Sipsey 07 - Parker and Quillen

“Chili, goto target and buy the polypro base layers(long johns)in the womens or men's sportingwear/underwear section--they are pretty good for several uses, and less than $10 bucks

they also have flat seam, no tag, polyester wicking t-shirts, and wind pants in the same section.

there hiking socks would do her good also, i use them for my trail runners.

no excuse now chili..goto target!”

“Fri Mar 2 Mostly Sunny 63°/38° 10%

Sat Mar 3 Partly Cloudy 60°/34° 10%

Sun Mar 4 Sunny 58°/33° 10%


Looking GREAT!!!!!!!!! Woo Hoo!!!!!!”

“That is looking good. I'm getting excited about this one. I need to figure out what I'm taking for food and will then be pretty much ready.”

“So busy working on the house, I have not even started packing yet.
I need this trip.”

“Ditto SS...need an outdoor fix in a bad way.

Still no takers for Thursday night at Brushy?
last edited: 2/26/07 10:18:37 AM”

“I brought the Thur thing up very cautiously last night. It didn't go over well.”

“dayhiker - here are my directions from Quillen '06 thread:

directions from Chattanooga
1.) get on I24 headed toward Nashville
2.) get on US 72 at South Pittsburg heading south / west
3.) when getting close to Huntsville 72 runs into I565 - take that all the way until it turns back into 72
4.) go over the bridge into Decatur and follow US 31 briefly heading south
5.) look for Moulton St. after a few blocks and turn right
6.) keep going straight - street turns into AL 24
7.) just north of Moulton pick up AL 33 heading south through Moulton
8.) at the corner of AL 33 and AL 36 is the Black Warrior Trading Post (or some such name) stop here for maps of the Sipsey WA if you don't already have one
9.) keep heading south on 33 ignoring distracting signs for the Sipsey until you reach one at County Rt 6 heading west (sign may say something about a picnic area ? ) this is Cranal Rd.
10.) take Cranal Rd. until it T's into another road (its a dirt road by this point IIRC) - Google has this as CR 3434 but its better know as Kinlock Rd.
11.) take Kinlock Rd. north until it T's into another road (Google calls it Highway 92 but good luck finding a sign other than possibly a FS sign pointing to Thompson Trailhead) go right a short ways then pick up Northwest Rd. (FS something or other can't remember the number without my maps) and bear right heading east heading toward the Thompson trailhead - look for cars parked near a sharp turn in the road - thats where the trailhead for Quillen (no sign) - check the old Quillen thread - I think there might be some coords for the trailhead as well as pictures”

“Thanks. I'll forward them on to longlost. I wasn't sure if 33 was the way to go or if going north of the wilderness was better to Thompson.”

“BAMA would have the directions from north of the wilderness but every time I try it I end up ahhhh "confused"”

“In that case, I'll pass along these.”

“Also, what day are you showing up for this one?”

“probably Friday early PM but I might shoot for Thursday just to get the "best" hammock site ;-)”

“Yep!
Don't need any more Sipsey trees to fall over while you are in the hammock attached to them. ;-)”

“Thanks for the directions! Holy Crap! I always knew Alabama was backwards but that's just ridiculous. Sounds like it'd be easier to parachute in.”

“i always drive around the park instead of trying in from the top...

I tried coming in from the opposite direction once...that was a mistake”

“I have heard rumors of a Northwest Passage to Sipsey. Those who have reached its outskirts have talked of a land rife with bloodthirsty cannibals who dress in crimson and worship a long-deceased bear. Recent reports tell of a new god whose likeness now adorns their hovels. They call him SA-BAN and it is said that drunken women hurl themselves at him in an orgiastic frenzy. Some speculate that this SA-BAN is no god at all, but will be as Cortés was to the Aztecs, taking all their gold and leaving them in ruin. Primitive polytheistic cultures such as these are typically hostile to outsiders but I am confident that a Northwest Passage does exist and will be found. Like the great Henry Hudson before me (though hopefully with better results), I will seek out this Northwest Passage opening up a new era of Sipsey backpacking to the civilized mid-South.
last edited: 2/27/07 12:04:49 AM”

“BWAHAHAHAHA.....I hope they all get smallpox!!!
As my great people from the plains to the east cry...."WAR EAGLE!!!"”

“Just so long as the TN hillbilly doesn't do as so many of his forebears before him and seek out the windward passage we should all be ok. Welcome to God's Country.”

“As a former Decatur resident (now live in Somerville) I would not recommend driving thru Decatur.

My recommendation would be to take I565 to I65 South. Go South on I65 to Hwy 36 in Hartselle. Turn Rt (West) on 36 and continue to Wren on 36. At Lamar Marshal's Black Warrior Trading Post is the Hwy 33 junction.

This puts you at #8 on Hog on Ice's directions above.

After stopping at Lamar's to buy maps and old copies of the Bankhead Monitor, proceed to follow Hog on Ice directions beginning at #9.”

“I may try the alternative route JS mentioned this time around - my only concern is the fairly long distance on 36 which is only a two lane road I think vs the four lane 24 which is very nice to drive. The drive through Decatur has not been a problem for me but I could see that it could if you hit it at a rush hour.”

