Savage Gulf 1/16-18/04

“Sounds like a lot of people coming in Friday night. Don't forget that you must register at either the Savage or Stone Door ranger stations.”

“Who will be there Friday morning?

My hand is up.”

“Yea, and you need to be there BEFORE dark! They don't allow night hiking, you little rule breakers! I'm gonna try and be there at 4 PM and get registered.”

“I'll be ther Friday morning at 9AM. From what I can tell about the map it looks like Friday has the best scenery of the trip. Is this correct?”

“I have not received my map yet, but I will be there at 9am on Friday.”

“As far as scenery goes, yes, Friday will probably be the best day. But that will also be the day with the most elevation change.”

“Cool, I like elevation! Up or down?”

“Both! Down into Savage Gulf at the Stone Door, which is pretty cool, then back up again close to Collins West.”

“Lemmesee if I have this right. Some of us will be hiking from Stone Door to Collins West on Friday, then to Stage Road on Sat. and out on Sunday, right??? Maybe dayhike Greeter Falls Loop on Sunday? Bit, you're still ridin' up with me Thursday afternoon, correct???”

“Correctamundo, oh Bringer of Christmas Cheer!”

“I won't be arriving till LATE...like midnight. If I'm gonna have problems with the stupid ranger station not being open 24 hours then the heck with it...I'll go somewhere where their aint no stinkin rules. sheesh...what the heck!!!

Walkindude, what time will you be arriving on Friday? and why can't we meet at the same place that we did 2 years ago? that was above the stone door. then go down into the canyon and hike during the day.

WHY IS THIS SO difficult?!?!?!?!”

“We could tie the rangers up and gag them?”

“Why is this so difficult? Let's see, the trip was your idea, using MLK weekend was your idea, doing a all day Friday-Monday was your idea. I don't know, why is this so difficult stiky!

That was my best attempt at playing New Yorker and pulling someones chain while not meaning a word of it.

If you meet at Stone Door on Friday night then you'll be 8.7 miles behind us. Since Saturday is only 7 miles you could just sleep in the truck and come in early and have breakfast with all of us. I'd imagine we'll wind up having a slow, lazy day on Saturday with lots of cooking and campfire time with some BS thrown in for good measure. This trip is really looking like a TT classic with the diverse group of folks as well as the quantity of folks.”

“lol...it's looking like the TT Invasion of Savage Gulf, is what it's looking like...”

“My eyes are watering from bitin' my tongue so hard...”

“Don't injure yourself, man!”

“Believe DAT!”

“Yeah FG, there'll be hell to pay for my best Stikmon while talking to Stormbringer impression.”

“sat night...the brat is coming, is he???

"Look mummy, why is that man falling trough the air?"

Don't look at him honey...his name is Stormbringer, and he doesn't quite fit in..it'll be ok though, the others have cleaned up the doody."”

“Not bringing my kid on this hike!”

“Oh god!”

“Uhhh, I don't think that's who he meant by brat.

Hey stik, what type of wood is my hiking stick made out of? I took my dad for a short hike last Sat and had the stick along for a camera platform. He does woodworking and though that it might be fun to make a few.”

“lol, no I didn't think he meant my kid...I was just saying, if something like that's going to happen, I don't want my kid to see it!”

“I gotcha! But daddy, that man can't fly!”

“Lemme know for sure the day before (Thur) and when I go to the ranger station to check in, I'll check you in too. It is just a few hundred yards from the trailhead at Collins West. Just be quiet as possible at the parking lot so the neighbors don't call the rangers on us!”

“The Stone Door to Alum Gap campsite is where I did my first overnight Bping trip 3 years ago. My old neighbor and I left late in the pm and didn't get to the campground till after 9! Sunset was at about 8 (May). As long as you don't run into the ranger at the Parking lot stikmon, you will be fine”

“without looking up the archives...I believe it is Norway Maple with an oriental flower motife.

tell your dad...that the name Stikmon Walking and Hiking Stiks is copy righted and trademarked, and so are the 2 artists logos...I've copy writed a couple of patterns too...so watch out all you people out there for FAKE Stikmon Hiking Stiks...settle for none other than the original. And I'll chew off the legs of any imposters out there...

Seriously...tell him to have fun. I'll be back in the carving chair in June of 2004. I might go to a craft fair out in Va this fall too. I need some money to put towards my new H2 that I want. The liscence will be StiksRus”

“Stikmon - which craft fair in Va? I'm originally from up that way. You might check into some of the fairs in KY, too. They were very popular and well attended. There was a good one at the Shaker Village and another good one in Berea. The Berea craft fair is especially popular - lots of really talented craftsmen (and women) there.

