New Packs!

I've purchased some new gear, hopefully I'll have a field test done soon. I picked up a Kelty Tioga 5000 external frame pack and a North Face Crestone 75 internal frame. The NF pack is incredibly comfortable. I've never worn anything like it. The Kelty is a real work horse pack; I've got this one for myself to carry. It will allow me to pack a little more gear to compensate for another hiker who is not as adept at packing yet.

I have a couple of Black Diamond Trekking Poles and a new North Face Goliath 0 degree sleeping bag as well. Couple all this with my existing kit and I can now outfit two to three more hikers. The gear is usually what deters people from enjoying the hobby so I decided to just start building additional kits. I'm hoping to have a fully outfitted kit for three additional people by next Spring. Basically all you need to bring on my trips now is a solid pair of boots and a few clothes. Let me know if you're up for a trek!

Nostalgia- Why can't I remember all the places I've been?

Having grown up in Boy Scouts starting as a wee little Tiger Cub I had lots of great opportunities to check out the greater outdoors of NC, SC and VA. I have many fond memories of canoeing with my dad and other scouts, hiking a section of the AT, visiting the Smokies, bike riding along the New River, visiting Civil War battlefields and so on. I remember Camp Grimes and other summer camps, the feeling of getting away from home and parents for a week and having fun outside. The strange thing is, I have a ton of memories of outdoor trips that I can't for the life of me geocode. I remember beaches, mountain peaks, rivers and all kinds of stuff that I really can't recall where the heck we were. It's a bit aggravating. I really wish we had digital cameras back then, and blogs; maybe I would have kept a better track!

That's the whole point of keeping a journal. I chose the blog format so I could always have access to these great memories and also so I could share them with my friends and family easily. I encourage everyone to do this, I've kept a blog for years now and it has definitely paid off.

I'm going to keep scratching my head and checking Google to see if I can remember any of those destinations. In the mean time, stay frosty!

Bruton Talon Stove Review

I recently upgraded to a much more portable stove system, and wanted to keep the cost down. I came down to two choices, the Pocket Rocket and the Bruton Talon. I found both at Academy Sports and was able to compare them side by side. With the Talon having almost the exact same design and features as the Pocket Rocket, I settled on it as it was only 29.95 (even cheaper online). It's an Isobutane stove system that weighs less than 4 ounces.
It packs up very nicely and is very simple to set up. I kept it in an MSR 1.1 liter stainless steel cooking pot. I was able to store a can of fuel, the burner, some silverware, a lighter, salt and pepper shakers and some condiments within this pot. I still had room for more.

I put it to the test, kept it lit at 3/4 power with the can of fuel included with the stove and it kept a flame for 82 minutes. Not bad! At full strength it took 4 minutes 20 seconds to bring 1 liter of water to a rolling boil using the MSR pot. The stove cooled down pretty fast as well.
After a weekend of use I can say I like the Talon. I used it mainly for boiling water for use in Backpacker Pantry instant meals and it performed exactly as it should. I'm hoping to get a lot of use out of this little gem. You can't beat it for under $30.

Chinnabee Silent Trail and Cheaha State Park

This weekend I took a quick trip up to Talladega National Forest to check out the Chinnabee Silent Trail and make a quick Trip to Cheaha Mountain State Park. Cheaha Mountain is the southernmost tip of the Blue Ridge, and at 2,413 ft it is Alabama's highest point. Remember the CCC I blogged about earlier? They did some work here too, building an observation structure known as the Bunker Tower. I checked out the trail down to Pulpit Rock, a short little jaunt with some nice scenery. While there's plenty to see in the park, the focus of my trip was the Chinnabee Silent Trail just south of Cheaha.


The Silent Trail was built in 1977 by Boy Scout Troop 29. The troop nicknamed itself The Silent Troop, due to it being comprised of deaf scouts. In a co-op effort with the Forestry Service they built the trail and maintained it though the years. It's a nice little five mile trail leading to some great waterfalls.

