Hiking, Running, Biking, Canoeing and Geocaching

New Year Camping at Camp Tranquility

2010-01-02T22:56:00.003-06:00

Brierfield New Year's Campout

2009-01-01T09:04:00.002-06:00

The wife and kids took off to see her mom and their Mama Ree while I had to work. I had New Year's Day off as a holiday though so I decided to go on a campout by myself. I had always gone with the family or my son through the Scouts or as a family and this would be my first time out alone. It was definitely different.

It was quiet and peaceful. I did what I wanted to when I wanted to. There wasn't anyone else to think about, care for or be mindful of what they wanted. However there also wasn't anyone there to help me out should I have needed help. That will make you be a lot more careful and aware of what you are doing.

I parked at the gate to the Boy Scout camping area sometime around 8pm that night and backpacked up to the camping area. It is only about a quarter mile but it was nice to try out my backpack again. I found a nice rock to serve as a table and a close flat spot for my tent. There weren't any rocks around but there was some cut firewood so I used that to build a fire ring after clearing off the leaves. I soon had a fire going and it felt good as it was supposed to get below freezing that night.

I set up the tent and was soon fixing dinner. It was a dehydrated meal of my wife's that I had dehydrated back home. It was just like home cooking once it was rehydrated. After cleaning up dinner I was ready to hit the hay and call it a night. However the cows in the nearby pasture felt like they needed to carry on a conversation for a few more hours.

Sometime around 4am I woke up cold. A flashlight revealed that the condensation inside the tent had turned to ice. That's when I knew it was cold. I had put on my thick layer of underwear thinking that would be enough. I had another thinner layer that I could put under that. However I was at the point in my awareness that I couldn't wake up enough to pull off the thick layer, put on the thin layer and then put the thick layer back on. So I just lay there and was cold until the sun and the crows finally roused me outta bed.

So I learned to always start with the thin layer first and then it is easy to just add the thick layer later in the night should it get colder. I also learned that I should double check and make sure I have hot hands in my backpack and not assume that they were left there from the last backpacking trip. I later remembered the last backpacking trip was in the summer and I had taken them out for weight savings. This was definitely a good test of what would work and what would not work and what I could do better next time.

After I got up and got a fire going I was hungry. After a nice bowl of oatmeal, some coffee and a few pictures of the camp site I was feeling human again. Time to pack up, clean up and follow Leave No Trace (LNT) principles. As you can see from the pictures there was no sign that I had been there once I was through. I have used that picture to show my Boy Scouts how it should be done.

After hiking back to my Jeep I went across the park and hiked the local trail on the other side. I also checked on the Pack 220 Geocache that we had left there back in October. It was still in good condition. I moseyed on back to my Jeep later for a quick lunch and then drove over to the camp site at the end of the park to check on a cache I had left there earlier in the year. I added some SWAG to it and then decided to hide a cache to commemerate the camp out.

I just happened to have one in the Jeep that I had picked up earlier in the week because a subdivision was about to be built over it. I changed the name on it and went deep into the end of the park and hid it. It was very nice and peaceful back there. I found me a nice rock to have a quiet time on. A gray squirrel came scampering right on past me as he searched for his late lunch. It was definitely nice and relaxing.

Afterwards I hiked back to the Jeep and headed on out. It was time to get back to the daily grind of the real world. However I was now in a better mood to handle it and looking forward to the next time I could take a backpacking trip on my own.

Myakka River State Park Backpacking Trip

2008-12-02T22:28:00.001-06:00

Bike Riding in OMSP

2008-06-28T23:50:00.007-05:00

Well Mr. T and I pulled together a bike ride out at Oak Mountain for Saturday, June 28th and decided to not only invite Frank's den but the other WEBELOS dens as well. Turns out they aren't really Boy Scouts either. It was a wonderful morning to be biking and Mr T and I were the only ones to show up. That was okay. We decided to make a big time of it and go until NovaEagle and I were totally whupped since we were the new timers to biking. Mr T succeeded in pulling that off. I was totally exhausted after 2 hours of bike riding along the bottom of the Red Trail.

We first made a quick loop from the South Trailhead with KarateKid as he showed us the race route he had taken a couple of weekends before. We looped back to the South Trailhead then headed down the road to the entrance to the lower loop of the Red Trail on the way to the North Trailhead. Now that was fun. There was big roots and rocks and trees really close together. When you are hiking they don't seem that close but once you add the aspect of speed then they get much closer together.

Taking a mountain bike down a trail really works on your balance. I had to really work on not smacking a tree with my handlebars or running off the trail and down the mountain. Plus lining up on all those bridges only got comfortable toward the end of the ride. Of course I have decided that one needs at least front shock absorbers on a mountain bike. Those roots and rocks really worked on my wrists, elbows and shoulders.

NovaEagle did very well and KarateKid's experience definitely showed up. I couldn't keep up with him on the trails. At one point NovaEagle and I just bonked and we had to stop and chow on some GORP to get our energy back. It was a humbling experience. We made it on to the North Trailhead though and decided to come back via the highway. That was a good decision. NovaEagle had a smaller bike than the rest of us but he pushed hard and was able to stay up with us to the end.

We all had a great time and are looking forward to the next ride.

King's Chair Hike

2008-06-14T13:01:00.005-05:00

We went hiking and what did we see?

Well Frank from another den invited our den to go on a hike with them out at Oak Mountain State Park (OMSP). So on the Saturday morning of June the 14, the day of the hike, all of the so called Boy Scouts start calling in saying they can't make it. Now just because it is raining buckets of water outside doesn't seem like a valid reason to cancel a Boy Scout hike so Mr T and I head on out to the North Trailhead like real Boy Scouts.

I arrive a few minutes after 8 and Mr T and the Karate Kid are waiting on us. Since it is still raining, we jump in the SUV with them to talk about things. In a few minutes a bicycle and a motor cycle with flashing lights comes flying by. We realize we are about to get to watch the cycle part of the Buster Britton Triathlon. Rain hasn't deterred them. So we watch them come by one way and then a little later come back by the other way. Now we have bikes going both ways. In a short while the rain stops and we are the only Boy Scouts there.

So we climbed out of the SUV and get our hiking stuff together. Now the hard part is getting across the road with all the bikes coming both ways. You can see in the first two pictures it was pretty busy. We scooted across though and only had one lady yell at us. Hmmm.

We start up the trail and run into a couple of guys who had been out hiking in the rain. They said it was pretty cool and they did alright. It was kind of humid but we started out straight up the mountain side on the Blue Trail. I quickly realized just how out of shape I was and that I needed to be doing more hiking. We made it to a side trail that I had loaded in my GPS from some Geocaching friends. They had discovered a trail off the left of the Blue Trail that went up on the ridge and provided some excellent views. So we took off up the side of the hill.

The USS PHAH cache was just off to the left of this side trail. So we eased over along the edge of the ridge to the USS. NovaEagle and KarateKid climbed up on the USS and KarateKid found the cache. You will notice in the pictures that they are sitting in the midst of a lot of poison ivy. NovaEagle apparently isn't allergic and escaped any ill side effects. KarateKid wasn't so lucky. He was later known as itchy drawers for a couple of days.

So we signed the cache log and headed on up the mountain to the ridge top. We followed the ridge to the end where we were awarded an excellent view of the Blue Trail and another cache. KarateKid got it for us and we let him sign it as we had already found it. We also found a box turtle and let him go on his way. We then dropped off that ridge onto the next ridge and the next cache. This was supposed to be a multi-cache but the log was in the first spot so I signed it and we moved on.

As we were headed down this ridge to the Blue Trail we saw a trail that led off the side. We followed it to a very large rock formation. We climbed up on top and were awarded another excellent view of OMSP. You can see us on the rock in the pictures above. We then dropped on down the ridge to the Blue Trail in the valley. We followed it up the mountain to the top of the ridge on the backside of OMSP. Instead of following the Blue Trail to the right we hung a left along an unnamed trail and wound up overlooking Hwy 11.

We eased left along this ridge to King's Chair cache. We could see the Wilsonville power plant from here. We could also see Belcher Lake. The boys liked that one. We stopped for a while and snacked so we would have the energy to head on back to the vehicles. So after a bit we made it back to the Blue Trail and instead of going back down the side of the mountain we followed the Blue Trail along the back ridge. We made it to the second Blue to Red Trail connector and quickly dropped down to the Red Trail.

It was a nice leisurely hike down the Red Trail back to the vehicles at the North Trailhead. At one point we heard a lot of buzzing and looked up into a large tree. It was all budded out and the Honey bees were sucking all the nectar out of the buds. It was pretty wild. We also came across two trees that had been blown over by the wind.

We made it back to the vehicles and agreed that it had been a great hike. The temperature was cooler than normal and the humidity wasn't bad at all. Most of the time we had a small breeze keeping us cool and we usually were in the shade of the trees along the trails. Too bad the rest of the boys wimped out on us.

Cahaba Wildlife Refuge to Pratt's Ferry Preserve

2008-05-26T20:24:00.019-05:00

This was a really great canoe trip. The subject was brought up Sunday at church, I researched some that evening and then late that night we decided which section of the Cahaba River to tackle. The Buck Creek to Alabama Small Boats run on Hwy 52 had gotten boring and the water was way too low for that any way. It was Cahaba Lily time and I had missed them blooming the last two years so we chose to take on Hargrove Shoals, the largest stand of Cahaba Lilies in the world. It was a great decision.

We dropped off the canoes at the Cahaba River National Wildlife Refuge and left the women in charge while us men folk got the pickup vehicle down to Pratt's Ferry. We made it back in time for a whole crowd of folks to be putting in. It was nice seeing all the families with small children coming out to enjoy the river. We started down the river and didn't get anywhere before the kids saw a rope swing. Since we weren't on a mission to get somewhere in a hurry we pulled over to watch the fun.

They swang and swang. Older couples just driving through would stop and watch them occasionally. Finally two women pulled up and got out their chairs and watched the kids swing. One lady even took pictures. The kids then were able to show off their new found skills developed on the rope swing. What fun.

We finally got them to get back in the boats and head on down the river. We had already gone through one patch of lilies and quickly came up on another. We were able to make it through with some scraping and pulling. NovaEagle was riding in a kayak and with him weighing less than a 100 pounds he was actually able to easily float on through. With the wife in front, then a full cooler, then my daughter and then me in the back of the canoe, we didn't do so well. If the front of the canoe would clear something then the back would scrape. If the front of the canoe would scrape then the back would stick us. Not sure why that kept happening. :-) Again there was a group of people sitting on the bank watching us navigate our way through the lilies and over the shoals.

