Alabama Outdoors: Part 2

On Saturday, April 7th, Alan and I went on another Alabama Outdoors adventure: Sipsey Wilderness Hike. This hike was actually done by Alabama Outdoors. We met at the store in Florence at 7 am the morning of the hike. Yes, at 7 am on a Saturday morning. The only day that I am able to sleep in... Also, this was the weekend that the COLD FRONT of 2007 decided to visit North Alabama. The high temperature was around 40 degrees! So, at 7 am that morning it was 20 degrees! It's ok, because I was wearing my Cuddle Duds. They sure do keep me warm. There were only 4 hikers, including Alan and me, that went on the hike. The guide, Keith, said that a lot of people dropped out at the last minute because of the cold weather. But if you think about it, it's probably pretty good weather for hiking: too cold for bugs and snakes and too cold to sweat. I was most concerned about meeting up with a snake... It took us about an hour and a half to get to Sipsey. We hiked 10 miles that day and Alan took some good pictures of our little jaunt.

No, we did not get our feet wet. No trails were across any rapids. If so, I wouldn't have gotten wet because I would have been on Alan's shoulders when crossing any creeks...

This is the historic "Big Tree" of Bankhead National Forest. All other trees are about 1/10 the size of this one. There was another picture taken with Alan and me in front of the tree, but he didn't approve of it because he was wearing an UnderArmor shirt that closely resembled a turtleneck. It wasn't very "cool", and he looked a little bit "funny" in the picture. He said it, not me!!! So instead, here is an awkward picture of me standing in front of the tree...

This was a "bridge" we had to cross on the hike. I actually crawled across on my belly.

This last one was taken without my knowledge. There were several times that I wasn't able to hear Alan's footsteps behind me. When I looked back to see if he had gotten lost, that's when he would take a picture of me. We have another one where I am apparently giving a "mean look" in his direction. This rock formation is called "The eye of the needle" and when you crawl through them to the other side, you are standing on a ledge about 30 feet above the ground. The view was very pretty.

It was a lot of fun, but the next day I could barely get out of bed! My legs ached for about 3-4 days afterward, but it was worth it. There's a "Part Three" coming soon.

I never knew Alabama had anywhere to hike. I just thought the entire state was like Montgomery... Apparently it's not.