What would you change?

I was standing outside my apartment today and could hear everything going on inside because the window was open. It made me think of the movies where someone died but was still around and watched their life. And I wondered what would I think if I was to watch my life from the outside. Would I be on the edge of my seat watching myself? Would I be screaming at myself trying to make myself do something different?

How about you?

Psalms 119:105 Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a guide for my path.

Sticks AT Thru-Hike Gear List (In Progress)

Pack:
Granite Gear Nimbus Ozone $229.00 48 oz
**MLD Med / Lg Pack Rain Cover $35.00 2.9 oz
**Trash Compactor Bag For Liner (2.4 oz)

Shelter:
Tarp Tent Moment w/4 stakes(not seam sealed) $215.00 28.5oz
Tyvek Groundsheet (5 oz)

Sleeping:
(Winter Bag)
Western Mountaineering 5* Antelope Micro Fiber $470.00 42 oz
(Regular, Left Zip, 26 oz + 3 oz overfill = 29 oz DF)
(3-Season Bag)
Mont-bell U.L. Super Spiral Down Hugger # 3 $279.00 21 oz
(Regular, Left Zip, 10 oz DF)
Therm-A-Rest NeoAir (Small) $129.95 9 oz
Jagbag Endura Silk Hi Tech Mummy Bag Liner $46.70 4.75 oz

Kitchen:
700 ml Ti Cook Pot w/ Lid & Stuff Sack 4 oz
Ti Spork 0.5 oz
Optimus Crux Canister Stove 3.1 oz
4 oz Fuel Canister (or 8 oz ~ Depends) 6.9 oz
Primus Windscreen 2.3 oz
Homemade Tyvek Cozy 1.8 oz
Regular Size Bic Lighter (1 oz)
Bandana (0.5 oz)

Water:
100 oz Camelbak Bladder w/ Shut-Off Valve & Bite Block 9.3 oz
**Aqua Mira Water Treatment Drops (2 oz) 3.1 oz
32 oz Gatorade Bottle (2 oz)

Miscellaneous:
Leki Corklite Aergon Speedlock Trekking Poles $119.90 16.6 oz
**Petzl Tikka Plus 2 LED Headlamp(w/ 3 AAA Lith Batt) $39.95 2.9 oz
2 oz Jungle Juice Insect Repellant (As Needed) 2.9 oz
**Travel Size Sun Block (As Needed) (2 oz)
iPod w/ Ear Buds 1.6 oz
**Gerber Ultralight L.S.T. Knife $20.60 0.6 oz
Simblissity LevaGaiter $26.95 1.8 oz
Outsak UL (For Food Bag) 4.3 oz
1 - 20 x 12.5 LokSak To Line Outsak $11.75 (1 oz)
50’ PMI 3 mm Utility Cord For Bear Bag 4 oz
**Sunglasses (4 oz)
Ear Plugs (0.5 oz)
Vivitar Vivicam 8225 Digital Camera 3.52 oz
StickPic $11.99 0.35 oz
As Needed: Ziplocs / Stuff Sacks / Carabiners (5 oz)
Duct Tape (2 oz)
Mueller Jumpers Knee Strap (4 oz)
6” Ace Wrap (2 oz)

Navigation:
**Highgear Axio Max Altimeter Watch (w/ Compass) $139.00 (3 oz)
**Maps w/ Elevation Profiles (4 oz)
**Guide Book Pages(Printed Out And In A Ziploc) (1 oz)

**First Aid Kit: (Weighed together in Ziploc) (6 oz)
Mole Skin
Bandage Scissors
2 Straight Needles
10 Strands 30” Silk Thread
2 - 2” Gauze Pads
4 Alcohol Prep Pads
2 Packets Neosporin
10 Assorted Size Band-Aids
6 - 25 mg Benadryl Tabs
10 - 800 mg Motrin Tabs
Multi-Vitamins
1 Roll of Rolaids
2 Safety Pins
1 Tube of Carmex

Personal Hygiene:
MSR Medium Nano Packtowl 1.2 oz
Small Toothbrush (1 oz)
Travel Size Toothpaste (2 oz)
Small Bottle of Germ-X (3 oz)
Toilet Paper (5 oz)

Emergency / Extras:
**SPOT Satellite GPS Messenger (w/ 3 AAA Lith Batt) $169.99 5.2 oz
**REI Storm Proof Matches w/ Extra Striker 0.8 oz
**1 Package Wet Fire 0.2 oz
**HTC Hero Cell Phone w/ Otter Box 6 oz
**Whistle (0.5 oz)
Extra Batteries (6 AAA Energizer Ultimate Lithium) 1.8 oz
Small Journal with Pen (8 oz)
Ziploc w/ ID, Insurance Cards, Cash to carry ($4,000.00) (2 oz)