We stopped and snacked on a small sand bar and sponged out the water from our canoes. A sponge is a life saver in a canoe when it comes to trying to keep more water on the outside of the canoe than on the inside.

We then had a very nice little rapid that we didn't drag on and then some deep water. Just about the time we would get bored with paddling in the deep water we would hear the roar of a rapid and NovaEagle would be off like a bullet to be the first through it. We came upon an large stand of lilies down the river that I thought must be Hargrove Shoals. It took some time to get through until we found the right line to run and then SugarPie and I had a quick scary ride while MamaCacher slogged her way to us through the shoals.

We took time for a quick dip in the river and to play in the shallows. We had two squirt guns so the kids made sure everyone was wet and there was plenty of water in the canoes. :-) We then headed on down the river again. After a bit we rounded a corner and there was a bunch of canoes and folks and lilies as far as the eye could see. I knew then that we had actually reached Hargrove Shoals. It was truly amazing.

The river widens out at this point and has a long straight stretch. You can stand up in your canoe and see lilies as far as you can look. Bank to bank and all the way to the end of the straight stretch in the river are lilies. They were all in full bloom and looking very nice today. Of course the water was down and we wound up walking some of the way as you can see in the pictures above. Finally though we found some deep water and a channel down the right side. We paddled to the end and found a sand bar to the right. We pulled over and had our lunch.

At this sand bar there is a small rapid at the end of the lilies. After lunch the kids and Mister H played slide down the rapids with their life vests and seat pads. I was checking out the trail at the top of the bank. There is a walking trail from the end of the road along the river all the way down to the lilies. It actually wound down the bank to the sand bar and ended there. However there was a Y in the trail and it also led off into the woods. I could see where horses had been on the trail also. This fall I will have to see where that trail goes and map it with my GPS.

After a while we loaded back up and headed on down the river. We had quite a long run this time and found a large island in the river and saw a hover craft come down the river. We had swapped SugarPie for Master H in our canoe. Somewhere in the middle of this run his daddy told him he could jump out and cool off. Well he did and then climbed on the back of NovaEagle's kayak. His dad handed him a spare paddle and off they went. It was pretty funny and I have a video of it below. They rode like this for the remainder of the trip, even after we took another swim break.

Speaking of swim break, we had all gotten the munchies and hot so we found a gravel bar across from a pretty cliff and pulled over for a break. After a batch of GORPM it was time to float down the river to the rapids at the end of the gravel bar. We would start at the top of the gravel bar and wade out to the middle of the river in our life vests. Then we would lay on our backs with our feet out front and float down to the rapids. It was neat to feel ourselves speed up as we approached the rapids.

What made this real fun was the snake that I saw while we were chowing down on GORPM. I just happened to run around and there was this big snake coming down out of the woods headed toward the water. The girls screamed and the boys came running. This dude wasn't scared and came right on down through us and into the water. He swam across to the other side and got up on a big rock. We got the courage up to get in the water anyway. However as we would float down by him, he would come off the rock and into the water toward us. This would get the girls to screaming and the guys to flailing. I guess all the commotion would run him back up on the rock. After a couple times of this he got caught in the current and went over the rapids and down the river. We were able to float in peace then.

Eventually the two boys and I floated over the rapids and down into the next deep water area. Mr. H said everyone would come pick us up. So MamaCacher came floating down the river in that big canoe all by herself. Well I grabbed on to the front of it and hooked my feet over the side. I asked Mrs. H if I made a nice figure head. For some reason she didn't think so. About that time a family of Alabama fans came floating by in a canoe. I told them that this was how we did it in Auburn. They just smiled and kept on paddling. Hmmm.

So we pulled over to the next gravel bar and got everyone on the correct side of the canoe and headed on down the river. Soon we were at our take-out spot and everyone was disappointed that the ride was over already. That is a good thing. We finally got everything up to the parking lot, the other vehicle back and everything strapped on. We expressed to each other how much fun we had and that we would be doing it again soon.

The crew paddling down the river.

Master H swinging on the rope swing

SugarPie swinging on the rope swing

Miss H swinging on the rope swing.

NovaEagle swinging on the rope swing.

NovaEagle & Master H's new method of travel

Snake time

Brierfield Family Campout

2008-05-16T09:29:00.011-05:00

After it was all said and done, MamaCacher said this was the best camp out she has been on yet. I think it was because we had the campground to ourselves and we weren't set to a time schedule. We got up when we wanted to, ate when we wanted to and did whatever when we wanted to. It was a very nice change.

It all started when I wanted to go canoeing on the Cahaba River down below Brierfield sometime Saturday since the water was up. At first we were going to watch the new Narnia movie Friday night and then go down on Saturday. Well MamaCacher decided she would rather go camping. By the time I got home and got all the camping stuff packed last minute we were running out of time to load the canoe and kayak. Plus I had gotten some word from some fellow canoers that the water was still going to be pretty high and dangerous. So we decided to leave the canoe and kayak behind and planned on a recon mission on the Cahaba and the Little Cahaba to find the best places to put-in and take-out a water floating vessel.

So we loaded up and made it to Brierfield in plenty of time before daylight went away. We had time to set everything up and have MamaCacher start cooking while we finished with the tent and accessories. Then we started getting wood for the fire. That was the hard part since everything was wet. However being the Cub Scout leader that I am, I was able to start a fire and have a good one going for roasting marshmallows. Later the kids played in the tent really well, much better than they play together at home. Hmmm. The wife and I stayed up and enjoyed the fire and the moon.

The next morning, after a fire and a great breakfast by MamaCacher, she finally had to know what time it was. It was really nice just hanging and not having to worry about being somewhere at a certain time. Later we loaded up and headed out on recon missiong to find good places to put-in and take-out a canoe and a kayak.

I was disappointed to see that Bulldog Bend Canoe Park was no longer operated. There was a gate across the road and it was all grown up. So far I haven't been able to find anyone who knows anything about it. No wonder it is closed. We found a spot on the other side of the bridge, across from the park, to put in though.

We then made it to the Piper bridge and found the Geocache there. We saw a hovercraft on the river while standing on the Piper bridge. It pulled into the refuge canoe landing. It was way cool. I think I want one of them. He didn't have any problem navigating over the shoals on the really fast flowing river. Did I mention that it was way cool.

We drove down to the refuge road and there were cars parked all the way out to the highway and then along the highway. People were starting to walk out and my wife asked one dude what was up. He said they had just completed a couple of foot races. Still not sure what the boat was all about.

We saw on the refuge map that there was an interpretive trail back across the bridge. So we headed back there and once there decided to take the hike. It was a very nice hike. Once at the end we found a really cool water fall. It took some getting to but it was cool, like literally, and the wife and kids liked it. We checked out the Cahaba River and it was really flowing. It was a good thing we decided not to canoe today. It would have been kinda scary.

We headed back up the trail and stopped at the two scenic locations. They were very nice. I am sure you can see more during the fall when the leaves are off the trees. We could see the shoals though. The water was really flowing over the lilies.

We made it back to the trail head and headed back. We picked up the Geocache at the Piper mines sign. We had gone past it too fast on the way in but knew we were coming back. There were wild roses all over the place. It was really pretty.

We then headed down to the Hwy 26 take-out point to scope it out. Got there and saw that it was the Pratt's Ferry Preserve. I didn't know that was there. A family pulled in and asked us where the nearest canoe rental place was. They were from Selma and wanting to do some canoeing. Hmmm.

We checked out the take-out and realized it would be a haul from the take-out to the parking lot. I am thinking about volunteering to make a road down to the take-out. It wouldn't be that hard and would make that a really nice place to put-in or take-out a boat.

Afterwards we headed back to the campsite for some lunch. MamaCacher tried to take a nap in the tent but it just wasn't working for her. I was going to take the kids to the pool but decide to lay down for just a second. When I woke up everyone was gone. I walked up to the pool and MamaCacher said they had been there for about an hour and a half. Man did I zonk out. I felt better though.

The kids played some more and then we went back to the tent to make dinner and build a fire. We gathered a ton of firewood from limbs blown down and such in the woods near the tent. In the process we saw a grey fox trot across the trail out the end of the camp ground. He went into the woods into a sunny, clear spot and stopped and looked back at us. The kids got to see him and were really excited about it. It was way cool.

Soon we had a roaring fire and a nice dinner of Chinese chicken. The kids and the wife roasted some marshmallows and made Smores. They gave me one the best tasting Smores I think I have ever eaten. They are getting good at this.

Tonight there wasn't as much playing in the tent as we were all tired. I stayed up for a little bit packing what I could for leaving in the morning and watched the fire then put it out and hit the sack. Of course there was this Chuck-Will's-Widow making its call in the woods. It would fly off and make it far off and just about as I was about to fall asleep, it would fly back in close and make a loud call. Fly off, almost asleep, fly back, fly off, almost asleep, fly back, .... Long night.

The next morning I took a nice hot shower in the park bath house and finished packing up with help from momma and the kids. We loaded up in the car and it went click. AAAHHH!!!!!

We walked to the bath house for momma and the kids to get dressed for church while I went looking for the ranger. Found him at his camp site and talked to him about jumping me off. He said there must be a flux field down there at the campground or something because he was all the time having to jump people off.

It was neat though because he told me about a camping, canoe base camp spot just past the Bulldog Bend Canoe Park and was telling me about a remote campground that Brierfield has that I wasn't aware of. He was also telling me about some archeologists that came into the park and found the foundation of what they believe to be a slave house near the campground. It was all pretty cool and he was able to jump me off also. So I picked momma and the kids up at the bath house and we still made it to church on time. What a great campout.

OMSP Car Camping Trip

2008-05-11T21:04:00.008-05:00

My sister came in town for the Helena Buck Creek Festival so I took Uncle Doug and Lil'E, his son, out on Lil'E's first camping trip. Uncle Doug, NovaEagle, SugarPie and I setup camp while waiting on Lil'E to make it in from Atlanta with his mom. We cooked some hotdogs on the grill and chilled out around the camp fire. We had to scrounge for some wood but got enough to build a small fire. As Bear Grills says, a small fire is better than no fire as it provides comfort in the dark. So we were very comfortable.

