I was in Baton Rouge over the weekend and through Wednesday helping my family with my brother's sudden heart attack. (He is doing well and back at home after triple by-pass) I was going to head home on Wednesday but our friend Pam who was staying at the house said to stay there until a double round of storms came through the area. Her advice was on target because the I20 corridor into Birmingham was strafed with some of the worst tornadoes in the last 50 years.
On Wednesday afternoon, my mother-in-law called and let us know that our nephew Clay had shot footage of the Tuscaloosa tornado from his apartment balcony and it was playing on all the newscasts.
http://www.twitvid.com/4W6PU
The fury of that tornado was just enormous and would wind up being a horrific killer and destroyer of homes across Alabama and Georgia. My heart and prayers go out to all the people who have been affected by this terrible storm.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Monday, April 18, 2011
Mountainsmith Giveaway from my Life Outdoors Blog
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Sunday, April 17, 2011
After the Storm in the Sipsey
Mark Dutton, Ranger the Chihuahua, Curbie the Wonderdog and I went to the Sipsey Wilderness on Saturday to explore some trails we have not hiked and to see a few waterfalls. Our trip began in Houston, Alabama (I had never heard of it either). There is a restaurant on the north end of Smith Lake in the middle of nowhere only known for being the home of Alabama's oldest log jail. The restaurant known as Chef Troys Talk of the Town is a real little gem. Chef Troy is a trained chef from San Francisco who loves to cook cajun food. I had a wonderful andouie sausage omelet and french toast that was out of this world. What a great way to start the day.
Our actual hike started at the Thompson Creek Trail Head heading up the Northwest Trail (Trail 208) which actually is an old forest service road that has been closed since the Sipsey became a national wilderness. Roads are not allowed in a national wilderness so it was allowed to return to nature. It actually serves as one of the few horse trails so it was a little cut up because of the horse traffic. The trail headed uphill for about 2 miles and connected with Trail 224 which is the old Bunyan Trail which runs near Braziel Creek. At some point I want to do a little exploring in this region because Clifty Falls is nearby but will require some bushwhacking to get to.
We eventually hit Trail 204 which was to take us to our central destination which was East Bee Falls and the Big Tree. This was a very beautiful area to hike in and produced a very interesting tree along the way.
We finally made our way down to the top of East Bee Falls which is one of the prettiest places in the Sipsey. There is a campsite at this position which I must come back and stay for at least a night.
We headed down the rocks into East Bee Branch and home of the Big Tree. The Big Tree is the largest Tulip Poplar in the state of Alabama and may people come here to see it. Now I am not really that impressed with the Big Tree but I really love where it is located. This is truly a beautiful and serene place.
We decided to have our lunch among the rocks and rest a little before continuing on with our hike. I got Curbie and I a sausage biscuit from MickeyD's along with some peanut butter crackers so we had a feast. Mark and Ranger seemed to enjoy whatever treat they brought along.
We then headed off down East Bee Branch Trail to the Sipsey River and Trail 209. This part of the trail down East Bee Branch is not maintained and the dead-fall is everywhere. I truly hate dead-fall. I am not nearly as flexible as I once was (and even then was not very flexible) so going over and under logs wears me out.
But eventually we reached the Sipsey River but we needed to cross the creek and the water was running high. Rather than wade to thigh deep creek we decided to utilize a fallen log to test our balance.
We headed down 209 which follows the Sipsey River and eventually runs into Trail 206 after passing through some private land. The river was running very high with some nice rapids. We spotted some canoers enjoying the day on the river.
There are some very nice campsites in this area of the wilderness. The river creates some sandy banks and the hemlock trees create wonderful shade. The rocks in the river were almost covered by the high water making for some great hydraulics.
After a long 12 mile hike through the wilderness we finally hit the end of the trail which was the Thompson Creek Bridge.
It was a wonderful day to be outside with partly cloudy skies, cool temperatures and low humidity. One downside was a few ticks made the ride home.
Our actual hike started at the Thompson Creek Trail Head heading up the Northwest Trail (Trail 208) which actually is an old forest service road that has been closed since the Sipsey became a national wilderness. Roads are not allowed in a national wilderness so it was allowed to return to nature. It actually serves as one of the few horse trails so it was a little cut up because of the horse traffic. The trail headed uphill for about 2 miles and connected with Trail 224 which is the old Bunyan Trail which runs near Braziel Creek. At some point I want to do a little exploring in this region because Clifty Falls is nearby but will require some bushwhacking to get to.
We eventually hit Trail 204 which was to take us to our central destination which was East Bee Falls and the Big Tree. This was a very beautiful area to hike in and produced a very interesting tree along the way.
