Ruffner Mountain November 13, 2011

 Some weekends we get the Sipsey, Cheaha or Desoto itch and drive to hike. But with such great hiking trails close to home we can lace up our boots and be in the woods at Oak Mountain, Moss Rock or Ruffner Mountain in half an hour or less.  This weekend was my 46th birthday and the answer to, "What would you like to do?" was "HIKE!" We spent Sunday afternoon hiking Ruffner Mountain, entering at the ball fields on Ruffner Road. The leaves were the winter side of peak color, but still breathtaking with dominant yellows. Brian, Lora and I had a super hike! Happy Birthday to me - in the woods one more year!

Ruffner Mountain Trail Map

Images 1993

Sipsey Wilderness Area
Trail 202
January 23, 1993

 Jeffrey Uptain, Brian Watkins

To see more images of Sipsey from the past select Images 1993 from "Pages" in the upper right hand corner or follow this link: http://thearmadillotimes.blogspot.com/p/images-1993-sipsey-wilderness.html

19 Years Ago

The Watkins Family [Brian, Joan, Evan (19) and Lora (11)] spent the day hiking along Borden Creek on Saturday, October 1, 2011. Later in the evening Brian pulled out The Armadillo Times, a family publication that he had written about day hikes and backpacking trips, and saw that it had been 19 years since Volume 1 Issue 1 was released.

It was a beautiful day with barely a hint of color in the trees. The skies were clear and the weather mild enough for long sleeves. The trail heads at the picnic grounds and the curved bridge were lined with vehicles and the trails were busy with family groups, Scouts and a youth group. A three generation group of ladies stood out the most. The oldest appeared to be in her 60's, the second in her 40's and the youngest in her teens. They all were strong and healthy and an inspiration to keep hitting the trails for another 19 years!

Lora said this was the best hiking trip she had - ever! Evan was looking forward to planning an overnight with friends this fall. Brian and Joan were excited to see the wilderness in all it's beauty after such a long gap of visiting the Sipsey Wilderness.