After a bit we heard from Lil'E's mom and Uncle Doug and NovaEagle picked him up at the front gate. There were some frogs croaking across from the little slough that we were camped next to. SugarPie and I had gone and looked at them earlier and so now we took Lil'E and NovaEalge over there to see them. It was pretty cool because you could get close enough to see them on the trees croaking. The kids really enjoyed it. Of course that night, all that croaking kept Uncle Doug and I up all night.

We also eased out to the beach area and played in the sand in the dark. It allowed us to really see the stars and enjoy the night sky.

The next morning we got up early and had some sausage and eggs cooked by Uncle Doug. He is one cool Uncle. Thanks Uncle Doug. Afterwards he slipped across the slough and caught a really nice bass. The rest of us tried but to no avail. Uncle Doug did give us some really good tips though. Then we all saw about a 3 pound bass slinking in the shallow water. We watched him for several minutes and he never left the little spot he was hanging out in. We then headed out for the Helena Buck Creek Festival.

We made it back that evening and piled into the canoe and the kayak. We paddled all the way across the lake to the fishing shack. I got us some worms and we headed back out to a cove on the North side of the lake. Lil'E managed to snag a nice catfish and declared that he was through fishing for the day since he had caught on. Uncle Doug snagged a catfish and let SugarPie reel him in. I, as usual, caught some weeds and sticks.

We paddled back in and spent some time on the beach. I jumped in the freezing cold water with the kids while Uncle Doug made a quick trip back out in the canoe to try his hand at catching some bass. He wasn't so lucky in the evening as he had been in the morning. The kids had a blast jumping off my shoulder as I would throw them way up in the air before coming back to splash into the water.

MamaCacher and Lil'E's momma showed up with some grub from Backyard Burgers and we chowed down. Yeah, it was cheating and not the way that I would have done it but it was nice for everyone so I ate without any guilt. :-) We hung out for a bit and then MamaCacher and Lil'E's mom had to cut and run.

Some nearby camper kids came over and we told them about the frogs. Well they went and got lights and Daddy and we proceeded to take them on a frog tour. On the way over the bridge we saw a water moccasin in the water. That livened things up a little bit. We made it over though and got to see the frogs really croaking it up. Our kids really enjoyed showing the other kids where all the frogs were. They even caught a few and checked them out up close. After wards they let them all go.

We ate a few marshmallows over the fire after we scrounged for some more wood. I passed out the light sticks and we made our way into the sleeping bags. Around midnight I heard the thunder in the distance. SugarPie was having problems sleeping and asked me if that was lightening. Well it was some serious lightening and thunder. I finally woke up Uncle Doug. Yeah, he was sleeping through the frogs and the thunder. He immediately made the decision that we were out of there. We got the kids in the cars just as the big drops of rain hit.

We called the house to let them know we were headed that way and to have the beds ready. It was raining so hard I could hardly see the road. It quit about the state park gate and I wondered if we had jumped the gun. We made it home, got in the bed and I went to sleep until the next morning. Well, MamaCacher told me that about three more fronts came through during the night that I was oblivious to.

Later that morning Uncle Doug and I went to get the camping stuff from the camp site. The wind had blown under the tarp and the water had run under the tent and everything was soaking wet. There was water puddled in the tent. Uncle Doug made a most very good decision to cut and run when we did. By leaving when we did, we had a little excitement and still had a good nights rest and a good story to tell.

Suwannee River Trip

2008-04-24T09:29:00.010-05:00

Papa Chuck planned and organized a float trip on the Suwannee river with his brother, Uncle Frank, and two friends, Dennis and Skip, who are brothers. Fortunately for NovaEagle and I, Papa Chuck also invited us. NovaEagle was planning to make the trip in his kayak and I wanted some help in the canoe. I couldn't find a friend who thought spending time with friends was more important than work so NovaEagle found a buddy whose mom understood that a trip like this was more important than two days of school and a ball game. Thank you TeaBird's mom.

NovaEagle, TeaBird and I arrived at the Suwannee River State Park around 4:30 Thursday evening. We signed in and found our campsite. We then checked out the area and the put-in. We tried some fishing but hung up a lure so we put the kayak in to see if we could get it off what ever had it hung. This also allowed NovaEagle and TeaBird the opportunity to test out the kayak in the river and get used to the current. TeaBird had been in a kayak before but only in a lake. The current was something that surprised him at first. However with some coaching from the sidelines he quickly caught on how to maneuver in the current.

We headed back to the camp site and Papa Chuck and Uncle Frank were setting up camp. They had snuck in on us. TeaBird had never set up a tent before so I walked him and NovaEagle through setting up their tent. NovaEagle had helped set it up before but it had been long enough that he had forgotten how. After they had it setup we proceeded to cook some food for dinner. I tried to cook some Ramen noodles but the water kept boiling over and putting out my stove. I finally figured out how to keep the flame at a very low level by holding my mouth just right while adjusting the gas valve. The boys then had a good bowl of noodles. I just boiled some water and rehydrated a meal of MamaCacher's that I had dehydrated. It was very good in the camp site.

The boys retired to their tent and Uncle Frank and I were hanging out talking when I noticed that we were being invaded by blinking lights. The fire flies were coming up out of the ground by the thousands. It was the coolest thing I had ever seen. I got the boys out of the tent and they were totally amazed. They began to try and catch a few. NovaEagle caught three and showed them to Uncle Frank and myself. He then proceeded to let them go back to their friends. The natural light show was probably the coolest event during the whole trip.

As everyone retired to their bags and pads, I ran off to the little boy's room. I then snuck out and found a cache in the dark near the river. I got to another cache but couldn't find it. I planned on getting the boys to help me find it in the morning but we slept in late and the canoe brothers showed up and it was time to hit the water. After I got to bed that night I did have a visitor that came right by my tent. When I turned on my flashlight he quickly scurried off into the night. I can only assume it was a possum or a coon. At 4 the next morning, according to Uncle Frank, a big hoot owl cut loose several times and woke us all up. Those things are worse than a rooster.

The next morning we got breakfast in a hurry and packed up for the trip. We got down to the water's edge and it seemed to take forever to get everything in the canoe. Being as this was the first time for me to camp in the canoe and also have two inexperienced 10 year-old boys with me, it was somewhat of a daunting task. However with a little help from the brothers four, we were soon in the water and headed on our water adventure as our overall adventure had already begun the evening before.

The water was dark and cool and as the sun began to come up we quickly learned to paddle next to the shore and stay in the shade. The boys of course were snacking and drinking as we went and occasionally needed to pull over to the shore for pit stops. Also NovaEagle and TeaBird were swapping out between the kayak and the front of the canoe. This also required pulling over. These activities proceeded to put us way behind the rest of the paddling crew. The guys pulled over eventually on a sand bar for a break and to let us catch up.

TeaBird jumped out and grabbed his fishing pole to start fishing. He had used mine that I brought the evening before but decided to leave it in the car and bring his for the water trip. Well it immediately became apparent that his reel was jammed and wasn't going to work. He then vowed to test his fishing gear before the next trip. Nothing like learning things the hard way to make them stick.

Stephen threw his lure in and got it wet a couple of times but couldn't get anything to bite. Then a snake showed up and swam along the river past us and past our canoes and into a tree top in the water. You can see the picture in the slide show of where he wound up. We drank some of our water and then headed back on down the river.

We paddled on until we got hungry and then we pulled over for a quick lunch. Everyone else pulled cold sandwiches out of their coolers. I however didn't have a cooler and had to rehydrate some food. That took longer than expected so I learned the hard way to have something quick to eat for lunch that didn't require the stove. NovaEagle found a rather large turtle shell while checking out the upper bank area.

We headed on down the river and Uncle Frank, the Golden Pathfinder, found us a really nice sand bank to spend the night on. The guys quickly threw up their camp site while I waited for the sun to drop below the trees so my tent wouldn't turn into a sauna. This was a neat little trick that I learned from reading Backpacker magazine. While we were waiting for the sun to drop, the boys played in the sand, then the water then the mud along the edge of the river. Needless to say, despite all my advice on how to remove the sand from their bodies, there was still a good bit of sand in their tent by bed time. Oh well, nothing like learning the hard way to make it stick.

The boys were pretty much able to put up their tent by themselves this time. I gave them some advice on how to keep all the accessories in one spot so they could find them in the morning while taking the tent down. I rehydrated some Mountain House food and both boys really liked it. In fact the two serving package wasn't enough for them after a day of paddling. A batch of one of MamaCacher's rehydrated meals and they were good to go.

I put some stink bait on a hook and sat on one of my removable canoe seats on the beach. It was very nice and relaxing. The boys sat beside me and pointed out the stars and such that they knew. Around 9 pm, after no bites from the fish but plenty from the mosquitoes, we headed off to bed. Not 10 minutes after we turned off the lights the local flock of hoot owls cut loose. In the darkness of the night I heard, "Daddy!" "Yes?" "What was that?" "Owls." "Oh." We were soon all asleep after that.

The next morning I got the boys up and we got a quick breakfast and broke camp in a hurry. The boys were starting to get the hang of it and know what to do without being told a jillion times. So we were down and packed before anyone else. We went ahead and headed on down the river since we were the slowest in the pack. This was probably the most relaxing and enjoyable part of the trip we had. We were just paddling at our own pace in the shade of the trees along the bank and not worried about catching up with anyone.

After a couple of hours on the water though the peace and tranquility were interrupted by the canoe brothers, Dennis and Skip, pulling a kamikaze run on the kamikaze kid (NovaEagle) in the kamikaze kayak. The kid was lost in his own little paddling world when the canoe slammed into the back of his kayak and the brothers yelled at the same time. I just hated I wasn't looking in that direction when it happened. They said he almost left the kayak. They thought they were going to have to hold him in.

It is at this point in the story that I will mention that NovaEagle was referred to as the kamikaze kid because that is what he had been doing to the canoe brothers and me all day yesterday. He would catch us talking or not paying attention and then ram us from behind or the side. I had a few opportunities to get him back but this was Dennis and Skip's first opportunity. They made it a most excellent one. This story was told more than once after the trip was over and I am sure will be told again and again. Revenge is sweet.

Soon after Uncle Frank and Papa Chuck caught up with us and spotted a bald eagle flying over the river. It was way cool to watch him catch the updrafts as he drifted higher and higher to spot a meal. NovaEagle was most definitely pumped to finally see his first eagle in the wild. That was his pinnacle moment of the trip.

We stopped later at a sand bar discovered by the canoe brothers and grabbed a quick snack. The boys devoured Papa Chuck's PB&J supplies and we had another snake come by our boats and hide in a tree top in the water.

