Photos from the Cane Creek Canyon Preserve Trip

I'm sure a full trip report is in the works, but until then, here's a few photos that I made:

https://picasaweb.google.com/KE4ROP/CaneCreekCanyonPreserve#

Thanks to Dr. Jim Lacefield for hosting our group's April outing.

February Trail Maintenance

Today Larry and I met Foster, Gary

and Bart for breakfast at Chef Troy’s, where we caught up on Foster’s rigorous chemo treatments and found that he is much improved and feeling good again. The rest of us went off to trail 210, our very own Mitchell Ridge and worked non stop til 1 pm.

The graupel fell all day but it was light and we were able to work through it although it was very cold. We raked all the leaves off the steps and then began to haul up and fit large stepping stones into the earth to refurbish the parts of the trail that had eroded away way with time and many footfalls.

Our tools of choice were carefully considered since there were only the four of us and we had to carry them along with our packs. The heavier stones were hoisted and pushed up to the trail from a small waterfall.

We utilized Bart’s flat head shovel with Gary’s strap wrapped around its head as a pulling tool which several of us could pull while Gary hoisted the stone from underneath. The Pulaski worked well as a hoe to loosen the dirt in the trail bed in order to fit the stones in place.

We still have work to do but this slope is not near as slippery as it was. Next month we’ll work toward our Desired Future Condition. HaHaHa.

Day Hike in Sipsey Wilderness along Trails 202, 209, and 200.

The Sipsey Wilderness Hiking Club will be meeting for a day hike along trails 202, 209, and 200 in the Sipsey Wilderness on Saturday, January 15. Backpacking and overnight camping are also possible; contact the club.

Meet for the hike at the Randolph Trailhead at 8:00 AM. Arrangements have been made to have vehicles spotted at the ending point.

The hike begins by following trail 202 - Randolph all the way to where it meets the Sipsey. We cross the river and continue east on trail 209 - Sipsey River to its terminus at Borden Creek. We will not cross Borden however but rather hike up the West Borden Creek Trail (the western parallel of trail 200), finishing at the Borden Trailhead.

This is about an eight mile hike. Trail 202 starts wide and flat and ends with a somewhat steep downhill to the river. Once across, 209 is also more or less level but with a few small feeder streams (and their possibly muddy banks) to negotiate. The west side of 200 is similar but there may be more fallen trees to get around.

The only serious difficulty may be crossing the river. The depth will of course depend on the amount and timing of rainfall. So be prepared to take off your shoes and roll up your pants or whatever strategy you favor to ford streams that are too deep to just splash through.

Note that if conditions are such that it is simply too dangerous to cross the Sipsey, we will not attempt it. In such case, we have some other options besides just retracing our steps. So not to worry.

Bring your lunch, plenty of water, and maybe a small towel to dry your feet after crossing the river. A walking stick is generally helpful along these trails.

SWHC Receives Certificate of Appreciation from U. S. Department of Agriculture

The Sipsey Wilderness Hiking Club received a certificate of appreciation from the U. S. Department of Agriculture on December 10th, at the U. S. Forest Service Christmas Dinner. 

Trail Work on the 210 Trail

Saturday, November 13th 2010 dawned cool and clear. It was a good day for working outdoors. We started on the South end of the trail and stopped for a break after we reached the top of the ridge.

Bart slowly and carefully sharpens the double bit ax.

Heartwood or Duramen is the older, nonliving central wood of a tree, usually darker and harder than the younger sapwood, clearly shown in this photo.

After lunch Mike takes a nap cradling his bow saw.

Gary with a little help from Larry uses the bow saw effectively, pulling and pushing to achieve the goal.

Gary's tool of choice today was his Surveyor bush hook. They are ideal for cutting brush. The blade cuts easily on the "pull" stroke, but it does take some practice.

