National Trails Day- finding hidden short trails in your ‘hood.

Where where you on National Trails Day?

We were here:

Whiskey looks over the water. Don’t let him fool you. He didn’t care much about taking in the view. He only let me sit still for about 5 minutes lol!

I know what you’re thinking “wow! what a scenic picture” (thanks!) “but I don’t have time to drive way out to some state park and fumble about in the woods for hours on end” (oh yeah?)

Well good thing for you that you don’t have to huh! Because all over this nation there are what I call “Hidden Trails.” Lots of new subdivisions have them as a “perk” of living there (but they aren’t restricted to use by others unless it’s a gated living facility). I’m going to highlight three hidden trails in the Gardendale/Fultondale area over the next week or so that I bet you didn’t know about. And the great thing is I can name about 3 more that I just haven’t had time to get to and visit to blog for you!

How do you find these trails? Ask around, keep your eyes peeled for signs (Chapel Hills had signs on hwy 31 which is how I was tipped off…) but actually *years* ago I worked for a gas company and the guys who drove the trucks told me about the trails and showed me where it was… and I promptly forgot about it because I was in grad school and not hiking much.  So ask around, keep your eyes open, google the search terms “hiking” or “walking trails” with your neighborhood and county’s name, and don’t forget about visiting your town’s website or calling city hall and asking. But my point is, that I doubt many of you live farther than a five mile drive from a short hiking trail. But because they start out of neighborhoods or the backs of ball parks you’ve missed seeing them.

So without further ado let’s go onto today’s hidden trail.

Chapel Hills Walking Trail

Whiskey made sure to check all the bushes for dangerous critters so my walk would be safe all the way down to the water. Thanks man.

Location: Fultondale Alabama

Directions: located off of the road Chapel Hills Parkway. Specifically at the corner of Chapel Hills Pkwy and Chapel Hills Cove which for some reason didn’t show up on Google Maps. But here is a google map:
View Larger Map Where that marker is on the map isn’t where the trails are. It’s just to highlight the road you should be on. Couldn’t figure out how to move it! Sorries!

So when you come off of 65 onto 31 you take that first road on your L before the Chevron and follow it up to Chapel Hills Pkwy. You stay on it as it winds around and down where the woods is on your right hand side. Then you’ll see this BIG sign. Can’t miss it:

walking trail sign b/w two houses and large gravel path down to trail

I pulled off of the side of the road in front of the sign as there is no official parking area.

Time/length of trail:Not very long trail. Took us about 35 minutes including stops to eat black berries, admire flowers, climb on rocks, look at the water, etc.

pretty wild flowers

pretty flowers

Overall we really liked this trail and would go back. There were lots of blackberries (I couldn’t convince Whiskey they were edible but they were the sweetest I’ve ever had). There were also tons of wild flowers and cool plants. The path is wide and easy as it slopes downward to a wider creek under a trellis.

Whiskey meandered about under the train trellis on smooth rocks and glass worn smooth by the water… there was some trash like razor blades! (boohiss) so do be careful and always check your dogs paws when you get home.

Side view of the beautiful stone structures (reinforced on the outside by steel?) I wonder how old the stonework is…

I kept trying to figure out if it was a train or road. I’d given up and walked back when I heard a familiar sound. So familiar it didn’t register then I began running back like crazy to the bridge so I could watch the train pass over head. Whiskey thought I was insane. Really. I can tell you he did not understand the panicked reversed running and awe struck watching of the train roaring by above us. I hadn’t realized I missed the trains until that moment. We moved several months ago from Irondale, home of the famous “Whistle Stop Cafe” setting for Fannie Flaggs book by the same name and movie “Fried Green Tomatoes” in case you’re more familiar with that version. I’d not realized I missed the daily grind and whir of wheels, but I had. So we watched the train and then made our solemn way back. All in all a good short hike with a pretty view at the end.

yay! Trains! We ran back to watch the train rumble overhead.

Rating: 5 wags out of 10.Good length, good width, lots of sniffing for the dog to do, but the house at the beginning of the trail had dogs that barked like mad- making me feel very self conscious like I was waking the neighborhood to go walk, and open razor blades on the rocks at the water at the end had me worried about what my dog my step on, costing them half the wags…

Side view to the L of water

Links:

National Trails Day spearheaded by the American Hiking Society If you missed out on this years day, then check it out next year as they list events put on by people. There was a hike at Red Mountain Park today for instance, where they gave away free zipline passes. How cool is that?

Brookside Greenway Park

It all started with my visiting the soccer complex in Gardendale this weekend to try and find the 1+ mile connector. There were way too many kids and families for me to feel safe getting out and exploring. I was afraid I’d end up looking like a criminal poking around in areas I might not supposed to be.. plus that dog draws attention “OH! LOOK AT THE DOG!” and the very often made mistake by small children who aren’t used to any big shaggy dog “SHE HAS A WOLFDOG!” So I retreated to another hike at a short old trail that is long forgotten from hikers (will blog aboot it later this week

But today I drove to Brookside and found the Greenway Park (I haven’t given up on the Gdale connector trail yet, you can see it in the Red Rock Trail’s website below). This is just one of many greenways and parks and rails to trails to be connected in Jefferson County. The idea is ambitious and strangely, quiet. Why haven’t I heard more about this? I don’t know. But here it is for you in all it’s red rock trail glory. I like that some of the places will have camping and if it all gets connected it could be a fun great long bike/hike/backpacking destination for locals. We have an abundance of places near Birmingham to hike. But not to camp (enter Oak Mt of course…..).

