TROUBLED BRIDGE OVER WATER
I spent the week working in
Russellville, Alabama, in Colbert County.
Colbert County was recently named after Stephen Colbert, of Comedy
Central’s “The Colbert Report”. Unfortunately
the Colbert Museum and Gift Shop wasn’t open during my visit. I was disappointed, as Christy really wants
a “You’re On Notice” coffee mug for school.
Colbert County also includes Muscle Shoals, a town famous for its music
history. My favorite part of Muscle
Shoals is the sign along the highway at the entrance to town that used to
proclaim “We Love Muscle Shoals”.
Unfortunately, some local teenagers scratched out the first and last
word on the sign. Boy that really changes
the meaning of it!
Every day after work I drove the bridge across the Tennessee River
connecting Muscle Shoals with Florence.
The first day I crossed the bridge, I noticed a railroad bridge just
upstream that seemed to end in the middle of the river. This piqued my curiosity. Why would a railroad bridge be built halfway
across a river? I had to find out.
A couple of days later, I
was looking for a place to run and decided to check out the area near the
bridge. Some random driving around
brought me to an old railroad grade, which is now a greenway, not far from the bridge. Now that I had a place to run, I could check
out the bridge.
The tracks are still in
place across the bridge, but access is gated off. However, the greenway descends to cross the bridge on a separate
deck built below track level. I ran
across the bridge, until it ended about 2/3 of the way across the river. My eyes hadn’t deceived me – the bridge
really ends there. Later I did some
research, and discovered that the final span of the bridge was removed some
years ago. It’s a shame that the
greenway doesn’t continue all the way across the river and into Florence.
Four days of hard work
earned me a day off on Friday. Since I
had plans to visit friends in Huntsville Friday night, I decided to spend
another day hiking in Alabama. Afterwards
I’d visit my friends, before heading home on Saturday. My plan for Friday was to return to the
Sipsey Wilderness and do the classic hike to East Bee Branch Canyon. That hike would take me to beautiful
streams, waterfalls, and the largest tree in the state of Alabama. I had wanted to do this hike on Sunday, but
since it was 11 miles, I didn’t have enough time. On Friday, I was sure to get an early start so that time wouldn’t
be an issue.
I drove from Florence back
down through Russellville and on to the southwest corner of the
wilderness. From there I followed a
forest road north to Kinlock Falls. The
road crosses the creek just upstream from the falls, so I stopped briefly to check
it out. Kinlock Falls is more of a
cascade, and my photos were less than enthralling. It was still a pretty spot though, and it’s obviously a popular
place on nice weekends.
From there it was an easy,
quick drive to the Thompson Creek Trailhead, despite the dirt forest
roads. Thompson Creek Road is gated at
the trailhead, so you can’t miss it.
There was only one car in the parking area when I arrived. Five days earlier when I hiked the Sipsey,
temperatures had been in the low 40’s, and the cliffs had been covered in
icicles. I didn’t expect to see any
icicles today, as temperatures were already in the 60’s. It wasn’t long before I was hiking in shorts
and a t-shirt.
I followed the Thompson
Creek Trail, a popular and well-maintained path that runs along the creek and
down to the Sipsey River. After a few
minutes, I crossed the stream draining White Oak Hollow. This stream is full of algae, which gave it
a pretty green color. From there it was
mainly a forest hike, but the trail occasionally passed close to Thompson
Creek. The Thompson is another
beautiful stream featuring deep blue water.
After an hour or so I
reached a campsite at the base of a high cliff. High above was Ship Rock and The Fortress. In between is the Eye of the Needle – a
break in the cliff wall that can be scrambled through. I dropped my pack so I could explore.
Getting to the base of the
Eye was easy, but getting up and through requires some tricky scrambling. I was feeling cautious, since I was solo,
but it didn’t take me long to find another way around. There is another break just to the right of
the Eye, and it was pretty easy to squeeze through there. Once through the gap, I found myself looking
down on the Sipsey River more than 100’ below.
The ridge of Ship Rock is very narrow here. Apparently it’s possible to climb up onto Ship Rock, but I didn’t
see an obvious route. I decided to quit
while I was ahead and scrambled back down to where I’d left my pack. If I’d brought it with me, I could have
continued down the far side and turned my explorations into a shortcut!
