THE SIPSEY CHALLENGE! Celebrate Wilderness! Win prizes!
Take The Sipsey Challenge!
Challenge yourself…and celebrate Wilderness!
In celebration of the 50th anniversary of The Wilderness Act and the 40th anniversary of the Sipsey Wilderness, both in 2014, Wild South will lead a series of hikes in the Sipsey Wilderness for the next eight months, from October 2013 through May 2014, almost every weekend. The Sipsey Challenge is designed to include every hiking trail in the Sipsey Wilderness. With few exceptions, these hikes will be “on trail” in the interest of practicing Leave No Trace and minimizing our impact on the Wilderness. There will be only occasional short side trips off-trail to points of interest. All hikes will be strictly limited to a maximum of 10 individuals, in compliance with Wilderness regulations. The Challenge is open to hikers 18 years of age and older. The Sipsey Wilderness is located within the Bankhead National Forest in northwest Alabama.
Most hikes will be led by our Volunteer Wilderness Rangers. All participating hikers will earn “Sipsey Bucks,” with generally 1 Sipsey Buck awarded for each trail hiked. Hikers who hike all the wilderness trails during the eight-month Challenge will be awarded 5 bonus Sipsey Bucks. Each Sipsey Buck buys you one chance in a drawing for great prizes, which will be held on September 3, 2014, the 50th anniversary of the day The Wilderness Act of 1964 was signed into law, at a special celebration shindig in the Bankhead National Forest. Look at these fantastic prizes:
One Wild South signature ENO DoubleNest hammock
All hikers earning 10 or more Sipsey Bucks will receive a Wild South T-shirt of their choice from those available.
All hikes will be scheduled and managed through our new Meetup group, The Sipsey Challenge. If you already have a Meetup account, great! If not, sign up for one (it’s free, and it’s easy), join our Sipsey Challenge Meetup group and check out the scheduled hikes. All hikes scheduled through the end of December can be viewed on the Meetup group calendar. Just follow the instructions and RSVP for the hikes you want to take. There will be multiple opportunities to hike each of the Sipsey Wilderness trails during the eight-month Challenge.
All Wild South led hikes are free, but we graciously accept donations to help support our stewardship work, including our Volunteer Wilderness Rangers, in Alabama’s National Forests.
Join us in celebrating 50 years of preserving and protecting America’s enduring resource of Wilderness!
WIth 5 other intrepid kayakers, we floated from Brushy Lake down Brushy Creek to the Hickory Grove Road on February 9th, 2014. The float was about 8 miles long and was stunningly beautiful!!! Saw a River Otter with two pups, lots of swift water and some challenging drops.
Wow, Paul! That’s awesome! I’m surprised there was enough water on the 9th to make that trip on Brushy.