Last June myself, my brother, and two of our friends ventured to Indian Kitchen. These are the pics with which we returned home...

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a77/ZackJack/Lusk%20Creek/zzzluskcreektrip046EDITED.jpg
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a77/ZackJack/Lusk%20Creek/luskcreektrip066.jpg
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a77/ZackJack/Lusk%20Creek/luskcreektrip064.jpg
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a77/ZackJack/Lusk%20Creek/Lusk6-08054.jpg
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a77/ZackJack/Lusk%20Creek/Lusk6-08051.jpg
There's one of our water bottles floating away haha.

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a77/ZackJack/Lusk%20Creek/Lusk6-08057.jpg
:eek: There it is getting further away! lol

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a77/ZackJack/Lusk%20Creek/Lusk6-08024.jpg
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a77/ZackJack/Lusk%20Creek/Lusk6-08030.jpg
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a77/ZackJack/Lusk%20Creek/Lusk6-08031.jpg
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a77/ZackJack/Lusk%20Creek/Lusk6-08040.jpg
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a77/ZackJack/Lusk%20Creek/Lusk6-08033Fone.jpg
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a77/ZackJack/Lusk%20Creek/Lusk6-08017.jpg
Southern Copperhead!!

Thanks for looking.



;Phas

Great pics! Nice to have another hike in / ultra light camper on board. We don't hike in quite as much as we used to but still enjoy it nonetheless.. and woo hoo another snake fan!

Cool pics...looks like a good time was had.

Great pic's, that is a beautiful area.

Welcome to SILO..:)

water bottles floating away are not funny.

water bottles floating away are not funny.

Haha, we retrieved it I assure you.
Thanks for your comments everyone!



;Phas

Awesome pics Phas how long where u gone and where is this at?

Well we were gonna be gone for 4 days and 3 nights, but my brother got sick so we had to come home early... :(
This was at Indian Kitchen, in the Lusk Creek Wilderness. Take route 5 out of Eddyville and hit your first left onto Indian Kitchen rd.
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a77/ZackJack/Lusk%20Creek/luskcreektrip016.jpg

On that road you'll see this sign...
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a77/ZackJack/Lusk%20Creek/luskcreektrip017Fone.jpg
and right across from that is the parking lot for the trail.

:D



;Phas

I think I'd like to visit after these pics. Thanks for sharing your trip!

I've "eyed" that place on the map but the pictures really sell it! Does anyone know if I could float the creek with my canoe or would it be more of drag and float? LOL.
Any put in points and take out points anybody can suggest?

It is some nice hiking and camping down there! The daughter and I went a couple years ago. It seemed a lil too primitive for her so we relocated over at BellSmith.

We used to go to the NineDay Horse Ride. Starts on the last w/e of July and ends the following w/e.
You def don't want to be down there when that is going on! The people that put it on are some real pains! And think they own the whole darn forest and all the roads!

Swamp, if there's water it's usually a pretty good ride from what I've been told. My buddy and I were going to kayak it some time but he's in Korea for a while now. This is actually only a few miles from where I come down to deer hunt at my Aunt's place. Here's a couple of lilnks.


http://www.riverfacts.com/rivers/11167.html

http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/River_detail_id_3890_

Thanks mdoc, good info. The canyons you see in the pics remind me of 11 Point River in south central Mo. Absolutely beautiful river and very fast throughout.

I've "eyed" that place on the map but the pictures really sell it! Does anyone know if I could float the creek with my canoe or would it be more of drag and float? LOL.
Any put in points and take out points anybody can suggest?

You would probably be able to float down, especially in the spring. It is listed as a white water rafting area believe it or not lol. the trouble you'd have would be getting out of the friggin canyon, or getting your canoe to the water for that matter. Choosing starting and ending locations would def be crucial.



;Phas

Float it if the water is high enough. Otherwise it becomes more drag than float.

Need to watch the weather, a heavy rain would have put your camp site under fast moving water, it's happened before.

Avoid the area during the 9 day. Whole area fills up with idiots on horseback.

There are alot of places in SIL that are like that. I think I have read somewhere Piney Creek Ravine is suppose to be one of the best places to go kayaking in IL. The only problem is when it has enough water in it its deadly the other ninety five percent of the time its just a trickle.

Sounds like it maybe hit and miss with ideal "floating conditions". I just want to hit a place to kick back and fish, enjoy the scenery. It might be a great place to wade and fish however, that's great fun. The creek has to have smallies in it along with chain pickerel, both acrobats of the fish world.

Cool looking place, gotta check it out..

Looks some of those guys might be rock climbers..

Rock Climbers? Who, us?



;Phas

Phas - I'm pretty sure that we'd have a good day together :) If you come down for Spring snake migration, be sure to let me know - every once in awhile I get a little edgy about crawling in the nooks and crannies by myself.. never had bite but have come close enough a couple times that I figured out I probaby shouldn't be doing it with out a partner LOl.. however that hasn't stopped me yet ...

Phas - I'm pretty sure that we'd have a good day together :) If you come down for Spring snake migration, be sure to let me know - every once in awhile I get a little edgy about crawling in the nooks and crannies by myself.. never had bite but have come close enough a couple times that I figured out I probaby shouldn't be doing it with out a partner LOl.. however that hasn't stopped me yet ...

:cool: That would be sweet, when exactly is the migration??



;Phas

it varies some with weather and other conditions.. this springs was a bust for me because of the flooding.. falls was fair..

The area is closed to all but foot traffic from mid march through the end of May and again in the fall..

here's link to some fall 07 pics...

http://www.siloutdoors.com/showthread.php?t=2374&highlight=snake+road

http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/forests/shawnee/recreation/rogs/snake-migration.pdf

I love hiking at Indian Kitchen! It is so beautiful there. Thanks for sharing those pics!

Although the last time I went there I got chased by a bunch of wasps and ran for my life. I had no idea my legs would move that fast, but they did!