Fall '07 Sipsey Bushwhack

“Don't bet on no campfire. LOL
It rained cats and dogs here yesterday. Maybe some of that rain will get to Sipsey.”

“I REALLY rained alot here yesterday!!!!!!....I'll ask Sarah if they got rain near Hartselle last eve....”

“Well...I am out of here.....ya'll have a great eve...will check in again tomorrow.....”

“There will be a campfire.”

“wasn't lost, i knew the direction and area...just took the wrong draw.

and at least me getting us "lost" cost us nothing but time.

chelle's lost..cost more.


*ducks and runs*”

“Look for me to walk in Friday a.m....”

“I'll get in Thursday evening (tomorrow night)and do a little trail Maintenance on Friday early.......got a one man crosscut saw and a rake.....heck it's only a mile in.....See whoever shows up when ya get there!”

“by the time we get there it'll be paved...it's already lit up right?

pop some smoke when we are inbound”

“Thursdat Morning : Approx 5am headed out the door. Raining like a bat out a..........here in Virginia. This being my first time at Sipsey, I am looking forward in this adventure.”

“ok....I'm up & packed...all I have to do is load my car & head North.....
...I'll be coming in Fri afternoon....(Phantom of the Opera tonight...wooo hoooo!!!!!)...Looking forward to this trip...it's been awhile.....see ya'll Friday!!!”

“SS - I was one of hte ones early that said, "I'll be there, I'll help you with your pack." Now I've bailed. As you know it's because of the move, being out of town and a Cub Scout campout. Just wanted you to know I remember my promise and I do feel bad that I didn't live up to it. I'm so glad you're going on this trip and getting out again.


This group appears to be shaping up as a really good, well, group. Yall have fun.”

“Don't worry a bit about it, John.”

“Thanks. As this trip has gotte close it's been on my mind.”

“I decided that I really need to be honest with myself last night. I'm not ready for this trip yet, physically.
I'm too hardheaded to accept help from y'all, even if I know y'all would, with joy.
I'm fixated with making my first trip under my own power, without anyone else carrying my stuff. Vain of me, I know.

I very deeply appreciate all the offers of help. I WILL be hiking with y'all soon.”

“Time to remind anyone who's on the edge....we will be doing this trip, and you are all welcome to join us on it.....for those of you who are definate "N0's" we'll miss you and talk about you all behind your backs......WHAT we'll say depends and how you've been the last year...we're makin up the TT list for Santa on this trip.”

“I know I can't make it tonite, (Thur) but I will try to get down there on Friday before dark. I will have to leave on Sat tho, I was just "told" that we are having a family pic made on Sunday. Don't ya love it?
last edited: 10/25/07 1:20:46 PM”

“You will be missed!”

“Looks like The Trail Gnomes are hittin' us up again.”

“ohh, there will be gnomes”

“What about a viking helment?”

“BTW, where's Eugene, maybe I should pay him a visit!”

“SS I am planning on coming in sometime late sat early sun, I was planning on coming in to carry your stuff out. I will work till at least midnight sat night so I'll be really late. Come on up we'll get you there and back. Ya'll want wild hog for breakfast Sunday morning? If so I'll see what I can do.

BAMA”

“bama, hope to see you friend.

We'll be in with a friend around 5ish on friday...we'll take ya in”

“Bout to hit the road and should be in camp around 11-ish...see ya'll there!”

“OK ever buddy! Get reddy for the GOOOOOOOOOD TIMES!

We sleept at a verry good bed room lats nite at Cool Man (in Abalama). It was a good theeng to be cuz at supper brake at werk yetserday me and my hubsand Gissmaeioux done hops and runs and ressels for exensize and we was verry tired and sleepy. But we are verry retsed and reddy to WALK IN THE WOODS! WOO WOO!

We will be ther in a minit when we leev the liberry at Cool Man.

It will be fun to see Miss Aimey Gee and to get Klteen a ressel up bwt - BOL!”

“I can't wait to finally meet ya!”

“Waiting on reports.”

“16 showed...
Toph
Down Booties (HOI named her - Tophs GF...)
Divinity
Refrigerator
Hog on Ice
Precision
Opie
Ms Opie
Ms. Sipsey Wilderness Mystery
SuperTroll
Karo
Gojo
Sarabelle
Giz
Bama
Ala

I'm prolly the first home, many drove long distance or had other plans this afternoon.