We finally made our way down to the top of East Bee Falls which is one of the prettiest places in the Sipsey. There is a campsite at this position which I must come back and stay for at least a night.
We headed down the rocks into East Bee Branch and home of the Big Tree. The Big Tree is the largest Tulip Poplar in the state of Alabama and may people come here to see it. Now I am not really that impressed with the Big Tree but I really love where it is located. This is truly a beautiful and serene place.
We decided to have our lunch among the rocks and rest a little before continuing on with our hike. I got Curbie and I a sausage biscuit from MickeyD's along with some peanut butter crackers so we had a feast. Mark and Ranger seemed to enjoy whatever treat they brought along.
We then headed off down East Bee Branch Trail to the Sipsey River and Trail 209. This part of the trail down East Bee Branch is not maintained and the dead-fall is everywhere. I truly hate dead-fall. I am not nearly as flexible as I once was (and even then was not very flexible) so going over and under logs wears me out.
But eventually we reached the Sipsey River but we needed to cross the creek and the water was running high. Rather than wade to thigh deep creek we decided to utilize a fallen log to test our balance.
We headed down 209 which follows the Sipsey River and eventually runs into Trail 206 after passing through some private land. The river was running very high with some nice rapids. We spotted some canoers enjoying the day on the river.
There are some very nice campsites in this area of the wilderness. The river creates some sandy banks and the hemlock trees create wonderful shade. The rocks in the river were almost covered by the high water making for some great hydraulics.
After a long 12 mile hike through the wilderness we finally hit the end of the trail which was the Thompson Creek Bridge.
It was a wonderful day to be outside with partly cloudy skies, cool temperatures and low humidity. One downside was a few ticks made the ride home.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
The Skyway Loop Trail on the Pinhoti Trail
Mark Dutton, a new friend from Jasper, and I left Friday afternoon for a three day backpack trip off the Pinhoti Trail to an area known as the Skyway Loop. The loop starts for us at the Turnipseed Camp parking lot on Highway 281 just below the Cheaha State Park. From there it is a 4 mile hike to Lake Chinnabee joining the Skyway Trail for another 6 miles. This trail then intersects with the Pinhoti Trail at Adams Gap. The toughest section of the trail is the 5 miles up the Pinhoti Trail utilizing the Stairway to Heaven and joining the Chinnabee Silent Trail back down to the parking lot. The total distance hiked for me wound up being about 19 miles but Mark took about a 3.5 mile side hike to make his distance about 22.5 miles.
We met Dick Echols in Leeds who wanted to join us for the first night camp. Dick would be joining the Sierra Club hike from the Cheaha Shelter on the Chinnabee Silent Trail to Adams Gap. Mark and I would hike with the group until we found a good place to spend the second night out.
After a great lunch in Oxford at Billys Bar-B-Que the three of us made our way to the trail head to begin our trip. The first day was really just a short jaunt to the Cheaha Shelter to spend the night. There were no cars in the parking lot so I felt we would have the shelter to ourselves. Not long into the hike we hit Cheaha Falls a wonderful area below the Cheaha Shelter. A short walk up the hill would bring us to the shelter but I was wrong about being there by ourselves. There were approximately 20 college students and 2 teachers at the shelter. The students were from Faulkner College in Montgomery and were finishing up on the backpacking class. They were very pleasant and seemed to enjoy the company of Curbie the Wonderdog.
I am posting a picture below taken by Mark Dutton of Dick Echols, Curbie and myself at the Cheaha Shelter. Mark is a wonderful photographer and was using a Canon G-12 digital camera which I am in love with. I am sure Mark does not mind me posting this image as I am giving him proper credit.
After a restless night sleeping in the shelter with the students talking around the campfire we were joined by the Sierra Club hiking group to continue our trip. Jay Hudson, the very capable leader of the group, was not feeling well and would not get better during the day. We hiked over to Lake Chinnabee through Devils Den Falls, a popular local attraction and swimming hole. Some kayakers were taking advantage of the high water to run down the creek.
After lunch at the Lake Chinnabee campgrounds we headed up the Skyway Trail to Adams Gap. The weather was great with blue skies and a little breeze. The trail was mostly uphill and through some rolling hills. We met a couple of hikers and their Brittany Spaniel who did not want to play with Curbie. Late in the afternoon we arrived at a beautiful campsite on Hubbard Creek about 2 miles from Adams Gap. Mark and I made camp by the creek while the group headed on to Adams Gap and a finish of the day hike.
This spot wound up being a great place to spend the night. The creek ran over some shoals near the site and gurgled all night. I set up my hammock and slept very well until about 4:30 when Curbie growled at some sort of creature lurking by our campsite. After a breakfast of Pop-Tart we were off and hiking down the trail.