Want to get to France? The sign says it's only a little under 5,000 miles from here. Start walking now.

Lots of pretty meadows with wild flowers.

So the idea is that all of these cities create either greenways along waterways or use rails to trails to connect to one another. If completed we would have a footway rivaling 459. I love this idea. I think we should all rush out and explore these places in whatever state of start or finish they are in. Spread the word and let’s get this project better known and supported!

Check out this page for resources of all the many in the works trails/areas: http://www.redrocktrail.org/

Other sites of interest:
http://www.fivemilecreekgreenwaydistrict.org/
http://outdooralabama.com/fishing/freshwater/where/rivers/fivemile/
http://adem.alabama.gov/programs/land/landforms/Success_FiveMile.pdf
http://www.brooksidealabama.com/?page_id=106 (info on camping, didn’t see prices)

There are not a lot of “hiking” trails in the woodsy sense, but there are walking trails that go around the property and it is a fun place to spend a morning, walking, exploring the cemetery, fishing picnicking and swimming. BUT I found plans for this bike trail to run from Mt. Olive to the Greenway. I don’t know if it’s finished or in what state of being done it is. But here are the plans if anyone is interested in finding and hiking it.
Brookside Bike/Hike Trail Corridor Study This will ask you to open up a pdf. Totally safe.
http://www.brooksidealabama.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Brookside-Bike-Trail-CSX.jpg
This page lists all of the proposals/studies I could find in one place. They have lots of maps: http://www.rpcgb.org/transportation/active-transportation/ http://www.brooksidealabama.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Brookside-Bike-Trail-CSX.jpg

A particularly important paragraph from one of the above pdf states

“The Land Trust signed a Memorandum of Agreement with six municipalities—Birmingham, Center Point, Tarrant, Fultondale, Brookside, Graysville—and other organizations to establish a greenway and parks system along the Five Mile Creek stream. The Land Trust owns approximately 600 acres of land within this watershed and, with its partners, is pursuing additional acquisitions. Specifically, the coalition aims to improve and enhance water quality, improve the physical health of area residents, and provide recreational amenities in economically challenged communities.”

600 acres to play on. This is what my eyes stop on. This is awesome!

A dream come true for W- grasses tall enough he doesn't even have to bend down to eat it. Note the tire in the water. We saw a lot of trash in the water. Still a lot of work to be done to get 5 Mile Creek (actually 45 miles long!) cleaned up. But it can be done.

There are apparently a lot of trails “in the works” which to me means you might be able to get out there and hike it but it’s not officially open.  Today we hiked one that is: The Brookside Greenway Park.

They have events each year such as a Greenway Festival, clean ups, a canoe office that will take care of all your kayaking and canoe desires. Other activities: picnicking, fishing, birdwatching, enjoying nature (I saw lots of trees and flowers I could not identify and wish I’d brought my book), bicycling, hiking, camping, swimming, canoeing, kayaking, bikejoring, trail running.

This is a great park for all types of dogs. There are meadows, hills, dips down to the creek, lots of greenery, old trees, wooded hillsides to explore, and even a cemetery. ((I’m very proud of Whiskey that he has yet to um… desecrate a grave… with his er… need to go.)) There was also some kind of… small dirt bike/mountain bike track? I don’t know as I’m not an expert at these things. If there isn’t a geocache here there needs to be. Someone get on that?

Is this for Mountain Bikes? I've no clue...

The trails are flat and easy except for a few adventurous short climbs up hillsides like that of Kissing Rock (can someone explain this to me?). I mean I can assume about the name but still, I like stories. Speaking of which, I hope they put up more information about the old school site and a historic marker explaining more about the cemetery and land we are walking. I like trails that share history with walking. Even something like a pamphlet to do a walking tour. There is also a good map I didn’t take a picture of for those who want to use the area to canoe or kayak but it shows all the different places to put in and out while canoeing.

Coming up on Kissing Rock. I so want to know the story behind this. Okay I can *imagine* how it got it's name, but I still like a good story.

Whiskey checks out Kissing Rock. I didn't feel like walking up today, sorry bud, but another day we'll let you on the rocks!

I think this is an excellent park to come bikejor when it’s cold again because there’s lost of terrain to cover and a good solid track.

Any park with a cemetery is a hit with me. I love history. I'm sure Whiskey would too, if he could read human.

Lovely trail circles by the water on your right

Directions:- how to get to Brooksides Greenway Park.