Instead I followed the base
of the cliffs of The Fortress. I
eventually turned the corner, and soon was walking upstream along the Sipsey
River. The Sipsey mostly flows through
calm pools, but I did pass one roaring rapid.
Not far beyond I found an interesting rock house to explore. Just downstream from there are some nice
boulders that provided a fine place for lunch.
After eating, I was hiking
along the river when I heard a loud noise.
I looked across the stream, and I spotted an animal sliding down the
opposite bank. It landed on a sandbar,
where it seemed to be stunned. I was
fascinated, because first off, it’s not often that you see a wild animal fall
down a hillside. Second, I had no idea
what I was looking at. At first I
thought it might be another otter, but this was jet black with a white
face. It was also a bit larger than a
normal otter. I did some research after
I got home, and I think it was a mink.
If so, it’s the first mink I’ve ever seen. Unfortunately, I was so caught up in trying to figure out what I was
looking at that I didn’t even think about taking its picture until it swam
away.
I continued downstream, and
a few minutes later I reached the confluence with Bee Branch. I turned upstream here, and followed a path
to an easy but muddy creek crossing. I
discovered on my return that it’s easier to cross near the river and hike the
opposite side. Once across, I headed
upstream, crossing a couple of minor tributaries before reaching a fork. I turned right here, to head up East Bee
Branch. There was an obvious, but
un-maintained trail all the way through here.
Unfortunately, the path is littered with fallen trees.
I hadn’t seen anyone all
morning, but I began running into people in East Bee Branch Canyon. The canyon is remote, but popular. I ran into several groups of backpackers and
dayhikers. One couple was heading down
the canyon, having started their hike at a different trailhead to the
north. They were trying to make a loop
with a trail that follows the ridge above East Bee Branch Canyon, but seemed
confused. I let them have an extra map
I had printed off a website, and tried to give them directions, once I figured
out where they were trying to go. I was
a bit nervous after they left though, as I didn’t think they knew how to read
the map, and they still seemed confused.
Later I ran into them again, heading back the way they had come. I was relieved that they had given up on the
loop. They mentioned that they turned
around because they couldn’t complete the loop without crossing the creek. This was alarming to me, as there are no
significant creek crossings on their intended route. I’m glad they decided to head back!
A couple of moderate climbs
(the only ones on this hike) brought me to the end of East Bee Branch
Canyon. This box canyon features rock
houses, waterfalls, and the largest tree in the state of Alabama. It’s a Tuliptree (AKA Yellow Poplar), and
although I’ve seen a few that are bigger in Joyce Kilmer and the Smokies, it
was impressive. My favorite area of the
canyon though was a rock house to the left of the main falls. There is a seasonal waterfall here, and the
inner walls of the cave are covered in lush, green vegetation. I took a break there and enjoyed the
peaceful surroundings before beginning the long hike out.
I did the 5 ½ mile hike out
in just over 2 hours. This was much
faster than the hike in, as I didn’t allow myself to stop and explore and take
photos. In theory, a fit hiker can
probably do this hike in 5 hours or less.
However, such a restricted schedule wouldn’t allow much time to really
enjoy it. I was pleased with both of my
hikes in the Sipsey Wilderness, and would like the opportunity to hike there
again sometime in the future.
The drive from the trailhead
to Huntsville took 2 hours. I enjoyed
spending the evening with friends, before heading for home the next
morning. I didn’t go straight home
though, as I took a little time to explore De Soto Falls and the Little River
Canyon.
CORRECTIONS: Colbert
County, Alabama, was not really named after Stephen Colbert of Comedy Central’s
“The Colbert Report”. It was, however,
the scene of several episodes from the show, featuring the grand opening (and
subsequent closing) of the Colbert Museum and Gift Shop.
Also, there is no sign at
the entrance to Muscle Shoals proclaiming “We Love Muscle Shoals” (or, for that
matter, “Love Muscle”). This bit was a
complete fabrication created solely for the purpose of a mildly vulgar
joke. Please accept my apologies.
Back to Alabama
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Please remember to Leave No Trace!