What a beautiful weekend up in the Sipsey Wilderness. There was not a cloud in the sky and very low humidity. Curbie and I arrived Friday afternoon at the Thompson Creek Trail head with no other vehicles there except a group readying their horses for a trip to Breazelle. After getting my boots on and loading the pack we headed out for your adventure.

We spent the next 3 hours hiking the six miles to the campsite at the intersection of East Bee Trail and the Sipsey River Trail. As we were hiking along the Sipsey River I noticed Curbie stopping and trying to see something. Since I could not see anything I hurried her along. We then came around a big tree and in the bushes was a man looking right at me. I admit that I was startled but I tried not to show it. It turned out that he was with Wild South surveying all the plants in the Sipsey Wilderness. He asked me if I had seen his other two partners down the trail. Curbie could smell them but I never saw them. I need to pay closer attention to her. They told me that I could go see some of their work at www.wildsouth.org.

After that we had an uneventful walk to the campsite. What a beautiful area of the Wilderness. The river just below the campsite is filled with boulders and there is a small little drop in the riverbed that makes for the serene sound of gurgling water the entire time you are there. Some boulders were at the end of a small path to the river which made for a great view in both directions. Sitting on the boulders filtering water was a very nice experience.

I got camp set up as soon as we got there. My Marmot tent is always easy to set up especially with the ground being so soft. I set up the hammock, fixed a run rope for Curbie and then got the cook stove and other gear ready. Then it was just time to sit back, relax, but your worries aside and enjoy the surroundings.

The night would up being nice and cool but not as cold as I thought. I was expecting temperatures in the mid-40’s but I do not think it got that cold. Once it got dark Curbie would not leave my side. I think she was missing the other dogs. She spent the night in the tent sleeping at my feet. I got up at around 4 to make some coffee and everytime I turned on my flashlight she came out of the tent. As soon as I would turn off my flashlight she would get back into the tent. I have no clue what that was all about.

After breaking camp the next morning we headed up East Bee Branch headed to the Big Tree. The Big Tree is thought to be the largest Poplar in the State of Alabama and sits in a beautiful canyon with a beautiful waterfall when there is water. It is very dry in Alabama (could not make a fire in the Sipsey which was a bummer) so I knew the falls would not be there. What I was not prepared for was the amount of dead fall in the trail to the Big Tree. All of this dead fall was an aftermath of Hurricane Ivan a few years ago. For an old man with a backpack on this was tough trucking. I am not the most graceful person in the world but going over and under fallen trees was very taxing. Since I was going to out and back the trail I was having to do it twice. The tree was a large tree and the canyon quite nice and peaceful. I would love to spend some time there during the rainy season.

We got back to the truck around 1:30 and I was very tired. That was 9 miles of hiking today with some of it being in rough terrain and a 35 pound pack on my back. I made a decision in embrace light-weight packing from now on. I need to reduce my backpack weight by at least 10 pounds. I can still carry the weight but sometimes it is not as enjoyable when your knees and hips are killing you.

It was a great trip and the good news was that the bugger bear did not get me.

"One is the loneliest number"

I have been backpacking since 1985 and have been on many week long trips, especially in the southwest desert. However, during all that time I have never been on a solo overnight trip. That will change tomorrow when I head to the Sipsey Wilderness for an overnighter. Technically, I will not be alone because Curbie is going with me.

We will probably hike 15 to 20 miles over the weekend but the weather is going to be nice and cool so that should not be a problem. I have packed and repacked my backback about 4 times now removing gear each time. I am carrying more weight than I need but I want to work on my gear so I am bringing some extra things.

I will post a trip report on Sunday if the bugger bear did not get me.

What is the shelf life of a honey-do?