TakeI-65N to the Fieldstown Road Exit for Gardendale. Go left away from G’dale. Follow all the way up to a T (several miles) then go R. Follow that until it Ts and turn Right again. Follow that through a four way stop and look for Cardiff St. on your Left. The sign was nearly  unreadable when I got to it but I figured it out so I’m betting you can too. Follow Cardiff St as it curves around and then eventually crosses a bridge. At the bridge turn left to park by the Canoe place or go Right to enter further down into a separate parking lot. I like the one by the canoes.  They do have a bathroom facility there, but good luck. The women’s door was locked and we had to sneak my mom into the mens. Seems that they are both normally locked as a man was shocked to find the mens one unlocked.

Know the rules before you go!

Overall we give this park a solid 6 wags.It scores in the mid range because of the glass near the water and debris in the water (they are working on this). I also scored it lower because I’d like to see more historical information made available about the site since it has history to be know about it. These sort of things raise the bar for me as I’m a history buff. I also didn’t like that their public restrooms were locked during obviously public park hours and the canoe people were their loading people up, and park “somebodies” were there cutting the grass. Surely someone has a key? I don’t mind using the bushes but not everyone wants to do that. I do like that it has camping for a good price (visit Brooksides link above for camping info) and because the park is so big and has so much water front. We’ll definitely be working this into our regular rotation of parks!!

Whiskey kept trying to make an escape for it under the rails down to the water.

Beautiful beach area.

Natchez Trace with your dog: Meriwether Lewis Campground 385.9 to Florence Alabama/Colbert Ferry Site 327.3

So… the joys of CG(crazy guy) at Meriwether Lewis Campground behind us, we can carry onward on our journey. I’m terribly afraid to admit this, but since this trip was taken last September and I’ve waited so long to blog about it, that my recollection won’t be nearly as thorough or useful as it could have been.

Am I the only one amused by how they call their garbage cans "Litter." Sounds so fancy. Sings "back on the trace again! just can't wait to get back on the trace again!"

Those of you who follow our page on FB know that we were in the midst of trying to buy a house at that time. Which we did… then promptly I fell under the “owner of two households” spell which results in lack of sleep, little to no free money, little or less time to blog, and barely any time to hike. So what ensued was a sad gap in posting, and less posting about hiking and camping. But we love our new (old) house immensely and the free time I did have I decided to spend it on the back porch, walking the dog, and hanging out with my husband. But I am making more of an effort to write. So here I am… efforting.. let’s see how this goes. Be kind on my old memory. There have been a lot of moving trucks and extra house payments between then and now.

This leg of our journey on day 2 spanned approximately 67 miles (not including any accidental pullouts onto the parkway the wrong way- oh it happens… you just wait and see, or side trips or on purpose back tracking to see something else etc.)

Here are some of the many points of interest between MLCampground and Colberts Ferry. I’m just listing the ones that I remember and stuck out to me.

-          Metal Ford 382.2 I met the guy who obviously slept in his van around the Metal Ford parking lot area. He reminded me of some of the people I met on the AT, a reoccurring theme on the Trace. There were some hardcore travelers who were very interesting and rugged and I liked the spice they added to the trail. I didn’t talk to him because I think he was um…er… getting clean behind the van when I pulled up. As a backpacker I totally respect this “get washed up wherever you can” ritual. A travelers gotta do what a travelers gotta do. But he did holler out at me about what a cool looking dog I had. Thank you mister hairy biker looking man in shorts getting clean behind his van. Thank you I say. -          Napier Mine 381.8

-          Old trace Drive 375.8 This is going to be stunning in the fall! Stunning I tell you! I went to early and too dry and hot to see any color. But still pretty!!

These views will be spectacular! Pretty even without color

I had to try and get a picture of Whiskey on the old Trace off roading bit. He went nuts in the back (totally not captured in the pic) trying to shove his head out to smell the forest. I think this was his favorite part... He went nuts I tell you! Loved it!

While driving the original old dirt road section of the trace, we saw lots of tornado damage still there from the historically tragic April 2011 tornadoes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

-          Glenrock Branch 364.5 I don’t know but I think this is where I met Natchez the cat and the cool rock formations. Please forgive me if I’m putting this in wrong. I promise to blog sooner and better after my next trip!

Whiskey loved exploring this part of the Trace. It was hard to convince him to leave. On the hill past the cool rock formation was a cemetery. I didn't climb up to see it. Sorry W's a blur, it was hard to get him to stop moving

A stray cat bonded with my feet. I was going to bring him home but he and Whiskey didn't get along. In fact he tried to kill him. Too bad really. Left him some food, named him Natchez, and wondered if I should start traveling with a crate in my truck bed at all times...

A beautiful place to rest and eat. Wow. Just a wonderful place...

-          Sweetwater Branch 363This is where I saw the deer! Super cool!! I don’t know whether whiskey wanted to eat it or play with it, but it was very very (omg) very hard to keep control of the doog.

