Pinhoti/Cave Creek--Into the Heat

I have not posted to this blog in a while because it has been so damn hot that I have not wanted to hit the trail in any form or fashion.  This has also been the case with most of my hiking buddies because they have not ventured out either.  However, there is always someone in the group that has to get things started, so the other day my Birmingham Adventure Club came up with the idea of hiking the Pinhoti Trail/ Cave Creek Loop out of the Cheaha Trail Head on Saturday morning.

This hike is close to 8 miles and has quite a bit of up and down a great deal of rocky terrain.  The hike is rather dry with only water to be found in Cave Creek.  The forecast the week before showed temps in the low 90's and cool nights.  Unfortunately, that forecast did not hold true as the humidity was high and the temps were in the high 90's.  Back in my military days when we had a forecast like that we kept the troops indoors and low activity.  Of course at that time I was all of 24 years of age and weighed about 150 pounds soaking wet.

My friend Mark was joined by his friend Charlie.  Dick Echols who I had not seen since the Chinnabbee Hike was there.  Mary Allison, Larry, Jennie and Justin joined all of us on the days excursion.  I could tell it was going to be hot when we were leaving the parking lot down the trail.  It was 8:45 am and you could already feel the humidity.  Ideally, the time to have left the parking lot was around 6 am but people were coming from different locations with different lengths of travel.

Curbie was joined on the trip by Dill a beagle mix that belonged to Larry and Jennie.  Dill is an older dog that knows how to behave himself unlike Curbie the Wonder Dog.  Curbie has been housebound all summer and has been itching to get back on the trail.  When she saw my hiking poles she was ready to go.  But she was also very rambunctious and overly friendly.  Above is a picture of the two taken at McDill Point.

Other than seeing a large snake identified as a water moccasin the morning leg was fairly uneventful.  I was walking in the middle by myself and came to an intersection that made me a little unsure of which way to go.  Curbie had gone on ahead with Dill so I just did not know which way I wanted to head.  Just at that moment, Curbie came back to check on me and then I knew the way.  She never gets too far away from me and if she has not seen me for a while she comes back and checks on me.

We had lunch at McDill Point and enjoyed the scenery.  Unfortunaltely, there was no breeze and its was beginning to get very warm.  We started the return trip and most of the first half was uphill over some fairly rough, rocky terrain.  After a couple of miles I felt very warm and just laid on the trail with my feet up and caught my senses again.  After that it mostly downhill to the trailhead.

We arrived back at the trailhead around 2 in the afternoon.  We were hot, sweaty and beat.  We usually head out somewhere to eat afterwards but I was not hungry at all.  The truck was going to be too hot for Curbie to stay in so I headed back to Birmingham.  I had a good time but I do not do well in 95 degree heat and high humidity.  I think my next hike will be when temps at least fall into the 80's.  

Wes and I at the gym, will wonders never cease

Jack Wesley brought his parents for an extended visit this week before they head back to Baton Rouge for the summer.  Wes wanted to go work out at the gym this morning and see what I am always talking about.  Dawson Baptist Church in Homewood, Alabama is a true mega church with tremendous facilities.  One that I like the best is the Gymnasium and work out facitlity.  Wes was truly impressed with the facility and that I got to use it for free.

We did 30 minutes of core work and 30 minutes of cardio and felt great afterward.  It is 6 months until our next trip to Big Bend National Park so it is now time to get serious again with the workouts.  A couple of the ladies that are there every morning were asking when I would be getting back on the treadmill with my pack on.  I said soon but I will really be waiting until the last 90 days because it is hard on the knees.

Wes and I had a great time and I look forward to Thursday when he goes back again.  He did not want to get up early for spin class tomorrow so I guess I will be alone for that.

The Good Die Young

I have been away from this blog for an extended time because of family health issues, tornadoes that decimated north Alabama and the oppressive summer heat.  All that to say "I have not been hiking lately."  However, I come back to the blog to report a very sad event.  Jay Hudson, fellow hiker, naturalist, school teacher and great human being, passed away at 3:30 p. m. Tuesday from a pulmonary embolism.

Jay Hudson

Chelsea, AL - Funeral service for Jay Hudson, 42, will be Friday, June 10, 2011 at 11:00 am at Radney-Smith Chapel with Rev. Mahlon Felkins and Rev. Lewis Archer officiating.  Burial will be in Evergreen Cemetery in Sylacauga, AL.

Mr. Hudson died Tuesday, June 7, 2011.  He was preceded in death by father, Jerry E. Hudson.  Jay was an avid outdoorsman who loved hiking, wildflowers and photography.  He was a graduate of Oneonta High School and earned a Bachelor of Science from Birmingham Southern, Master of Science from Auburn University, Bachelor of Science Agricultural Science from Auburn and a Master of Arts in Education from UAB.  He was a science teacher at Bumpus Middle School in the Hoover School System.

He is survived by his parents, Dr. Walter and Judy Pinson of Sylacauga; brother, Jeffery Scott Hudson of Leeds, AL; nephews, Jared Hudson and Jacob Hudson; step-sister, Tamara Cusmariu and her husband, Dr. Jeffery Cusmariu; step-brother, Scott Pinson; aunt, Janet Bailey, husband Dane; cousins, Dana Levering and husband Mike, and Patrick Bailey wife Sharron.

Visitation will be Friday, June 10, 2011 from 9:00 am until 11:00 am. at Radney-Smith Funeral Home.

The family will accept flowers or contributions may be made to a memorial fund that has been established to Bumpus Middle School, Attn:  Jay Hudson Memorial, 1730 Lake Cyrus Drive, Hoover, AL  35244.  If enough funds are raised, the school will support building a hiking trail on the school grounds and name it the Jay Hudson Memorial Trail.  Checks should be made payable to Bumpus Middle School with Jay Hudson Memorial written in the memo line of the check.

Memorial messages may be sent to the family at www.radneysmith.com.

Radney-Smith Funeral Home in Sylacauga, AL will direct the services.

                                           Jay and I on the Chinnabee Silent Trail in the Spring
I did not have the opportunity to know Jay long enough.  He was the leader of the local Sierra Club and a leader of many hikes in the Sipsey Wilderness and the Pinhoti Trail.  Jay loved photography and wildflowers and was a wealth of information about the fauna that I usually did not notice.  Jay introduced me to the waterfalls of the Sipsey and I will be forever grateful.  


One day in the early spring I was on a hike that Jay was leading on the Pinhoti Trail.  For some reason or another I was struggling that day.  I found it harder and harder to keep up with the group.  It was a fairly long hike through some rolling terrain and I knew I was in a little bit of trouble.  Jay noticed I was struggling and began to hang back with me.  Finally, I told Jay that I need to lay down and take an extended break as I was not feeling well at all.  As I was on the ground trying to get my legs back under me Jay and I had an extended conversation about hiking, life, death and individuality.  Jay was a  very complex person with a lot of passion about many things.  He was a liberal and proud of it.  He did not hesitate to state his position on a matter even though that position might not be popular with the group he was talking to.  I truly respect Jay and wish I was more like him.  


Heaven is a better place today as Jay is with the Lord.  Jay, say hello to Hope for me.  

Nature's Fury

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.

Mountainsmith Giveaway from my Life Outdoors Blog

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Go to My Life Outdoors and leave a comment and enter the sweepstakes.  

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.

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.