On the river again, we paddled until we came to a state park landing. We docked and used the porta potties, loaded up our water bottles, grabbed some hot lunch and headed on down the river again. It was at this point that TeaBird and I got way behind. We finally made it up to NovaEagle and then no one else. An hour or so later when we saw them, they were pulled in at a landing. As we pulled in, we discovered the call had been made to end the trip there.

We had covered 29 miles in two days and still had another 18 to go the next day to make our planned destination. Everyone decided this was too far and too fast and since we were at a good take out spot, now was a good time to end it.

We had a great time and are now planning a canoe trip in Alabama on either the Sipsey river or the Cahaba river. This is definitely something that we want to do more than once. Thanks to Papa Chuck for pulling this together and thanks to Uncle Frank, Dennis and Skip for all the help and advice and encouragement to the boys. Also thanks to Skip for putting us up in his house that last night and letting us adults get a shower.

Eagle Creek Backpack

2008-03-16T22:36:00.017-05:00

Well NovaEagle and I finally made it to the Sipsey Wilderness Area. We got on a discussion forum (www.alatrails.com) where some guys were going to see some falls and we decided to tag along. We invited Headed_My_Way and his son to camp out with us. We all met up at the parking spot and headed off down to the creek where the falls were located. At first it was just normal woods but then as we dropped off down in the creek it got really cool looking. There were some hemlocks that really made it look prehistoric. Then we came to the first falls. WOW! That was pretty neat. We looked for the Geocache located there but couldn't find it.

We moved on down the creek and the way was kinda tough. I wasn't used to really steep mountain sides and having to cross a rushing creek every 50 feet. It had rained like crazy that morning on the drive up and the creeks and the falls were really flowing. We made it down past several small seasonal falls and then to a rather large side fall. We looked for the Geocache there and couldn't find it either. We were about to go on down the creek with the group when we saw a group of Geocachers coming back our way. We waited and they divulged where the cache was hidden. NovaEagle quickly got his hands on it. We also got a clue as to where the first cache was located and decided we would get it on the way out the next morning.

The next and final cache was on the mountain behind us so we bushwhacked through the mountain laurel (devil bush - as dubbed by Headed_My_Way) and made it to the top. This cache was easy to find and near a really good spot for a camp. So we unloaded our packs and set up camp, had some late lunch and decided to hike down the other side to fill up my hydration bladder. Well we were in for a surprise. Turns out that we stumbled up on Deer Skull falls and they were way cool. We came in from the top and found a way down the cliff. We crossed Ugly Injun and made our way around to the side falls. We played behind the top falls and then crossed the side creek and made our way down to the bottom. We stood below both falls and were in awe at the power and how deep we were in a canyon of rock walls.

We did a little exploring downstream and then headed back up stream to find a better way out. We found another falls that was just as pretty and took lots of pictures. I got some water with my filter below these falls. Headed_My_Way and his son were checking out how my filter made clean drinkable water out of the creek water. It was nice. We had camp in our GPSrs so we headed straight for it after we climbed up the side of the falls. We hung out and talked until dark and then hit the sack for the night.

A coyote woke me at daylight with his howls just across the creek. It was cool. We grabbed some quick breakfast, packed up and headed out across the ridge to get back to the drainage that would take us to our cars. It was much easier walking than in the canyon and by following a game trail down the side of the moutain we were able to by pass the devil bush and get to Eagle Creek falls relatively easily. We quickly found the cache and headed on up the drainage. That was the toughest part of the entire trip.

Every one had happy thoughts and sped up when the vehicles came into view. We all had a great time and are already planning our next trip. Thanks to the guys on alatrails for getting us out to the Sipsey Wilderness.

Below are pictures and short movies of our hike. At the end of the pictures is our trail captured by my GPSr. The right side of the figure 8 is our trip to camp and then to Deer Skull Falls. The left side of the figure 8 is our trip from the falls to camp and then out to the cars in the morning.

The boys playing behind a side falls into Eagle Creek.

The boys getting wet feet. Good thing camp was just a short distance away.

Above the main Deer Skulls Falls. We were able to cross the creek just above here and get around to the side Deer Skulls Falls.

I am standing in the middle of the two falls of Deer Skulls Falls on the side. There is a large opening behind the upper falls as you can see one of the boys come out from behind it.

This is the falls above Deer Skull Falls.

Caching With TeaBird

2008-03-08T21:23:00.001-06:00

NovaEagle had a friend over to spend the night. He really likes the woods so I decided to get him out in OMSP and introduce him to caching. He had been in the park on his bike at the bike track and had done some fishing. He had never been to Peavine Falls or on the trails. What better way to introduce him than to take him caching around Peavine Falls. We didn't make it to Peavine Falls but we made it to the Green, Red, Orange and Yellow trails. We did a lot of bushwhacking.

He had a blast and found three caches on his own. NovaEagle and I found them first but we didn't let on. He had to find them on his own and he did a pretty good job of it. He had the GPS the whole time and did a good job of navigating. We hiked a little over 3 miles in about 2 hours. By the time we got back to the Jeep both boys were tired. They snacked all the way from the last cache which was 1.11 miles from the Jeep. That was a long trek.

Check the pictures out below and the two movies. Neither movie has sound as my cheap camera doesn't pick up sound. The first movie is of TeaBird and NovaEagle at the first cache. TeaBird is reading the Geocaching brochure in the cache to learn more about the game. NovaEagle is checking out all the stuff.

The second movie shows a beautiful hollow that we found bushwhacking from the first cache to the second. I way marked that spot so I can take the family back some time. At the end NovaEagle and TeaBird are throwing rocks at a blown over tree root pretending that they are defending their fortified position from attackers. Boys will be boys.

OMSP White Red Hike

2008-03-08T14:27:00.008-06:00

We wanted to go to King's Chair and see the snow across the valley. But first we stopped by and gave Gubbool some Girl Scout cookies. Standing at his tent, we realized how cold it was. So we decided instead to just hike to Maggie's Glen and try and see some snow. It melted fast but we got to see some. In the mean time it warmed up nicely and we had a very enjoyable hike. No one got tired and the scenery kept it from getting boring.

Another NovaEagle FTF

2008-03-03T08:49:00.002-06:00

Hover your mouse over the picture to stop it and see the comment associated with it.

Geocaching on a cold and blustery Saturday

2008-02-23T20:22:00.004-06:00

We wanted to start at the CCC road near Peavine Falls but the gate was locked on the main road at 6:15 this morning so we went on to the yellow-white connector. Nice hike up the mountain early in the morning. It was cold but the weatherman said it was going to warm up. Can I just go ahead and call him a liar now? Got to the top and bush whacked over to the sign. It had been warm on the way down but then once we got to the sign it was cold again. NovaEagle didn't have enough clothes so I gave him my windbreaker and dug out a poncho I had in my bag to break the wind. So now I am down to a t-shirt and a poncho and its not getting warmer. 2 MILES! so says NovaEagle. Yep says I and we head out.

Too cold on the Blue so we drop off the back side of the mountain to get out of the wind. See some pretty views, find some deer beds, and come across Oak Mountain South Rim Cache. NovaEagle found it while I was still trying to get the GoTo working on my GPSr. He signed the log and I signed the log and we enjoyed the rest and the reprieve from the wind. We stay on the backside and come across Got Noculars?

Our coords put us up by a small tree and without any hint we spent some time looking in vain. Finally I started easing down the hill and spotted the cache. I made my way to the cache and waited on NovaEagle to bring the goody bag and make his way down. We rummaged through the cache, signed the log and once again forgot to take a single picture. The sad part is that my camera was in one of my six-pocket pants pockets.

So we put the cache back and raced each other back up the mountain. I started out with a slip and NovaEagle took advantage of that fleeting head start and only gained distance as we went up the mountain. The boy is part billy goat. He liked the fact that he beat his ole man up the mountain also. We grabbed our stuff and headed on to the Apprentice.

Finally head back to the Blue and start hoofing it. Still not warm. We get across from the cache and hang right off the trail and bush whack to the site. I ask Stephen, reckon that is the cache and he pulls the ammo box out of a hat. Boy is he excited.

We rummage through it, sign our names, take a Captain Kidd DVD, leave a Captain Hook hook and absolutely forget to take the first picture until we were a good quarter of a mile away and headed back. Before that though we sit down for a snack of dehydrated pineapple and a good swig of water. My pack had caused my lower back to sweat and now my wet cotton t-shirt is causing me to freeze. Lying weather man. I gotta get me some better clothes.

We suited up and headed back out. NovaEagle was dragging further behind this time on the way out. Also it seemed to be colder on the way out than on the way in. It really got cold when I called MamaCacher and found out it was only 38 degrees. Lying weather man.

We bush whacked down from the Blue trail to the CCC road and quickly go through three caches that Gubbool had apparently archived in just the last week. I guess I am going to have to update my pocket query of the area. We make it to the Yellow-White connector and then on down the mountain to the Jeep. That dirty ole white Jeep never looked so sweet. We ran the heater on high the entire 30 minute drive to the house and I never got hot. Lying weather man.

King's Chair Hike

2008-01-21T12:50:00.003-06:00

I took the evening off since the kids were off and decided to hike to the King's Chair Geocache in OMSP and find it since none of us had found it. On the way there we ran into Gubbool coming down the hill. Gubbool is the caching name of a local Geocacher and temporary resident of OMSP. He informed us that he had just hidden a cache and would gladly take us there to let SugarPie, my Geocaching daughter, get her first FTF(First To Find) on a Geocache. So he turned around and took us on up the mountain.

He was able to help SugarPie get her first FTF and she was very excited about that. The cache was at an amazing spot in OMSP and offered a great view of the valley between the two ranges. Now it was on to the King's Chair. It was good that Gubbool was with us because it became quickly obvious that the coordinates for King's Chair were not in my gps. Gubbool however led us straight to it and MamaCacher and SugarPie quickly found the cache. MamaCacher signed the log for all of us and Gubbool passed out Pop Tarts to the kids. They really like Gubbool now.
We spent some time taking pictures and admiring the scenery before heading back to the van. It was at this point we discovered that I had dropped my jacket somewhere in the woods on the way to the chair. It was getting dark and so Gubbool offered to let us hike back the way of the trail and he would go the route we took coming in to find my jacket. We made it back to the van before dark and about 10 minutes later we see a dark form coming down the mountain. It is Gubbool with my jacket.