A young deer pranced and played on the other side of a bank for approximately 15-20 minutes. I would not let Whiskey cross the water because I was afraid he'd yank the leash free in his excitement. Here the deer gives us a good bye look before disappearing... There is so much joy to be had in the woods if you will just go out and see it...

-          Sunken Trace 350.5 Okay, not the coolest of places to stop, but it IS cool to put your feet in those muddy tracks and imagine. Just close your eyes and imagine. I bought a book about the Trace on my second trip (as yet unreleased blog) and I plan to read it while on my third (and finishing up) trip in a few weeks. Imagine… just imagine…

-          TN/AL state line 341.8 Everyone loves a well marked state line. Look! My left boob is in Alabama and my right one is in Tn! Being in two places at once is always cool….

-          Rock Spring 330.2Self guided trail along Colbert Creek. Definitely cool and worth a stop. I think this set of steps is a very commonly photographed image of the Trace. You should check it out.

Whiskey did good jumping across the stones!

-          John Coffee Memorial Bridge 328.6 327.8 My what a long bridge you have! I drove it twice just for the fun of it.

-          Colbert Ferry 327.3 Not only are there several places to get out and walk aboot here and explore and ponder, there is a bathroom, a rangers office I’ve never seen open, a bicycles only campsite (I am SURE if you are hiking the Natchez Trace you can use these. Of course you could stealth camp pretty much anywhere too).  Drive down to Pickwick lake here. It’s a few minutes to drive down to the water, but every bit worth it. Definitely one of my favorite places in Alabama now. For bird watching, picnicking, relaxing, fishing, and watching the water. Lovely spot. I have more pictures of Whiskey here from our second trip since mom and I had a picnic lunch here to launch our travels. I’ll make sure to post some on the next Trace post!

Wildlife seen on Trace: beaver, turkeys (LOTS), lizards, fish, turtle, lots of deer, an amazing assortment of pretty birds.

Tips: There are lots of maps in weather proof boxes on the trail. So don’t stress like I did about getting one. Just pick one up when you get there. Also get a few extras so if you misplace one or it gets wet your okay.

Stop at every bathroom you see if you are drinking a lot and it is hot and maybe even if you really don’t have to go lol. Because although there are TONS on the trail- when you need one, you won’t have one and you’ll have to potty in the woods. Like me at least on one occasion.

Make it a point to pack your meals to eat on the trace. There are too many beautiful spots not to.

Don’t beat yourself up about not getting out and hiking and walking every inch of the trace at every stop. By the second day I realized there was SO much here and it’s okay to do a slow sign read drive by and head on. Especially if you have a tired hot dog who you should consider- is there water for him to get into on the stops if it is summer or very hot? That will make stopping more appealing to both of you.

Take notes on your map and take pictures of every sign that you get out at. Otherwise when you look back at your pictures you’ll be like “oh now that’s nice.. but where the macaroons are we???” It will mean more if you know where that picture is from

You don’t have to worry about gas for your car too much on this part of the trace. We had only one iffy OMG are we going to make it to a gas station moment and that was on trip two with the mums.

This is a fabulous (and not to far away) way to get in some good in and out hiking and leisurely camping. I highly recommend this to anyone with a weekend to spare with a dog. Your dog will thank you. Be aware of the weather and your dogs susceptibility to it (do thunderstorms freak him out? Can he handle the heat? etc.). Make sure to carry lots of extra food and water for fido to try and prevent him from drinking in the streams. Every time we’ve come back from the Trace Whiskey’s picked up a bug somewhere… so be forewarned.

"I love me some swamp. Y'all have fun out on the Trace, you hear." ~whiskey

We give this trace 10 enthusiastic tail thumps out of 10 and highly recommend it. Go see a part of your state you didn’t know existed! Also, if you plan your approach or return right through the florence/decatur area you can pick up some Bob Gibsons BBQ. Now who can argue with that???

ADD in all its glory

I’ve got a serious ADD post today. I’m going to ramble here and there and everywhere and just hang with me mkay?

First, I’ve been educated about red foxes. I heard a screeching in the middle of the night (the dog woke me up to hear it) and we ran from window to window trying to see anything while at the same time not scarring anything off. Finally a neighborhood dog found the source of terror and barked at it in the most unusual manner. It was like he was saying “What the devil is wrong with you! People are sleeping! And you’re scaring the bejezus out everyone… You scaring me too!” that is to say, it wasn’t the most confident bark. And managed to sound both baffled, a bit scared, and offended at the same time as if he wasn’t certain he should be doing this at all.

Want to know what a red fox screaming sounds like? Listen here… but skip to 1:07 to hear the ritual vixen fight which is what we heard last night.

See, last night, I wasn’t educated about foxes. But this morning Google and me had a little chat and now I can add another animal to my identification list. Whiskey can too. Then right before my alarm went off I got woken up again when raccoons decided to make an interstate out of our back yard. This was the first time W has seen raccoons. He went ballistic trying to either A) see them or B) get to them. I’m not sure which… but let’s just say I’ve missed out on some of my beauty sleep.