“Either way you'll get there, but the drive through the northeastern edge of Decatur isn't too bad. That's the way I go and I live just east of Huntsville on hwy 72.”

“I used to do the Hwy 24 thing. Then I started taking advantage of the I65 interstate speed and the low volume traffic on 36. Of course, as a Somerville resident, I'm just about 10 minutes from hwy 36 now.

Have fun. I was on Parker branch this weekend. Hiked from Parker to Hubbard. Now that is rough stretch of trail.”

“That's pretty much what we'll be doing. We're going to camp about there Riddle flows into Quillen so Sat we'll hike to Hubbard and then up to Parker. It should be dang rough, but hopefully pretty. I have never been upstream of Hubbard from the Quillen/Hubbard intersection.”

“Fri Mar 2 Partly Cloudy 64°/38° 10%

Sat Mar 3 Partly Cloudy 57°/30° 10%

Sun Mar 4 Sunny 56°/31° 10%


Still looking GREAT!
Looks like I will be up Friday afternoon now.”

“Wow, shorts weather. I've finally learned my lesson with shorts and offtrail trips. I think I'll actually wear long pants. I know this is a shocker, but so be it.”

“Thur is calling for thunderstorms.
Not a good idea to be in the Sipsey with high winds and all those dead trees.”

“Hopefully they will roll through early Thursday morning ;)”

“The creeks will be PRETTY!!!!!!!!!!!”

“Travelling upstream from the Hubbard/Parker confluence is rough until you get to the cascades. From there to the Parker Falls the travelling is much easier. Prior to the cascades, blowdowns and bluffs force you change creek banks quite often.

Parker Falls was a very, very, very, popular place on Saturday. In the short amount of time I spent there, I counted about 20 people.”

“20 people at an offtrail location? Wow, I'd have never guessed.”

“dh - Parker Falls is very much "on trail" coming in from the west side...15-20 minutes from the car.”

“toph is correct.

It's practically a boulevard from the pulloff on cty rd 3434 to Parker Falls. Previous GPS track shows it to be about .7 miles of easy walking before dropping into the canyon. Short and easy trails invite church groups, boy scouts, and lots of day hikers (such as me).
http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/2016879650039370541nnsQLI”

“Thanks for the map.

Looks like I'm set on food.
Fri: grilled sausage on tortialla. Smordita for dessert.

Sat: Bacon and pancakes for breakfast, some sort of tortialla sandwich for lunch, and fajitas for supper. Probably more smordita's for dessert.”

“I'm baking a cake Sat night.
.....and it's all for me...only me.....”

“uh...stands with hands on hips...bottom lip protruding....”

“I thought about doing one of those too SS. I'm not hiking the dutch oven in this time.”

“Can't have pouty NurseGoodbodies. I will share with her. ;-)


I'm going to use Jimmy san's steam baking in a pot method.
last edited: 2/28/07 11:26:48 AM”

“awwww..you are a sweetie SS...

Now I just have to get there...hmmmm...
last edited: 2/28/07 11:27:55 AM”

“Uhm, directions are on the trip page.”

“don't know that I'll make it in by saturday night. The scouts trip may take us late into th enight sat. If I ain't there late sat. I'll see ya'll sometime on sunday. Coming in from the north is by far the closest if your coming in that way. I once posted a turn by turn for Chili, but the search won't go back that far in the archives. If anyone needs it I can do another one.

BAMA”

“I wish I was going on this trip, but I can't make it. I have been having health problems and am now waiting on a diagnosis for the stomach pains I have had for 6 weeks now. I will have exploratory surgery next Wed. After Thursday's rains ya'll should have some good weather and plenty of water at all the falls. Have a great trip and I'll catch ya'll next time.”

“Wow, sorry to hear that karo. Prayers for you and your family.

bama - I supsect that we'll hike out Sun, drive over to Thompson and show longlost the big tree. I should be in the green ranger. I haven't been driving it much, so if it acts up I'd be in a silver camry. Both with 59 plates. Longlost is in a black maxima with tn plates and a big ole ugly power t on the front bumper. We'll go the WOH route.”

“dont' know if you'll be able to tell what i'm driving.."the tag says OPIE and it's got dice on the mirror..yo' holmes to bel aire!!"


err...has a TT sticker and tag says OPIE...lmao”

“I can't wait! I haven't been to the sipsey in forever!!!”

“Might want to keep an eye out for my old green Saturn. I've been known to get lost in WalMart parking lot..! See ya'll tomorrow.
last edited: 3/01/07 7:40:19 AM”

“I'm dropping out due to a cold bug of some sort”

“The main reason for me listing the vehicles was in case bama comes in Sun morning and we're alredy over at Thompson.

See yall in the morning.”

“Hope you get to feeling better.

I may be up in your neck of the woods next week. I have to go to Norfolk and then Christianburg, VA for site visits. It looks like a long day. Fly BHM to Norfolk, drive to Christianburg then Roanoke and fly ROA to BHM.”

“Heal well my friends.....
We will miss you around the fire.”

“For some reason I keeping wanting to bring my 7 year old on this one. I'm not going to do it, but now that the trip is here I find myself wanting to.”