Rotary Program: 11/02/05

Program Chairperson: Frank Welch

Speaker(s): Sara George, Information Officer, Kentucky Department of Highways, Dan.L. Hall, Karen Hall, Rich McQuen, Joe Stanley, and Darrell Slone.

Sara George is well known among the citizens of Pikeville as the former owner of Publishing By George, and also to the Pikeville Rotary Club as a former Rotarian and Paul Harris Fellow. She is currently the Information Officer with the Kentucky Department of Highways and is here today to introduce Darrell Slone, District Engineer and his program about the Little Shepherd’s Trail in Letcher County. Darrell is a graduate of Johns Creek High School and obtained his Engineering Degree from the University of Kentucky.

The trail, which takes its name from the famous book, “The Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come” by John Fox, Jr., runs from Pine Mountain in Letcher County to the Harlan County line and the Kingdom Come State Park. The widening of the trail is part of the Pine Mountain Project that was funded by the state under a bill passed by the legislature with the assistance of Representative Howard Cornette. Besides widening the fifteen and one-half mile trail to provide greater accessibility to the public, drainage ditches and pipes were constructed to dry up the roadbed and pavement was laid on the first one-half mile of the Letcher County side and on the first two miles of the Harlan County side. Additionally, three overlooks were constructed to allow views from an altitude of over 2700 feet above sea level. From those overlooks, tourists can get a panoramic view of the second highest mountain in the state with its spectacular fall colors available in recent weeks. Picnic shelters were also constructed and the graded slopes were seeded to restore the natural grasses that once grew wild on the sides of the trail. Tourists have the options of hiking, horseback riding, or a leisurely drive through the trail in their automobile. Besides the objectives of enhancing the beauty of the trail and luring more tourists to the area, another important goal was to protect the fragile environment and natural habitats of the area. Some 93 different species of rare plant and animal life make their home along the slopes of Pine Mountain and the Little Shepherd’s Trail. Here, tourists can see herds of deer, families of black bear, and many other plants and animals along the way.

The beautiful pictures that were projected on the screen as Darrell gave his presentation can only be a limited portrait of the actual beauty one can enjoy on the Little Shepherd’s Trail. He encouraged all of us to visit the trail as soon as possible to take advantage of the scenery before all the beautiful fall leaves are gone. Thanks, gang for visiting us from the Department of Highways today. - JMC