The weather wasn't fantastic. I'm hoping this super wet season is almost over, and cooler dry air is on the way. The leaves are just beginning to change, and in a few weeks Talladega National Forest should be looking really colorful.

One thing about this trail, there's a lot of garbage strewn about. I packed six beer cans back out that I found. I didn't have any more room for the others. I think that's what I liked about Sipsey, it's more or less inaccessible to inexperienced hikers. The ones that do hike it have a little more respect for the trail.

Cheaha Mountain and Chinnabee Silent Trail

Sipsey Wilderness, Bankhead National Forest

Well kiddos, I finally took the trip up to Sipsey Wilderness like I've been dreaming about for a while. I was not disappointed. I'll let Wikipedia give you the skinny on these forests-

"The William B. Bankhead National Forest is Alabama's largest National Forest, with 181,230 acres (733 km²),^[1] and is home of Alabama's only National Wild and Scenic River, the Sipsey Fork. It is located in northwestern Alabama, around the town of Double Springs; it is named in honor of William B. Bankhead, a longtime U.S. Representative from Alabama.^[2]

Known as the "land of a thousand waterfalls," this vast monument to nature and man is popular for hiking, horseback riding, hunting, boating, fishing, swimming, canoeing and more. Within the forest lies the Sipsey Wilderness with a host of wildlife and an abundance of swift streams, limestone bluffs, and waterfalls. Native American relics abound in Bankhead, one of the Southern United States's premier sites for petroglyphs, prehistoric drawings, and rock carvings, at sites such as the Kinlock Shelter."

A wilderness preserve is a federally designated area that is in pristine condition, untouched by human engineering. There are no bridges, no roads, nothing but paths beaten by hiking boots. No electricity, no cell phone service, no plumbing, it is primitive. While much of the land in Sipsey was logged at one time, the Old Growth Forests still exist, and new growth has overtaken the logged areas completely. It's a dream land for those wanting to get away for a little while.

The route I planned to hike is the 209 Sipsey River trail. It starts at the Sipsey recreational area and skips across Borden Creek and up the river towards some old growth forests, including Alabama's oldest tree (which I did not find-yet). I hit the trail around 2 p.m. There was a woman hitting the trail at the same time, an officer from the Army who is going to bomb disposal school. We hiked for a little ways together exploring some of the waterfalls. The neat thing about meeting strangers on trails is you can almost always strike up a conversation with them. They are generally good, interesting people. I parted ways with Jordan after we forded Borden Creek and I made my camp. At only about 4 miles of hiking I had seen several waterfalls.

The water of the Sipsey River and surrounding creeks is almost crystal clear. It has a slight green tinge to it, giving it a jade appearance. It's gorgeous.

I managed to set up camp that night and get a fire going. By this point I was all alone, no one around for miles. The moon was full that night, and cast enough light to walk by if you wanted. The forest comes alive at night, and can be a little terrifying when you're alone.

The next morning as I was clearing my camp and cleaning up my mess a hiker walked up behind me and yelled good morning. I was a bit startled as I had thought I was alone still. His name is David, an avid hiker of the Sipsey area. He was going bushwhacking to look for some offtrail waterfalls. We talked and hiked together for a bit and I found him to be a real pleasant person to be around. We parted ways as he went looking for his waterfalls and I continued up 209 to find Bee Branch.

I ended up not getting to Bee Branch Falls after twisting my ankle. I wrapped it up tight and started the hike back out deciding I better not stay in the bush with a busted ankle overnight. I ran into David again and stopped to talk for a bit. Unfortunately he didn't locate his falls. He said he would try again in the winter when the leaves are down. I may try to help him.

I made my way out pretty exhausted. I hated to leave but was in no shape to stay. I figured out I have to change my backpacking strategy from the old days. It's a whole new game in Sipsey. It's more efficient to bring a water filter rather than packing water in, and I need to go with some backpacker meals rather than canned food. I'm putting together a new ultralight pack, and getting some trekking poles to help with load distribution and balance. I can't wait to get back out there.