Soon we were at the Adams Gap junction with the Pinhoti Trail. The weather was beginning to warm up but there was a nice breeze. Up the Pinhoti we went. This section of the trail is best known for an area known as the Stairway to Heaven. This takes you up to a wonderful overlook of the valley below but is one rocky and difficult portion. I am not where I need to be fitness wise and it took a toll on me. I was too tired to take a decent picture from up top so I am going to use the one that Mark took.
From there we headed over to the junction of the Chinnabee Silent Trail, the Odum Scout Trail and the Pinhoti Trail. The trail down to the car on the Chinnabee Silent Trail is one rocky road. It was really hard on the feet and knees and I was already pretty spent. After somewhat of a struggle we reached the car and it was a welcome sight. The only bad part of the hike is that it was on Sunday and a beer could not be bought. So after a stop at the Park Headquarters and a Diet Coke we headed to Wendys in Oxford for a great chicken sandwich.
Friday, April 1, 2011
Up to My Knees in Cold Water
Last weekend I went up to the Sipsey Wilderness with the Sierra Club for a day hike down Eagle Creek, Little Ugly Creek and then looping back up Horsepen Creek. The weather had been very rainy the two days before raising the water levels all across the wilderness. The timing for the trip could not have been more perfect. Of course, the only problem was that the warm weather never arrived and the temperature stayed in the 40's all day long.
We started out off Cranal Road at the beginning of Eagle Creek. There was a trail to follow for a while bringing us past a very nice campsite at the bend of the creek. A couple of guys were camping there for the night as evidenced by the smoke from their campfire.
Down from the campsite was our first waterfall of the day, "Eagle Creek Falls". This is one of the most beautiful off trail falls in the wilderness. Some of the rest areas in the Alabama interstate system display Eagle Creek Falls. The lead photo in this article shows the falls from down the trail. The below photo is a closer up view.
We continued our trek down Eagle Creek crossing back and forth across the creek. As I mentioned the temperature was in the mid 40's and the creek was high and the water cold. At first I tried to keep my boots dry but after a while I gave up. When the terrain got tough I would just wade down the creek rather than try to walk the muddy ridge side.
There were a couple of feeder creeks that came into Eagle Creek and a short hike revealed some unknown water falls. One I decided to name in honor of my Louisiana heritage "Bengal Falls". I am sure my Alabama friends will love that. Below is a photo of Bengal Falls.
As we headed down stream we ran into the merger of Little Ugly Creek and Eagle Creek. The map seems to name the merger as Little Ugly Creek as it flows on into the Sipsey River. We walked up Little Ugly Creek or in my case waded to one of the most wonderful places in the Sipsey. Little Ugly Falls and Deer Skull Falls are next to each other on Little Ugly Creek. This is in an area with steep canyon walls and tons on Hemlock Trees. What a great place. The first photo is Little Ugly Falls and the second photo is Deer Skull Falls.
We explored above these falls to find another wonderful waterfall called upper Deer Skull Falls. It was a little bit of a climb and a creek crossing but it was worth the effort.
After a lunch break at the falls we headed down Little Ugly Creek toward another feeder creek called Hemlock Creek. A short distance up the creek we found this little beauty called Hemlock Falls.
A little further down the terrain began to change and began to flatten out and actually became a little marshy except for one little place that was a waterfall named for the ferns that grow in the spring around this area. This little waterfall was called Fernglade Falls and is pictured below.
Shortly after leaving Fernglade we ran into the Sipsy River and was it high. We turned right and went down the river about a quarter mile and turned up Horsepen Creek. This turned out to be the most difficult walking of the entire trip. I spent a lot of time wading this portion of the trek. It was quite an amazing sight though. A lot of boulders, moss and fauna all up, down and in the creek.
We eventually came to a very lovely waterfall called Horsepen Falls which would be our last waterfall of the day. There was a wonderful campsite above the falls with some nice benches people have made utilizing the available rocks in the area.
The exit out of the wilderness was about a half mile of dead fall and an uphill of briers. But the road was a welcome sight and meant some warmth from wading the cold creeks all day. This was a great day full of eye candy and new knowledge of the Sipsey.
Today I head to a different part of the state and more waterfalls. Mark Dutton, an attorney from Jasper, and I are heading to Mount Cheaha and the Skyway Loop. We will hike in on the Chinnabee Silent Trail to a shelter with a wonderful view of the Talledaga National Forest. Below the shelter is the Cheaha Falls. We will spend the night there and will meet up with the Sierra Club hikers in the morning. We will continue the Silent Trail (so named by the Boy Scout Troop of deaf scouts who helped develop the trail) to Lake Chinnabee and then the Skyway Trail over to Adams Gap.
It should be a great weekend and I will report on the trip next week.
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