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  1. #1
    Senior Member Tendertoe's Avatar
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    Trip Report - Sipsey Wilderness 6/1/12

    On my way to a work conference, I stopped at the William Bankhead National Forest in Alabama. This was my first solo backpacking adventure.

    Borden Creek Trailhead was a couple miles down a gravel road - kinda sketchy in a rental car

    I showed up to the trailhead around 5ish Friday. There were a handful of cars parked along the road but I didn't see any other hikers. I gathered my things (forgot my hiking poles back in Ohio. I never realized how much I depend on them) and started hiking on the East side of Borden Creek.

    After 30-45 mins, I came across Fat Man's Squeeze - a rock formation where you have to really squeeze through. I had to drop my pack and squat/shimmy through. Pretty cool.

    Ended up hiking for an additional 30-45 mins and found a nice spot for the night. I had to shimmy down somewhat of an incline to fill my gravity filter from the creek. Batoned some wood and made a small fire. Rehydrated some pasta with veggies and had a king-size PB Twix. Laid down in my hammock around 8:45.

    I had my 1.7dl WBBB
    Superfly tarp
    Lafuma 40* sleeping bag
    Eddie Bauer DIY UQ

    I wore a 100 weight top and bottom with a synthetic hat
    I slipped my sit pad under my butt and threw on a second pair of socks late at night and slept snugly.

    All in all - a successful first solo night out.

    A quick video below -

    Last edited by Tendertoe; 06-07-2012 at 21:27.

  2. #2
    Senior Member grannypat's Avatar
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    Thanks for sharing report. Video says it has been removed by user.

  3. #3
    Senior Member Tendertoe's Avatar
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    Should be back now.

  4. #4
    Senior Member rip waverly's Avatar
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    i like the song!

    nice one! looks like a good time.
    how did you like the wbbb?
    "Jeff-Becking"

    DOWNTOWN BROWN!!!!

  5. #5
    Senior Member BillyBob58's Avatar
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    Nice!............................................. ....

  6. #6
    BigLazy's Avatar
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    Great Trip

    Looks like it was a great trip. I'd heard that there was a lot of damage from the tornados last year that made some of the trails really tough to follow. Did you have any problems like that? I'm really want to get down there sometime myself.

    Also, I found a site that had two different maps of that area, one of the Bankhead National forest (including Sipsey) and the other of the Sipsey Wilderness. I'm wondering if one is better or if it would be good to have both.

    Thanks again for sharing the trip.

  7. #7
    Senior Member Amelander's Avatar
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    Love that trail. Had the scout troop there in March.

    Great trip reports always end in a Skynyrd song!

  8. #8
    Member HeathC's Avatar
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    Fantastic!!

    That's awesome Tendertoe! At the end of the video when you went down the hill to the creek bottom was under a foot of water back in March. And there was a great swimming hole where it intersects the Borden creek. Glad you had a great time!

    BigLazy...there is no damage on that trail (200). It's on the western side of the forrest on the 206, 209, and 204. All cleared up by some wonder folks. As far as a map...i would recomend the $8 Carto-Craft. If you cannot order it online, many if not all gas stations around the forrest have it.
    It's a hammock thing, you won't understand!

    The wife no longer kicks me out of bed after she saw a hammock hanging in the dog house.

  9. #9
    Senior Member born2roam's Avatar
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    Congrats on the first solo overnighter!

    And thanks for the vid

    Grtz Johan
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  10. #10
    Senior Member Pipsissewa's Avatar
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    Great report! Thanks for the video!

    "A rented car goes anywhere."
    -----Old Irish proverb
    "Pips"
    Mountains have a dreamy way
    Of folding up a noisy day
    In quiet covers, cool and gray.

    ---Leigh Buckner Hanes

    Surely, God could have made a better way to sleep.

    Surely, God never did.

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