Fungi are neither plant nor animal but have some characteristics of each. They cannot move about like an animal, but do consume organic matter - yum, like us. They reproduce by spores and in this case with the help of Mike. Can you see the greenish "smoke?"

We managed about 9 miles total, enjoyed the peacefulness of the forest, and can report the trail to be in very good shape up to the halfway point.

December 11th is our next Trail Maintenance day on The Mitchell Ridge.

(Photos and Video by Mike, Larry, and Mimi.  Narrative by Mimi.)

SWHC Member Takes Part in Mississippi Highpoint Dedication

Gary White with Woodall Mountain monument.

Gary White, a Sipsey Wilderness Hiking Club member and a Highpointers Club member, recently helped dedicate a monument at Mississippi's highest point during the recent national Highpointers Convention.  This highpoint is the 806 foot Woodall Mountain near Iuka.  The highpoint is on private property owned by the Brown family, but permission was granted to move a 8,200 pound rock to the top of the mountain to mark the exact location.  The rock has a permanently mounted bronze plaque that gives the elevation of the highpoint and some history about the mountain.  Gary acquired the rock, transported it to Woodall Mountain, and helped prepare it for the dedication.

The Daily Corinthian newspaper published an article about the monument dedication and the Highpointers Club.

A video about the dedication of the monument is at this link on the Highpointers Club website.

The monument was made possible in part by the Highpointers Foundation.  This foundation works with landowners to obtain access to state highpoints and to fund necessary improvements such as signage and monuments.

October Trail Maintenance

The club began its eleventh season (October to April) of trail maintenance on the Mitchell Ridge Trail on Saturday, October 9.

The day began with breakfast at Chef Troy’s Talk of the Town Restaurant in Houston, a new club benefit for trail maintenance volunteers. Five showed up – Foster, Charlie, Owen, Mimi, and Larry – on what promised to be a warm day.

Starting from the northern end, we managed to cover maybe a third of the trail, at least two miles anyway, before the heat did us in.

The trail appears to be in very good shape. We had to saw half a dozen small trees and push some others out of the way but cutting back the numerous oak saplings sprouting out everywhere required more time and effort. Since we did not have the crosscut saw with us, we had to leave one larger Chestnut Oak until another occasion.

U. S. Forest Service Restricts Fire Use in Bankhead National Forest

Montgomery, AL (September 28, 2010) ---- Because of the extreme dry conditions that can possibly lead to wildfires, the U.S. Forest Service is alerting all forest users to be aware of specific public fire use restrictions in Alabama’s national forests. Forest Supervisor Miera C. Nagy recently signed an order that prohibits the use of fire in wilderness areas in the Bankhead and Talladega National Forests.

To protect the public and natural resources from the threat of wildfires, the following public restrictions are effective September 24, 2010 and will remain in effect until October 31, 2010:

Bankhead National Forest – Sipsey Wilderness; Talladega National Forest (Talladega and Shoal Creek Districts) - Dugger Wilderness and Cheaha Wilderness

• Building, maintaining, attending, using a fire or campfire (wood or charcoal) at any wilderness area located on the Bankhead, Shoal Creek, and Talladega Ranger Districts of the National Forests in Alabama; except, the use of gas generated fire in a Coleman-type or backpacking stove will be allowed throughout the Sipsey, Dugger, and Cheaha Wilderness Areas on the Bankhead, Shoal Creek, and Talladega Ranger Districts. 36 CFR 261.52(a).
• Violating any state law concerning burning or fires which are implemented for the purpose of preventing or restricting the spread of fires. 36 CFR 261.52(k)
• Pursuant to 36 CFR 261.50 (e), the following persons are exempt from the order: Any federal, state, local officer or member of an organized rescue or fire fighting team or those holding a permit specifically authorizing the use of fire.

Anyone found violating any of these prohibitions might face a fine of not more than $5,000 for an individual or $10,000 for an organization or imprisonment for not more than six months or both.