Then, as if that wasn’t enough excitement we went for a walk on our property today. I decided since it was overcast and really wet outside we’d go for a walk and I’d pull some privet (I’m waging war on the privet thickets in our woods) while the ground was all wet.

The hill that slopes steadily down into what I affectionately have begun calling "the bowl" of the woods behind our house. Whiskey waits semi-patiently for me to catch up (we always walk leashed because the property isn't fenced).

About half way through Whiskey began to “point” at an animal. I had to walk up a hillside to get to him and I thought it was a fox at first because my brain didn’t register what I was seeing. What I saw was a fox colored dog that is the new (stray?) loose- no leash dog (there are several “roamers” in our neighborhood.) He’s super sweet and got along fabulously with Whiskey. Here’s a pic of him after he followed us up onto our back porch. He has black spots on his tongue and I don’t know what he’s mixed with but he’s probably got some chow in him. Any ideas on what he might be?

sorry about the demon eyes! my phone does weeeeird things in pictures

Here’s another one: He’s got a collar on but no tags… I see him in lots of peoples yards playing with other dogs off the leash. I really like him. So does Whiskey. His coat looks very healthy but he seemed thin to the touch to me. But then, what do I know, I have a chunker who is supposed to be on a diet.

So when we got in Whiskey was way overheated. It is FEBRUARY. He is over heating in FEBRUARY. Why is it so hot? We’ve had temps in the 70s… I’m afraid our bikejoring (er… bikejoring attempts) may be at a close if this temp keeps up. But here’s my valuable dog tip. We’ve been using Kool Collar to cool Whiskey off and it works. It really works. He overheats like no dog I’ve ever met. It works like this. You keep the ice pack insert in the freezer and slip it in the collar when he needs it to cool down. We remove his other collar and put on the Kool Collar so he has full touching potential to the collar.

Before we started using the collar he would pant forever. Seriously. Forever. I’d be afraid he was dead if I heard him stop panting. Now in about 1 to 2 minutes he stops panting. He may still be breathing hard through his nose at that point, but he’s cooled off enough to stop panting. That’s huge and really fast. Once he’s been wearing it about 10 or 15 minutes I take it off and return it to the freezer.

I got this Kool Collar not from the site itself www.koolcollar4dogs.com but from Unclaimed Baggage. By the way,if you are an Alabamian that reads this blog you need to go to Unclaimed Baggage. I always keep my eye out for dog related stuff when I’m there and I always score. My last purchase was his own travel bag (dog luggage) for all his stuff. A new blanket and his Kool Collar and a stuffed toy which I promptly lost before even getting home (we were staying in a cabin there). There are a lot of places to hike near there too by the way. We stayed in a cabin, hiked, and shopped and made a weekend out of it. I’ve been planning on blogging about that really soon. I promise!

Okay, well I have to go make sure our “safe place” is ready for the dog. Tornado watches are rolling in in my neck of the woods right now. Our safe place is in the basement and since our house was owned by hoarders before us (this is a WHOLE ‘nother blog post lol) the basement has yet to be fully cleaned out. There are a lot of things a dog could get into and hurt himself with down there so I gotta set up some chairs and a cleared off spot in case we have to wait out any storms. Y’all stay safe out there and avoid the foxes screaming k?

Love,

Gina and Whiskey

The Way, a movie you should see if you have one hiking bone in you

I feel like I should open with some sort of public apology because it’s been so long since I posted. Life continues to keep our family insanely busy. We are still trying to sell our “other” house and because of that we have been spending a lot of time painting, coordinating repairs, and generally just running between both houses (btw we could totally use all the good vibes/prayers/thoughts you can send us for it to sell so that our lives can go back to normal with more free time and just one set of bills!). Hiking hasn’t been happening. But on this blog I like to review both dog and hiking related stuff so I feel it’s totally appropriate to tell you about this movie I just watched. It comes out today and I feel it will be well received by those of us who are backpackers on long distance trails, but I also feel it will help show to those who haven’t caught the bug for this sort of long hike/backpacking what others see in the activity.

The Way, starring Martin Sheen, a film by Emilio Estevez, will take you to trail life. Seriously.  If you haven’t ever walked a long trail, or done any long distance backpacking/hiking then this is an opportunity to see what it’s like. My opinion is based on my personal experience section hiking the Appalachian Trail or A.T. for short (which I really need to blog about…) and I found that the trail experience portrayed in The Way is pretty similar to the AT. I found that the camping experience I had meeting travelers on the Natchez Trace was also similar in it’s own way, indicating to me that these type of traveling pursuits either draws out the quirkiness of human nature, or it attracts people who are dealing with the same issues no matter what trail they venture onto.

The Way is such a beautiful movie. It had me grabbing for pen and paper no more than 5 minutes into the movie. The quote that got me was

“My life here might not seem like much to you, but it’s the life I choose.” –dad (Tom) “You don’t choose a life dad. You live one.” –Daniel.

