Backpacking in the Sipsey Wilderness (Gerrit) (Archive)

As a way of kicking off Spring Break 2009 (one of TWO spring breaks that Erin and I have actually had overlap) We went backpacking for three days with some friends of ours through the Sipsey Wilderness. It was a thoroughly planned, three day, thirty mile adventure where we'd planned on walking in a very large circle carrying very heavy "backpacks".

On the eve of our departure we had to make some tough decisions as a group. At the time we made these decisions, there was a storm stretching from Atlanta to El Paso that showed nothing but endless rain in the forecast for the weekend. Here's some key words to pick up on so far in this post: Wilderness, Rain, "Thirty Miles", "Heavy Backpacks". Maybe now you can accurately see the picture we were facing.

Alas, we left early the next morning with nary a backward glance...

Upon arriving at the trail head and covering every scrap of cloth on our bodies with ponchos and rain jackets, we set off on the thirty mile loop. Progress came to an abrupt halt when we reached the "creek" that the trail map assured us would be no big deal to cross. I say "creek" because the raging torrent before us was about 20 yards wide, neck deep, and moving at a speed that rivaled white-water.

Quickly giving the dream of hiking the thirty mile loop in the downpour (some of us more quickly than others), we trudged along on another trail, the destination of which we were unsure.

Lots of hiking in mud, climbing one cliff, and crossing a knee deep stream later we eventually found a suitably dry campsite about 5 miles into the trail. We had dinner, went to bed super early, and tried to stay away from swimming in the tent thanks to all the leaks.

Thankfully the rain mostly stopped during the night and the rest of our camping trip was very fun and mostly dry. We didn't make near the thirty mile goal (it ended up being more like 10) but it was certainly a memorable experience...

I have a cold now...