THE ICEHOUSE

 

 

Last summer, a job assignment in Birmingham gave me the opportunity to hike in Alabama for the first time.  I wanted to hike in the Sipsey Wilderness that time.  The Sipsey is located at the southern end of the Cumberland Plateau, in a region of small canyons, caves, and waterfalls.  Unfortunately, the location of the Sipsey in a remote corner of northwest Alabama discouraged me, and I chose another destination.  I decided to save the Sipsey for another time, but knew that another time might not come.  Unfortunately, the Sipsey is directly on the way to nowhere.

 

Last week, I was thrilled to receive a job assignment in Russellville, Alabama, which is only about a 30-minute drive from the Sipsey.  This time, I wasn’t going to miss my chance.  I decided to travel a day early so I could get a hike in.  I made the questionable decision to drive, despite the fact that it would require an 8-hour ride.  After all, they have these fancy new machines now that fly rapidly through the air.  Unfortunately, my best flight option would get me to Huntsville, Alabama no earlier than 10:30 Sunday morning.  By the time I got my luggage and rental car and made the two hour drive from there to the wilderness, it would be well into the afternoon before I started hiking.  And that was assuming that my flight was on time.

 

I drove instead, getting up at 5am and leaving the house a few minutes later.  I planned to pick up a bagel at a Panera Bread in South Carolina on the way.  Unfortunately, when I arrived at Panera at 7:15, I discovered that it wouldn’t open for another 45 minutes.  I didn’t have that kind of time to kill, so I had to settle for some McBreakfast before resuming the drive.

 

Most of the rest of the drive was uneventful, if a bit tiring.  All I can say is, thank God for Sirius Satellite Radio.  I’m not sure if I would’ve made it without it.

 

Thanks to the early start and the change to the central time zone, I made it to the trailhead at the Sipsey Recreation Area at noon.  I didn’t have any trouble finding it, as the directions I’d found on the internet and signs at all of the key junctions proved to be helpful.  The Sipsey Recreation Area offers parking, a toilet, and access to the Sipsey River Trail for a $3 parking fee.  I made use of my new annual federal recreation area pass, which saved me a few bucks.

 

There were several other cars here, and a group of backpackers was just heading up the trail along the river as I arrived.  I followed in their wake, passing under the road bridge and following the sandy trail along the riverbank.  The trail provided great views of the river, which is a true beauty.  It’s a small river, but with exceptionally clear water.  In most places the river is shallow, and its sandy bottom is almost always visible.  The only exception is at deep pools, which are an eerie, startling blue.

 

Opposite from the river is a line of cliffs, perhaps 50-100’ high, but sheer.  Thanks to the recent cold weather, the cliffs were decorated with thousands of shimmering icicles.  The icicles added to the scenery, but they also provided some occasional excitement.  Every few minutes, one would come crashing down from the cliffs high above in an explosion of ice.  Every time this happened, I nearly jumped out of my boots.

 

After a few minutes, I reached one of the numerous rock houses scattered throughout the area.  The rock houses here are recessions, or grottoes, back in the cliff faces.  Many of these grottoes were littered with ice, from the seep springs on the cliff walls and the carcasses of hundreds of icicles.

 

A few minutes later I reached a junction and the confluence of the Sipsey River and Borden Creek.  Borden Creek is a major stream, and crossing it requires wading.  When I arrived, the backpackers I had been following were attempting to wade.  This looked unpleasant.  I had planned to visit Fall Creek Falls, which is less than a mile farther upstream.  I began to have second thoughts though, as that water looked cold.

 

I chose to hike up Borden Creek first, and decide about fording it later.  I followed Borden Creek upstream through similar scenery, before rock hopping a tributary and passing through a nice camping area in open forest.  Beyond I crossed several small streams, each of which tumbles off the surrounding cliffs forming small but elegant waterfalls.  I imagine many of these streams dry up in the summer.

 

After about 2 miles from the river I reached an interesting formation.  The trail passes through a cave here, and a way around was not apparent.  Fortunately, the cave isn’t very long, and it’s easy to pass through if you aren’t wearing a pack.  I left mine at the cave entrance, with the intention of picking it back up on my return.

