Sipsey-Bankhead Bushwhack - Fall '08

“lol..it's ok...I can take it!!!...lol....

...and...I am thinking about heading to Sipsey the weekend of Dec 19th....
last edited: 11/12/08 2:58:57 AM”

“Thanks for all the comments on the pics folks. It is a developing dream of mine that one day I might possibly make a living out of photography so I really do appreciate the feedback. Glad ya'll are willing participants in my learning curve ;)

So who's in for a spring "see the big tree and as many peaking waterfalls as we can" trip with a car-basecamp at Brushy Lake?
last edited: 11/12/08 6:28:14 AM”

“i'm there”

“I'm in!!!”

“toph - I hope to make that one. I haven't forgotten about the Pinhoti either. PS, I hope your team loses this weekend ;)”

“dh - I have no doubt that we will. My only hope is that we actually score even if by a holding call against Bama in your own endzone (ala Auburn). I'm all about the not so moral victories at this point.”

“I'm not going to crow yet. The last time we scored an offensive TD against yall was 04.”

“True that. I actually haven't given up *all* hope but I expect to be many beers in by the final whistle to ease the pain.”

“I'm a strong maybe!!! That is iffin I didn't offend anyone this past weekend with my Political views!!!!LOL!”

“iffin I didn't offend anyone this past weekend with my Political views

Gayness is what it is.... just keep the pointed end of the stick pointed away from you.”

“I did step on some toes!! I'm sorry! Truely!”

“Not mine, that's for sure.”

“I wasn't offended Spam :) I like that people have differing views on everything....makes us all who we are. As for a spring trip....I am SOOOOOOOO there!!!!”

“Wooo Hooo....I'm in.....
...waves @ Trixie...& blows a kiss...
...Spam...I wasn't offended....( I have had 2 husbands & 3 children...I can block anything out...including talk of politics!!!) please come back to Alabama!!!”

“Okie Dokie Then!!!!”

“Spam....thanks for the Spam breakfast burritoes...they were yummy....”

“You are all too welcome!!!”

“Trixie...I have your hat & sunglasses!!!!”

“I was missing my sunglasses LOL Had no clue where they went hehehe If I email you my address can you send them please?”

“I sure can!!!!
hugs!!!!”

“Hey ya didn't forget those perty pink hikin socks did ya????:LOL!”

“She wishes I had LOL”

“lol....what???..I have a pair of my own!!!....BUT 2 pair would be nice!!!!
...wink....”

“*giggles*”

“Alright you two...quit degrading the quality of the Sipsey thread with all this "cuteness" and talk of pink socks. Spam, you're instigating so guilty as well. Let's keep it clean ;)”

“Hi all.
I wish I could have made the hike!

The pictures are great!

My old computer died and I'm logging on in the Library till I get a new one.

I'm thinking about going Mac.”

“Heretic!...BURN him!...BURN Him!”

“hEY YOU CAN WASH pINK SOCKS SO i THINK IT'S STILL CLEAN!”

“We are seriously discussing pink hiking socks LOL You didn't pay attention enough Toph. My socks were the hit of the hike :)”

“http://www.kidsfashionbrokers.com/72sofpinwool1.html

they look like this!!!!

...and they are soooo soft!!!!”

“elise - can you lock this thread for me before the downward spiral continues?”

“LOL...hahahaha....I am working on my trip report...hard to do with work & a 4 yr old in tow...

anyone else have pics or a trail report?????”

