Headed out to coal country to climb what was an unexpectedly difficult trail, with a pretty solid reward. I don’t make it out that way often, so it was neat to see the different types of terrain, and pretty disappointing to see some mountain top removal. This is a great hike to highlight some key aspects of Eastern Kentuckys heritage and geography. The hike up the gorge was pretty tough. 1000 feet of climbing in about 1.5 miles and not a single switchback until you get about 2.5 miles in. Ive done a lot of hiking in south/central Appalachia and there aren’t many trails that go up that much that quickly. The waterfall is optional but well worth it in my opinion, it added about .7 miles overall with a stairway to boot. We found some old metal things I’m assuming to be car parts too. This hike overall was great. Just a very hot day for it