I finally got to get out and get hiking!
Last weekend a friend of mine and I drove the 9 hours down to the Bankhead National Forest and into the Sipsey Wilderness in Alabama. We had arranged to meet up with a few folks there and do some exploring. Thomas (Bankheadboy), Angrysparrow, and Heteroi drove us around and showed us some of the sights on Friday afternoon, then we hiked in under the cover of darkness to a spot above a waterfall for the night. The temps got down into the high 20’s F both nights, so it was a bit nippy, but not bad.
Saturday morning we packed up and picked up some new friends Rex and Dyehard for a fun day of hiking. All these guys are extremely knowledgeable about the area and they are great guys to spend time with to hear all the stories.
We learned a lot about the folks who lived there before, and the critters, the logging companies and the CCC that left their temporary marks, the Forest Service who are currently changing the surrounding landscape, and we even saw some marks that had been left by the Native Americans who had also called the area home many many moons ago. My buddy TJ really enjoyed climbing down into a small saltpeter cave along the way to see if he could find any bats.
Sunday we hiked up to the East Bee Branch and saw the Big Tree, and the falls, which were dry, (what a beautiful spot), and I imagine even moreso when the waterfalls are running.
I wish we could have stayed around to eat at the Steak house on Sunday, but we had to head on back home. Thanks Thomas for handing us some fantastic Milo's tea for the ride back to the car.
I just wanted to thank everyone for such a great weekend. I hope to make it back there soon. Maybe in March.
This trip report does no justice to the actual trip itself, which of course cannot be described very well in mere words, just as the pictures do not show very much of what was actually there. In any event, I hope y’all will go check out Sipsey Wilderness, as it is a very special place.
Here's a link to more pictures.
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