I'll work up some details in a minute or two.
last edited: 10/28/07 3:58:58 PM”

“You forgot one....Sipsey!”

“I had a great time and enjoyed everyone's company very much. I think I made a new friend with Gissmaeioux. He fell asleep on my lap Sat night. Precision, I apologize, I forgot to say goodby to ya, I knew I was forgetting someone. I did say farewell on Sat. in case I wasn't staying Sat night. Thanks to Fridge for talking me into staying. Fridge I really enjoyed yours and gojo's entertainment Sat. night. And esp. glad I stayed so I could finally meet Ala and Bama. That was a awesome that you fixed me breakfast so I could leave early. I got to church on time so I could be a good boy and the family pics should turn out fine. Only the staff got their pics made, so it was important for me to be in this one. My daughter has my camera, so I will post my pics asap.”

“Ms. Sipsey Wilderness Mystery is her full name, Karo...
last edited: 10/28/07 4:29:41 PM”

“sorry, I forgot, it was great to finally hike or at least camp with you also, ST. The stories were great and don't worry about any pics.”

“Time caught up with me last night, had to pack for a flight to Washington DC....back late Wed/early Thursday....

Dayhiker, the bushwacking/fire dancing/singing/Beer run/Breakfast from Bama and son was all typical of TT Bushwacks,no injuries, many memories, I'll let the others chime in with the details, I'm headed to the Airport.....

Thanks folks, I REALLY needed the decompression time.......”

“got home late last night - another good trip to the Sipsey (well actually Bankhead NF but ya'll know what I mean)”

“' made it back safe . . . pics of headstones'll be up later.”

“Glad to hear you guys made it safely home. Had a great time myself and got some much needed mental refueling. Thanks ST for taking up the campsite grounds manager torch and running with it and to Bama for a wonderful breakfast Sunday. Both were much appreciated. When someone will haul what had to have been 20-30 lbs of food and cooking equipment in at 4:30 on a Sunday morning and then prepare that sort of meal for some folks he hasn't even met asking for nothing in return, that's when the meaning of "good people" really comes to mind. Can't forget karo and OPIE making the "Jasper Run"...cheers to that as well. It was very nice meeting many of you for the 1st time and am anxiously looking forward to the next one. I'll have a few pics up momentarily...

-toph”

“They made a beer run to Jasper? Wow, that's about 1 hr one way.”

“Pics are up:

Toph's Trips

I believe they were gone about 2 to 2.5 hours including the hike in and out.”

“Photo 7 is really nice.


Shame you had to miss MSU's win.”

“Thanks.

I Tivo'd the game ;)
last edited: 10/29/07 7:35:31 AM”

“I got stopped by a ranger on the way out at the intersection of 2 and 33....

he informed me that it was a dry county, and he wanted to search the back of my vehicle...so i obliged...being that this was the END of a TT trip.....i knew there was no booze to be found.

report to follow.”

“Is he allowed to do that?”

“PS, where is 2? You said intersection of 2 and 33. Not sure where that is.”

“its a few miles closer to Double Springs than the intersection of 6/60 (aka Cranal Rd.) and 33 ie right here: http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?lat=34.21049&lon=-87.38011&datum=nad27&u=4&layer=DRG25&size=l&s=50
last edited: 10/29/07 10:10:43 AM”

“Kind of makes me wonder if maybe they knew we had a group out there. That would normally seem far fetched, but the Savage Gulf rangers dang sure knew about us on that trip.”

“well it did get a bit loud Saturday night and there were hunters out (coon ?) and I think Opie might have used his car for the beer run and just general profiling of a younger person and out of state driver and there was an obvious group of cars at the trailhead and ... - there are other possibilities as to why Opie and not others”

“I had a blinker go out on the trip up, and I used a right turn hand signal at the stop sign. The Ranger claims he stopped me due to my tail light being out. (tail light/blinker same bulb)
As he approached my truck he saw the trash that i had collected from the parking lot and trail out in the bed of my truck. (couple of crushed soda cans, paper cups, and one uncrushed beer can) So i assume he was using that as probable cause. I had nothing to hide so i was kewl with it, and he was very courteous, and asked questions about the water levels along Caney Creek.”

“... - there are other possibilities as to why Opie and not others”
Hawg Of The Baskervilles

Obvious reason is the ranger wanted a better look at OPIE's passenger. ;-)”

“Good deal, Opie, I just didn't know when they could and couldn't pull you over.”