Plans for this weekend?

[mich4076]

Hope everyone is having a good week and enjoying this beautiful weather! Any special plans for this weekend? I was thinking earlier of kayaking and camping but I think it may be too cold to be on the water overnight. anyone interested on doing a one nighter on the trail?

[Joshua Szulecki]

I've rescheduled my hiking from last weekend to this weekend. Still trying to decide where in 'Bama we'll be going. EDIT: Going to Sipsey.

[mich4076]

Have fun in Sipsey! I'm headed to Talladega Mountain 

[weathermansam]

i'm doing the little ugly/eagle creek loop, but making a one nighter out of it.

[WolfVanZandt]

Heh. I'm desperately conserving money for a long trip to South Carolina the end of this month. Ya'll have fun, though.

[Joshua Szulecki]

We had a mostly unfulfilling day in Sipsey. We set out for Fall Creek Falls, but couldn't manage the crossing at Borden and had a few decent slips along the Sipsey in that sand-clay mud. Giving up on that location, we checked out the Gum Pond trailhead and 210. Unfortunately, we found the trail to be unservicable with a leashed dog, due to all the underbrush. Also, a donkey train (with cart) passed us, which was odd. We then finally made it to the Kinlock Shelter, which was worth the whole trip from Nashville.

[weathermansam]

my trip went great, until we decided to hike up eagle creek to the randolph trailhead instead of the side creek with ribbons at the campsite.  things just sort of became a nightmare after that.  I also lost a knife of great sentimental value between the falls on eagle creek and the campsite at eagle creek.  i need a warm meal and a bath at the moment, though

[Joshua Szulecki]

I've been explictly warned not to try hiking up Eagle Creek beyond the campsite stream or Little Ugly Creek beyond the falls. On the former, I can't recall other than the distance why this is so. For the latter, the cliffs and holly are the reason.

I lost something on both solo trips to Eagle Creek. I only lost my dignity on the group trip. Bummer about the knife.

[elbowman]

Josh,

How much of the 210 did you manage? I am planning on finally walking the 210 in 2 weeks.
Sipseywilderness .org is planning a 210 maintenance day next Saturday the 10th.

Eric

[weathermansam]

North of the campsite it's nothing but blowdowns and high bluffs which force you to zigzag across the river.  We ended up trying to climb up to the road, the first of which we ended up on an old logging road or something, and ended back on the creek, a good 30 minutes backtracked of where we were.  A second attempt later on led to a successful finding of Cranal Rd and another mile's walk to the car.  The waterfall photos [mostly] turned out quite excellent.  I hope to post a trip report and all that other jazz tomorrow or something.  

[Joshua Szulecki]

We cut out less than 1/8 of a mile down, because the dog flat out refused to hike the trail, presumably because there was brush/grass at his level but not ours.

[weathermansam]

What's the "official" name of the waterfall on little ugly?  I've seen it listed somewhere as deer skull falls.  Is that correct?

[McDowra]

there are 2 falls on little ugly, the dual falls are generally called deer skulls or lower ugly falls. The upper falls  are seldom visited.

[weathermansam]

The upper falls/cascades was a beast to get to, I hopped up on the lip of the cliff to the left and followed along.  I only got a semi-long distance shot of it;  running short on daylight at that point to ponder a way down.  I'll let you guys clarify some things for me once I get the photos online. 

[McDowra]

did the upper look like this? Keep in mind tree across the creek is about 2 foot in diameter

[weathermansam]

Yeah, that looks like it from a side view anyway.  Looks like you came in the same way I did along that ledge.

[Joshua Szulecki]

There is no official name. Only Kinlock, Parker Branch, Fall Creek Falls, and a SMALL handful of other falls in the area are USGS recognized.

I've always seen the taller two-step waterfall on the right (facing the falls) called Little Ugly Falls, and the orange stained rock-framed waterfall on the left called Deer Skull Falls. However, this is a misnomer, because the falls on the left actually carries Little Ugly Creek.

There is a third waterfall/cascade above the falls complex most people see. That is the one in the photo.