Everything turned out good that evening, thanks to Gubbool, even though we tried to mess it up more than once. Below is a short video I took of the view. Don't bother with trying to figure out why your sound doesn't work because it doesn't have any sound.

South Cumberland State Park

2007-12-27T11:24:00.003-06:00

Stephen and I hung out with my old college buddy, Philip Walker, and his son and some of their friends for a trip to South Cumberland State Park. It was fun except for the thunderstorm we camped out in.

Geocaching in Oak Mountain State Park

2007-01-06T22:45:00.002-06:00

I have discovered geocaching and introduced my friend and his family to it. We went one evening to Oak Mountain State park and had a great time finding caches. The great thing about it is that my family would have never gone out there to hike. However they hiked all over the place looking for these caches. I love it. Click here to see the pictures.

Hiking w/the Family in Oak Mountain

2006-05-20T17:46:00.002-05:00

We got to the park about 10:30 am and parked at the entrance to the primitive campground. We took the Yellow/White connector up the side of the very steep mountain to the White trail. We hung a left on the White trail and went to Shackleford Point. From there we went on down the White trail until we hit the Yellow trail.

We took a left on the Yellow trail and made it to the BMX track where I filled our hydration bladder back up with water. We had run out. We then got back on the Yellow trail and came on to the road to the primitive campground, hung a right and got back to the Jeep around 3:00 pm. It was a lot longer hike than I had originally planned.

The above two paragraphs is what Mitchel wrote... apparantly he wasn't as affected by the day as the kids and I were. We started off and very soon we came to a mountain that went up... and up... and up. I was soon informed that, no, in fact, it was NOT a mountain, only a hill... the mountain would be later. I was dying and we hadn't been hiking for 30 minutes. We made it to the top of the hill and it got better until we reached the bottom of the mountain and started up again. Thankfully the trail up the mountain was a switch back trail which made it a little easier going up. We made it to the top and it was beautiful.

Tall grasses lined either side of the narrow trail and made our legs itch. Huge rocks rose out of the mountain top on either side. We used these as resting areas. We began our descent and hit some very steep areas. My shoes made the ends of my toes hurt due to the gravity pulling my feet down. Perhaps I need better shoes. But, on the bright side, at least we weren't going UP those steep areas. We finally made it to the bottom of the mountain and soon came to one of the lakes. This was a welcome sight. We watched turtles, fish and frogs play. We had been seeing frogs frequently throughout our trip. Once we neared the lake they increased in number and got smaller in size. As we were passing a spillway over a dam into the lake Mitchel paused and looked down. There sitting in the shallows was a very small turtle. Needless to say we now have Max and Emmy. We did just have Max.

We ran out of water and came to a picnic area with a bathroom. Mitchel filled up the bladder in his camelbak back pack. It wasn't long before we ran out again. It was odd that we ran out quicker after the fill up than before. I guess we thought we had a lot of water since it had just been filled up. Usually we come over prepared with food and water but, like Mitchel said earlier, we didn't expect the hike to be this long. We finished the hike about four hours ago and my feet STILL hurt.

It was a long, warm, tiring day. But the day was spent with my family. The kids had fun... there were a few complaints from them, but not near as many from them as from their mother. They were real troupers and did excellent! They must take after their Daddy. We were together... building memories... and that's what's important.

Loop 13 Clockwise

2006-03-16T14:50:00.001-06:00

I parked at the Cabins instead of at Tranquility Road. I had looked at too many trail definitions the night before and once I got to the park I got confused on which one we were running. I stood at the cabins and waited for Richard until I decided I better check my phone. Sure enough I had a message from Richard stating that he had started his run at Tranquility Road. So I gave him a call and turns out that he was headed my way down the Red Trail. So I took off to meet him.

I ran a portion of the Red Trail to meet Richard and was sucking air bad by the time I met him. It felt like my lungs were full of water. We ran back by the Cabins and on out to Maggie's Glen. I wondered who Maggie was as we went through the glen. We hung a right up the Yellow Trail. That is a really nice trail that I think I have only been on once before. Further up it there is Camp Site #2 that I would like to camp at one day.

We passed the camp site and arrived at the back of the lake near the old Cabins. We went around the lake and down by the Dam. At the picnic area I ran across the bridge and hung a right back up toward the Dam. Richard kept on running toward the main road to get back to his truck.

I picked up a water bottle and a Mountain Dew bottle that some ding bat had left behind as trash. I staggered up the trail next to the Dam and headed toward my Jeep parked near the Cabins. I saw a guy fishing in the lake and ran straight through a very muddy, wet spot near the cabins. Made it to my Jeep and threw the trash in a trash can there. There was a drink machine there so I put some money in to get some bottled water. However it was out of water so I settled on a Gatorade.

I got in the Jeep and headed on out of there.

Loop 17 Clockwise

2006-02-16T09:40:00.001-06:00

Loop Map & More Info

Well I was sore as a dog and thinking seriously about leaving the ankle weights in the Jeep. I couldn't tell if I was feeling bad from having exercised too much yesterday or if I was feeling bad because I was coming down with something. After my energy pills and a gallon of coffee kicked in on the drive to the North Trailhead I had decided that I could run once more with the ankle weights.

Today it was really warm at 46 degrees and I didn't even wear my jacket. I had also gone from insulated running pants yesterday to non-insulated today. I was a little chilly when we first started up the CCC road but by the time we reached the Red/Blue connector that we had come down yesterday my internal heater had kicked in and I was sufficiently warm.

We hung a left up the Red/Blue connector and for some reason it just didn't seem as bad as the first hill the day before. Maybe I had warmed up and my muscles could handle it better or maybe the hill wasn't straight up the side of the mountain but gave us some switchbacks to work with. In any event we were soon coming to the Blue trail. However right at the top the switchbacks quit and we went straight up to the Blue trail.

Richard didn't stop at the intersection today though but simply turned right and continued on up the Blue trail. Did you notice that I said up? However we were quickly to the top and proceeded to drop off down into Gum Hollow. I asked Richard why it was named such and he said he thought it was because of all of the Sweet Gum trees that grew in the bottom of the hollow.

The trail had basically been turned into a stream from all of the runoff and we had to step over and around puddles of water as we made our way up Gum Hollow. It seemed the trail down there was constantly changing. We hung a right after a bit though and started back up a mountain to reach the final top of the mountain that the Blue Trail runs along.

We took a moment at the top to gather our wits which didn't take long as there wasn't much to gather and then we were off along the ridge of the mountain following the Blue Trail. This is probably my favorite part of any trail in Oak Mountain park. It is very scenic and has lots of views of mountains and valleys, rock outcroppings, and the trail is constantly changing. We had a nice little jaunt along the top of the mountain and were soon at the second Red/Blue connector that would take us back to the Red Trail, aka, CCC Road.

We could see the CCC road from the Blue trail so in a matter of minutes we were on the CCC road and jogging back to the North Trailhead. The pace was nice and comfortable and Richard and I were talking about all things. Also, a few times we had to cross the creek that flowed down and around the CCC road.

What with the talking and the crossing, the next thing I knew, we were coming around a bend and there was my Jeep. This run definitely seemed to go easier and quicker than the last run even though they were relatively the same distance. We went around the gate and another loop run was history.

Loop 18 Clockwise

2006-02-15T09:08:00.002-06:00

Loop Map & More Info

I have been reading a lot of Dean Koontz lately and he has a really good opening sentence in his book, Dragon Tears. If I was to borrow it and use it here it would go something like this.

Wednesday was a fine Alabama day, full of sunshine and promise, until I had to go up the Blue Trail with 5 lb ankle weights on. Ok, so my misery was of my own making. I thought I should up the ante and make it a little harder on my self since I am supposed to be younger and in better shape than Richard. Where that hair brained idea came from I am not sure.

We went through the gate at the North Trailhead and immediately turned to the left and started up the first of four nasty hills on the first section of the Blue Trail. I'm sorry. Did I say hills? I meant to say small mountains. That first climb was a doozey. To make it worse there wasn't any small talk between Richard and I because neither one of us had any breath left with which to talk.

We made it to the top of the first one and Richard said, "Only three more to go." Now that made my day. NOT! We were able to jog very little and talk very little as we went across to the next small mountain and then there was no jogging or talking. Only walking and breathing.

In the 40 degree weather I quickly warmed up and came out of my jacket. I already had one less layer on top than I had the day before and I didn't have my gloves or my ear muffs on. It was still very hot.

We reached the red/blue connector and took about a 2 minute break to bring our breathing back into a semi normal state. We then proceeded down the red/blue connector. Oh how nice it was to be going down. The ankle weights did add a little extra to even that though.

We hit the red trail and hung a left back up to the yellow/red connector. We hung a right on it and avoided the same water holes and crossed the same streams that we had yesterday. They were still there. However this time we kept to the White Trail back to the North Trailhead instead of hanging a left on the cabins trail. The White Trail was a good little distance of jogging and the ankle weights were starting to take their toll. My thighs were beginning to burn and wanted to just shut down.

I tried to put it out of my mind and just focus on Richard running ahead of me. Once, I realized that I was lost in my own thoughts and in the process had slowed down. As a result Richard had gotten a little distance out front. I had to suck it up for a little bit and catch up.

Soon we came back out onto the CCC road and I could see my Jeep across the highway. It was a sight for exhausted thighs. And another loop was done.

Loop 19 Clockwise

2006-02-14T22:02:00.001-06:00

Loop Map & More Info

28 is probably a good number by itself but when put in context with degrees and 6:20 am, its goodness quickly becomes a memory. Our only saving grace was that it hadn't rained in several days and the Red-Yellow connector was semi-dry and all streams were crossable without having to remove shoes.

Even with it only being the second day to have run in a long time it was still easier than the first day. For some reason I didn't seem to be as cold and there appeared to be a little bit of a spring in my step. However my stomach and back reminded me that I had swung a 12 lb maul way too much over the weekend while splitting wood. Nothing like a little jarring from running for a few sore muscles to make you realize just how alive you are by jump starting several nerves you didn't know were there.

We were up the CCC road and hanging a right on the Red-Yellow connector before I could believe it. Of course good conversation with Richard helps to pass the time while our shoes eat up the miles. The Red-Yellow connector had a few wet spots but we were able to skirt them and they only slowed us for a tad bit. We hopped and skipped over the same stream a couple of times and wound up back at the cabins.

