East Bee Branch Falls and The Big Tree

 Friday we decided to go someplace new.  Amanda and I had talked about tackling the hike to the Big Tree over in Sipsey, so I had been reading about it and checking my maps.  I found a book at the library-50 Hikes in Alabama by Johnny Molloy and the 3rd hike in there was the Big Tree.  He laid out the route step by step, so I decided that was our best bet after my last plunge into the Wilderness without a clear plan ended with the arrival of a wide swath of water.  I knew fording was not optional with the littles along, not to mention it's COLD.

Before we headed out, I baked traveling cookies.  These are so moist that they don't crumble in your pack.

And there's no gluten.

3 bananas all mashed up

2 cups whole oats

1/2 cup applesauce

1/4 cup almond milk

vanilla and cinnamon

I added chocolate and peanut butter chips to one batch and flax and hemp seeds and dried fruit to the other. Each batch makes 12 good sized cookies.  Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes.

Armed with our cookies, we hit the trail, leaving out from the Borden Creek trailhead.  It's been redone since our last visit, parking is limited to way the heck up the hill from the old bridge, there's a gate and signs and everything.  We headed out knowing it was a 10 mile hike, so that first bit downhill was quickly forgotten. On the way out...gah!!!  The parking area moved uphill another 1/4 mile at least.  Plus the hill was steeper.

THE TRACK LOG

Borden Creek!

Rho, Chan, Eyrin

The path was crazy overgrown until recently, so there are stobs and little stumps ALL over the place.  We watched our feet 97% of the way.

From the bridge, we stayed on old CR 5, which is now called 224/Bunyan Hill Trail.

It climbs out of the valley over about a half a mile with a climb of 150 feet.

It turns into the above for 4 miles.  A tunnel in the pines.  The trail undulates over the miles, but never more than 50 feet up or down, it seems fairly flat.  It is easy walking, just long.

The junction to trail 204 is clearly marked with a sign.  We headed off down that way and less than a mile in, the trail splits.  There is a sign that says 204 and that's all.  No arrow!  You take the right fork (204 A on the map)-the left is 204 which misses the tree canyon entirely!

After the close pines the whole way, the open ridge was very nice!

this tree is mentioned in the guide book.

At the 204/204A junction, a group came up behind us.  We stepped off to make room and they stopped to chat a moment.  I realized-I knew them!  It was Jamie and Rachel from theater.  His girlfriend and parents were along as well, that was bizarre to run into someone we knew out there.

They headed off to explore the canyon, we saw them most of the rest of the afternoon as the canyon is teeny! In fact, Nia and Juke sidled up to their picnic on the rock just in case they hauled in too much food.

Nearly identical shots of East Bee Branch Falls from the top.

I thought I could get a better sense of scale, but...well, I think I just got twin shots.

The trail to the canyon was nearly flat, but getting to the falls overlook and then on into the small canyon required some scrambling and careful navigation.  Amanda opted to stay at the top with Bird while Sammy headed down with Eyrin.  The kids just ran amok.

THE BIG TREE!!!

East Bee Branch Falls

I wondered why the two sights are always lumped together as 'East Bee Branch Falls and the Big Tree'.  Then I went to see them and realized, it's because they are about 30 feet apart.

I love the green in the canyons.

This is an unnamed falls just down from Bee Branch.  You can see it from the tree, too.

See, here it is below, directly behind where I was standing.

More shots, this time with panorama because I could not get it all in one frame.

Turns out, it did not all fit in two frames, either.

Three Frames for the Win!

I put henna in my hair.  It's red now.

I was not actually expecting that to happen.

Above Matt's head is the tree and below the BIG tree is Sammy, smoking a pipe and regarding Nia who has taken up log walking.

I attempt a Chanorama.  She uses the panorama feature on the camera to take unrelated photos and they stick together.  This is the unnamed falls and 180 degrees away, the Big Tree.

Look what I spotted!

A heart-shaped lichen.  I was delighted.

Heading back out.

One more shot of the Tree.

The canyon trail

A final rimshot (be-dunk-bunk! TING!)

Riding Boy!

The trail back was long.  Seriously, it's been a while since I walked that far.  But the 6 year old walked the whole way, which according to the GPS was 12.6 miles by the time we got back to the van.  It took us 6.5 hours total.  I am still a little amazed.

I arrived ahead of the other adults and when I got JUST past here, the kids screamed and Jake came FLYING at me and Rho went tearing off the other way.  Nia had jumped in the creek and they were running down to man each bank in case she did not make it against the current.  She swam out and then headed back (with Juke in tow) to do it again.  I quit watching, that dog is going to give me angina.

"I'll just jump in there" is the first thing any rational mammal would think.

We headed down 200 to the first campsite and set up a lovely fire to hang out and have dinner and chat a while before heading home.  We gathered wood and got it all ready to go (Sammy had the fire starter) and just as he and Amanda showed up, it started sprinkling!  Eee.

