Bankhead Wander

The planned group hike to Big Tree didn't materialize, so we opted to do some exploring instead.
I think we ended up doing just shy of 4 miles, but barely a step of that was flat.

We headed off trail to find a couple of falls using the GPS and map.

We went past a cemetery, down a big hill, up a big hill, down a big hill, up a big hill and then:

Down another big hill! 
Let's see what I think:

yep

The third canyon had a nice stream and I really liked how clear it was and how the rocks were so mossy.
Getting down to the creek, I slipped crossing the top of a cliff and slid and kept sliding and stopped with my feet at the edge of a 30-foot drop.  I was not pleased and my efforts to get away from the edge on the thick bed of leaves was making me slide slowly closer to falling.  I had already decided when I went over to throw my weight to the side in hopes of landing on my arm rather than my legs or butt because I thought if I lived, a broken arm would be easier to recover from.
I managed to flip over and crawl toward a tree uphill, the soil was so thin my poles did nothing to help.
Later, I looked and I had dirt and small pebbles under my fingernails from where I had dug in to slow myself down.  Everything I was wearing was meant to shed water, it was a really bad combo for the deep, damp leaves and I slipped a couple more times, though all that got me was a good bruise.

There was ice! 

A shot under the ice

Trying out a new shoe, I have not been able to hike in anything other than my Chacos for the past year.  I had plantar fasciitis and when that finally cleared up, I then developed metatarsal neuralgia.  Anything I have worn other than Chacos has made my toes go numb to the point that the next day I was having trouble walking at all from the pain.  It feels like when your foot goes to sleep, then the circulation kicks back in and that initial flow of blood-how much that HURTS-but for an entire day.  I could barely move sometimes.
Chacos worked for me, I am unsure how or why, but I never needed anything else and never once had any issues wearing my original pair.  I bought a second pair and they are about 50/50 even though the foot-bed is the same.
I went looking for help and ONE person out there had the same issue and also wore only Chacos and through trial and error found that Oboz worked for her. 
They worked GREAT today until the very end of our hike, we had walked back a couple of miles through the canyons and then crossed the West Fork of the Sipsey and did one last long climb up to a dirt road.  The flat slap of walking tired took a toll and by the time we were at the car a mile later, my feet hurt.
Oboz have a rock hard insole, there's no give inside the shoe.  I think if I get another pair of metatarsal pads, they will be perfect.  The pair I have are in the shoes Chandler took over and she won't give them back...

Chillin my heels in some ice!

More ice, ugh!

The top of the final canyon, Matt is looking for a cache.

Matt finds caveman soap!

He was going to get his head wet and the wind picked up and blew the water over on him.
He screamed and ran for it.

Then got JUST AS WET sticking his head back under the water on purpose.

I flat love the open woods and sloping canyons in Bankhead.  I'm thankful it's so close.

I have not talked about my hair, but I have kept it stained since the Cayman trip and I still love it so much.
I get looks from time to time, but no one has ever even mentioned it-from friends to total strangers, other than Jacki, of course.   I find that to be bemusing.

Look at the pic above again, under my chin are 2 puncture scars and on my jawline is another Y shaped scar.  That's from a dog bite when I was 14.  I used to put stuff on it every day and take skin repairing vitamins, but at some point, it just wasn't a thing anymore.  I can go years and not even think about it. Sometimes I feel it when I am putting on my face stuff at night and try to scrape it off with a fingernail, thinking the hardened skin is dried food.  I don't know what it says about me that I sit in bed with dried food on my face often enough to absentmindedly scrape it off, but there you go.

I'm flawed.
:)