There is also the moment when Tom exits the hotel with his pack on for the first time and says “Okay. Here we go.” Then promptly walks off the wrong way. Everyone who’s ever slung a pack on for a long trek knows that pep phrase, and that common mistake of thinking you know where you are going. If you haven’t taken a wrong turn at least once, then you are not taking enough chances or having enough fun.

There are innumerable YES moments in this film where the YES! translated to “Yes, that is exactly what it was like, except I wasn’t in Spain.” For example his first experience sleeping in a communal hiker environment… the snoring, the crumpling wrappers, the probable smell. Sleeping aids (whatever your flavor) and ear plugs are sometimes all that saves you.

Aside from my own reminiscence of my own trail experience, there is a lot to be had for the non-hiker in this film. First of all, knowing what it is that motivates people… maybe you’ve had a child or sibling or friend set off on a long hike. You thought they were insane. You were not supportive (or supportive enough). Watching this movie might help you see it from their side… what you see here is an accurate example of the friendships, bonds, enjoyment, and experiences that are had by hikers and what they hope to gain from these type of trips. Also, there is great music. The sound track is perfect.  The scenery is pretty and invites you to feel like you are there with them. The movie manages to also capture so many of the quintessential “hiker moments.”

• The moment when you meet a crazy person who you’d like to think is tripping on acid but you realize they are sober and that’s almost scarier than if they were on drugs (See Jack entrance scene).

• The moment when you almost are about to have a potty accident trying to get to a proper toilet (See also Jack).

• The moment when you indulge too much because you’ve been without for too long (See Tom in at least one scene and Joost in almost every food scene).

• The moment you realize you’re alone with your thoughts, and the birds/animals, and the wilderness and begin to beat the heck out of your bag or anything else within hiking stick range out of pure frustration or anger (See also Jack).

• The moment when you meet a nasty person who actually turns out to be a decent human being whose been saddled with unfortunate baggage. (See Sarah)

• The moment when you realize you will have to pee or change clothes in front of men because your outnumbered anywhere from 1:4 to 1:10 out there on the trail. So long as they turn their back then everything’s cool   (See Sarah).

One other thing that I appreciated about this film is that it depicted older hikers (ahem, ahem) and not “just out of grad school with nothing to do in my early twenties kids.” Yes, there are TONS of those, but I’ve seen enough of them in film and in books about Trail Life. It’s about time that someone reflected authenticity on these trails. There are tons of us in our 30s-70s trudging away and our stories have complexity and colors to it that cannot be captured in the fresh faces of children who haven’t set out in the world and failed or stumbled yet. The main group of hikers in this film seem pretty accurate to the type of people I ended up hiking with.

I cannot say enough good things about this film. I hope everyone I know will watch it, be moved by it, and either be inspired to do a long hike of their own or do some more traveling regardless of mode of transportation and be very understanding to those of us who undertake such hikes in our own lifetimes. I am always saddened deeply to hear of a hiker whose family turns their back on them when they set off to fulfill a lifetime goal of a long distance trail. If you don’t have a hiker in your life you’d be surprised how often it happens. There are thankfully, lots of supportive understanding people out there, but there are also a lot of close minded “You’re being selfish! You’re being stupid!” people out there. Even when I did my last 9 day trek on the AT a “friend” who was an extremely successful businesswoman who I admired in the animal rescue community online gave me a thoroughly nasty lecture about how selfish and stupid I was. It made me realize how ignorant (she said I’d end up like that guy stuck in the rock canyon in the movie 127 hours… she needed a basic geography class I think…), close minded, and judgmental she was. She’s no longer someone I admire or look up to. But at least it was not a family member.

If you want to know more about The Way (also known as The Camino de Santiago or the Way of St. James) please check out some of these resources:

http://theway-themovie.com/camino.php

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Way_of_St._James

http://www.caminodesantiago.me.uk/

To see more about the movie check out:

http://theway-themovie.com/

http://www.facebook.com/thewaythemovie?sk=app_200801176652084

Nutty ideas

We started this past holiday vacation off right by standing around in our front yard for an hour arguing for (me) and against (brandon) the virtue of pecan trees and their placement. Brandon will tell you this conversation was more about his debating their beauty as a front yard tree but don’t listen to him. When it comes down to it, its about virtue and this tree has it in spades. I personally think an orchard of old pecan trees is one of the most beautiful things.

So we concluded with no decision on the orchard trees and I uprooted the dog from the couch for an exploratory hike.

Unfortunately it was no more conclusive than the orchard summit.

We chose to hike the old rail bed in Fultondale.

I had heard once that the old rail was going to be turned into a “rails to trails” kind of place. Exciting! This never happened. The “trail” is most often used by four wheelers and surprisingly large off road vehicles for such a narrow trail.

At the start of the path. Forgot my camera so my dying phone had enough juice to take this one pic before going kaput. The trail got thinner and rockier and not as much sight distance either.

