Exploring Kentucky's Jungle-Marsh | Sailing Adventure!

Added: 2026-05-12

[00:00:00]Half [music] [music] [music] [music] a deal going [music] by the pathway on the hill.

[00:00:33][music] She's a flower, wild as the wlet, blooming as a wild flower should.

[00:00:52]When I said 2026 would be the year of the skiff, I wasn't kidding. I'm headed out on yet another adventure in the 12t Crooked Creek skiff. To tell you the truth, I've been sailing so much lately that all this loading and unloading of the boat from the bed of my Ranger was starting to take a bit of a toll on me, especially considering the boat has gotten a little heavier with the high bow edition and the bigger sail for some locations. hauling the skiff in the bed is the only way to get in there, but I'm starting to think it might be a good idea to let that trailer do the work when possible. I actually like the fact that launching from the bed of my truck helps keep me fit, but the intensity and frequency of my outings has really ramped up this season. So, I need to save my energy for rowing and exploring as much as possible.

[00:01:54]If you happen to be building a Crooked Creek skiff from the plans available on my site, trailering will be the preferred method of transport for the vast majority of Boers. However, truck bed hauling is a viable option, particularly with the lighter original version of the design. Plans for the skiff are linked in the description of this video. By the way, the wind is northeast around 15 m an hour on this day, which will send me and my skiff rocketing towards the west end of this small lake. At the west end lies an expansive wetland fed by a series of springs flowing down from the wooded hills. The plan is to sail right into the beaver bog at the far west end of the lake and keep sailing until I run out of wind or space for the sail among the brush. From there, I'll pick my way through a network of narrow winding passages with the oars. When I run out of good water, I'll continue my trek on foot, waiting deep into the jungles of western Kentucky. It'll be an adventure to remember and I'm glad to have you along.

[00:03:28]Sailing right off the bank. We have a couple miles to go before we get into the thick stuff. So, kick back and enjoy the ride.

[00:04:06]I'd say the camera getting buried in a wave is a sure sign that we're making good speed today. Sorry about the soggy audio. I promise the mic will eventually dry out.

[00:04:34]Heat.

[00:04:42]Heat.

[00:04:52]Heat. Heat.

[00:05:45]Nearing the west end of the lake, I'm about to enter the great jungle marsh of western Kentucky.

[00:05:53]The term jungle marsh may sound a little weird and contradictory, but I think it'll make sense as our journey progresses.

[00:06:04]And yes, I made up the name Jungle Marsh myself. I'm pretty sure no one else calls it that, but they should because it's true.

[00:08:18]I carefully pick my way through the shallows and debris. debris, hoping that the wind holds as I sail deeper into the brush.

[00:08:35]It seems that we may in fact be out of wind and out of luck at this point, but I hold the tiller steady, hoping for just one more puff of air to push the skiff forward.

[00:08:49]Just ahead is the first fork of this creek where I'll have a decision to make Nearing the fork, I encounter a family of geese. Both parents and eight golings in a row. You can actually see them paddling away in the distance just below the boom if you look closely.

[00:11:14]That was some great sailing and great fun. And I made it way up the creek here, kind of back in the beaver bog.

[00:11:21]And right as I got to where the creek forks off here, I came up on a pair of geese and a bunch of little babies, about six goings. Luckily, I didn't scare them too bad. I don't think they just kind of formed a column and paddled on up the opposite fork of the creek from me.

[00:11:42]So now here I sit in the beaver bog.

[00:12:04]There's kind of an opening over here in the brush on the other fork where those geese paddled to. And I don't want to disturb them too much, but I'm going to go over there and just sit for a minute really still with the camera on a tripod and see if maybe they'll come back this way. See if I can get some video cuz it was just the cutest little family of geese you've ever seen.

[00:12:54]That was cool.

[00:12:57]They were a little bit wary of me, but they weren't really scared. You got to figure maybe that was the dad in the front with his neck craned way out like I don't know if that was supposed to be intimidating or if he thought he was being real sneaky getting low.

[00:13:13][laughter] Before I head out and explore the bog, I got to eat my lunch. And I've got a lunch of champions today. piece of cheese, couple pieces of chocolate, and a couple of meat sticks and fake soda.

[00:13:32]They call it sparkling water, but it's really like a light soda.

[00:14:58]Well, this is kind of a spooky little trail up this fork. It sort of reminds me of that old video, actually a video from last spring entitled something like a goose led me into the cattails. It was just a really narrow trail, narrow creek channel like this leading mysteriously into the woods. Except in this case, it's not cattails. It's whatever this shrub is. I don't know if I'm if I'm going to continue. I'm going to have to get out and wade and continue on foot into City up here. I don't know if I want to do that. It's tempting because I really want to know what's back there. there's a uh actually a little trickle of water coming down. And I know generally back in that area is a major springfed creek in this area that actually feeds the entire lake. There's several different springs back there, but I don't know what's right in this immediate part of the beaver bog. Never been back there cuz it's just so thick.

