Sipsey Wilderness Trip- Bee Branch Falls

Your favorite adventurer in front of Fall Creek Falls

Decided to take another trip up to Sipsey Wilderness last weekend. Most of the leaves were down off the trees this late in fall. It made it a little easier to see some of the rock formations and waterfalls. Jason accompanied me on this trip.

Bee Branch Falls

We hiked from the Borden Creek Trailhead down 200, through fat man squeeze cave down to the stream crossing (very chilly) across to 209 along the Sipsey River Fork. We saw Fall Creek Falls and some other canyon falls before we reached our camp for the night. We set up a fire and ate our supper before turning in. We brought a tent just in case, but the weather was nice enough that we didn't have to bother with it. After a chilly first night we woke up with the sun and fixed breakfast. After squaring away our gear we hiked up to 204. 204 is a really exciting climb up some sandstone cliff rocks to a path that follows the ridge line of the canyon. It leads to Bee Branch Falls. These waterfalls flow into a deep canyon and are a real sight to see. We set up here for lunch and took off back down the second 204 trail to 209. We hoofed it on down to the Thompson Creek trail where we saw Ship Rock, a massive rock that looks like the bow of a ship. We made our camp for the second night again under the stars and woke up bright and early for our little exodus trip.
Jason crosses a creek

We were both extremely bushed and sore from all the climbing and rough trail and decided to take Thompson Creek up to the horse and wagon trails. 208 and 224 are not really that much easier and are up hill for a good portion of the hike. Tired and sore we trekked ever onward coming across the occasional scout troop. As we ran out of water (no more water sources on this trail) we griped and moaned about how far we have been going until we saw the most wonderful sight in the world- the Borden Creek Bridge. We were there! All our suffering was over.
Canyon and waterfall along Thompson Creek


It's strange though. The last trek of any hike is always the hardest. The last stretch makes you very weary and all you can think of is air conditioning and Dr. Pepper and comfy seats and oh my God I want this heavy pack off my shoulders. Thing is, once you get in the truck and start taking off all you can think about is when your next trip is going to be. A little pain can make us tougher, makes us appreciate the rewards for hard work. Until next time, enjoy a few of these pics from our trip.

Sipsey Wilderness Nov 13-15

Life Explained

Thought I'd reprint this story that's been floating around the internet for everybody.

A boat docked in a tiny Mexican village. An American tourist complimented the Mexican fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took him to catch them.

"Not very long," answered the Mexican.

"But then, why didn't you stay out longer and catch more?" asked the American.

The Mexican explained that his small catch was sufficient to meet his needs and those of his family.

The American asked, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?"

"I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, and take a siesta with my wife. In the evenings, I go into the village to see my friends, have a few drinks, play the guitar, and sing a few songs. I have a full life."

The American interrupted, "I have an MBA from Harvard and I can help you! You should start by fishing longer every day. You can then sell the extra fish you catch. With the extra revenue, you can buy a bigger boat."

"And after that?" asked the Mexican.

"With the extra money the larger boat will bring, you can buy a second one and a third one and so on until you have an entire fleet of trawlers. Instead of selling your fish to a middle man, you can then negotiate directly with the processing plants and maybe even open your own plant. You can then leave this little village and move to Mexico City, Los Angeles, or even New York City! From there you can direct your huge new enterprise."

"How long would that take?" asked the Mexican.

"Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years," replied the American.

"And after that?"

"Afterwards? Well my friend, that's when it gets really interesting," answered the American, laughing. "When your business gets really big, you can start buying and selling stocks and make millions!"

"Millions? Really? And after that?" asked the Mexican.

"After that you'll be able to retire, live in a tiny village near the coast, sleep late, play with your children, catch a few fish, take a siesta with your wife and spend your evenings drinking and enjoying your friends."

And the moral of this story is: ......... Know where you're going in life... you may already be there.

Easy Gardening.

Found a neat article today. Pretty ingenious idea, a lady recycled some old rain gutters to help keep her garden out of reach of pests and keep the soil nice. I would venture to say it's easier on the knees as well! I've been wanting to start a vegetable garden but space has been a factor- I think I've found my solution! Check out the jump for more info!