I couldn’t relax on the old rails. We passed right by houses. Houses of people who didn’t seem the type to welcome strangers into their back yards. Vicious sounding dogs barked. Whiskey tripped over the old rails large rocks. It looked painful for his paws. We wouldn’t be running or bikejoring here, that’s for sure. Trash lined the trail thickly any time a new trail/road crossed it. I was spooked. It wasn’t a relaxing trail. I remembered the stories of the hobos that rode the rail when I was young and  would jump off between Fultondale and Tarrant and sleep in certain places and abandoned houses nearby. When exploring the old houses, stories of these men haunted our approach. We were always cautious, wondering if we’d stumble upon a dirty sleeping figure, or worse, an awake one. Would they be kind or not? An abandoned house in the middle of the woods wasn’t the place to sort out that kind of question.

So about a mile in (or probably less- fear makes a mile longer) I yanked the dog around (literally, he wanted to keep going forward, smelling new things).

“No!” I told him. “We have to go home. You know, where normal people are, and no scary places. Unless you count the potential back acre I’m going to have clear … that’s scary.”

But I digress.

So we turned around and tucked tail and left.

If you’re curious about getting to this place and being braver than I, then go to the Fultondale dog park. Take 65 to Walker Chapel Rd exit, and turn towards the business area on Walkers Chapel. Right before the Jacks Hamburgers on your L you’ll see a road (Stouts Rd), turn L onto Stouts. Follow this road as it meanders towards the dog park which you’ll see on your L as well. Don’t be confused when Stouts veers up towards 31 and you come to a stop sign. Just hang to the L and stay on Stouts. Directly past the dogpark is Leora Avenue. This is where you turn to park and find the old rail bed. You can see a map going to the dog park on their face book page (which is more of a placeholder than a ‘page’).

When you turn down Leora you’ll see a pull off directly beside the stream and dog park on your L. You can park anywhere there. I like to turn around and point my car headed out for quick exit (parnoid? me? never). When I was doing this before and unloading my truck, a local gave me the evil eye. He slowed down to a pace that Barny Rubble could have kept up with before finally going out of sight. He never quit looking back at us though. This is not the way to start your trip into an unmarked trail by yourself. Maybe he was just admiring my pretty dog? But a lone girl out in the woods needs to be aware of her surroundings (and people in them) at all time. Don’t be afraid to get a tag number, car make/color, etc if someone worries you. (Me paranoid? No… Just a criminal justice major putting one of her BS degrees to good use.)

When you get out of your car stay on the side of the road where you parked but walk away from Stouts. Keep walking till you see where a trail starts on your left while Leora curves to the right. You should be able to recognize it from the picture I posted above. There will be no trail sign. It does kind of look like a driveway. It’s not It follows along the side of the creek and back end of the dog park till you end up in back yard territory. Have fun.

If you go out this way, or have been out this way, and have anything new or interesting to add please drop me a line. As for us, we’ll skip it. I consulted my brother (also a known wanderer of unmarked trails) who surprise surprise had also been on this trail for a run and also found it suitably creepy and didn’t return. I suggested we both go out together and see if we could get farther along than I did on this particular trip. Especially if it goes as far as its supposed to and links up with other municipalities who may have converted the rails to trails properly.

Links:

An article on the proposed Rails to Trails that hasn’t happened. I have no idea if there is any thing in the works for it to happen either. Any Fultondalians who read this be sure to give me a heads up!

A mention of a new path in Gardendale to be created. Apparently it’s on a “natural” trail which means you could go walk it now if you knew where it was even though it’s not official yet. I’ll be finding out where this is ASAP and hiking it. This article also talks about the greenway.

Freshwater Trust mentions the greenway and rails to trails that Fultondale was to create, implying they still are. I’d love to know if this is actually still going to happen though.

In my googledigging I found mention that Brookside, Alabama has completed their one mile of the greenway/rails to trails stuff. Unfortunately their website and I did not get along well. I wanted more detail and maps. As in, how exactly do you get to the trail. I’m assuming that if I follow the directions to the “campground” I’ll also find the trail? And why doesn’t the greenway have it’s own little tab? Apparently there is camping there as well. I’ll be trying to find the place and check it out. It needs a better website presence than it’s got so I’ll be sure to post lots of pics, directions, maps. Fun!

Dharma’s Doggie Utopia

When we were asked to write about Dharma and her family for the Shelby Humane Societies Shelter Partners Program, I had no idea how awesome Dharma was going to turn out to be.

First of all, could you really pick a better dog for Whiskey on the Rocks to write about? I mean, look at this picture.

Wow! Dharma has several 4thousand footers under her belt. Whiskey, you got some catching up to do!

But there’s more to this than meets the eye. First of all, the dog is a hiker. Second- her doggy personality seems similar to compliments we’ve gotten on Whiskey’s personality. Third- she is NOT a barker (neither is Whiskey, and this seems rare among most of the dogs I know . Fourth- it turns out Katie (Dharma’s mom) and I have ooboodles in common in how we treat and love our dogs and as far as I can tell even in our book choices and life choices. Lastly, it has been my life long goal/dream to hike the entire Appalachian Trail (AT), and where does Dharma and her mom get to hike on and around all the stinkin time?? You guessed it! The AT! This my friends, is fate.

