Greetings to all you Kentucky, Ohio, West Virginia, and Tennessee folks:

My work travel is now occasionally taking me up the Ohio River as far as Cincinnatti but they may extend upstream to Pittsburgh.

I'm trying to determine what routes I can plan on using if I have to Bug Out from anywhere along the Ohio River and head for home in South Central Louisiana. I would definitely want to initially head for Nashville, Tn to get on the Natchez Trace for hiking/backpacking or bicycling my way south to Natchez, Ms.

My question concerns routes from the Ohio River to any point along the Natchez Trace that would make use of mountain passes, low population areas, two lane highways, dirt roads, electrical or pipeline Right-of-Ways, forested areas, etc.

Suggestions should have a starting point from a town or city on the Ohio River and basically be straight lines from one town to another. Deviations required from that description can be worked out from the recommended routes that anybody suggests based on what would be encountered if such a situation should arise.

Based on what y'all can tell me, I can set up supply points along the way.

Thanks for any and all input.

I found USAPhotomaps located at http://jdmcox.com/ to be very useful in planning out my get home route...in fact, I think it was on this forum where I heard of the program.

I have plenty of maps of different types to cover the areas in question.

I'm looking for local recommendations based on local knowledge as to what mountain passes are best to use, what local areas might be best to avoid, or pass through.

Just wondering why you don't use a folding boat?? I'm sure there must be room on that tow boat for that.

wildman800:

I'm with big al on this one - get in touch with your inner Twain and use the rivers. It's a straight shot, it's faster, and you'll have less, um, problems, if you know what I mean. People nowadays look at rivers as obstacles, not opportunities for rapid transit.

If it really gets that bad up there, head down the Big Muddy and land at the USS Kidd in Baton Rouge. PM me and I'll come get you. I'm about 15 minutes away.

cliff
(like, who else?)

Greetings,

Actually, if below the locks on the Ohio River, then using the small boat would be the primary means to get home, making a landing at Vidalia, La (opposite side from Natchez, Ms); or opposite of Thomas Point, above Tiger Fleet.

For quite a few reasons, floating down the river may not be the best option for the entire journey, or for any of the journey.

I can find passes through mountain ranges easily enough by looking at road maps. Local info about "other problems" of a state, county, or local nature is what I am seeking above all; in the event I would have to make an overland trip.

Some of the type of info that I am seeking may be considered to be sensitive. If that's the case, I'd appreciate a PM with that info.

Living just south of Pittsburgh I will say once you get out of town it should not be too bad. There is wood lands of decent size once you get to the county line. It is getting out of the city that's hard. From the city center there are five level routes and two useable routes over Mount Washington. I would aim for the old Walbash tunnel or the trolly tunnel at the end of the Smithfield Street bridge. There are two major routes south one is the US 19, the other would be I-79, personaly if I was travaling on foot I would follow US 19 about 13 miles, that will get you to an aera with several good lay over points, you may want to look at the area around Mayview State Hospital, If you stay on on or around US 19 until just north of Washington PA you should be able to go around Washington and pick up I-79 south into West VA. Most of the useable routes around here have roads running along them. You may find some of the old Mass transet lines and rail lines from the coal mining days a good path for bicycle or walking. I think there is one running along the Ohio River but do not think it would be the safest route. Do not try to go through the West End. We have an office there and have to watch ourselves at night around there. The North Side (Across the Allgheny River from town) is another place I would not go near in a bad situation.

If I recall, haven't been back in Ohio for many years, but aren't most of the big rivers full of locks and such anymore?

yes, they certainly do have locks on the Ohio, Upper Mississippi, Arkansas, Tenn-Tom Waterway, and Red Rivers.

Locks create some unique problems for the plan to float down the river to your home. That's why I am seeking cross country info like what was posted about the Pittsburgh area.

I heard keys work good in locks

Funny, todd! Need a key boat!

Seriously, I would predict traffic jams if lots of water traffic, but would the jams at the locks be worse than the jams on the roads? Interesting scenario.........

Would the locks be working after an EMP event?? I don't think so!

Would Uncle Sam leave the lock areas unguarded so that small boaters could portage their boats and gear around the locks? I don't think so!

Is waterway travel a viable option? Yes, until you reach the first lock on that waterway!

Is my small boat large enough to hold the crew, water, food, and BoB's to float safely down a river? No!

Is my small boat small enough to portage a significant distance to get around a lock's secured area? Probably not (considering the terrain around most locks)!

Is the crew numerous enough, well armed sufficiently to guard supplies, portage the boat, then the supplies, while securing both ends of the portage route? No!

Viable option: Depends on your level of desperation, short term threats, odds of success - if you have knowledge of actual and potential threats, crew cohesion (usually a couple of levels above a Chinese Fire Drill), how distant is it to the first "parting of ways" as some crew depart to go to those areas east or west of the Mississippi River.

I think I'll take my chances overland where I am certainly going to be able to develope more options.

I was unaware an EMP could be an accidental man made disaster.

After re-reading the new "rules" It appears the scope of this forum may prevent this topic to continue if it involves EMP, nukes, etc... or am I mistaken?

(Nothing against you wildman800, I don't want to see this topic closed, moved or deleted though. )


-Todd

I don't think an EMP event would be accidental. Nothing short of an EMP event, IMO, would necessitate my having to leave the boat.

Discussing the Topic Question does not require discussing the source or causes of such a result. Straying off the topic into gray and then forbidden areas is what gets many Topics locked up, IMHO!

I am looking for info concerning a transit from the Ohio River Valley (above Cairo, Il to the Pittsburgh, Pa area), southward to Nashville, Tn; where I am planning to pick up The Natchez Trace to Natchez, Ms.

I have received that info concerning the Pittsburgh, Pa area, of which I know very little. I appreciate and thank the contributor's time and efforts!

I am also looking for other similar trails that may exist through the Ky, WV, and Tennessee areas. I am also looking for local information concerning the inhabitants attitudes, customs, and courtesies.

Well said

Have you played around with google maps and yahoo maps? They now let you drag the 'default' path onto other areas thus creating new routes? May be useful in finding ways-around where you "get to land" ?

That is a good place to start to find routes, but is no substitute for local specific knowledge. A route may look good, but in fact be blocked.

A trivial example. My home street, on the maps, shows it connects with another street, producing a quick short cut. Its on the county maps as a county road. Only the county got it wrong, and about 300 yards of that road is private, and the farmer who owns it didn't like the traffic across his land, so he dropped a massive tree across the road, totally blocking it. People yelled. Farmer's response: my land, my road my tree.

My point is, without such up close local knowledge, what looks good on paper or even a satellite photo, may not work.

Someone once said "the map is not the territory." Something to keep in mind.

Regardless of the causation, I would expect any group to dwindle as each member passed the area or approach to his home area.

At the same time, one might also expect some of the core group to stay together with the persons experienced with the area.

Example, In Oklahoma or Texas, I would be comfortable with my surroundings. If out on the rivers mentioned up this thread, I would be sticking with someone with the knowledge of said rivers and traveling on them. Tis all unique, and one hell of a long walk.

Google Earth is a fun tool also. It's biggest problem is that the more rural areas are not always updated sat photos, so you get no detail at all...

You can go to the USGS and download high res images. Quite time consuming though. I did my parents farm and can count the trees.

Reading through this thread, I'd say that is what Wildman is looking for, some hands on local info from people who know the area.

Greetings and Happy Black Friday to all!

I will most likely be heading to Catlettsburg, Ky when we leave Illinois.

If the TSHTF while I'm over there, some local info could be a lifesaver. This will probably become a semi-regular run for me during this winter, at vthe least.