[00:16:09]I could probably sit in this little hideout spot all day. I feel safe here for some reason. But, uh, I want to see what else is out there. So, going to head back down this fork and up the other fork where the geese originally sought refuge. They've moved way on down the creek now. Hopefully, they're well hidden to where I'm not going to disturb them again on my way out. But I am headed to check out the goose fork now.

[00:16:59]Pretty deep in this fork. I'm going to say this is the main fork for sure.

[00:17:05]And like I said, the water is quite a bit higher than usual. So, we've got a good chance of making it a ways back there up the creek and into the woods.

[00:17:20]Coming up to a fork here. And the left path is looking pretty open, but looking shallow.

[00:17:29]In days past, an old beaver dam made this fork impassible to boats. But as luck would have it, the dam has been washed out, and it looks like I might be able to find a way to squeeze through.

[00:18:11]I'm now in unexplored territory and I can tell right away this is a very wild place. I doubt if many people have ventured this far into the jungle marsh.

[00:18:48]Well, this is exciting. I've been in this bog before and sailed that lake many times, but I've never been able to make it nearly this far up the creek.

[00:18:59]Normally, the water's too low. And it used to be that this fork was blocked by a massive log jam slash beaver dam, but uh yeah, we're we're back here in the thick of it. This is a kind of primordial seeming creek. You could easily imagine that this place has been like this for a million years or something like that. Who knows? Maybe it has. I doubt it. It changes pretty rapidly. There are just all manner of twists and turns of different little feeders going in every direction. And when you look up on the banks, there's just animal trails everywhere in this tall grass. Probably from deer, beavers, and anything else you can imagine.

[00:19:56]You know, this place is just packed full of wildlife.

[00:20:04]There goes some kind of snake just casually swimming past this skiff. It's definitely a very snaky area. No doubt, man. He's just cruising on down the creek channel like he owns the place.

[00:20:40]I'm on a little wash out section slashtrail and it looks like it's going to drop back down to a feeder of the creek.

[00:21:00]That feeder came back out on the main creek and it's a little bit more shallow right here and actually got a good current coming down and some little mini rapids up ahead. I'm going to wait up here and get a look at these rapids.

[00:21:15]Man, this is just cool back here. I'm tempted to say this general area around this creek is maybe one of the most wild places I've been.

[00:21:46]I'm up on the bank overlooking the rapids and to my surprise, the woods just opened up to this just area of grassland. This is really beautiful.

[00:21:57]I've never seen anything quite like this out here. Pretty neat. And there's kind of a looks like a pond out here in the middle of all this open grass.

[00:23:00]Just trekking up a little shady section now. The bottom is all clay. I noticed it's pretty firm. I'm not sinking in, but you've got all these little cubbies and clay formations.

[00:23:25]Well, this is kind of bizarre.

[00:23:27]Everything kind of opened up again and this big grassy area almost looks like it's been mowed, which there's actually absolutely no chance of, but just have this sort of even height of grass here.

[00:23:43]How cool.

[00:23:56]Look at all this behind me. It's a secret grass land way back up the [music] remote creek. I never would have thought this was here.

[00:24:09]>> [music] [music] [music] >> If I had my snake boots, I'd keep going, but I'm probably going to regret taking [music] like five steps into this grass as it is cuz I'm probably covered in chiggers. So, I'm afraid it's time to call it a day on this adventure.

[00:24:51]So, that's the jungle marsh of western Kentucky. A unique and wild landscape pretty much right in my own backyard.

[00:25:02]It took some work to get there, but if it was easy, it wouldn't be an adventure.

[00:25:09]And if a place this breathtaking can hide out so close to home, it kind of makes me wonder what else is out there.

[00:25:19]Join me on the next adventure and we'll discover it together.

[00:25:27]Don't forget to check out the full plans for my Crooked Creek skiff linked in the description of this video. The plans include 14 pages of detailed CAD drawings and 20 pages of written instructions and additional information.

[00:25:45]This is our most comprehensive set of boat plans so far. Sail plan, rigging diagram, rudder, dagger board, and dagger board trunk schematics are all included in the plans.

[00:26:00]The written portion even features information on painting your skiff, installing rowing gear, and a crash course in sailing for the novice.

[00:26:13]I am also available to answer any questions about your build through email. Customers who purchase our plans will receive a code assigning priority attention to your mail in my inbox.

[00:26:28]Thank you for your support and thanks for watching.