I got off to a late start this morning. I’ve forgotten about this time change and its effect on sunrise & set twice now! I was in the woods by 7AM, but I could have been there by 6. My car was the only one at Flannagin trailhead as I began hiking this morning. It was pretty cold for once. If I can see my breath I’m a happy hiker!
Trail 203 started off great. The trail was very easy to follow and well worn down to the stream that runs into Borden Creek. Once you get to the stream it’s a different story though. I totally lost the trail at that point. I had seen a trail shooting off to the West along Borden a little bit before the lower stream. That might be a trail of interest for another day.
My GPS was saying that T203 ran somewhere a bit farther South of Borden, but I just didn’t see it. I even pulled out my compass to double-check, it indicated the same direction. Second guessing both staples of navigation, I decided to follow Borden itself. I’m glad I did as it wasn’t long before I located a low ceiling cave. No, I didn’t investigate much. The caves are still closed to protect the bats. I could see some graffiti in the mouth of the cave though. I can’t understand why people think to deface such unique and natural things?
I’ve been hiking smaller creeks lately in Sipsey, so seeing the amazing colors of Borden was refreshing; especially in the morning when the light whiffs of steam are rising off the emerald water. I found what may be a belly crawler cave in the bend of Borden. I only noticed it because of the red arrow with the word “CAVE” spray painted above it. I couldn’t tell if it was a cave or not. If it is, it only has a clearance of about 12” or so.
The area I was hiking gradually became steeper and more tangled so I went higher on the hillside. I came across somewhat of a hazard, but an interest just the same. There is a small section of barb wire ran for about 10’. I guess there was once a fence here. Any time I find remnants of the past I begin imagining what might have taken place there. Any ideas on this?
I knew that I would have to cross Borden on my way back so I kept an eye out for a low area. I found one close to where my GPS showed a trail that led to the Narrows Ridge area. That’s the thing about GPS, there may have been a trail there in the past, but it’s not there now as far as I could tell.
I continued on towards the Borden Trailhead weaving on and off old logging roads, following game trails, and just plain bushwacking. I found some old fire rings along the way as well as many new ones as I got closer to Borden. That seems to be a popular place judging by all the monuments, fire rings, and obvious activity around the trailhead.
Not wanting to get wet, I crossed the river via the bridge and went North. There are some really nice camp sites right here with a great view of the river. The trail was great on the West & South side of Braziel Creek, but (I may be wrong) the Cart O Craft Map shows trail 207 on the East side of the creek. I decided to leave this wonderful, unobstructed trail and cross Braziel by a huge fallen tree I found. I felt like an acrobat balancing across a 20’ beam. After that it was all bushwacking! No trail in site except the one I had left.
By now I had spent way more time than I had estimated. I had a meeting scheduled in Cullman at 2PM and it was already almost 11AM. I’m going to have to start estimating 1.25hr/mile on unknown areas! To save time and keep it interesting I decided to bushwack all the way to Narrows Ridge and follow it back to the ford I had noted earlier. What a task! The thickets were very difficult the way I went at it.
Once I made it to the road it was not very impressive. The terrain has a gradual declining gradient that doesn’t ever give you the view that you might anticipate from an area called the, “Lookout Trail.” All I could see was lots of deciduous woodland. I did run across some old Sprite cans. They had a teardrop hole like the V8s that you peel the aluminum flap off of to drink. Nothing like nostalgic trash…lol.
A good ways up Narrows Ridge my GPS showed yet another side trail headed back towards my ford. Taking it I followed a very small stream. It was pretty cool because I found two old fire rings. Pretty big ones. It made me wonder why people used to hike out to this area. Maybe when Co Rd 8 was a road it was convenient? Shortly after the last fire pit I began to notice Beech trees with the letter “H” carved in them. I remembered having seen them earlier in the trail and thought they may have an interesting significance. I marked 6 more on my way back. They seem to mark the logging road, but H7 is nowhere around a road. Maybe old trail markers?
As I made my loop back I decided to go to a higher elevation than I took on my way in. Just as fate would have it, I found trail 203 to follow for about the last mile out. It was a pretty clear path and flagged frequently. I had not went far enough South when I came in at the stream! That is a fact of the forest. You can be bushwacking your heart out 10’ from a perfect trail and never know it’s there. Other than a red arrow in a tree by the entry stream, I still didn’t see where the beginning of 203 was after the stream. By the way, what’s an arborglyph?
203/207/Flanigan Creek Loop
203/207/Flanigan Creek Loop
203/207/Flanigan Creek Loop
203/207/Flanigan Creek Loop
203/207/Flanigan Creek Loop
203/207/Flanigan Creek Loop
More pictures here:
http://www.alatrails.com/...hotos/index.php?cat=10391