“...I got off work Thursday, and stopped by the Saraland WalMart for a few last minute items..8 lbs.of Conecuh sausage( had to get some for my daughter too) ...dropped them in the cooler & hit the road.....& headed for Hartselle & my daughter's place...made good time & GREAT gas mileage... 35 MPG...pretty good!!!
...arrived @ my daughter's & visited with her for awhile before going to bed....my eyes slammed shut & I slept like a log!!!...woke up early..showered....& off to have coffee with my son...@ the Java Jay, in Decatur where he works...& we visited for awhile & I was "coffeed" up!!!
...off to pick up Wendy ( who at this point had no trail name) & got her packed up & ready to go....off to a last minute trip to Walmart....we found some awesome wool socks...& to my JOY they were PINK!!!!...wooo hooooo!!!!
...it had been raining all morning......BUT now it was really raining...so we went to lunch at Panera...yummmmm.....we then headed for the trailhead.....we drove to hartselle & headed west on 36 to Wren...got a call from Jerbear....he & Om were in Decatur getting fuel....so I gave them directions & we drove on to the store in Wren to use "The Last Bathroom" before Bankhead Forest... Wendy got some CornNuts...lol....yuck...off we go....we headed south on 33 to the trail head....it had stopped raining....but once we got on the Forest Service road where it turned to "mud" it got scarey...I have a Ford Escort & we slowed WAY down & tried to stay on the road.....slipped & slid to our destination!!!...
... we arrived @ the trail head & met Slowroller....& put on our packs & headed upstream....wasn't too bad....until we got to the washed out part....I have no clue where the trail went or what happened....but when we saw the trail way above us..we headed to it...uphill...STEEP uphill...Slowroller was kind enough to help me @ one point...so I didn't have to crawl...Thanks!!!!....Wendy was a trooper!!!!...she did well....even tho it wasn't raining, we got wet from the rain in the trees.... I twisted my ankle...& it is still sore as we speak!!!!....we arrived to a small creek & was greeted by Hoi, Fridgy & Toph...the guys had built a "bridge" of rocks so we didn't have to wade in the water!!!!....wow...what great guys!!!!...folks trickled into the campsite.....we set up the tent...settled in....walked to see the falls...which were awesome!!!!....
...our campfire was awesome!!!!....& the company was GREAT...lots of stories & laughing!!!!...they decided Wendy should be called something with "rabbit" in it since she has 8 kids...lol...so they named her "TrixieRabbit"...which I think the name Trixie is cute for her!!!...didn't ya'll just love her hat???
...Wendy & I had supper....ramen noodles with a bunch of "Just Veggies" added....it was yummy...& some hot tea....
...OM treated us to Brownies & popcorn!!!!...yummmmmm!!!!
..Stomper treated us to cheese & crackers...yummmmm!!!
..we went to bed & I slept good until about 2 ....tossed & turned after that.....I didn't know...but Wendy had been sick all night ...bless her heart...when I got up the next am, she was green...I swear it!!!!...we asked if anyone was hiking out ...Jerbear & Om were & they were kind enough to walk her out & take her to Wren for her husband to pick her up....Jerbear & Om...I want to thank you again for doing that for me....Please forgive me...I don't think I could have hiked out & back in on my ankle....& thanks for bringing back "THE best sausage EVER"....Conecuh sausage from Evergreen, Alabama in Conecuh County...I hope everyone enjoyed it!!!!! ( you should taste it in dirty rice & in a shrimp boil...or with pancakes!!!!!...yummmm)
...SuperTroll & Fridgy get the award for having the brightest headlamps....
...Spam treated us all to "Spam burritoes" for breakfast...they were yummy!!!!!
...I stayed around the camp and rested my ankle...when our bushwackers returned, some of them were scratched & bloody....SuperTroll got out his emergency kit & fixed em up!!!!
...will we ever know if the bear tracks Fridgy found were real???
...Om fried up a bunch of gator tail...yummmm....
...ya'll know the best part of the trips are the campfires!!!!...lots of great stories.....lots of laughs...making new friends...visiting with old ones....margaritas...comparing gear....comparing our lives...our hopes...our dreams....our accomplishments...our lossess....
...and each trip...I meet more wonderful folks from TT...and my circle of friends grow...
...I'm not sure which night it happened, but SuperTroll wowed us with his quickness & agility...as he saved himself from rolling into the creek, after the 3 legged chair he was sitting on ( on an incline, which is not a good idea) tipped over....
...and Jerbear showed us how talented he was by crossing the moss covered log across the creek and back....
...the hike out was nice....we went the correct trail out & it sure was easier....we found a margarita glass on the way out...wonder where that came from!!!!....
...some of us wanted to eat, so we went to a nice little chinese place in Hartselle and pigged out!!!...Stomper, Om, Jerbear, Precision, TNWarEagle, crashbang...
...then I carried Jerbear to my daughter's so he could shower before his flight home & I got to visit with her for a bit....drove to the airport & dropped Jerbear off....stopped by Wendy's to grab my gear...she didn't look green anymore!!!!!...and hit I-65 headed for Mobile!!!...arrived home about 9pm....
...thanks SuperTroll for the little lantern light...I love it!!! sorry...you are now the #2 gear slut...Fridgy took the #1 gear slut place....
...Jerbear...thanks for the clothesline!!!..it is way cool...& thanks for bringing Trixie a stove!!!...I gave her a bottle of fuel so she can "Play" with it!!!
...Om, Stomper, crash, TNWarEagle, TooMuch, sticks, Spam, so good to meet ya'll!!!
..and so good to see Hoi, Fridgy, SuperTroll, Toph, Karo, precision, Stew, BusyBee, & Jerbear again!!!!
...so good to meet Chocky & Angie!!!
...Rabbitman...thanks for the visit..& your puppy is adoreable!!!
..and so many others were missed!!!

...I am sure I left out sooo much...some by accident & some on purpose...lol....
...share the wealth....lol....”

