November 18th and 19th Royal Rangers pack in to the West End of the Hercules Glades. No one could remember going in at this trail head so with some computer software and advanced preparation we zoomed in on the topos and figured out just where this place was. A GPS Guided laptop guided the 10 of us to this remote gravel road seldom traveled trail head.
It was dark and cold as we headed off with our backpacks on this new trail. GPS and topo maps were referenced and off we went....to "Devils Den".
Down....down....down we went 280 foot drop the trail was rocky and steep. Then we heard the water...... (goto the end of the pictures to get the rest of the story)
Driving Directions from Springfield to Devils Den.
On our way to the falls from base camp we saw deer hair along the trail. It was fresh and looked like a horse and hunter were dragging their kill back to their vehicle. Meanwhile at the falls water was running more than we had ever seen it before. After a bunch of fun and lunch we heard a Gun Shot REAL CLOSE! After a few hollers we and some anxious moments we headed back to discover two hunters with packs up river a 1/8 of a mile near a road access trail. Yelling a loud HOWDY! We hiked back to base camp. The whole trip was 5.5 miles and it was a new and even better and rougher section of trail. Devils Den heard the Gospel and the boys were challenged and reminded that rules and adhering to them make a difference in this life and beyond.