2019 Sipsey Wilderness Short Hike Report

[sidneyhornblower]

But no hunters as far as you know? Any one else: seen hunters?

In December 2017 I was there for four days and ran into a guy who claimed to be hog hunting at Fall Creek Falls. I think he was actually scouting as I didn't see a firearm, but it could have been in his canoe or kayak. I've also seen a full set of waders over on, I think, 203 or whatever the trail is that eventually runs past the graveyard. In December 2016 I found a broadhead arrow near the upper end of 210, evidence that someone had been bowhunting and possibly shot and missed. Other than that, I've not seen anyone actively hunting during my Sipsey trips. Of course the obvious caveat is if they were still hunting and wearing camo it's possible they saw me but I didn't see them.

[Five Tango]

For some reason I have fonder memories of trips that had the most inclement weather but I enjoy the good weather trips so much more while they're happening.Funny how that works....

[Grey Mouse]

I enjoyed the rain myself. I had two tarps, a set of drip lines on the hammock, a pack cover, and such to test. I knew it was going to rain some and figured that I would just take the grief from the wife if it came down to it. In the end she enjoyed herself and it showed her that even the "unplanned" weather can be fun and relaxing. I'll wager that next time I'll have just a little less grief if it rains all weekend but I wouldn't want to hike in the rain with her lol.

[BillyBob58]

In December 2017 I was there for four days and ran into a guy who claimed to be hog hunting at Fall Creek Falls. I think he was actually scouting as I didn't see a firearm, but it could have been in his canoe or kayak. I've also seen a full set of waders over on, I think, 203 or whatever the trail is that eventually runs past the graveyard. In December 2016 I found a broadhead arrow near the upper end of 210, evidence that someone had been bowhunting and possibly shot and missed. Other than that, I've not seen anyone actively hunting during my Sipsey trips. Of course the obvious caveat is if they were still hunting and wearing camo it's possible they saw me but I didn't see them.

As long as they see us and identify us as humans, no problem, right? I also hope that any deer hunter that would go to all the trouble to hike into the wilderness, and have to haul his game out of the wilderness, would also be a type that would be very careful about what they are shooting at. And f course, all of that work is probably why there are apparently few hunters that far from a vehicle. But I could be wrong. And of course, plenty of blaze orange should help.

For some reason I have fonder memories of trips that had the most inclement weather but I enjoy the good weather trips so much more while they're happening.Funny how that works....

Same with me! Most of my fondest memories are of western trips with some rough weather. But 2 of my fondest are of Sipsey trips- both HF group hangs at that. One of them started with heavy rains at the first steps, having to change routes and plans because it was determined we were going to have too many swollen creek crossings, so we changed to a route that would hopefully only have small(even in all the rain) creek crossings. When we got up the next morning, high 20s and 5" of snow(in Alabama!) I know that on rare occasion it snows in AL, but what were the odds of timing a HF group hang for that? ( Rain, of course, no problem finding that! Especially this last 6 months! ) The creek crossings were relatively small, but there was plenty of slipping and falling on muddy creek banks involved, including on the snow day.

The second was Halloween of the same year(2009). No snow, but quite a deluge that arrived just as we were pitching our tarps, and poured all night. There was at least one leaking tarp in the group. Another group member- Thomas or "Bankheadboy" I think("Ihangbankhead" I think back then) was supposed to meet us at night at the planned campsite. By the time he got there, the creek that was ankle deep when we crossed just as the rain stared was now dangerously high and fast. So he stayed on the other side until the next morning and we were able to go upstream and find a log he could cross over on. Then we had some illness in one member and had to cut the trip short to get him out of there. All of the healthy ones ended up getting steaks and such at tiny Mt. Hope, where all the workers were dressed up in Halloween costumes. Seemed rough at the time(I was having significant foot problems), but all great memories!

I enjoyed the rain myself. I had two tarps, a set of drip lines on the hammock, a pack cover, and such to test. I knew it was going to rain some and figured that I would just take the grief from the wife if it came down to it. In the end she enjoyed herself and it showed her that even the "unplanned" weather can be fun and relaxing. I'll wager that next time I'll have just a little less grief if it rains all weekend but I wouldn't want to hike in the rain with her lol.

That is so great that your wife wants to go with you!

[Grey Mouse]

Update: After all of the grief that I got on the way up to Sipsey, down the trail to our spot, and so forth the wife now tells everyone how much fun she had on the last trip. She even adds the comment "it rained but it wasn't all that bad. I enjoyed myself and we had a lot of fun" quit often to her stories. Now instead of her dreading the cold rain we actually went shopping for rain gear locally (found none that we liked) and she's looking forward to her next "rain trip"

[Etienne]

It's funny how just a little bit of time can color our memories! My first ever hammock outing was in Sipsey back in 2012.

Myself and a couple of guys from school left Starkville for Sipsey the week before graduation. That wasn't long after we'd had several tornadoes cross northern Mississippi and Alabama. We were crawling over all kind of trees to get in. We camped that night under blue tarps in one of the worst storms I'd been out in. And being my first time I'd never heard of having a pad or underquilt and was freezing cold. One of my buddies threw me a mylar blanket and I was toasty but I don't think they slept for my crinkling through the night! But looking back it's probably one of my favorite memories and what really got me hooked.

I always read on here but never post but I'm really glad someone else has a "made it through a Sipsey storm now I can make it through anything"-type story!