It's Fall, Y'all!

Discussion in 'Adventure, Hiking, Backpacking and Travel' started by MarriedTheMedic, Oct 2, 2016.

  1. Jonny and I just returned from a much-needed weekend in the woods. As most of you know, the heat has been insane this summer. It's not so much the heat that bothers us as much as it is knowing that the bugs will carry you off around here. So with the first cool(er) weekend on tap, we decided to do an overnighter in the Talladega National Forrest on Mt. Cheaha. It's still warm here, with daytime temps in the 80s, which makes for a hot and sweaty hike. But the nights are running in the mid 50s, which is what we consider great camping weather. A good portion of our state is in a drought right now, so we tried to stay at a lower elevation knowing that access to water would be impossible in the higher areas.


    We're heading to the highest point in the distance!


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    Beautiful day!


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    Getting the packs ready to go.


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    Trail Pics


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    Lots of uphills...


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    And thankfully, downhills:


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    Jonny took a pic of me taking a pic :)


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    I read somewhere a while back, "When you're outdoors, remember to look up".


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    This little guy hopped across the trail...


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  2. There are several nice places to camp right on the trail, but we decided to go off trail and follow the creek bed to find a nice, secluded spot. You can see from the pics that water was scarce.


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    Looks like a good place to me!


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    First order of business is always wood prep. The fire is the heart of any camp!


    The almighty Silky:


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    Jonny, bottom left, felling the dead portion of a tree:


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    I broke a tooth off Jonny's saw. Oops...


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    The fruits of our labor:



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    Jonny was jealous of my wood. :D


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    Takin' a little break


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    Snacks...


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    Last edited by a moderator: Oct 2, 2016
  3. After the fire prep, it was time to set up our home for the night. We love this Mountain Hardware tent. It weighs about 4 lbs all together. Jonny and I split the load to make it even lighter. It's also extremely easy to set up. Drop the footprint, then the tent, stake it down, and attach two poles. Voila!


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    Looks cozy!


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    Jonny brought the hammock along for a nice spot to chill.


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    Once everything was set up, we decided to hike down to Devil's Den to see just how low the water is. If you remember our previous hikes, there is usually a lot of water flowing over the falls. Here is a pic we took in 2014:


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    And yesterday:


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    We sat out on the dry rocks for a minute and got a nice little glimpse that fall may finally be on its way in:


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    And then I got annoyed when I looked over to the right:


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    Come on, folks...if you pack it in, pack it OUT!


    After a quick little hike, we returned to get the fire started. We always do a top down fire. For those of you who aren't familiar with it, you start with the larger logs on bottom and get smaller as you move up. As the fire catches, the smaller stuff on top will burn down to the bottom to help it catch quicker. It's also very easy to maintain versus a teepee fire as you basically just light it and leave it.


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    Last edited by a moderator: Oct 2, 2016
    Slade, nathan shepherd, JMJ and 7 others like this.
  4. For this trip, we decided to try out the Sawyer Mini Squeeze water filter. We normally use a Katadyn Hiker Pro, which is awesome. The sawyer would be great for solo hikes, or if you're looking to go lightweight. However, for the two of us, it was a bit tedious to fill multiple bottles of water. It was very easy to use, but considering we use water for coffee and food, it made us a bit impatient. LOL!



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    When we're home, we always have a cup of coffee in the evening. So of course, we had to bring it along for the trip!


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    Time for food!


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    We love this little backpacking cook set. Easy to set up and is the perfect size for 2!


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    Yummy!!


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    After the food had settled, we pulled out the adult beverage for a toast to the good news I received from the doctor this week and to celebrate the first camping trip of the season. Normally, it's Maker's Mark. But as we were packing up Saturday morning, we ran across a bottle of Knob Creek in the garage from our last camping trip. I'm not sure if heat has an affect on alcohol, but let me tell you...I've "sampled" a decent amount of beverage in my lifetime, and I have NEVER gagged (at least not while drinking it. That's usually the next morning. :giggle2:). Anyway, we took two shots, and that was enough! I remember this not being the smoothest of whiskeys, but my goodness! It just didn't go down well last night. LOL!


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    Last edited by a moderator: Oct 2, 2016
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  5. On the way out this morning, we took a little break at the Cheaha shelter, which is about a mile from where we parked. It has a really nice view of the mountains in the distance.


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    Obligatory knife pics:


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    We hope you all enjoyed your weekend as much as we did! Thanks for looking!!!


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    Last edited by a moderator: Oct 2, 2016
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  6. .357 mag

    .357 mag Member

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    Great pictures as always!
     
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  7. GaryMc

    GaryMc Member

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    Very happy to see these posts back MTM & Jonny!!!!!! Looks like a great time and the pics are great as always. That looks like a really cool place. I had no idea the water situation over there was that bad, Wow!!! As always thanks for sharing some amazing pics.
     
  8. 91bravo

    91bravo Guest

    A tall tree...[​IMG]

    Nice view looking up!
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    Hickory nut
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    Home sweet home
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    The Junglas is a bad ass camp tool...
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    Our edged toys this trip...
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    This fatwood chunk has started many a fires over the last two years...
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    Fire!
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  9. anrkst6973

    anrkst6973 Member

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    So many pics I can't even get em all to load without refresh on the page! So glad you two are back!
     
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  10. Andy the Aussie

    Andy the Aussie Administrator of the Century Staff Member

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    Great stuff guys.... !!! GREAT stuff !!! :D:D
     
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  11. The Warrior

    The Warrior Member

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    Looks like a great outing, thanks for sharing. Them thar's some good lookin' vittles too. ;)
     
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  12. Mountainmistwanderer

    Mountainmistwanderer Member

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    The Spam looks disgusting. Everything else is spot on!!
    What is Fall? Out here the only thing that changes color is the poison oak.
    When you broke the tooth on the saw blade was it a demonstration to Jonny of what's to come with his tooths if he gets out of line?
     
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  13. Marty W

    Marty W Member

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    Great pics. Looked like a fun weekend. Thanks for sharing. Come on MMW, Spam is yummy, especially when you fry it so it's just barely crunchy on the outside. Good stuff!
     
  14. 91bravo

    91bravo Guest

    Yeah, what @Marty W said, Spam is great when you crisp it up a bit!
     
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  15. Stone

    Stone Member

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    80F in October?
    You guys need to come up here for fall next year.
    Only 70F here today. Dropping into the 40's and 50's at night.

    Great pics.
     
  16. Mountainmistwanderer

    Mountainmistwanderer Member

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    Spam. You can burn it until it's black and yet it'll still be soft on the inside.
     
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  17. santacruz

    santacruz Member

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    Great stuff here! Glad you're back out. Always love the waterfalls...even though it's a little low. Very cozy tent!
     
  18. Marty W

    Marty W Member

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    Not denying that! Lol
     
  19. Creaky Bones

    Creaky Bones Member

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    And all is right in the world once again...thanks for taking the time to share, and congrats on the good news, whatever it might be. Good news is always a welcome thing!
     
  20. DYSPHORIC JOY

    DYSPHORIC JOY Administrator Staff Member

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    This is how you do a trip report! With many of the forum bugs fixed I would expect that we will see more trip reports, photo/video journals, and gear testing from members.

    I cannot believe the water levels at Devil's Den.
     

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