Forest Service officials advise that if you are planning to spend a few days in the national forest, you should look for changes in restrictions, which could change according to fire weather conditions. Human-caused fires can be reduced during these very dry conditions when everyone work together to prevent wildfires.

For information concerning any public restrictions and closure orders, please contact a U.S. Forest Service district office before visiting: Bankhead District (205) 489-5111, Conecuh District (334) 222-2555, Shoal Creek District (256) 463-2272; Talladega District (256) 362-2909; Oakmulgee District (205) 926-9765; and the Tuskegee District (334) 727-2652.

Winston County Extension Office to Hold Open House at New Office Location

The Winston County Extension Office will hold an Open House at our new office location at 9:00 to 11:00 a.m on Wednesday, March 31st.  This new office is located at the John Nichols Building on Highway 195.  This building is located just south of the Double Springs Post Office in what was formerly the Winston County Health Department.  The new office space is more modern, and it is handicap accessible.  We'll have some refreshments, and you can also meet representatives from the other offices that are located in the building.  You can print a copy of the invitation here.  We hope that you will be able to stop by and see our upgraded offices.

Trip to Springer Mountain

A group of Sipsey Wilderness Hiking Club members made a trip to Springer Mountain in Georgia. Springer is the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail. Foster Parsons was the leader of this expedition. Bomber and Nina Brown came from Russellville, and Bart Seymour and I came from Double Springs. Foster had planned three days of hiking, but the weather did not cooperate at all. So, we had a short hike and an exciting adventure in the mountains. Our campsite was my kind of place-private, free-of-charge, and not overused. I definitely would like to return on my own later this year. Here's a quick video from the trip:



If you have trouble with the embedded video, you can view it at this link.

There's also some more photos at this link.

Trail Maintenance January 2010

Despite the frigid early morning temperatures, a few hardy souls showed up at the Gum Pond trailhead at 8AM, Saturday January 9, 2010, to begin a new year of maintenance on the Mitchell Ridge trail.

Charlie, Owen, Larry and I enjoyed the half mile hike to the trailhead, marveling at the icicles covering the bluffs. We passed over the Hagood Creek bridge and hit the trail to find a Sleeping Beauty like mass of Muscadine vines forming a curtain right over the entrance to the trailhead.

We hiked up the trail passing “Ivan” along the way. Ivan is a three foot chunk of sandstone which fell from the top of the bluff wall during hurricane Ivan in 2004 and henceforth so dubbed by the club. This southern end of the trail has particularly dramatic scenery.

We stopped to photograph the next challenge for our trail maintenance crew and one which will require many more folks to help out. A whopper of a tree had fallen but was hung and frozen in place along a small ridge in the rock face of a 25 foot bluff, which is of course directly over the trail. We took a photo and carefully skirted our way around it and proceeded to the first and only steep climb along the trail. It was icy with powder snow everywhere so we took it easy and safely gained the top of the ridge.

The trail was in good shape, just some small blowdowns. Although the ground was frozen we were able to kick apart and toss the small dead branches aside. We used the bow saw to successfully whittle down and eliminate the rest. Larry swept up after the three of us, hand pruning all the more aggressive briars and tough whippy little shrubs in the path. We managed about three miles in and came across one big pine directly in our path where we stopped to cool down and have lunch. We turned back there and enjoyed the hike back to the trail head with Charlie and Owen scouting out a good campsite near the creek, perhaps for next month’s work day. We sure could use some help.

Come and enjoy the scenery and bring lunch. Our next maintenance is February 6th and details will be posted on the club website.

Thanks ya’ll.

December Trail Maintenance

Mitchell Ridge Trail Maintenance,
December 5th 2009

Although it has nothing to do with trail maintenance, I could not resist old Houston jail with its Christmas bow!

The snow was pretty as we drove up FS road 208, on our way to the Braziel trailhead.

