date with recording this year.
We get to talk about several new-to-us places and hikes that we’ve done this year so far. These include: 
*Devils Market House Arch – located in Menifee County (a short drive from the main RRG area). This one is an out-and-back hike and right around 2 miles round trip (short and sweet)! Most of the trail is on a road used by off-roading vehicles (so be prepared to step to the side if necessary) and up on a ridge top. The actual arch is a free standing structure and unlike anything we’ve ever seen before – soooo cool and definitely worth the side trip from the Gorge to check out! 
*We explored a new-to-us section of the Rough Trail! – This section goes from route 715 to Chimney Top Rd and is about a 2 mile stretch. It dips down from the ridge and crosses parched corn creek and then raises back up to the ridge again! We did this one when it was still pretty snowy and icy and it was so cool seeing all the icicles hanging everywhere and we even saw a fully frozen waterfall!
*Dappled Light property exploring – our friends are the new property managers at Dappled Light (a cabin/glamping spot in the Gorge – we’ve done an episode on them before if you look back a bit!). We got to explore around the property and check out a massive waterfall, a cool rock overhang wall, and a sweet overlook that would be perfect for sunrise! 
*Joe Ponder Double Falls – a new-to-us double waterfall nestled in Muir Valley! We hiked with some good friends back to see these falls for the first time and it was a fun adventure – we had to cross the creek multiple times and the water was…pretty high?? So we had to get creative with our crossing technique. The falls were beautiful and felt otherworldly and we even got to see the upper falls SUPER flowing. 


We wanted to also bring up some important things going on right now: 
*SB89 – Kentucky’s water is on the line! This bill would erase protections for Kentucky’s groundwater, headwater ephemeral streams, and many wetlands – leaving them vulnerable to pollution. That means more contaminated drinking water, higher treatment costs, and greater flood risks for our communities. If you haven’t already, please take action and call your legislators! You can check out @kwalliance on Instagram for more information. 
*Our hearts go out to all of the National Park Service and Forest Service workers who abruptly lost their jobs recently. This decision will also affect the RRG area – an area that sees over a million visitors per year – and was already struggling with having enough people to manage the area BEFORE the firings…We can do our part to help keep the Gorge gorgeous for years to come by following #LeaveNoTrace. We can also do small things while out recreating this summer and fall such as bringing a trash bag along to collect trash while you’re on the trail or bringing some extra water in case you come across an abandoned campfire that wasn’t fully put out. This will go a long way if everyone who visits just does a few small things. Tread the Red is tentatively planning to host a couple trash collecting outings this summer as well! Keep an eye out on our Instagram – we will post any plans there. 


Once again, thank you for listening! We know you all love the Gorge as much as we do, and that is such a good feeling! </figcaption></figure>