We immediately began to regard the much-anticipated hot dog dinner with some skepticism and a certain Mexican restaurant back in town was recalled.  So, we stowed our gear and made the final (much longer than it should have been) climb out to the cars.  Birdie had had a nap and was in fine spirits riding in his wrap.  He talked about allllll the trucks he's loved like a blue eyed magpie and when Amanda set him down to get things squared away to head out he said, "Matt!  Guess what!?  I am going to eat Mezigan food!"  That mass of fluffy hair and his little tipped-up face and wide grin, he is a balm for achy hearts.  Matt just said today that he and Eyrin and Inde have been so good for us to be around.  I have to agree.  We are lucky.

This was an awesome tally-4 days worth of steps in one day! 

Footie Update

Sunday was week 7, I thought I would be in the clear by now, but no.  Still so stiff that I can't point my toes, despite swimming nearly every day.  Try to spell your name with your toes, tracing the letters out.  I can't do that, my foot is like a plastic thing at the end of my leg, the stiffness forces a limp, in spite of my efforts not to.

So yesterday I started a new program.  It's called jumping in the pool.  At first I felt things in my foot crackling, like bubble wrap, on each landing.  It was not painful, more...a new sensation that was unpleasant. After an hour of bouncing like Tigger on crack, I was frozen through and got out of the pool (the pool is FREEZING and in the shade).  I have to wonder what the lifeguards think of me, often the only person in the pool and I all do is go to the 8 foot end and tread water, cycling my legs for a whole hour and then swim slow laps with just my arms because I can't kick with my right leg.

Upon climbing out, something happened...my foot was not stiff.  I could push off the steps, I could walk to my towel without that awkward small limp.  Grocery shopping with Matt last night, I walked right beside him, I even trotted a little way to get some fruit.  It's back stiff today, but not AS stiff and the pool opens in an hour and I will be in that water, hopping like a mad flea!  I am hoping I have stumbled upon the thing that will expedite the healing.  Eeee!

1.17 Miles

I walked around the track!!!  I am HEALING!  I am so happy!  Other than finding out about that website where you can check to see if there is puking in a movie you want to watch and discovering an AWESOME field trip spot that does blacksmithing and soap making and candle making AND has baby pigs you can hold (also ponies to ride) this is the best thing to happen all month!

We are continuing the healing by moving to the Mountain of Health for the remainder of this month and the first bit of next month.  While there, I will walk and swim just about every day and my view while resting will be of the valley below and not Matt's desk across the room and the one tree out Chan's window.  I still can't be 'up' more than 3 hours total, but was given the clear to do 'straight line' exercise that involves literally going in one direction and not shifting, such as basketball or soccer (darn). Even vacuuming requires alternating foot position and twisting while on one foot. Did not think about that...I have been vacuuming for a couple weeks!  Biking is okay, which surprised me. Pressing down still hurts a LOT, I have only driven a short distance, but braking is very painful, so Jake does my carting around.  So no biking for me just yet, I doubt it counts the same if Jake does my peddling there,  hehehe

I have decided that swimming time is nearly resting, since there's not full weight on my foot, so it will not count against my 3 hours.  Otherwise,  I will just be swimming and sitting!

We will be back and forth the whole time, I have a couple repair projects I want to get done while we are not here to live in the mess!  The kids have classes that start later this week, too, so we will be in and out fairly often.

In keeping with my new, narrow format of only talking about my foot, the trip and what I have watched: I have not watched anything in days!  Well, not totally true, we are watching Legend of Korra and there's just no need to go into that-Avatar: The Last Airbender and Legend of Korra are probably the two best 'cartoons' ever made. We are in season 3 still catching up.  I still don't LOVE the characters like I did Aang and his crew, but it's still a good story.

Disney front: I have picked out the tent we will buy for the trip to replace our 12 year old family tent that has zipper issues and gorilla taped poles.  Also, I have discovered Tom Bricker's photography and have fallen into a delirious funk both wanting to take exactly some of the very same shots and knowing my 9 year old camera and kit lens will never compete.  I know I say all the time that it's not the camera, it's the photographer, but for some of these, it's the camera along with the eye and phenomenal timing and some photoshop skillz that I seriously don't have.  I can remove a zit or change the contrast level, but that's about it.  But go check him out, the link will open a new window.  He even has Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon shots.  At the very least, I am inspired to shoot more than the kids and the major landmarks this time around!

That's it for now, I took several photos yesterday but have not resized them yet.  I took one of Ben down a long tube so he's just this little head off in the distance.  He suggested I take photos of everyone I know that way so I can cobble together group photos after the fact.  hahaha. I guess I need to start seeing people I know.

3 week update and a scary movie

So other than tearing and stretching the peroneal retinaculum in my ankle and foot, I also stripped the nerve endings out along the sural nerve, specifically the lateral dorsal cutaneous nerve, like pulling a worm out of a hole, except across the entire top of my foot.  This is what has been causing the itching and burning while it's healing.  They don't thread themselves back in there, you have to grow new ones!  I feel VERY icky about the whole thing, seriously, I get queasy thinking about it.