This time we hung a right and headed back up to the main drive. Now that doesn't seem to be much of an incline when you go up it in your vehicle, but my body doesn't run on gasoline and it was starting to whine. I kept up the conversation with Richard and kept up the pace and pretty soon hit the main road.

We jogged a bit, walked up hill a bit and jogged on to the camping road. We took a left up a calf punisher of a hill. A golf ball lieing on the side of the road saved us. We were too busy cracking jokes about what a swing that guy must have that we had reached the top of the hill and avoided a car pulling out of the trash bins before we knew it.

We jogged a little ways down the hill and then took a right up the trail that is so step they installed steps. My calves were beginning to think this was a sick joke and had quit laughing. In fact, I couldn't hear any laughter over the heavy labor of trying to breath frigid air, wipe a running nose, push bush limbs out of the way and avoid slipping down on the loose pine straw.

We crested the hill and slipped on down the trail to the bridge over the creek. A few more steps and we were into the North Trailhead parking lot 3 minutes ahead of the counter clockwise route. Of course it was wetter then. I was feeling good though and felt that I could have gone at least another 100 yards. The sun was coming up though and it was time to go back to standing on my head.

Loop 20 Clockwise

2006-02-10T08:00:00.001-06:00

Loop Map & More Info

Well it was good to get back to running. It was very cold at 31 degrees but the sky was clear and the wind was still. It was so good to be back in fact that I got to the North Trailhead about 5 minutes before Richard did. I had my ear muffs, gloves and jacket all on and ready to go when he drove up. I did a little stretching and some jumping up and down like I had ants in my pants while he was getting ready. Then we were off on the White Trail in the early morning like two turkey hunters running late and hurrying to get to their setup spot before the boss gobbler flew down.

I very quickly saw that the previous rains had done some serious washing. There was sand washed down to the lower elevations in large quantities and piled up against debris like Granny's mashed potatoes piled up next to your black-eyed peas. As we started up the first, and possibly only, large hill on the White Trail, the destructive nature of lots of swiftly running water was very evident in the exposed roots and channel down the middle of the trail.

The first trail got my heart rate up and then we broke into a run as the trail leveled out into an optimum grade for running. Richard was doing much better and was setting a very good pace. We chatted about work, running and other things as we passed along the White Trail and took the Cabin trail to the right. I almost immediately proceeded to stub my big right toe on a small stump sticking up in the middle of the trail. The only funny thing about that was that I had threatened to come in there with my axe and cut that stump out last year. Now I wish I had as a year away from the trails caused me to get forgetful and careless.

So I hobbled along with Richard to the cabins. We ran through the parking lot and on down to the side of Tranquility lake. The reason for it's name was very apparent this morning. The water was as still as a sleeping baby and the top was as slick as glass. I saw two fish strikes and the ripples seemed to go on forever as there wasn't anything to interupt them. At this point we took a quick break to strip off our jackets, muffs and gloves. Our core body temperature was cranking up and making itself evident on the outside.

We then went on past the dam and was made aware of the recent rain again as there was a fair amount of water flowing over the spill way. The six wood ducks in front of the dam didn't seem concerned that they might go the way of the water over the spill way. Richard and I went on our way to the water treatment plant, past the BMX track and by the field where I had camped with the Scouts during the fishing tournament.

We took a break at the gate to John Findley drive in order for Richard to remove a rock from his shoe. I later told Holly that I had kicked it into his shoe so I could take a break. He thought that was rather humorous. With both shoes on and almost breathing regular again, we hit the main road for the final push back to the vehicles that I could now hear calling my name.

My strength and breathing had been fine during the whole run but now my being off for so long was beginning to tell in my endurance. My body was beginning to tell my brain that enough was enough. However since my brain has this thing about being in charge it wasn't listening to my body and kept the nerve impulses firing to drive it on down the road one pounding foot step after another.

We started down the final hill and Richard kicked up the pace a little. I don't know if it was because we were going downhill or because we were almost to the vehicles and he was as anxious to get there as I was. We hit the bottom of the hill moving all out and to me it was like having cold water thrown on me. There were the vehicles but they were way down at the end of the straight stretch.

Coming down the hill on a bicyle at 30 mph it doesn't take long to get to the North Trailhead. At our running pace this morning it seemed to take forever to reach the cross walk and for Richard to press the stop button on his stop watch to indicate that this loop run was over and final. CLICK! The button was pushed and another run could be written up in my blog.

Loop 10

2005-12-23T10:03:00.001-06:00

Loop Map & More Info

Arrived at the primitive campground entrance at 6:18 am and it was just light enough to see the road but the sun was still hidden behind the mountain. Weather.com said it was 25 degrees which meant it was probably 22 degrees out at Oak Mountain. It is always three degrees colder out there for some reason. My internal temperature was better regulated this morning and I wasn't freezing when I got there so I was ready to go.

Richard drove up and we hit the trail while it was still hard to see the roots in the trail. It is bright enough to see at 6:30 am but that is about all. Very quickly we hit the portion of the yellow-white connector that begins the ascent up the mountain. Very soon after that I was really warm. The trail looked different in the low light and we back tracked a couple hundred yards because we thought we had missed the turn-off to take us up the final ascent of the mountain. However we just hadn't gone far enough, so we trudged on.

I had taken the lead during the back tracking and so I started on up the steep part. The calves started burning and the lungs started screaming for air. Half way up the body started over heating so the gloves, jacket and head warmer came off. I was almost to the top when a doe and a little one jumped up and went running off. They stopped at about 100 yards and checked me out before bounding on off over the hill. They didn't seem to have a problem with the steepness of the mountain.

I took a short break at the top and waited for Richard. His meds were still keeping his heart rate slow and this slowing his pace down. We met at the top and Richard said it was 36 degrees. It sure seemed warm. We began the descent down the white trail to the white-blue connector and pretty soon we could feel the temperature get cooler.

This seems to be a well used trail but it needs some maintenance. There were several trees across the path and down near the connector the bushes were real tight on the path. I am going to have to get my Den of Cub Scouts out there one Saturday and do a little trail cleaning.

At the bottom Richard checked and it was 25 degrees. Of course I had put my head warmer back on and Richard had put his gloves back on. We didn't need his digital watch thermometer to tell us that it was colder.

We hit the Blue trail and I took the lead and took off jogging. We were going to hit the Orange connector. Well after jogging and jogging and jogging I was afraid that I had missed it. I could just see Richard having already taken it and headed back toward the vehicles and wondering where I was. I started getting cramps in my side so I walked for a little while.

They cleared up so I took off jogging again. It wasn't soon after that I came upon the Orange connector. Boy was I glad. I was afraid I was going to come out at the North Trailhead and have to take all day getting back to my Jeep. I gladly took off down the Orange connector. Soon I came across a pile of rocks on the right side of the trail. I stopped to look and what appeared to be a primitive camp site area. There was an Oak Mountain signpost with a three on it. I didn't realize there were designated camping sites.

I hit the Civilian Conservation Corps road and took a break next to the Eagle Scout project. The benches were nice to do some stretching on. In no time at all Richard was there and we were ready to head on down the CCC road back to the yellow-white connector. I took on off down the road at a jog and was actually able to jog all the way to the connector.

I took off down the connector and had to be very careful. My eyes were watering from the cold wind and the leaves were covering the trail. The combination made it very hard to see the roots, rocks and dips in the trail. Fortunately I only slipped a little bit once and my trail running shoes came through by grabbing a rock and keeping me from busting my bootie.

I made it to the bottom and was able to jog all the way to the Jeep. I have definitely improved since Richard and I started on Loop 1. I wish I could have done Loops 6, 7 and 8 with Richard. This completed Loop 10 for the first time this year though and it wasn't as bad as I remembered it last year. However last year I only ran the second time and it was warmer. It may be tougher this year when it is warmer. We shall see.

Loop 9

2005-12-20T09:00:00.002-06:00

Loop Map & More Info

It was cold, cold, cold when I arrived at the primitive campground entrance at 6:25 am. I got cold while dressing and I hadn't warmed up even with the heater at full blast because I was eating some breakfast and drinking a really cold Monster drink. That kept me cold. So when I arrived there before Richard I just sat there with the Jeep running and the heater cranked to the max.

Richard got there in just a few minutes and it was time to brave the outside air. I put on my running jacket, my gloves and my head band to cover my ears. I then stepped out of the Jeep and started wishing I had stayed in the bed snuggled up under the thick quilts that keep me warm during the night. DANG! It was freezing cold at a right lowly 24 degrees.

Richard was of the same mindset and quickly got out of his vehicle and said let's get this show on the road. He started walking down the primitive campground road while I jogged, hopped, jumped up and down next to him. I was internally cold and trying anything to get warmed up.

We hung a hard left on the Yellow Trail and hit our first hill of the morning. Thank goodness, I was ready for some warmth. Well buddy, I got what I asked for. About half way up the calves started screaming and saying they were warm enough that we could stop now. Well my face begged to differ with them and since it was closer to my brain and had more influence, we kept on climbing.

We came out on top and were able to see one of the Double Oak Mountains to our right with just the first rays of the sun coming over. I wished I could have sat down next to a tree right there and waited to watch the sun rise over that mountain. One of these mornings when it is warmer I am going to take the family up there and do just that.

Richard was having a tough go of it due to some over medication prescribed by his doctor so our leg to the Pavilion / Picnic area was a little on the slower than usual side. We took a water break there and I was feeling froggy what with now being warmed up and the cold air giving me energy so I asked if I could take the lead and set the pace. Richard gave me the reins and told me not to wait on him.

I took off at a steady jog and in a few minutes had to come out of my gloves and then a little later had to come out of my jacket. The continuous jogging was definitely warming me up. However as I came up to a small incline right before getting back to the main rode I ran out of steam and had to slow to a fast walk. Once I hit the top of the hill I had caught my breath and was ready to rock and roll.

It was a very nice jog from there on in back to the Jeep. The main road by the primitive campground is a very nice road to jog. The road is big and wide and the woods are open on each side. The squirrels were busy running all over the ground but I didn't see any deer. Later I found out that I had beaten Richard by 11 minutes.

It was a good jog and I am looking forward to the big daddy of all loops, number 10 coming up this Friday.

Loop 5

2005-12-02T18:53:00.002-06:00

It was 28 degrees this morning when we parked at the entrance to the CCC road and started jogging up the highway to Peavine Falls. The wind was blowing a lot harder than the Weather channel said it would be last night also. I had insulated jogging pants, an insulated top, an insulated windbreaker jacket, gloves and a wrap around my ears. My eyes were watering like crazy and my nose was cold. Sixty-two minutes later as we got back to the car, I had removed my gloves and my wrap and unzipped my jacket. It had only warmed up to 29 degrees but those trails had warmed me up a lot more.