This was not a hiking weekend but I did manage to store up some honey do points for my next hiking weekend. We may have some house guests in the next few days so I spent my time cleaning up the place on the outside while Karen worked on the inside. A young man Karen has formed a relationship with had a heart transplant late last week and it is possible that some of the family members may need a place to stay. So we spent the time making the hacienda more presentable.
I am in the early planning stages of taking a weekend trip up to Mt. Cheaha and doing the Pinhoti, Chinnabee and Skyline trail loop over 2 or 3 days. My guess is that 2 days will be sufficient but I will leave room in case Curbie and I want to take our time. The trip will be in late October after we spend a little time at the beach. I am really excited about the possibilities. Normally when I go out for an extended trip it is with another person but his time it will be just Curbie and I. Curbie has not spent the night out on the trail before so this could be interesting. Right now my plan for her will be a lead rope out of paracord or some sort of run on the paracord. If anyone has any suggestions please let me know.
I will begin my trip at the Adams Gap Trailhead taking the Pinhoti trail to the intersection of the Chinnabee Silent Trail. I will hike over to the shelter on the Chinnabee Trail above the falls and spend the night. If that is taken I will go back down the trail to the falls and use one of the large campsites there. The next day I will go over to the Skyline Trail and head back to the Adams Gap Trailhead. If I do not make it all the way then I will just do a stealth camp and come out the next morning. I do not think I will have any problems going all the way the second day but if not no problem.
This will give me a chance to try out my water filter in some of the available creeks in that area. It is nice not having to carry so much water like I do in Big Bend. At over 8 pounds per gallon water is one heavy load. Having to only carry my 2 liter dromedary bag makes life a lot easier on a then 63 year old body. My workout routine has certainly paid dividends in the cardio fitness area. I still huff and puff some on the longer uphill but the recovery time has been excellent. I do have to make sure that I am hydrating enough though. I have a bad habit of drinking only when I am thirsty which is not recommended. I need to drink regularly and not get behind the curve.
I will try and be a dutiful photographer on the trip so that I can post on my humble blog. Sometimes I get to having too much fun or engrossed in the scenery that I forget to memorialize the moment. I will try to do better.

The Hole in the Wall Gang

Because of some medical issues my mom has been experiencing I have not been out in the outdoors for a few weeks. Even though the weather has not really cooled off yet I was anxious to get back up to the Sipsey Wilderness. I was not alone because Curbie could sense that she was going to be included. I got up at 3 am on Saturday morning and was quickly joined by the wonder dog from upstairs. Since I had put together my pack the night before it was not too long before I was loading up the truck.

As soon as I opened the back hatch Curbie was in and taking her place in the back seat ready to go. I told her that I was not ready yet but she was not going to be left behind. After pulling together and packing all my gear plus an ice chest for when I got back to the truck we were ready to go. After a short stop at the local service station for coffee we got on I65 sometime around 4 am.

We connected to Corridor X and up to Jasper, then over to Double Springs and finally arrived at the Sipsey River Picnic Area much too early. I had never been to this trailhead before so I did not know what to expect. It was still very dark so I took my time getting things ready to go. But the wonder dog was ready to go so I said okay. Using my flashlight periodically to get over some rooty areas we were gone. We were on the Borden Creek Trail (200) heading to the Sipsey River Trail (209). I was not prepared for all the people that were camping in the area. Even some boy scouts were there with tents actually pitched on the trail. (Scout leaders; please make your scouts pitch their tents off the trail. People actually do hike at night). I knew after a while that I had missed the turnoff to the Sipsey River Trail. So I thought I would hike the length of the Borden Creek Trail and catch the Sipsey River Trail on the return.

I am certainly glad that I made that decision. The Borden Creek Trail is a beautiful trail with many rock formations and cliff walls. You can stay down by the creek or you can hike up near the cliffs. What a great place to be. I now know why this area has so many people. It is very accessible and the trail is not hard to hike. Once I reached the Hole in The Wall near the terminus of the trail I took a little break and headed back to find the 209 Trail marker. In order to avoid some tents near the trail I hiked up close to the cliffs only to hear “Get away from me dog, I am trying to use the bathroom!!” I was laughing to myself as Curbie was licking the less that fully clothed man in the bushes.

A short time later we ran into a couple with a pit bull that Curbie fell in love with. They would meet again on the trail several hours later and play and play. The couple was really nice and was like me in that they had missed the trail marker last night when they hiked in. I parted to continue my journey. Eventually I found the trail marker in the daylight. A camper had hung all their gear over the trail marker making it impossible to see in the dark. I do not understand how people can be so idiotic.