I have been taking B complex, D and Omega 3 and 6, which are all supposed to help with nerve growth.  To help my brain cope by thinking I am growing them back even FASTER, I have opted to only eat things with ingredients I can actively see.  Rice, granola, seeds, veggies.  Nothing mixed up or mashed up or added gunk that I can't pronounce.  I am convinced this will speed it up, because until it stops burning, I can only think of a dolls scalp plucked clean. And shriveled brown worms frying in the sun on the sidewalk.  

I know all I can talk about these days is my ankle and Disney and what I am reading or watching.  But my life is really small at the moment!  I went grocery shopping yesterday-that's it for getting out of the house since my birthday the week before.  I have a new bed topper from Serta.  It's the first bed topper that A) has not been stolen my one of my children and B) actually goes from corner to corner on our California king bed.

So, on to movies!  Oculus came out on dvd this weekend and it's good!  I liked the whole plot and I am pretty sure the sequels could reach a dozen or more. It was not terribly believable, but scary stories aren't supposed to be things you think would actually happen.  More like an urban legend-yeah, a guy with a hook for a hand COULD be on the loose, but I am not going to install high powered magnets in the ceiling so he can't take a swing at me with it while I sleep.  An evil mirror is not even a new plot to tackle.  But still, I liked the story and the characters and I liked how they worked in the backstory of the mirror and I liked the way I could very easily tell when it was past and present in the story by the way the main characters were played by different people entirely.  See, I don't ALWAYS need wavy lines.  hahahaha! 

It was a good nearly non-gory movie with 3 stories going on that were juggled well, I thought.  Well enough for Saturday night at home with some popcorn and the honey anyway!  There was what happened to the now-adult siblings when they were kids involving the mirror, there was what was happening in the movie present day with the mirror and there was what the mirror wanted them to think was happening by making them see things not there.  The sister character, I'll call her not-Tim because his name is the only one I can remember due to the Kagomesque way his sister screamed it 900 times.

Not-Tim had done a ton of research and had set up 3 fail-safe mechanisms for keeping them safe/sane while...with the mirror.  I am still not clear WHAT they wanted to do, as breaking it was impossible and they did not have ghost-killing powers and gizmos.  I think they were just going to hang out and become crazy while trying to capture proof of the mirror making them crazy. My complaint here is that she says, "It has been responsible for at least 45 deaths" and "we don't know the origin of the mirror" then goes on to detail the origin (at least of the name, 'Lasser Glass') of the mirror and a dozen deaths that were pretty well along the timeline since the origin.  Before that, no history of the mirror.  After that...not 45 deaths.  12.  Maybe 13.  If there's no record of who owned it or where it was for a stretch, you can't just assign a number of deaths to have occurred in that time!

Best part-glowy eyes instead of black eyes.  They were supposed to be the mirror using the bodies to look through or something along those lines.  But they were scary, so I did not think about WHY they were shiny too hard.  

eeeeeee!  Katee Sackhoff, go away!

Birthday!

Matt took Thursday off so I would not have a totally sad sack of a day on my birthday!
Amanda had offered to get the kids to stay with her a few days on her way past Wednesday, but they wanted to be here on my birthday, so Wednesday night, Matt made cake and we had half of it with candles and singing-totally off key and kind of horrible-but singing nonetheless!

Thursday, we decided to join in on Amanda's impromptu house party, so the kids packed up and Matt drove us down.  He was able to get the van really close to the water using the boat ramp, so I kind of hobbled right in!  It was not slick and the easy slope of the ramp made getting in the water super easy.  I bobbed and floated and did leg cycles allllll afternoon.  It was so nice getting to move!!

My scabby knee!  And not-badly swollen right foot way down there.

Mr. Coury

No trip is complete without swimming to the marina for ice cream.  Through all those GIANT fish.

Me!  I was there!
I'm 40!
That's water on the lens, I am not going blurry 'round the edges.

This was much fun, so we left them to it with Sammy watching out from the marina.  But honestly, with this many kids, I'd hope they'd keep an eye out and rescue each other!

We headed back to the house to get something dry on, it was getting chilly!  Matt pulled back down to the water and I kind of piled in, then he helped me get dressed, my legs were jelly.

I got settled in a chair at Amanda's and everyone pitched in and made some yummy nachos!  I ate and had a cookie and hung out and chatted and just generally did not much.  We left around 8 taking Elan and leaving Chan.  The plan was for Ben and Chan to stay, but Ben wanted to get home.  It worked out well, ALL the girls stayed at Amanda's, they headed home today and we will get Chan tomorrow when Matt returns Elan.

And that was my birthday!  Oh, we had the other half of the cake for breakfast!  :)

I have spent today with my foot back up.  Matt got off work a little early, so he has been entertaining this evening, he took the boys to pick out movies, they are watching The Lego Movie right now.  I am listening from in here and laughing along.  I hear the new Wolverine movie is up next, I may need a little time with my second favorite Marvel character.  Sorry, Logan, I can't shake my teenage obsession with Remy LeBeau.  I even know his middle name is Etienne!