It was melting fast in the treetops, so we stopped along 208 for a shot of the road. As we turned left onto Forest Rd 223 we noticed Danny behind us. Shortly after we arrived, Foster and Charlie drove in. Since there were only a few of us we left the come-along and took hand pruners, a bow saw, the one-man crosscut and the ax. The one-man saw actually converts to a two-man saw by means of a metal pin and second wooden handle. This is a very handy and efficient tool.

We waited for a few minutes in case anyone else volunteered (where were you?) and left around ten after eight. I stopped to photograph the guys at the trailhead.

Last month we had started at the south end where the scenery is more dramatic. However the north end of the trail with the snow covering everything was gorgeous. We found three large trees down and cleared them up by the time the snow had vanished.

Come join us next month if you’d like some good old-fashioned exercise. We’ll be there!

Sougahoagdee Falls

This was the club's October hike. From my point of view, this was a very nice trip and the falls were fantastic. Here's some photos that I made before my camera's neglected batteries gave out.

http://picasaweb.google.com/KE4ROP/SougahoagdeeFalls#

If anyone wants to add any photos to this album, let me know, and I can set you up to post yours in the same album.

Thanks to everyone on the trip for a great hike.

Mike

Club Picnic at Houston Recreation Area

The club held it's annual picnic at the Houston Recreation Area in the Bankhead National Forest on Saturday, July 18, 2009. The weather was unseasonably cool, which made for some great picnicking and camping weather. Click here for some photos from the event.

Our Travel Bug

The lastest entry from our travel bug:

This is an automated message from Geocaching.com
You are receiving this email because you are the owner of this listing. Location: Minnesota, United States.

dlgps retrieved Sipsey Wilderness Hiking Club Bug (Travel Bug Dog Tag) from A Bridge to the Past at 7/12/2009 Log Date: 7/12/2009 This little tb is just down the road from a great wilderness area. We have a few caches there that are on our "to do" list so we will see if we can get him in a good cache in Rice County, Minnesota Cannon River Wilderness Park.

Visit the Sipsey Wilderness Hiking Club Travel Bug web page:
http://www.geocaching.com/track/details.aspx?guid=77bed2b6-0b8d-4929-a0c7-d1eef9ac3fe5

Our bug is stuck up North, and has been for some time. Maybe someday it will return to the South.

Club Picnic

The Sipsey Wilderness Hiking Club will be holding its annual Club Picnic on Saturday, July 18, rain or shine, beginning at 10 AM at the Houston Recreation Area in the Bankhead National Forest.

We have reserved the (only) pavilion for the whole day. Follow the signs to the beach or boat ramp and the pavilion is located just past the beach.

We can swim in Smith Lake and should have a couple of boats and kayaks available. The picnic starts at 10 and we will have the food around noon. The club will reimburse members for the $4 per day vehicle fee imposed by the rec area.

Houston Rec also has a campground. Some club members are planning on staying over on Friday night and probably Saturday as well. Foster expects to arrive by 4 PM on Friday and will leave a note somewhere obvious with clues as to where we are camping.

The club will provide paper plates, cups, napkins, plasticware, and fuel for the grill but everyone should bring their own grillables, drinks, and maybe an extra something to share. In the past, people have brought chips, salsa, beans, salads, fruit, and cookies and so far we have avoided the situation where the only choice was seven different kinds of potato salad.

Directions to Houston Recreation Area from Double Springs:

• Travel about 9 miles east on US 278 to County Road 63 south. There is a gas station/store on the corner.
• Turn south on CR 63. After 1.8 miles, by the post office and old jail, the road forks.
• Take the right fork which is CR 61. The access road for the rec area is another 1.6 miles on the right.
• Turn right and the entrance is about another mile.

Forest Service Closes Caves to Protect Bats

The Forest Service has closed most of the caves in the southeastern U. S. to protect bats from White Nose Syndrome. This includes the Sipsey Wilderness Area and the Bankhead National Forest. More information is available by clicking here.

