In 1818, the Land Records of Wayne County, Kentucky indicate that Charles Cocke had moved to Madison County, Alabama. He may have appeared on the 1815 Census with his son John.
Madison County is located on the northern edge of Alabama, just to the west of the Cherokee lands. Madison County was created in 1809 out of the Mississippi Territory and the first white settlers had entered the area in 1804. In 1815, Mississippi was still occupied by the Choctaws and Georgia was occupied by the Cherokees and Creeks. The forced migration of the Indians was still several years in the future.
There is a record of a Charles Cock purchasing land in Limestone County, Alabama. However, it is not clear whether this is our Charles Cocke or another.
Although the trip to Alabama is a long one, it would appear that Charles and Ellender did not have to blaze a new trail to the wilderness. Instead, they probably traveled along the Great Kentucky Road which extended from Wayne County, Kentucky to Madison County, Alabama.