I didn’t expect to get a doggy and human friend out of writing about Dharma but I have, and this is a testament to Dharma’s dharmaness. I’m already penning Katie and Dharma in for a hike when I make it to NH lol!!

So…without further ado let’s meet Dharma

The beautiful and peaceful Dharma

She’s been living it up in New Hampshire with the Milewskis for four years now. She was once known as Finesse but was renamed Dharma Grace, which fits her perfectly. Katie said she has never “met a dog so sweet, innocent, gentle or kind.” I’ve looked over a lot of pictures of her and I can say that this gentleness translates easily across the pictures to the viewer. She does look kind. She looks like an old soul. Katie and I talked a little bit in our flurried exchange of emails about the lessons dogs can teach us if we let them. Dharma, I think has a lot of lessons to bestow upon those humans lucky enough to know her.

Dharma has taught patience in her household. She moves gracefully, deliberately and slowly through life. When Katie described Dharma’s presence to me I kept thinking, wow- she’s so zen!  Dharma has an innocence about her that easily leads her humans to imagine Dharma doggily scolding them with “what are you angry for?” “why are you so worked up huh?” and the peace and love she exudes help keep her humans in check. Way to go doggie! I agree with Katie that dogs do cause us to pause and reflect, and with a personality like Dharma’s they help bring out the best in our human natures.

Dharma transitioned easily and sweetly into the role of youngest sibling in her new family.

And all this wonderfulness came about because of a special program right here in Alabama, Shelter Partners, which transports dogs from Shelby Humane Society to New Hampshire. Just think, all over Maine and NH are Alabama dogs running around frolicking in the snow and hiking it up. I looked over the Shelter Partners blog page and was blown away by all the great stories of the dogs and their rescuers. And now I’ve gotten the privilege of highlighting one myself. I’m very honored to do so.

Dharma is a dog after Whiskey’s own heart. They have 5 acres for the dogs to romp and they regularly get to go hike and camp! Dharma lives within easy drives of both the beach and the mountains, oh and the city as well, but who would really want to go there when you have all this wonderful mountainness calling your name to hike in??

Hiking it up in NH. A dog after Whiskey's own heart!

I hope that you will take a moment to go look at the dogs, just like Dharma who await finding their forever home. You can help get them to a part of the country that actually (get this, you better sit down..) NEEDS dogs because they have their pet population under control (spay and neuter your pets!).  So the humans pack up a van load of doggies and they make the about 22 hour trip up North on the path to their new homes.

There they are placed in the shelter and quickly snatched up. When Dharma made this trip 4 years ago  her story had some twists and turns before she ended up safely in the Milewski’s arms. First, they lost their beloved GSD and were looking to fill that hole in their hearts. They saw on the shelter’s website that Dharma was a shepherd mix (no picture) so they packed up to go see her. They arrived to find Dharma was out on a walk so they waited and viewed some other doggies. Dharma wasn’t a shepherd. Katie admits that had they seen the picture they may not have gone to the shelter, but just as everything else in Dharma’s life seemed to be leading her to this moment, the fact that there was no picture ensured they had to meet her face to mug. So they met her in person and fell in love with her laid back, calm personality. They were also shocked to find out she had been returned previously by someone (obviously insane!) because she is the best dog ever. Some things just work out the way they are supposed to. Had she not been returned, and  at that shelter at that particular moment, she wouldn’t be with the Milewskis now would she?

As another testament to her name, she was used for temperament testing with other dogs at the shelter because of her easy to get along with personality and could be put with any dog.  This being said, of course she fit in perfectly with the two other dogs in the Milewski household!

OMD... I love this pic! What a happy dog family with their wee little pumpkins

Katie can also count on one hand the number of times Dharma has barked in the four years they have had her (once at a horse, bear, moose, and a husband outside with a flashlight!) all acceptable barks if you ask me! We often (er…all the time) have people comment about how quiet Whiskey is and about how he never barks. He does, but it’s very, very rare, with the exception of when he and I go hiking/camping alone and we come across strange men in the woods- in that case, I haven’t and cannot complain lol! We don’t know too many dogs who are as quiet as Whiskey, but Dharma takes the cake! Way to go mellow dog! She doesn’t even pull on the leash (Whiskey, take some notes k?)

Dharma actually has a few 4 thousand footers under her belt (Seriously.Impressed.) in the White Mountains (Um.seriously.jealous…). I quickly told Katie this was a dream for me as I aspire to hike the whole Appalachian Trail one day and the Whites are famous in my head because of the AT… ::drool:: Dharma gets to hike several times a week since they are surrounded by woods. Again, serious dog hiking envy y’all!

Katie describes her household as a “doggie utopia” and I have to agree.  Please take a moment to visit the shelter’s current class of 2011, and pick one to sponsor to have their chance at a doggie utopia of their own. Dharma, Katie, Whiskey and I will all thank you.

One last picture because this is too great not to share! I notice Ruger holding one paw forward as if to say "any second now...one...two...."