Dayhiker - can you e-mail the current skinny on this trip? I would love to filter through the 130 posts here but, well...you know. Looks like another TT shindig brewing. Should be fun. Getting close to officially changing my "status" to "yes."”

“MM - check out the update on the trips page, it has all the info.


stikmon - what type of wood is the stik made from?”

“MM - I'll email tommorrow, I'm off to an all day meeting. I dropped in to work for 4 hrs until my 8am meeting. I had a spare second while everything was printing out and gave a short answer.”

“I received my maps last Friday. Friday's hike looks to be SWEET!”

“NORWAY MAPLE!!! sheeshhh....covering the same old ground here dude.

Walkindude...can we meet at the same place as before. I have my maps, I'll call you prior to this event...I think I pulled in and set up camp, partied that night, then dealt with the rangers in the morning...then headed out to the
Stone Door...stopping off to take that really great photo on the edge with PackRat (above the gulf)...that photo is still one of my favorites...

It don't make much matter to me...I'll be gettin in late and deal with the rangers in the AM.”

“Dayhiker -

If the "So What's The Plan" thread is correct don't worry about e-mailing me, unless you just want to. Thanks.”

“I'm thinking of taking off Friday and Monday. My starting place Friday morning would be the Savage Ranger station. I'll hike the South Rim to the Collins Trail and meet yall at Collins West.

Are yall planning to hike the Collins West or East Trail on Saturday?”

“Look at the main trip plan on the trips page. It says update followed by a date followed by the start/stop points each day with mileage as well as when and where to meet.”

“After a year I'm allowed to forget the name of the wood. It was in the contract.

Thanks for passing it on. I'm getting some wear on top where my hand goes and also at the bottom of the shaft....of the hiking stick you pervs. Should I touch it up with a clear coat or am I likely to get a lumpy finish by just doing parts of it?”

“I keep watching this trip. I am thinking about going. I've been looking for a map of the trail on the internet and think I've found one.
http://www.foottrails.com/areas/parkdefault.cfm?selectedPark=Savage%20Gulf%20Recreation%20Area&selectedID=7&Rselected=TrailMap
If this is not it then could someone direct me to a trail map??
Thank you.”

“That's a map of the east side of the park. I didn't see a link there for the west side, which is where we'll be starting. Unfortunately, I also don't know of an online resource for that map.”

“Once upon a time I found the same map that they mail out. The best thing to do is just get them to mail you a free one.”

“I'm already getting pumped up about this trip. It's gonna ROCK!!! and be PIMP!!!
(I think I might be reading to much CMB) ;)”

“I'm excited as well. My one big concern is weather. I haven't hiked outside of Alabama in January and this one has the potential to get outside my experience threshold. If it was 34* and raining it would suck.”

“If it is 34* and raining I will not think it will be quite as PIMP!!! or ROCK!!! ;)
I'll probably be at home under my covers, ha ha.”

“StoveStomper, it will be good to finally meet you! Dayhiker, cold weather just makes it that much more fun:-) Plus, it cant suck with all the tt'ers going!”

“I guess what I'm getting at is when do most folks in the SE decide it's too much trouble. It seems to me that as long as the low is over 10* I'll be fine, with the exception of 34* and raining. I would think 20* and snowing is much, much better.

embear, you'll have to excuse SS and I discussing this ad nauseum, you see, we're both engineers and can't help it. It's a character/personality flaw.”

“embear, I look forward to meeting my adopted TT daughter too.
We must band together to fight that evil that is yam/Ewker! ;)”

“Yea, that dayhiker is too dang anal! Dang picky engineers!”

“Do I sense a coalition developing. Is this going to devolve into a vote off the island sorta thing? I thought yam and em were galpals (in the buddies hanging out sense of the phrase)”

“I tend to worry about these type of details much more when my handle is the one listed as the originator of the trip. If I was along for the ride I wouldn't worry about it and wouldn't feel any obligation about bailing if the weather didn't work for me.”

“dayhiker~~
yeah, embear is ok. i only tolerate her because she's shorter than me and makes me feel tall.
(and stovie, ewker and I will definately prevail in a fight against you!!)”

“dayhiker - Sucks being trip leader, you can't bail you wussy! ;)”