We made it down to Peavine Falls and started up the Blue trail. It had experienced some serious windage as there were a good many trees across the trail. There were already small trails around them as others had been there before us. It was definitely a different trip than what we had taken in the spring while winding back down to Loop 1. When we got to the white connector, a tree had fallen and knocked the sign over. The White trail was down in the valley and didn't have any trees across it. I guess the wind stayed up on the hill and did it's damage there.

The sun was up and shining as we made our way up from Peavine Falls to the parking area. It sure looked nice coming over the mountain and burning off the mist. The jog from the parking area back to the entrance to the CCC road was a nice finish to a nice run.

Loop Map & More Info

Loop 4

2005-11-29T20:00:00.002-06:00

Richard and I were both in talkative moods so this run seemed to go fairly fast. The jog from the picnic area to the start of Blood Rock trail went fast and warmed us up. The walk up Blood Rock trail got me out of my jcaket. We had a nice jog down the CCC road until we made it to the Green trail. The Green trail was very steep but most of the leaves had been worn off by the Thanksgiving crowd so it wasn't very slippery. The leaves can sometimes make it dangerous. I enjoy the part that goes through the pines though. That is always pretty and seems like it would be the perfect place to camp.

We cut over to the Yellow trail and the calves began to burn as the hills came on us. The Yellow trail is a pretty rough trail the entire length. Luckily we were only hitting piece of it and then we were back at our vehicles. It was a nice trail run and we had fun talking. It was nice after the last ones were so awful.

Loop Map & More Info

Loop 3

2005-11-18T09:00:00.002-06:00

It was awful. I was sick and tired when I got there. My legs started giving out about half way through. I think Richard was tired also because it took us 95 minutes to complete the 5.6 miles. We walked a lot and talked a lot. Talking tends to slow us down also.

I made it back and almost died. Every joint in my body ached. I ached all over and felt like I had the flu. Maybe I did.

Loop Map & More Info

Loop 2

2005-11-16T09:00:00.002-06:00

We ran loop 2 today. When we got there both gates were locked on the way to Peavine Falls. Richard unlocked them with a magic touch. This put us 10 minutes late starting though. Walked uphill all the way to the Peavine Falls parking lot. It was interesting to actually be able to look out over the valley on the side of the road. Most of the time I am busy watching the road. When we started down the CCC road the wind was cutting us in two. It was unbelievably cold. I didn't have anything for my ears and they were hurting.

I started down the BUMP trail and tripped before Blood Rock. After Blood Rock I heard something behind me and looked over my shoulder as I was jogging. I must have stepped odd because a pain shot through the back of my left knee and I hopped on my right leg for the next couple of steps. It eased off and I was able to keep jogging and stay up with Richard. I almost fell flat on my face as I tripped over a root down toward the bottom of the trail. Behind my left knee was hurting like the dickens. Fortunately we made it back in 1 hour and 8 minutes. I was glad that was over with.

Loop Map & More Info

Loop 1

2005-11-04T09:00:00.002-06:00

It turned out hotter than expected. Long sleeve shirt and long pants was too much. We had a good warm-up run through Mr. Toad's trail. We then had a good walk up the mountain. I heard something in the woods but wasn't able to figure out what it was. Thought it might be some turkeys scratching or an armadillo. We started down the other side of the mountain and I found the base of an antler. Richard almost ate a spider and did the spider dance right there in the woods. If I had a video camera I would be richer now.

Behind my left knee started hurting real bad on the way down. It isn't well yet, apparently. We made the loop and came back through Toad's Wild Ride with my left knee killing me. Luckily I made it back to the Jeep before calling it quits and crawling in.

Loop Map & More Info

CRWMA Bike Riding

2005-10-16T20:15:00.001-05:00

I was feeling kinda puny and didn't do so well the last time I went riding with Richard and we are supposed to ride this Tuesday so I decided to take a little trip myself and see how I would fair. I took off from the house and headed toward the Cahaba River Wildlife Management Area (CRWMA). I had marked it off with the Jeep so I knew it was two miles to the creek at the bottom of the big hill right before the CRWMA started.

Once on the dirt road of the CRWMA I took the dirt road to the right. Slid my bike under the gate and took off. That is a well graded road that brings you behind the gate at the shooting range. I hung a right and went wheeling on down the road. Of course I very quickly came to a slick hill that 4-wheel drive vehicles spin up. Needless to say I had to walk my bike up it. Once up it I kept turning to the left and stayed on the road that will bring you out on the first road past the shooting range road.

Of course this road is washed out, has overhanging limbs, two streams cross it and it was wrapped up in spider webs. It made for a very eventful ride. Only once did I have to stop to remove a spider that looked like it could take down a rhino. I had to stop twice to cross the streams and once when I encountered a rock covered hill. I finally made it out to the first road past the shooting range road mentioned above. This road is much better.

So I hung a left there and headed back to the main CRWMA road. This was a nice ride. However I happened to go by a grown up side road that I had seen scrapes on last year. I thought, hey, I can ride down this road and very quickly see if there are scrapes this year. Now that was an exciting ride. I was dodging small trees, bouncing over small dead trees in the road, riding through small limbs blown off by the last hurricane and riding through a thick mat of leaves.

Unfortunately I only found one small rub at the beginning of the road and nothing else. So the ride out wasn't as exciting as the ride in since I had nothing to look forward to except surviving and getting out.

So I made it out and headed on to the main road. Of course it was at about this point that I ran out of water. I rode on by the shooting range with people blasting away below but I didn't hear any bullets whining overhead so that was good. For some reason I was able to make some really good time by the shooting rangle. :-)

I hit the main road and hung a left to go back home. I hadn't realized how rough the road was coming in but going out I was bouncing all over the place. It was nice to get back to the highway. However now I had the hill from down under to contend with. The last time I had attempted it I had to stop and walk part of the way. But slow and steady wins the race and this time I paced myself and made it all the way to the to top without stopping.

The hard part was over and I was ready to get home and get some water so I brought it on in. I was pleased with how well I did and how nice the ride was. I look forward to the next time I can challenge a portion of the CRWMA.

Oak Mountain Sunday Afternoon

2005-08-28T20:00:00.001-05:00

Click here to see some pictures of me and kids having a good time Sunday afternoon while Momma was at a meeting at church. We went to ride the trails but Anna is still just too little for the roots and the narrow trails.

We did however ride around the parking lot and down the side of the lake a couple of times. The road around by the picnic tables and by the restrooms was fun. We went around it more than once. We also road down the road for a short piece to the beach entrance.

And as you can see from the pictures we had a boo boo incident and we played on the playground a lot also. I had packed some snacks and we took a couple of picnic snacks. One at the playground and another at a picnic table on the picnic table road.

Just about the time the kids were starting to get too hot and tired Momma called. So we loaded the bikes on the Jeep and went back home.

Second Oak Mountain Bike Ride

2005-08-10T12:00:00.001-05:00

Well the second one was most definitely better than the first one. I had found out from my chiropractor that I needed to raise my seat because above my knees was sore instead of my thighs as they should have been. I have since learned that your seat must be high enough that your legs fully extend when you are pedaling. This of course means that you will not be able to touch the ground when you are sitting on your seat.

This time we started at the stables and went right up to the guard house and then headed back into the park as we did the last time. However this time we took a right on Terrace Drive and went up by the beach and the pavillions. We went out the back of the pavillion parking lot and took the loopy, winding road around the picnic tables and out by the bath house. We cut back through the parking lot and went back down Terrace Drive where we hung a right on the main road.

We only went to the service road on the left before you get to the top of the hill where the cabin road takes a right. We hung a big U and headed back down the hill at a rather rapid clip. It was fun. We then made the loop back up through Terrace Drive, came back down to the main road and headed toward the stables and our vehicles.

I had been feeling a little froggy on that second trip up Terrace Drive and had really pushed it to stay up with Richard. Well now he said that on the last mile he was going to no longer wait on me but go on to his vehicle. He said I was welcome to stay with him. Well I stood up and pumped about three times and my legs just dropped out from under me. I was left with sitting on the seat and using my rubber legs to barely make it back to the stables. I came in two minutes after Richard.

I was stronger for the second ride, my seat was in a more correct position and we made faster time so I am going to raise my seat just a little more and look forward to our outing next Monday to see how I compare then.

First Oak Mountain Bike Ride

2005-08-04T20:00:00.001-05:00

I know this started out as my hiking/trail running blog but I want to add biking to it now. As of today I now have a new respect for cyclists. Today I rode 14 miles in about an hour and ten minutes with a co-worker. We rode from the horse stables parking lot to the main front gate and then back all the way to the spillway between the two lakes at the other end of the park.

Just that ride alone was enough to take me out. My legs were about rubber by this time and my muscles were screaming. My co-worker, Richard, had circled back to stay back with my several times and finally had gone ahead and waited on me at the spill way.

On the way back he told me that he would try and go slow enough to stay with me. I would have never made it without him. I needed the encouragement he provided just by being there. My right knee started to hurt about a fourth of the way from the finish line when I had just two more small hills to take on.

I was able to climb them but the will power to do so was amazing to even myself. It made me see how much more you could push yourself with someone there than when you are by yourself. There were two other cyclists out there who very quickly came by us on a very steep hill. Even they spoke words of encouragement as they came by. I am sure they had been struggling like I was when they were first starting out and remembered how it felt.

I hope to keep at it with Richard and one day be able to be an encouragement to someone else on the road as they struggle up a hill on their first bike ride in Oak Mountain State Park. After I survived Richard teased me by telling me how it was nice for him to just take a leisurely ride through the park for once.

I commented on how I had to use every gear I had on my bike. Richard said he normally didn't use his really low gears but that he had to today in order to go slow enough to stay back with me. He is too kind. By the way, Richard is only 64 years young.

Work Cahaba River Hike

2005-07-24T20:00:00.001-05:00

Stephen had ridden with me to work so I could print out and turn in my expense reports and timesheet for the previous week since I would be traveling again and wouldn't be in the office on the next Monday. A while back I had printed out a topo map of the area behind work and had realized that the Cahaba River was very close. So after I completed my business stuff Stephen and I decided to try and go find the Cahaba River.

