The tales are legendary. Rough terrain. Snakes. Ticks. Wild boars. Sipsey swamp. Live or die in Sipsey. Well, yea, I stretched that a bit. I think it's live or die in Dixie. Anyway, it's rough. Real rough.
From the tales alone I know that I'll never hike there in the spring, summer or fall. In fact, January and February will be my Sipsey months, as long as I'm in the good company of my sister, Janice. She and her husband Jeff know their way around those parts well enough that I put my complete trust in them. It doesn't hurt that Jeff is a cracker-jack gps enthusiast. That man can handle gps coordinates like nobody's business.
Only for a split second on January 16, 2010 did I wonder how we would make it through the night in the cold, wet forest. And for another split second, I wondered if I could outrun a hungry boar or a crazed fugitive from the law. Were we about to walk upon the remains of some poor hypothermic soul who had fallen into the arms of Jesus and given his flesh to nature? A split second, yea, I stretched that, too, didn't I?
Back to reality. It was my first hike into the Sipsey wilderness, and I'm looking forward to returning. Our nearly 6-mile journey was fun, wet and challenging.
What I learned:
Purchase a much better poncho or rainjacket, waterproof gloves, and fast-drying pants
Carry less photo equipment
Pack tissues
Take ibuprofen before the hike :)
1 comment:
Awesome story. Enjoyed hiking with you!
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