Note: Because of a general lack of interest in hiking at Mammoth Cave, I do not plan to print any more copies of the Mammoth Cave Trail Guide. The Park Service never approved my book for the Visitor Center and I feel that this heavily impacted sales of the guide. Despite positive reviews in the Louisville Courier and Lexington Herald they somehow didn't find it acceptable. (Perhaps because it wasn't made in China, like much of the other crap they sell, or written by one of their staff, or because I noted their pathetic failures in trail maintenance. I suspect the latter, but what do I know? Just a thought.) Local businesses never got on board either. Nat's in Bowling Green bought a total of 6 I think. Compare that with the hundreds I sell at Porter's Chevron in the Red and you can see why I lost enthusiasm. I don't know whether they don't need the money, or actually can't sell the things, but either way it's strange. Quest in Louisville sold many copies and it's hard to believe that local businesses could not have done the same.

Outdoor adventure depends upon several things and a positive environment is one of those things. That's what makes the Red River Gorge so special. Local businesses, patrons, and enthusiasts work together to keep each other upbeat and moving forward and, with the exception of the Gladie Visitor Center and the Natural Bridge State Park (both government facilities), my experience at the Red has been all positive. Other than the Hotel, which was very supportive, I found very little of this at Mammoth Cave. Most local businesses would only buy a copy or two of the guide (unlike the Red, where they bought hundreds) and the Park Service and Visitor Center never even gave me a reason for not selling my guide. I still think the area could be a popular hiking area and there is much to study and experience there, but I simply don't have the time or energy to promote it alone. Horse traffic keeps the trails from ever being at their full potential and this doesn't seem to bother the authorities in the least. In fact, it seems to me that the plan is to accent horse travel. This is a shame because the lone trail (on the north side of the Green) where horses are prohibited  is exceptional and most of the others could be just as good if horse traffic was stopped.

There are several around at retail outlets, so you can still obtain a copy, but expect no more in the future. I still feel that my guide was more informative that Johnny Molloy's new one, which doesn't rate the trails or have elevation profiles, etc, so it's not a competitive issue. I had planned to write a cycling guide to the area in the future and if I can find a way to market around the Park Service and others, I still might, but that doesn't seem likely at this juncture. Several (i.e. the Park Service) have pretty much put a damper on the area. Perhaps they fear change, and that's understandable, but their words say otherwise. Local businesses didn't have much good to say about the Park Service when I first visited the area and maybe I should have taken a clue from that. I don't think that I will be in the area again anytime soon and would have to recommend that hikers seek the better environments of the Red or Cave Run.

Anyway, thanks to everyone who purchased a copy and I hope you still manage to enjoy the area. Otherwise, I'll see you in the Red River Gorge or at Cave Run.---Jerrell