We first skirted around the Cahaba Lake behind work on the runnning trail around the lake. However on the other side we took a narrow barely used trail straight up the side of a big hill. At the top we took a right down an old road. It deadended into another old grown up road at the bottom.

From the vegetation I could tell that we were close to the river. So we cut straight through the trees in the direction of where the river should be. I immediately got nailed on the leg with some thistle bush and began itching like crazy. I knew we had to find the river in a hurry so I kept on pushing ahead. Very soon I saw the bank but there were some very low hanging bushes there. I bent low and went on through.

The bank was steep and I had to hang on to a small tree to ease my self down to the water's edge. Once there I saw a small ledge that jutted out into the water. I was able to step out onto it and wash my really badly itching leg. Oh that felt so good. Stephen was right behind rolling up his pant's leg so he could get in the water. I had the misfortune to have worn shorts and got nailed by the thistle bush. Stephen was fortunate enough to have worn long pants and not get nailed by the thistle bush.

We stood in the very warm water and watched it lazily travel on past us. There were several fish jumping in the water and even a turtle surfaced near us. Stephen thought it was a snake for a second and was about to light a shuck for the next county. I assured him it wasn't a snake and kept him on the ground.

We had to head out to get back for an event so we reluctantly took off back through the bushes. Once we hit the old road that would take us back up the hill to the barely used trail we realized that it was open to our left. The good thing here was that our topo map indicated that a small stream was over there that was a run off from the lake. If we followed it we would wind back up on the trail around the lake.

We made it over to the stream in about fifty yards and eased off down into it. It was fairly wide and had a rocky bottom. The water was only inches deep and made for excellent hiking back to the trail. However there was a water fall and a pool just before we hit the trail. To traverse it we had to do a little rock climbing to get around the pool and up the side of the small water fall.

It was very much fun and once Stephen saw where he was he insisted that he lead the way. Very soon we were back at the Jeep and loading up to head home.

It was a very nice evening and a nice little hike. It was nice to be able to stand in the river and wash off the thistles. The stream was also a nice surprize as we spent some time in there also. The water fall climb was definitely the climax to a nice evening with my son.

Oak Mountain Peavine Falls Hike

2005-07-21T08:00:00.001-05:00

On Thursday, July 21, 2005 I decided to take the day off and stay home with the family since I had been on the road for weeks at a time. Click here for the pictures of our hike until I get the time to write the story.

Lake Guntersville State Park Cascade Trail Hike

2005-07-19T20:00:00.001-05:00

After a another hard day in Boaz, AL on Tuesday, July 19, 2005 I decided to hit the trails at Lake Guntersville State Park to unwind. So at the hotel I mapped out a loop, gathered my stuff and hit the road for the park.

I parked at the King's Chapel Trail and Moonshine Trail trailhead parking area. As I got out of the Jeep a few drops of rain fell and I heard a low rumble of thunder in the distance. I threw caution to the wind and strapped on my CamelBak and hit the white blazed connector to the Cascade Trail.

I intersected the Cascade Trail and hung a left up it. It is an incredibly beautiful trail as it follows a stream up the side of the mountain with huge boulders and rocks every where. As I reached the point labeled Ken's Lookout I was really into the scenery. You can click here to see some of the pictures that I took.

I saw the big cliff and thought how fun it might be to climb it. Then I was amazed when the trail instead of going around it cut back and went up and across the face of it. I was even more amazed as I stood on a three foot wide ledge to discover a sixty feet deep cave back into the cliff. It would have been a great place to camp out.

As I came off the ledge I intersected with the Meredith trail and hung a right on it. It made for some nice running as I went around the edge of the mountain and intersected with the Golf Trail. I proceeded to hang a left on the Golf Trail and was able to get in some more good running.

I could hear the people talking as they were playing golf on the golf course. My only concern was a stray golf ball flying through the air. As I neared the intersection of the nature trail it started to rain. I stopped and pulled my camouflage poncho out of my CamelBak and put it on.

About that time a whole string of runners began running by me. It looked like a local high school track team. In all about eight boys and a girl come running by me. I was at what I thought might be the Nature Trail but wasn't sure since there weren't any signs. I took a left on it though and headed back toward the Cascade Trail.

Well I hit the Cascade Trail but I hadn't been on the Nature Trail. It was simply a short connector between the Golf Trail and Cascade Trail that wasn't on the map. So I took a right on the Cascade Trail. In no time I came to the Nature Trail intersection. During the trip down the connector the rain had stopped and I had put my poncho back in my CamelBak.

I then proceeded to the left down the Waterfall Trail. It was very wide and was going down an old road. About a hundred yards down it a rather large deer snorted at me and bounded off down into a big valley. I wasn't able to see if it had horns but it was a big deer.

As I got down the trail a little ways I saw a connector trail that was listed on the map that would take me back to a section of the Cascade Trail that I had not been on so I changed my original plans and took off to the left down it.

I was glad that I did. The bottom of the valley that I went through was covered in a very green, tall, wavy grass. It made the whole valley seem as if it was flooded in green water or there was a green fog floating just above the ground over the whole valley. It was really cool.

I intersected the Cascade Trail and hung a right back down to Ken's Lookout. I then changed from my plan and took a right and hit the Old Still Path. Another good decision. It was a nice run/walk along this trail as in places it was narrow and rocky. Other places it meandered around the mountain and made for some good running.

Also right there in the middle of it all was the Old Still site. I stopped long enough to capture a few memories on my digital camera and then I was on to the Waterfall Trail intersection. I took a left on it and because of it's width was able to run all the way back to the Jeep.

All in all it was a very nice run/hike and made for a very memorable last trip during my stint at the Boaz plant.

Lake Guntersville State Park Seales Trail Hike

2005-07-18T20:00:00.001-05:00

After working for the day at a plant in Boaz, AL on Monday, July 18, 2005 I decided to head out to Lake Guntersville State Park and hike some of its trails. I reviewed my hiking trail map of the park that I found at www.briartech.com/msmap.htm and decided on a loop. I changed into my running gear, grabbed my Camelbak, jumped in the Jeep and headed for the park.

I drove just past the Golf Course parking lot and parked on the side of the road where the Lick Skillet trail crossed. I began the hike/run by going to the right down the Lick Skillet trail toward the Meredith trail. It was a nice jog at the beginning as most of it was down hill. At the bottom I could see the lake and there was a connector trail to the lake. I stuck to my plan though and hiked up the next mountain to the Meredith trail.

I hung a left on the Meredith trail and was able to jog down hill to the Seales trail on the edge of the lake. I stopped for a second there to view the scenery. There were some guys fishing under the Town Creek bridge and there was a young man coming towards me on the trail in his swimming trunks and soaking wet. I spoke to him and asked him what he was doing. He said he was looking for his brother and wanted to know if I wanted to help him. I found that interesting. I asked him what his brother’s name was and he told me Dakota. I asked him what his name was and was informed that it was Tyler. So I told him that I was about to head down the Seales trail and that if I saw Dakota I would tell him that Tyler was looking for him. He seemed to be happy with that solution.

So I took off jogging down the Seales trail along the edge of the water. I was able to jog on and off until I came to a small power house on the edge of the lake. I stopped for a few minutes and took some pictures. You can click here to see those pictures.

The Seales trail then left the very edge of the lake and went up onto the side of the mountain. Now it was all rocks and I wasn’t able to jog. It was really pretty cool though. The trail meandered through the rocks on the edge of the lake and there were huge boulders and small cliffs to my left up the side of the mountain. It would have been a great place for the kids to play scrambling over the boulders.

After a while the trail dropped back down to the edge of the lake and was very wide. Here it is used a lot by the people camping in the campground. I jogged from here to the campground. The Seales trail skirted the edge of the mountain and the campground. At one point the trail split and there was a white blazed trail to the left going up the side of the mountain. From looking at my map I wasn’t sure if this was the trail I needed to take or not so I stayed on the Seales trail.

Well the Seales trail just comes out on the road in the campground and ends. So I backtracked to the white blazed trail which was the Old Lick Skillet trail and went up the side of the mountain. This trail meanders around the side of the mountain and the edge of the campground and comes out on the main road by the campground. As I came up on this road a deer jumped up in front of me and ran across the road. I stepped up to the road and there were six deer on the other side. I got my camera out and began taking pictures. It didn’t bother the deer at all. I had to walk about 50 yards down the road to pick up the Daniel White trail on the other side of the road.

I was able to walk down the road, go up the Daniel White trail and walk past the deer without ever spooking them. They just stood there and watched me walk past as the pictures from the link above no doubt showed you. It was starting to get late and I was beginning to wonder if I was going to make the entire loop before it got dark. I was planning on picking up the pace but ran into another field of rocks. Right in the middle of it was a very deep pit. I had seen the word pit on my map but wasn’t sure what it meant.

What it meant was that within two feet of the trail was a hole in the rocks that was about twenty feet deep and about three feet in diameter. It probably would have been pretty neat to have climbed down in there but I was headed on down the trail in hopes of finding the Jeep before dark.

The Daniel White trail intersected with the Lick Skillet trail and it was time for me to hang a left and head up the mountain. As I started up the trail I heard an eagle scream as he flew overhead. It was sweet. The trail became a series of switchbacks straight up the side of a very steep mountain.

I saw a large raccoon ambling through the woods ahead of me. He took the time to step up on a log and look back at me as if to say, “You are too tired to mess with what I got for you so just keep on going up your trail.” I completely agreed and just eased right on past him and headed on up the trail.

All of a sudden the trail stopped. I backtracked a few steps and found a tree with a red blaze on it. The trail switch backed around it and back up the mountain. From the looks of the initial trail past that tree it was apparent that I wasn’t the only one who had made that mistake.

From that point on it was just climbing over rocks and keeping my eyes on the red blazes. The trail popped out on the road and there was my Jeep. It was a welcome site to see.

The Camelbak pack came through for me as I was able to have plenty of water on a very hot day and I was also able to carry my digital camera and capture some memories. I cinched it down very tight and tucked my shirt in my pants and didn’t have any problems with it riding up or rubbing me.

This was a very nice loop with plenty of sites and sounds. I would recommend it to anyone who was interested in a hike of several hours or a trail run of about an hour. It took me an hour and a half but I got lost a couple of times and took time to take some pictures and observe some views.

Shackleford Point Hike

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Below is a link to some pictures with comments of a hike I took with my son and daughter one weekend my wife was visiting her mom.

Shackleford Point Hike