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2023-2024 Trip Sheets

Sipsey Wilderness // Dec 2023

Intermediate backpacking in Sipsey Wilderness

ELECTRONICS REMINDER 📱🕹️

One of the great benefits of heading out on any of our trips is that we’re able to unplug from our digital world for a few days. Electronics are allowed while traveling to our destinations, but we have a longstanding rule that

Scouts are not allowed to use electronics while on our trips (i.e. if brought they’ll be left in vehicles and not used during the trip).

SUMMARY 🟡

WHAT: Backpacking trip in the Sipsey Wilderness in Alabama Big South Fork in TN (due to shifting weather)

RSVP: CLOSED

Open to all Scouts.

Sipsey Wilderness has a max group size of 10. If we have enough interest we can have 2 separate routes with crews of up to 10 people each. Each crew will need to have at least 2 adults.

DEPART: 7AM on Dec 9 from Publix on S Royal Oaks

RETURN: ~2:00PM on Dec 10 to S Royal Oaks

DISTANCE/ELEVATION: ~8 miles, ~1266 ft elevation (route 1) OR ~1400 ft elevation (route 2)

MEALS:

Saturday: Lunch, Dinner

Sunday: Breakfast

COST: $35 for Scouts, $18 for Adults ($17 discount for Scouts using OWNFOOD-SIPSEY if bringing your own food)

PACKING LIST:

Backpacking Packing List⁠

⁠

ITINERARY

We’re heading down to the Sipsey Wilderness in northern Alabama for the first time. This is known as “land of 1000 waterfalls”. Since we’re going to be visiting it in December we’ll probably just be looking at some of these waterfalls and focusing on staying dry.

As noted above the Sipsey Wilderness area puts a limit on group size - max 10 people. If we have 10 or less people (at least 2 adults) we’ll send a single crew. If we have more than 10 (with at least 4 adults) we can send a second crew who will hike a different loop. If we send 2 crews they’ll both leave from Publix at the same time, but may return at slightly different times since they’ll be hiking different routes.

If we have a single crew we’ll hike an 8 mile loop called Sipsey Big Tree Loop (also known as Big Tree Short Cut Loop and Needles Eye). This has about 1200 feet of elevation ascent and descent.

If we have enough interest for a second crew they’ll hike a different 8 mile loop called Randolph - Sipsey Loop (also known as Randolph and Sipsey Loop Trail). This is a slightly more difficult route with closer to 1400 feet of elevation ascent and descent.

Both routes have views of the river and several waterfalls.

MEALS

The

🥘Backcountry Cookbook⁠

has trail tested recipes ready to go. See

🍽️Menu Ideas⁠

for additional inspiration.

Saturday

Lunch

Dinner

Sunday

Breakfast

💰 Cooking Budget:

$16 per person

MAPS & ELEVATION

GaiaGPS Route Overview

⁠

Troop 13 // Big South Fork 2023 Folder from cpenner461 www.gaiagps.com⁠

⁠

Elevation Profile

⁠

WHO IS COMING

RSVP list current as of 6:30PM Dec 4.

Scouts

Achilles Young-Estes (cook breakfast)

Caleb Penner

Ezekiel Kucejko (cook 3 meals)

Jude Myers

Liam Sheehan

Noah Fritts (cook lunch and dinner)

Adults

Charlie Penner (drive 5)

Bobby Fritts (drive 3)

Jeff Myers (drive 5)

Patrick Sheehan (drive 6)

Tim Kucejko (drive 4)

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