OPIE and Miss Opie's Sipsey trip

“We just got home from a two nighter in the Sipsey. It was a great weekend spent with my sweetie! ;) I'll get around later with a trip report and pictures.”

“dayhiker we are prepared for your bushwacking trip!”

“hummm - all scratched up and ready to go huh”

“We started hiking in around 4pm Friday night so we were only able to hike in around an hour of daylight. We bushwacked our way in through the dark, actually I just followed OPIE because I would have gotten lost out there, until we finally came to our campsite around 6:30. It was a nice flat campsite with a creek running through and a nice relaxing waterfall. Randy set up the tent while I went and looked for firewood. Brrrr.. it was getting cold! After he got the tent set up we started a fire and then cooked the Allegheny Alfredo enertia meal. The alfredo was really good, I loved the parmesan cheese sauce! Definately a plus on the enertia meal list! After our meal we sat around the campfire and talked while we enjoyed Dub's hot chocolate recipe... lots of Bailey's Irish Cream!! It relaxed us and then we decided to go to bed.

We slept late Saturday morning because we had just planned on dayhiking and leaving our tent set up. It was nice sleeping late and not having anyone to disturb us! We woke up and started a fire and cooked blueberry pancakes and bacon. We then got our day pack ready and started off on our dayhike. We just sort of explored the area looking at a really nice waterfall that was split in three levels. There were also icesicles hanging from the wall of the canyon, just to show how cold it was the night before!! We hiked some more until we came to a box canyon, I believe it was part of the white oak hollow. We climbed on some of the rocks and had a snack and then decided it was time to head back to camp. We didn't want to find our way back in the dark again.

I had a headache when we got back to camp so I layed down and took a nap while Randy looked for firewood. He found some great cedar firestarter wood that kept us really warm! After my nap we cooked lunch/dinner. We had planned on eating turkey and stuffing for dinner but since we slept late and had a late breakfast we decided our lunch would be our dinner too. We cooked the new jack link hamburger meat and made soft taco's. I thought the meat was great... it was easy to cook and made great taco's. I agree it does taste like taco bell meat, but I'm a taco bell fanatic so it was right up my alley!

Both nights were clear and pretty, lots of stars and the quarter moon was bright. It was nice sitting around the campfire talking and drinking our hot chocolate. It was definately relaxing!

When we layed down to go to sleep last night we both heard sounds of the night life. Randy heard coyotes and I heard a bob cat squeal during the middle of the night. We also heard what sounded like a big woodpecker Saturday morning.

We woke up early this morning so we could pack our gear up and head out. It only took us an hour to hike out compared to the 2 1/2 hours it took to hike it.

It really was a great weekend.. I had a ton of fun! I love the sipsey! Despite the cold we still stayed warm and it was great just being in each other's company!

I'll post pics tomorrow unless Randy beats me to it tonight. I'm about to go to bed, I'm wore out!”

“Nice TR Miss Opie! Taco's for Turkey day! LOL, you guys are going to start a new tradition.”

“It sounded like a very well earned brake!

Good trip report.

8)”

“I can eat mexican food every day! That is why I'm going to marry one!”

“Thanks for the nice report.”

“Thanks for the trip report.....and I agree..Sipsey is wonderful.....food sounded great.....and doesn't good company make the trip great???...where did you begin your hike???”

“Thanks for the report. Sounds like a good time !”

“So where did yall camp?”

“Got to the trailhead late, and worried about running out of gas...i kinda forgot to stop beforehand!..lol We met some dayhikers as we were unloading the truck and one said i hope your within an hour of camp...i stated we had about 1.5 hours to go, and would be fine. We wrapped our packs with HUNTER BLAZE ORANGE and set off from the Thompson Creek Trailhead and followed the left side of White Oak Hollow...then crossed the creek and headed up the hollow, missing the trail for the first half because i tried to go up the left side...we crossed over and found the trail around dark...and booked it up to the top of the ridge where it deadends into old 205 (i think..old logging road fullllll of blowdowns)
It's now full dark, and the GEKO is being ornery...not wanting to give me a compass bearing unless i'm moving..and then sticking on a heading and staying the same even though i did a 180 turn...my regular compass fell out of my top pocket in the car..so i was stuck without my backup..real bonehead move. But i knew if we kept at a perpendicular to the ridge top trail...and followed the ridge to a point keeping the valleys on both sides of us until the last moment and then going down the right side one we'd come out right at the creekside campsite.

