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Thomas Creek
2/9/2013
Moving westward towards the Upper buffalo Wilderness Area, our next valley in line is the valley that holds Thomas Creek...another major tributary of the East Fork of the Little Buffalo. This creek lies just across the Hwy 21 to the east from Boen Gulf. So we are north of Hwy 16 and east of Hwy 21...just down the road from Edwards Junction. As history goes...Thomas Creek was named for 1839 settler and beaver trapper Jim Ronnie Thomas. He was married to Sheila Bob John (maiden name) and kept her name to become Sheila Bob John Thomas. Together they carved out their niche in this hard wilderness and raised three boys...Johnny Bobby, Skeeter Billy and Howard.
Breakfast...a must have on these trips...was partaken at South Park restaurant in Clarksville around 3:30 a.m. I set foot on Hwy 21 at 5:00 and proceeded north to CR 24 then to CR 168 and then into the woods somewhere along the way. The shrubbery was thick and slow to negotiate but by 7:30 the bluff line above the valley of Thomas Creek was visible. No sunrise...since the clouds were in the way again...bastards! Now to get down...what a tangled mess. A suitable break in the rock face was found and the creek was heard to babble in my ears by 8:20. I made my way upstream from here and the creek disappeared underground as is so common in these here parts. Luckily it reappeared shortly and my journey continued on.
To my amazement...this creek...just one valley over from Stepp Creek...had an unusual lack of dead wood in the creek. This was the opposite on Stepp Creek...which was filled with the stuff. The nature of this creek is similar to others in the area...no big surprise in that respect. There was one nice waterfall maybe ten feet high that was a joy to stumble upon...not sure if it has a name but I call it Chubsucker Falls. Before too long my planned way out of the valley was arrived at and I began the upward hike to the top. The woods were exited at 2:10 and my distance topped out around 11 miles. The day remained cloudy with an occasional very light sleet with a temp going in of 32 and coming out at 45. It was a good hike with an occasional redneck noisin' up the place with their 4 wheelin mule-like vehicles. Once again I use the term...bastards!