 

I wriggled through the cave, and was greeted by another seasonal waterfall and more icicles on the far side.  I took a short break there, before heading back through the cave to return to the river.  As I was hiking, a loud splash caught my attention.  Thanks to the clear water, I instantly spotted an animal swimming downstream.  At first I thought it was a beaver, but then I noticed its narrow tail.  It popped its head out of the water, and I immediately realized that I was watching an otter!  I’ve only seen an otter once before, in Yellowstone.  He resumed his journey downstream, and I gave chase, hoping for an opportunity for a photograph.  I followed him for almost a mile, loosing him on a couple of occasions before finally nearing the confluence with the river.  At this point, I lost him in deep water near some boulders.

 

I walked down to the waterline, and considered my options.  I still had plenty of time, and Fall Creek Falls was beckoning.  I quickly changed into shorts and wading shoes, and eased out into the frigid water.  As I began to cross, my friend the otter swam by.  If I’d started a few seconds earlier, that otter might’ve swum right between my legs!

 

The water was cold and knee-deep in places, but the biggest challenge was ascending the steep muddy bank on the far side.  I eventually made it up, and found myself back on the path.  A few minutes later I passed another large rock house, where a group of backpackers had set up camp.  Not far beyond was Fall Creek, a fair sized stream that tumbles over the cliffs before rushing to join the Sipsey.  I had a snack break there, where I could enjoy the falls before heading out.

 

The return hike was uneventful, except for the occasional collision between an icicle and the boulders at the base of the cliffs.  I returned to my car at 3:40, after covering 6 or 7 miles.  That left me with just under 2 hours of daylight to complete my second hike for the day.  My plan was to relocate, and do a short hike to the largely unknown Upper Caney Creek Falls.

 

To get there, I left the wilderness and returned to route 195.  I headed south about 3 miles, and turned left onto county road 2.  This road is a little hard to spot, but it is directly opposite a small electric substation.  From there, it was 1.6 miles to a gated logging road on the left.  Parking is limited, but there weren’t any other cars there.  This appears to be private property (there are several houses nearby, including one almost directly across the road), but the land isn’t posted.  I headed down the old logging road, passing through forest and then a recent clearcut.  The scenery here wasn’t enthralling, but the destination ahead more than compensated for it!

 

The road fades beyond the clearcut, but a good path continues downhill.  Before long, I could see the creek ahead and hear the falls off to my left.  There is a fork in the path here, and I stayed right, which enabled me to make a switchback to reduce the grade.  A minute later, I arrived at the base of Upper Caney Creek Falls.  The falls are only about 20’ high, but what they lack in height, they more than make up for in beauty.  The creek spills over a ledge in an elegant veil of water, tumbling into a small punchbowl formed by 20’ cliffs.  The bowl is filled with a deep pool of water so blue it appears bottomless.  Dense green vegetation, even in February, adds to the beauty of the place.  Even better, I was there during a period of relatively high water.  As a result, the side stream that joins the main creek at the falls was running.  This smaller creek spills over the same ledge, forming a double waterfall.

 

This spot is spectacular, and I spent the next hour there, enjoying it and taking numerous photographs.  I was tempted to explore farther downstream, as the creek runs through a shallow but intriguing gorge.  Apparently there is another waterfall downstream, too.  I didn’t arrive until almost 4:30 though, so I didn’t have time for an extended hike.  I headed out just after 5, and returned to the car shortly before sunset. 

 

I was sitting on my car’s bumper changing out of my boots when I heard a strange noise.  I looked up just in time to see a small brown dog launch itself into my lap.  Fortunately, he was very friendly.  Too friendly, as it turned out.  After much licking and squirming around in my lap, I had a dilemma.  How do I leave?  It was all I could do to keep him from jumping into the car.  I finally got in, but then had to worry about backing up the car without running him over.  I made it out of there with some difficulty, and headed north through Muscle Shoals and on to my hotel in Florence.  I had enjoyed my first visit to the Sipsey Wilderness, and immediately began plotting a return visit.  I knew if I could finish my job that week early, I could spend Friday doing another hike in the area. 




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