Fall '07 Sipsey Bushwhack

“A little early for formal planning but wanted to go ahead and get this on everyone's radar. Specific location suggestions for exploration are welcome...”

“Any way we can go through the Sips to the forest falls we hiked to? That'd be an awesome area to camp in. I'd maybe even come up and help scout out an area to set up in.”

“That's pretty far removed from the official wilderness area (it's in the national forest) but I'll look at my maps when I get home and see what we might be able to do for an extended trip.”

“I'm in, where ever.”

“O.K.
I'm gonna get out my map too and take a look.

Maybe another place like the forest one somewhere in the wilderness.....”

“I'll put myself down as a maybe. Our move in date for the house we're building is around Oct 1 and we're heading out of town for a conference something like 10/13-18. It'll be a stretch for me to make it, but we'll see.”

“Pick a BLOWDOWN Free zone....PLEEEEEZE?!!!”

“Where's your sense of adventure?”

“dh - The dates are somewhat flexible for me and could be pushed up or back 1 week if that helps.”

“I wouldn't ask that because for every one that wants it one way there is someone else that it impacts. It's much better for you to pick a date, say here's my trip, come along if you can. Otherwise you're going to have 30 people pulling you in different directions and wearing your butt out. Maybe I should have rephrased that? Depending on what you come up with I might just hike in and spend a single night and have my son in tow. He'll be getting close to 8 by then.”

“I understand what you're saying, even gave the same advice to ST about his canoe trip that apparently isn't going to happen ;) It's early enough that I wouldn't mind swapping it if it helped.”

“The other reason I wouldn't want to ask is it's quite possible scooting a week or 2 would still be an issue. We wind up scooting my daughters b'day party back early in the month of Nov because her actual d'day is around Thanksgiving. The holiday stuff gets in the way so we just move it back. If you moved it back a week it wouldn't change my chances much. I don't want to be "that guy." That SOB got the trip moved just for him and STILL didn't make it. You know, that guy.

On a side note, when she was born we had Thanksgiving dinner in St. Vincents hospital. We opted for Jim'N'Nix bbq. Too bad we couldn't drink a beer with the meal.”

“Woo Hoo my schedule and this trip mesh. The date picked is perfect for me but, don't keep it there just for me if you want to pick another date.

What Dayhiker said.
last edited: 3/29/07 8:20:04 AM”

“I'll be there for sure, nothing else to do!”

“I am terrible at planning things this far ahead but so far so good on my radar.....Speaking of planning ahead.....Is anyon intrested in a dayhike Good Friday from Thompson Creek TH to the Tree? I need to stretch my legs and I heard it might be cooler.....I plan one leaving from there about 7am....if intrested just email me at dreamfaster@aol.com........I tryed to join this trip as a maybe but all I see is join trip so I am gonna just hit it I guess....Sorry I am newwwwww.”

“Im down! Sounds like fun!”

“should we call S&R prior to us hitting the trailhead...or just wait again till afterwards?”

“Hopefully neither. Way to jinx us ;)”

“toph, I think it is more just a reminder that people who go on bushwhack trips are expected to be able to navigate through canyons, bluffs, brush, blowdown, water, etc. on their own.”

“they are? I should probably stay away from the offtrail trips then!”

“ya think - well maybe so ;-)”

“I do love the offtrail trips.”

“I will add that "disclaimer" to the trip page when I start getting the formal plan together...”

“I'm gonna alter my gear.....lol..smaller, heavy duty sides, close to my back pack, high gaiters, and 200' of good stuff.”

“Hey Armymedic signed up. He is going to make a great addition to the regular Sipsey Crew. I hope DeltaHiker tries to make it as well. Delta State isn't that far from Sipsey.”

“My goal is to at least make it to camp.”

“We'll get you to camp, bro.”

“If I wind up making this and taking Reece then I'll have my ginormous pack to haul your crap in after I get Reece settled.”

“I say we float him in, or airdrop”

“"You Rang?"...(Ears perk up)....

I say we dehydrate him and soak him in beer to rehydrate when we get to camp....”

“beer? Stovie is more of a brandy drinker.”

“Beer is heavy.

If I can't not be a bunden, I will not go.
I must carry my gear and me.
It's my personal goal.

I think my legs will be up to the task.
Don't know yet about my right hand.
It's still very very weak and just two fingers work, yet.
last edited: 5/04/07 11:28:04 AM”

“Kevin, my dad was able to dayhike to Big Tree and back via WOH about 1 year after his stroke. He's not a hiker.

4 years later he has some loss of taste bud sensitivity, occaisional short term memory loss, and stamina issues. He thinks the memory loss is from the stroke, I think it's a normal amount for a man of 65. The stamina has more to do with being diabetic, imo. If you didn't know he'd had one, you wouldn't know.

I called yesterday morning but you were in therapy.

Helping get your gear in would certainly not be a burden for anyone. You either let us help that way or we'll all wind up taking extra gear with us on the sly and then make you show up for a dayhike that miraculously allows for 2 nights since everything will be in camp. You don't have much choice in the matter 8)”

“One of my therapy guys said I should have "HARD' writen on my head, but he also said I was his star student.

Good Luck with making me let others carry my gear.”

“Show up and watch...I carry remember?...

Headline..."Stoke Victim Robbed of Backpacking gear at gunpoint"

"Gear was recovered a short time later when the thief was found setting up camp where the Victim was scheduled to camp anyway"”

“Dangit now I've nailed myself with the added time for "Premeditation"....you better hurry up and get well before I end up with life !”

“Supertroll, they'd get the rest of us for Conspiracy.”

“It'd be great to see HPM again . . . .
I'm just sayin'

Oh well”

“Huh?”

“dayhiker . . . . he's never been to sipsey afaik . . . . I hiked on HumanPackMule's Ocala trip a while back . . . .”

“Gotcha, I thought you were saying he was going and signed up. He'd sure like it. It's probably a 6 hr drive for him, as a guess. Sipsey is probably 4 hrs or so from ATL. USAir has direct service from Charlotte to BHM pretty cheap and the airport is on my way. Granted, I'm still a maybe due to Halloween issues with the kids.

I may have a better chance on going than I first thought. I thought movind day into the new house would be 10/1, it's now looking more like 9/1. Also, if this winds up being SS's first hike then something huge on the homefront would be about all that would keep me away.”

“'Cause if'n I have to DRAG him in on a Travois, the Stove Stomper is gonna BE there....

(Psst...SS!...I'm in kinda poor shape so ya beter get well before then, or program leave about two extra days, one extra each way...LMAO).”

“bring some comfort gear this time ST!!! I'm not gonna feel guilty about not sharing gear this trip”

“OPIE - you still just want to spoon with ST.”

“StoveStomper is on my way to Sipsey. I'd be willing to pick him up and drive him to Sipsey. We can take care of his pack as well if he isn't back to full strength yet by then.

SuperTroll dragging people/things on a travois is so old school. We'll just rig a zipline in the tree canopy!”

“Anyone have any experience with the north and/or south fork of Caney Creek (upstream of the falls)?”

“Still on my to-do list.”

“I know there's a nice camp spot that would support a large group just below the lower falls but it would be a relatively tough hike to get to with a full pack from the upper falls. Perhaps BAMA knows of an easier route in to it...”

“Uh-oh, it's getting serious. He just put out the bat signal. I wonder how long it will be before the masked man appears?”

“He's got time ;) I may try to make a recon trip soon to see if there's anything just upstream of the upper falls...would make it easier to pack in "amenities" (aka beer and dutch ovens) and better for SS if he's not fully back up to speed.”