“Cool way of doing the report!!!”

“There are other ways??”

“Loved the report Div....don't think I could add much to that :) I really enjoyed myself and can't wait for the spring trip!!!”

“I think the margarita glass might have been fridges - he had the top of his pack come unzipped on the way out - I found his titanium cup shortly after passing the AL Outdoors folks which is where we discovered the unzipped top”

“DIV nice! thanks and your welcome. what are tters and friends for. YO BEAR!
HOI-ifin you found any cash or gold it MINE! lol”

“i stumbled upon the margarita glass....it is safe with me...heh heh”

“So who found the extra Water bag hangin' in the tree?....;-)”

“that would be me with the water bag. Yo bear!
last edited: 11/19/08 12:42:30 PM”

“Please send it to Divinity...poor girl NEEDS it!”

“I will give it to her on the next trip.
it has a tear/hole in it. yo bear!
last edited: 11/19/08 1:00:04 PM”

“...Jerbear...I already have one with holes in it...but thanks.....LOL..I will purchase myself a new water bag!!!!...

OM...hold it for ransom!!!!

...Hoi...did ya give it back???...lol.....”

“Ok...here goes my first attempt at a trip report LOL
Div and I were talking about hiking and such and she mentioned that there was going to be the annual Sipsey trip and told me the date. Since it didn't coincide with the Ren Faire I decided I would go this time *geeky girls have to have their priorites!* She picked me up on Friday morning and we went and got some last minute supplies and my now infamous pink plushy hiking socks *yes Toph there is such a thing LOL* On the way out of town we went to Panera Bread....yum. Then we stopped at the "last real potty spot before Sipsey" in Wren. Was a great little store....where I purchased BBQ corn nuts *which was probably my ultimate downfall*. After some time and turning around we finally got on the dirt road and after all that rain it was kind of slippery. All the while prying my fingers out of the dash and Div asking if I was scared we arrived at the bridge/parking destination. Div and I took our time getting our packs out and on, making sure everything was all secure and ready to go *I had to take a picture of that HUGE pack because I am normally a day hiker LOL* Slowroller *I hope that is his name* was there at the same time so we headed out as a group. He was a really nice guy. Didn't talk much but he helped us out a lot considering at some point we ended off the trail and went bushwacking whether we wanted to or not....only to realize after about 1/4+ miles of this that we were about 10 feet below the actual trail. *figures* The hike in was really nice....not too cold however every time you hit a tree *with the size of my pack it was often* you got a shower. We arrived at the camp site and Toph Fridge and Hoi were there to greet us. Our "Knight in Shining Hiking Gear" mentioned something about his wallet missing and departed and we never saw him again. We decided that mile and half with us must have scared him off LOL We hung out and talked for a few and then set up our tent. After we were finished we hung out and got to catch up with/got to know everyone. Fridge was a sweetie and wanted to share his margaritas LOL With everyone :) hehehe Hoi walked us over to check out the falls *which were absolutely gorgeous* and so we could get our bag of water filled. Slowly but surely everyone started trickling in. Om and Jerbear.....Spam....Sticks....Stomper, Crash and Precision came in together after it was dark. Sorry if I am leaving anyone out....it isn't intentional....everyone was so great but I am bad with names. We had some wonderful if not colorful conversation that night around the camp fire. My trail name was decided on which was fun :) I really really enjoyed myself!!! You all made me feel so welcome and at home. We all ended up retiring around 10 I guess and I think I got a couple of hours of sleep when I woke up sick to my stomach :( I didn't sleep the rest of the night but was going to tough it through the next day because I was having so much fun but my stomach had other ideas *sigh* Thanks so MUCH to Om and Jerbear for hiking me out and returning me safely to the "last potty stop before Sipsey" where my husband picked me up and nursed me back to the health LOL One thing to know and remember tho....Jerbear while being absolutely wonderful and offering to carry my pack DOES make you navigate and fend for yourself LOL That being said if you are going to do this you should be able to do it :) I am SOOOOOOOOOO looking forward to doing this again!!!”

“Nice Report Trixie Rabbit!!!”

“first time ive ever seen spam associated with "cute" in the same post

great chinese buffet, btw, div

bushwacking was alotta fun, and that waterfall was beautiful”

“good job ,trix! yo bear!”

“Thanks....I tried LOL Probably would have been longer and more detailed had I not done it while tired. :)”

“GREAT Job Trixie!!!!!

...Crash...come back to Alabama for another visit someday!!!!!

....my ankle is still bothering me...( I work on my feet all day)...BUT..only 2 days next week & 5 more before winter break...I hope it will rest enough to be better soon...

Trixie...there is NO WAY Slowroller didn't like us....LOL...”