Clothing:
(Base Layer)
2 Pair Under Armour Boxer Briefs (3.5 oz/pr.)
1 Patagonia Capilene 2 Long Sleeve Crew 5.8 oz
2 Pair Smart Wool Medium Weight Hiking Socks 2.8 oz/pr
1 Pair Columbia Omni-Dry Silver Ridge II Convertible Pants(w/ Belt) 12.65 oz

(Mid Layer)
1 Pair Terramar Heavy-Weight Long Pants 7.9 oz
1 Patagonia R1 Flash Pullover 12.8 oz
1 Mont-bell Ex Light Down Jacket $164.95 5.6 oz

(**Rain Gear)
Outdoor Research Helium Jacket $139.95 6.8 oz
MLD eVent Mitts (during cold months to layer over gloves) 1.2 oz

(**Sleeping / Town Clothes ~ Kept in Ziploc)
1 Pair Under Armour Polyester / Elastic Shorts (6 oz)
1 Patagonia Capilene 1 Short Sleeve T-Shirt 5.1 oz
1 Pair Light-weight Wool Socks (2 oz)

(Other Misc. Clothing)
Outdoor Research PL150 Gloves 1.7 oz
Mountain Hardwear Dome Perignon Wind Stopper Boggin 2 oz
Outdoor Research Ninjaclava $25.00 1.8 oz
Outdoor Research Bug Bucket Hat (Medium) $27.95 2.7 oz

(Shoes)
Crocs Men’s Size 12(For Water Crossings / Camp) (10 oz)
(Still debating trail runners or light boots)

General Clothes Worn (Summer)
UA Boxer Briefs
Smart Wool Hiking Socks
Columbia Zip-Off Pants
Cap 1 SS Shirt or Cap 2 LS Crew
OR Bug Bucket Hat
Hiking Boots/Trail Runners (?)
Simblissity LevaGaiter

General Clothes Carried (Summer)
1 Extra pr UA Boxer Briefs
1 Extra pr Smart Wool Hiking Socks
OR Helium Jacket
UA Poly/Elastic Shorts For Sleep/Town
1 pr Light-Wt Wool Socks For Sleeping
Crocs

Start ~ April: Late Winter: Use Terramar long bottoms & Cap 2 to sleep in. Layer: Cap 2, R1, Ex-Light, & OR Helium as needed. Boggin/Ninjaclava for head. PL150 Gloves/mitts. Late Spring: Get Cap 1 & swap long bottoms for UA shorts to sleep in. Return Ex-Light and layer Cap 2, R1, and Helium. Swap boggin for OR Bug Bucket. Send back gloves/mitts. Summer: Return R1 and Ninjaclava. Hike in cap 1/cap 2 and zip pants off to shorts. Early Fall - End of Hike: Get R1 and Ninjaclava as needed. Swap UA shorts for long bottoms and pick up gloves, mitts, boggin and the Ex-Light.
Approximate Weights (Minus Food/Water):

Other options to leave out to save weight/money:
Pack Rain Cover -$35.00 -2.90 oz
Jagbag Silk Liner -$46.70 -4.75 oz
Homemade Tyvek Cozy -1.80 oz
iPod w/ Ear Buds -1.60 oz
Simblissity LevaGaiter -$26.95 -1.80 oz
Highgear Watch -$139.00 -3.00 oz
Packtowl -1.20 oz
SPOT Personal Messenger -$169.00 -5.20 oz
Only carry 3 extra AAA Batteries -0.90 oz
Journal and Pen -8.00 oz
MLD eVent Mitts -1.20 oz
12.Crocs -10.00 oz
13.UA Poly/Elastic Sleep Shorts -6.00 oz
Total -$416.65 -48.35 oz / 3 lbs

Other shelter options (compared to the TT Moment) (+/- in weight/money):
1. Tent:
A. TT Contrail w/ Tyvek Groundsheet & 4 included stakes:-$ 4.00 / - 4.00 oz
B. Fly Creek UL 1 w/ footprint & 11 Groundhog stakes: + $134.95 / + 13.31 oz
C. Seedhouse SL 1 w/ footprint & 11 Groundhog stakes: + $ 79.90 / + 22.81 oz
D. Fly Creek UL 2 w/ footprint & 11 Groundhog stakes: + $184.95 / + 18.31 oz
E. Seedhouse SL 2 w/ footprint & 11 Groundhog stakes: + $154.90 / + 33.31 oz