Sure enough..i told michelle to stop and listen and we could hear the waterfall a short distance ahead. I scouted the site out, and was sure we were in the right location..but i couldn't find the firering...i knew it was around here somewhere...it was covered in leaves!! We set up the Tent...and broke out the food...had problems getting the fire started au natural..but hey..that's what white gas is for right?

We sat around the fire bragging about how easy we found our way in and set up in the dark...a full 1.4 miles from the truck...lol We both had our blue thingy's and thermarest under our bags (marmot angelfire, and western mountaineering apache MF) We made bets to what time we would wake up and have to pee when it was most likely coldest and darkert.
We slept till 11 the next day relaxing at the lack of snoring, and early risers! *grin* We then packed my daypack and bushwacked south along the cliff rim 2 valleys over to a 3 tier waterfall and hopped our way down it to the bottom of WEST BEE BRANCH Canyon. We then crossed the creek and started to bushwack till we happened upon a ghost trail...i didn't know any real trails existed in this canyon..so we followed it until it deadended at a decent sized campsite with well established firering and easy asses to water at a crook in the creek.
we then headed down the box canyon along some pretty big chunks of rocks (ie f'ing huge boulders and big time rock faces...put the rocks around shiprock to shame) Lots of falls in this area..and it was real easy to follow the bluffline and/or creek...but west bee branch canyon is bigger and longer than east bee branch...so we turned around and hiked back to camp.

I then went around collecting wood to make a fire seen from space!! I found 2 cedar lighter stumps about 3 feet high, and draged them into camp and split and broke them up to use for starter and heat. I left a good size stack of wood and most of the lighter..so if you use this campsite..DON"T THROW THE ENTIRE LOG OF LIGHTER IN THE FIRE..break off what you need..this stuff should last months and months of use...if it's gone i'm kicking someones @$$!!!...lol


We headed out the next day and saw noone on the trail ...we found out that the trail up white oak hollow is actually on the other side of the creek and goes directly up that side trail to the ridge...d'oh I talked with the new young...and hot..but not as hot as miss opie (does that save my tail?) and told her the trail conditions, saw noone...told her about our problems with Chris Gaines and getting approval for our last maint. trip..she was at awe of this. I told her about TT..and gave her my e-mail addy (wink) Told her we had some other trips and maint. trips planned and would not run them through the FS...but would send them an e-mail afterwards...lol..She said that's fine with her, screw the FS...We then went home through double springs, cause i think Miss opie would have had to walk 5-6 miles to the Black Warrior Trading Post for Gas...and the cheveron was closer!”

“cool trip opie!”

“Awesome trip report. I'm glad you guys enjoyed the spiked hot chocolate...it really does help one sleep in the wilderness.”

“OPIE,
what happened when you hit 205? It doesn't sound like you were able to find where the trail continues and had to bushwhack. It sounds like you weren't able to use my directions after you hit 205. I'll show you on the March trip and we'll go in daylight this time.”

“its good to know that you thought that girl was hot, no wonder you were asking for her email addy... you are in trouble now mister!”

“i went both directions from the orange flag at the top of the White Oak hollow trail..and looked for signs of a trail/logs, branches across the trail...that entire trail up there is covered in logs/brances dood!!! I even searched all around the campsite looking for the trail on that end..and didn't see anything...we ending up hiking to the ridge straight from the site and back it...real easy.”

“I'll show you in March. We'll probably take a group of out of towners to the big tree and that's the quickest way to get there. Sorry my directions didn't work out. It's one of those things that's hard to find, but once you know where it is you wonder what the big deal was.”

“Great trip reports from both of you! Thanks.

OPIE - Which Garmin Geko do you have? I thought the 301 had a fluxgate compass built into it. I know the 101 and 201 models use calculations of were you have been to determine direction and speed. That's why you would have to be moving to get direction.
Maybe if you have the 301, that feature wasn't turned on?”

“Nice report, thanks.”

“glad you both had a wonderful hike!”

“Nice report! thanks.”

“That campsite is my favorite. Thank goodness there isn't a trail to it.”

“it's the geko 301...i thought it had the thingamabob compass too..i'm still fiddling with it..it had a hard time grabbing sats also..even with no leaves, but still tons of tall trees and some ridges....some of my "routes" look like broken glass fractures instead of paths...from where the sats would fade out and it would try to guess....not real impressed at this time...maybe something with a 2 foot antennea would be nice”

“Dang, OPIE, you got the high dollar Geko too. You would think it would do better up on the ridgetops like you guys were on.

My Garmin eTrex bottom of the line does a good job. I used it going crosscountry in the Sipsey a couple of months agos.”

