The group for the Fall 2014 Sipsey trip.
It happened suddenly, silently and without warning. We missed a sign and veered onto the wrong trail.
We were early into our overnight backpacking and Bible study trip in northwest Alabama’s Sipsey Wilderness with some guys from my former Bible study group. This trip in late September was only my second time in the Sipsey and the first time at Thompson Trailhead. Our plan was to follow Trail 206 along Thompson Creek and continue east on Trail 209 along the Sipsey Fork and explore the Bee Branch area before turning around and heading home the next day. These are all official and well-worn paths.
That was the plan. But about 15 minutes into the hike we reach a campsite and an apparent crossing of the then bone-dry Thompson Creek. There are no blazes to mark the official Sipsey trails, only signs at pivotal intersections on official trails. To further complicate things there are many “unofficial” trails made by hikers over the years. These trails are unmaintained and not recognized by the U.S. Forest Service, but they are easy to confuse with official trails if you are not careful.
On this hike, we missed a turn across Thompson Creek very early and took us on a 4 or 5 mile detour on a faint “unofficial” path up an area called White Oak Hollow. We were never in any danger and it ended up being a fun side adventure, but it served as an important spiritual reminder to me.
We followed a creek bed for about 30-45 minutes through some beautiful canyons, but the narrowness of the path and amount of overgrowth gave me the sneaking suspicion that this was not the well-traversed Trail 206. Still, we walked on, hopeful to find a sign we were on the right path. As we ascended a ridge, I was encouraged to see bright orange tape marking the trail as it briefly joined a faint road and jogged right back into the woods. Someone had been here before!
It ended up being false hope. Finally after hiking another 30 minutes or so, the trail faded out at a huge (and pretty cool) rock formation. With no clear way to go forward, we made the call to backtrack to the campsite along Thompson Creek. Tired after arriving, we decided to camp there for the night and had a great time and meaningful discussion around the campfire about what it means to be a spiritual leader.
The next morning, after about 2 minutes on the trail back to the Thompson Trailhead, we saw the sign we missed. In fairness, the faded wood sign really blended into the surroundings and the turn was at an odd spot. It was easy to see how we missed it.
For me, the whole situation was a great reminder of how in life we can easily get turned around and heading in the wrong direction slowly, subtly and without really noticing it until we are far up a path we should have never taken. We passed the sign without noticing it. We then came to Thompson Creek crossing and followed the faint path on the other side. Maybe if I had paused, consulted the map a little more and backtracked a few hundred feet, I might have noticed the sign which would put us on the path to our intended destination. Instead, we pressed on and though we were OK following some path for a while, it eventually came to a dead end.
It’s like that in life, I think. Following an unmarked trail will lead us somewhere, but we are not entire sure where. To really put the picture fully together to get an idea of where we are heading and be confident of our steps, we need to consult a detailed official trail map and have blazes and signs to guide us during our journey. It allows us to see and remember the bigger picture and, in a way, lets the creators of the trail speak to us and guide us. Without it we can get easily distracted by our surroundings and miss a turn.
It’s the same way in our journey as Christians. God desires a deep relationship with us where we trust in him for everything in our lives. How do we develop that confidence and knowledge?
We do it by surrendering our will to God’s will, listening to Him and trusting and obeying what he says . The big part of this is consistent time in the Bible – God’s holy word. It is THE map for our journey.
Through the Holy Spirit, you hear God speaking and guiding you in His word through the situations in your life and giving you a much bigger perspective than just trying to do it on your own, by taking advice from others, sermons, etc. Consistent time in the Bible is a very simple discipline that is fundamental in beginning to have that deep guided relationship. It’s not just a book, but it’s a guide to our lives. It is a means in which God can speak to us and reveal His will to use through the Holy Spirit. It is the way in which God guides us on our journey.
“All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work. “
– 2 Timothy 3:16-17
On the way back, we discovered and explored the trail to the awesome Kinlock Shelter, a big rock shelter that was a meeting place for Native Americans for hundreds of years. We also explore the remnants of an old health spa built around Kinlock Spring back in the late 19th/ early 20th centuries. Go figure that we easily found these unmarked and somewhat hidden features after missing the turn on the widely used Trail 206.
Check out some more photos from our adventure.
Reboot Wilderness Adventures 