Volunteer Workday in Sipsey Wilderness, May 21

 

Volunteer Workday in Sipsey Wilderness

Saturday, May 21

8:30 a.m.

Wild South office, 552 Lawrence Street, Moulton, Alabama

Sign up or ask questions at janice@wildsouth.org or 256-974-6166

Location:  The Sipsey River Trail (#209)

Hiking distance:  10 miles roundtrip

Level of Challenge:  Strenuous

The Christmas Day flood that brought the Sipsey Fork up to 41 feet at Cranal Road left us plenty of work to do.  Crosscut sawyers will be needed.

You do not have to be a crosscut sawyer to participate; we will also use tools such as loppers, hand saws and pruners to clear the trail of smaller blowdowns and debris.

This will be a physically demanding workday as we must hike a total of approximately 10 miles carrying all tools and performing trail maintenance as we go.

The May 21 work day is a continuation of work  begun on Trail 209 in April.

After departing the Wild South office in downtown Moulton, we will drive to the Randolph Trailhead on Cranal Road, which is where we will begin our hike down Trail 202 to Sipsey Fork. Unless we receive significant rain the week before, the crossing should be easily negotiated with boots on. We’ll work trail 209 upstream from that point and return the same way. There are three blockages that will require a crosscut saw and significant portions of the trail in need of brushing out. There is also an abandoned camp with about 100 lbs. of camping equipment that needs to be carried out.

All tools will be provided, but feel free to bring your own loppers, pruners, hand saws and hard hat if you want.

Be prepared for

• a 10 mile hike
• ticks (read our recommendation below)
• weather (watch the forecast)
• creek crossings (Borden and Sipsey may be above knee deep)

 

Dogs are not allowed on work projects.

Bring:

• a small backpack with lunch, snacks, plenty of drinking water
• a hard hat if you have one (we’ve got one for you if you don’t)
• work gloves
• Epi-pen if severe reaction to insect stings is an issue

 

Ticks:  The most effective protection against tick-borne diseases is the type of permethrin product that is sprayed on clothing.  Permanone (by Repel) and Sawyers are a couple of brands.  Spray on clothing (not skin) at least 4 hours before wearing (that) clothing.  It has no scent whatsoever and it works.

Wild South’s Helping Hands Volunteer Program is made possible by the support of our generous donors and by a matching grant from The National Forest Foundation, a grant from the Community Fund of the Walker Area Community Foundation, and by a grant from The Munson Foundation.