“we were only on that ridge for a little bit..most of the time was in a creek valley between two ridges white oak hollow, and the box canyon”

“OPIE - The Geko, like the eTrex, has the antenna face on the front of the unit rather than the top. I get best results by holding my eTrex flat rather than pointing up. This might be part of your problem.”

“nope..held it flat..cause all the idiot lights flash HOLD FLAT*blink*HOLD FLAT*”

“I'm still waiting on pics. Are you able to actually post the pics you took on this trip?”

“yea i got them up on the comp...i just gotta get another webshots account..lol..and i'm too lazy to load start uploading them...tonight...promise!”

“It was too cold to truly be "in nature".

I wound up not getting to go to the Kinlock Rock Shelter. I pulled up to the pullout and (3) big 4x4 pickups were there. I decided not to mess with anyones hunting site and just goofed off over at the beginning of 209. This was the 2nd time to take my dad who is 62. He's had a stroke so we limit it to low mileage. As much as he enjoyed the 1/2 mile to Borden I wish we could've crossed Borden to Fall Ck Falls and showed him some real scenery.

On the 4th year before last I took him to the Big Tree by way of White Oak Hollow. I cautioned him to wait until Dec when it'd be cooler. I also advised taking lots of food, he's diabetic, and to plan on 1mph. He didn't believe me and I almost had to carry him out. It was a good thing I took half a dozen apples and bananas. I wish I could talk him into going back to Bee Branch in the winter after working up to the trip. I believe that July morning made a believer out of him about taking more that you think you'll need and listening to someone who's been there a dozen times, even if it's your punk son.”

“'The Missing': Opie's western opus”

“geo..you lost me on that one bud. Dayhiker..we heard one gunshot the whole time and that was sunday at 11:30 and very far away. We saw plenty of trucks parked on the side of the road though! I've got a dry hacking cough right now..feel great..just guess that cold got into my chest...i'm gonna repack my gear and see how i feel for the pinhoti”

“Ron Howard's current movie in theaters is a Western drama called "The Missing"...”

“I'm in the same shape OPIE. I'm taking over the counter stuff like crazy. There is a 20% chance of rain that has me concerned. I can do cold, but not cold and rain while sick.

Keep in mind that this terrain is pretty tame.”

“yea...i'm watching the temp..i'd like to carry my hammock..don't like carrying the ZEN for only one..but i will if the temps are lower...coedine is niiiioce”

“That was the headline in Slate, Opie. I figured you knew.”

“Sounds like a perfect outing.. thanks for your posting!!..”

“I'll get the pics posted sometime tonight, I just have to get them uploaded to webshots. There were alot of blowdowns so there are alot of limbs and trees in the way of the pictures. I'm going to take a nap because I'm also drugged up on codeine, but I'll be back on tonight with the pictures... promise! ;)”

“I'm trying to upload the pic's but I'm having computer problems. I keep losing my connection for some reason, I have DSL, and it is preventing me from uploading them. I have been on hold with tech support for 25 minutes now! Grrrrrr!!!”

“LOL...oh my ...look...someone else who growls...LOL....”

“yeah and i'm about to growl some more, i just sat on hold for 40 minutes for them to tell me to unplug my modem and then plug it back up. i'm not even a tech support person and i know that is not going to do the job. then she tells me if it continues to do it just call your local company. must be nice to get paid to do nothing!

anyway back to the pics, let me try again!”

“GRRRRRR”

“#&*$#! its doing it again!”

“You can't say that in here!!!”

“woo hoo! finally as i promised!

Randy and Chelle's Sipsey trip

here's our weekend at the sipsey. i haven't edited them yet or named them but at least you get to see them!”

“Looks like Ya'll had a great trip. If that 3 tierd Waterfall is the one I am thinking it is on west bee, there is a nut milling stone on the bottom tier to the left.

BAMA”

“GREAT pics.....I do love Sipsey.....I am looking forward to spring when all the flowers are in bloom!!!”

“I wish I would have known about the milling stone! Can we rent you one weekend as a tour guide to show us some of the neat indian artifacts? I would love to explore the area. That is basically what we did Saturday, we just took our time looking around, yet we still didn't find the hidden secret!”

“Your on the right track. That is the best way to explore Sipsey. Get off trail and look around. When you do see the Big Secret you will say wow how has this remained hidden for so long. Bankhead is full of secrets. Last spring I saw a 100' plus waterfall that I didn't know existed. Shoot me your e-mail and i'll give Ya'll the cord. to play with on your new gps. Just the 100+ waterfall though, Opie still has too much boot leather left to find the big secret. You may have to give me a few days, I have been really busy lately, I still haven't posted the pics from our sw vacation yet.

BAMA”