Club Trip to Fall Creek Falls State Park in Tennessee

This blog post will be related to trip plans for the June 26-28, 2009, hike to Fall Creek Falls State Park near Pikeville, Tennessee. The club has considered a hike to the park for several years, so maybe this will be the year that we'll get to go.

It will be about a four and a half hour drive from Double Springs, according to Yahoo Maps.

Here's some links that you can check to learn more about the park:

Wikipedia on Fall Creek Falls State Park

Friends of Fall Creek Falls website has some detailed hiking trail maps.

The State of Tennessee appears to have more than one website for the park, but this one seemed to be the most complete.

There are three different types of camping in the park-regular drive in campsites, backcountry camping and a walk-in camping area. The regular campsites are $20 per night, and those with sewer hookups are $25. The walk-in and backcountry sites might cost less, but Ill have to call to find out. There's 228 sites, so it's a fairly large campground.

Unfortunately, the camping areas are undergoing some major renovation. Areas "B" and "D" are closed, and these sections make up a large number of sites. Normally, the park takes reservations, but this year, they are NOT accepting reservations. State parks can be very popular in the summer, so take that into consideration. If you want to call the park for more information on camping, the number is 800-250-8611.

This is information that I've gathered so far, I'll add to it as I find out more.

Update: Called the park today, May 5th, and they said that despite the information to the contrary on their web page, they do not expect the two campground loops to be closed when we visit. However, it IS still first come first serve-no reservations available. They told me I should call closer to the date we are planning to visit.

Update: June 2, 2009. Trip cancelled due to the no reservations policy.

Whiteman's Canoe Trip Down the Locust Fork

Our club chairman, Gary "Whiteman" White recently made a trip with some friends down the Locust Fork of the Black Warrior River. The club has obtained exclusive video of the trip from an unnamed source. Click below to see the action:



Even though he "tumped over", he safely self-recovered his canoe a couple hundred yards downstream.

Mitchell Ridge Trail - Mostly Clear

Nine of us started out for a day of trail maintenance from the south end at 8 AM, Saturday, March 7, 2009. Ignoring any remembrance of the strong winds during the previous week and confident that no large tree would dare to have fallen in our way, we carried only the smaller hand tools plus an axe, a pulaski, and a 36 inch bow saw.  It did not take long for the forest to show its disdain for our hubris.

Those of us who have been working on this trail for some years were well aware of two very large and very dead pines looming over the first quarter mile of the path, the kind of trees where you say "I sure hope this falls away from the trail".  Maybe we should have wished a little harder.  Both trees had fallen directly in the way.  The first must be 18 inches in diameter and the second over two feet.  Not only were the tools on hand completely inadequate for the task, but we will have to lug in our two-man crosscut to deal with that second bad boy.  Oh well, job security.

The good news from a hiking perspective is that the first tree is on the ground and can easily be stepped over.  And a small detour is already forming around the big guy.  So these are not such serious obstacles.

 

At the north end, we encountered two other blowdowns.  Johnnie almost single-handedly hacked his way through one of them and rolled it down the hill.  But we decided to leave the other one for when we have the crosscut saw.  It is easy enough to just step over this tree as well.

 

On the more positive side, with nine people to snip away all day with hand pruners and loppers, we were able to seriously discourage the resurgent briers and muscadine vines that were converging on the path.  Having the pulaski with us, we were also able to fill in some of the booby trap holes in the middle of the walkway, leaf-covered depressions that could unexpectedly swallow a foot or twist an ankle.

March's volunteers included club members Gary, Johnnie, Foster, Larry, Mimi, Doris, and Shelby and guests Charlie and Sara.  The sun in the afternoon made it just a little warm for this sort of activity and slowed us down a bit.  It was 4:30 by the time we finished.

 

All in all, the trail is in very good shape.  If the weather is not too warm in April, we plan to remove the three downed trees.  Otherwise, we will tackle them in the fall.  Maybe they will have rotted away by then?