The rest of the day was spent hiking on the 209 down to Trail 202. Once there I took a little lunch and water break and Curbie went for a swim. I ran back into the Scout Troop again. They had broken their group into two parts. The older boys were in the lead group and the younger boys were in the trailing group. As an old Eagle Scout with Troop 32 in Monroe, Louisiana I always have a soft place in my heart for scouting and the adults who lead them. If I was more industrious I think I would get involved with a troop in some way. Some of the happiest days in my life were in scouting. Orrie White and Sam Walker were my scoutmasters and they took us camping most weekends. What a great time in my life.

When we got back to the truck in the middle of the afternoon we had walked about 18 miles and my feet and knees were a little sore. We got home took a shower and rooted LSU to victory against Mississippi State.

News Bulletin on the Walls of Jericho

"The state’s Forever Wild program has recently acquired hundreds of acres of biologically important forest in Jackson County, Ala. The 535-acre Sims, Swaim and Johnson addition to the Walls of Jericho Forever Wild tract was purchased in May 2010 from the Alabama Chapter of The Nature Conservancy with support from a $640,000 Forest Legacy grant from the USDA Forest Service. The land is located along the Estill Fork tributary to the Paint Rock River and is adjacent to the James D. Martin-Skyline Wildlife Management Area.

The Sims, Swaim and Johnson addition will be used for public recreation and conservation efforts, and will increase public access to the popular Walls of Jericho trail system located near the communities of Skyline and Hytop. State lands managers have documented more than 15,000 hiking and horse trail users annually on the growing trail system. New land acquisitions such as this ensure the public's access to the property and enhance the quality of life that state lands afford Alabamians.

Considered one of the most biologically diverse and important regions in the United States, the Walls of Jericho Tract supports several species of birds, mammals, fish, reptiles, amphibians and plants recognized under the Alabama Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy as species of highest conservation concern. As part of the Paint Rock River watershed, this area contains several springs and more than 3,000 feet of perennial stream habitat along Estill Fork Creek. The habitats within and along the Estill Fork waterway support some of the last remaining populations of several species of fish and mussels protected under the federal Endangered Species Act."

The preceding was a release from the Alabama Forever Wild program. My only concern here is that the more people that come to this area the more ecological damage that can be done. Of course, I am being selfish.

The Walls of Jericho 2

The Walls of Jericho

Curbie and I left the house this morning at 3:30 am for the 2.5 hour trip to the Walls of Jericho. The area is just a few miles north of HiTop, Alabama which is just north of Skyline, Alabama on Alabama Highway 79. To put this in better context this area is about 25 miles north of Scottsboro and just a few miles south of the Tennessee border. In other words, it is in the middle of nowhere.
We hiked the 3 miles down to the Walls of Jericho in a couple of hours. The hike was all down hill and not that tough except for a few rocky places. Curbie decided to chase after a coyote but fortunately she came back to my whistle. If I lost Curbie on the trail I do not think Karen would let me back in the house.
There was not much water flowing at the falls but the scenery was exceptional. One deep pool below one of the falls was deep enough to swim in and the water was very cold. What was evident is that when the water is flowing in the creeks during the wet season this place will be spectacular. The Walls of Jericho is actually more of a box canyon with streams coming in from several directions. Rocks abound and look like the steps up to a monument.
It is becoming a very popular area as several groups arrived while I was there. Most of the people were coming down to swim in the swimming hole. One group was rappelling and climbing some of the rock outcroppings. Another group had their young sons on an overnight trip. As I was hiking out I passed 5 more groups coming in.
I photographed for about an hour until the light was used up. This is the first landscape photography I have done since Big Bend National Park and I found myself a little rusty. I have attached some photos to this page for your review.
I hiked out which was 3 miles of total uphill during the heat of the day. I was glad to see the truck at the parking lot and so was Curbie. We had a lot of fun, stayed healthy and took some decent photos.