2. Sleeping Bag:
(Winter Bag ~ Compared to the WM 5* Antelope w/ 3 oz overfill)
A. WM 10* VersaLite ~ Total: Wt: 32 oz / DF: 20.0 oz / -$ 30.00 / -10.00 oz
B. Marmot 15* Helium ~ Total: Wt: 34 oz / DF: 19.5 oz / -$101.00 / - 8.00 oz
C. WM 20* AlpinLite ~ Total: Wt: 31 oz / DF: 19.0 oz / -$ 45.00 / -11.00 oz
(3 Season Bag ~ Compared to the Mont-bell UL Spiral Down Hugger # 3)
A. WM 30* Megalite ~ Total: Wt: 24 oz / DF: 12.0 oz / +$ 76.00 / + 3.00 oz
B. Marmot 30* Hydrogen~Total: Wt: 24 oz / DF: 11.0 oz / +$ 40.00 / + 3.00 oz

**All bags(WM & Marmot) listed above are size Regular, preferably with left zip.
**WM Versalite & AlpinLite has option for 3 oz overfill. MegaLite has option for 2 oz overfill. I will plan on getting the overfills if available.

3. Water: Swap out 100 oz Camelbak bladder for 1 or 2 extra Gatorade bottles.

4. Miscellaneous: Use light-weight stuff sack in place of Outsak UL.

Total $$$ for all gear listed: 2,303.18
Optional “leave out” gear: - 416.65
Total $$$ for minimum gear: 1,886.53
Hiking $$$ (emergencies, extra gear, food, etc..): +4,000.00
Total Minimum $$$ for Hike: 5,886.53


** = Part of the “10 Essentials.”

Boulders

Joshua 4: 1-9 (NLT)

1 When all the people had crossed the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, 2 “Now choose twelve men, one from each tribe. 3 Tell them, ‘Take twelve stones from the very place where the priests are standing in the middle of the Jordan. Carry them out and pile them up at the place where you will camp tonight.’”

4 So Joshua called together the twelve men he had chosen—one from each of the tribes of Israel. 5 He told them, “Go into the middle of the Jordan, in front of the Ark of the Lord your God. Each of you must pick up one stone and carry it out on your shoulder—twelve stones in all, one for each of the twelve tribes of Israel. 6 We will use these stones to build a memorial. In the future your children will ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ 7 Then you can tell them, ‘They remind us that the Jordan River stopped flowing when the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant went across.’ These stones will stand as a memorial among the people of Israel forever.”

8 So the men did as Joshua had commanded them. They took twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan River, one for each tribe, just as the Lord had told Joshua. They carried them to the place where they camped for the night and constructed the memorial there.

9 Joshua also set up another pile of twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan, at the place where the priests who carried the Ark of the Covenant were standing. And they are there to this day.

As I was driving to church this morning I was reflecting back on the Marriage Retreat that my wife and I had attended this past Friday and Saturday. Steve and Debbie Wilson came and was a complete blessing. They had a powerful message from God, and you could see God all over them. It was evident. I cannot describe the power that was there, but it was heart felt, and again, a complete blessing.

They were selling t-shirts and books and CD's and Brandy wanted a shirt. But she didn't want one unless I got one too. We had just officially started our Dave Ramsey baby steps yesterday and filled our envelopes. We both knew that if we bought a t-shirt we would have to use our own blow money. I am giddy with my blow money envelope cause, well, I am saving for hiking gear, and that stuff ain't cheap, so I gotta save a lot. I must say though that I did take interest in one particular t-shirt....

The conference went through Friday night. Of course it was a blessing. Just the introduction had me teared up, and at our first break I walked up to Steve & Debbie with tears in my eyes and hugged Steve. I then told them my story of how God spoke to me through Bro. Hight telling me that I was to marry Brandy. They spoke of how God loves me, no matter what, even through divorce, He still loves me. See, I've heard this many many times, I knew this, I mean, c'mon, it's what God does, He loves. But Satan had a curtain pulled over this part of me, and I honestly didn't even know it was there. However when God spoke to me through Steve & Debbie, He not only showed me the curtain that was masking my pain, but he ripped it right in half, and I could feel the presence of God come into this part of me that I didn't even know I had, let alone needed him to come in and heal.

I still did not buy a t-shirt, but I thought about it.

The next morning, I had half decided that I was going to buy one, you know cause Brandy wanted one.... We went in and sat through the retreat, socialized during the breaks, ate through the lunch, and still did not have one after our last break. The conference ended. I knew that I had to get the t-shirt. Because I liked it, because I knew Brandy would get one and be happy if I did, but also because something else... I got the t-shirt.

We got the kids and went home. We went about our day as normal. Of course we had a little pep in our step, we had been to church! And it was good! We felt it in our bones, and we are in love! Crazy in love.....that's what our shirts say....

So on the way to church this morning I was thinking about this. And I thought about the boulders that the Israelites carried, and how they made 2 separate monuments out of them. They made 2. One was built at their camp, where they would always be able to see it. It is in the open and they can physically look at it any time they choose. It's right there. But what about the one covered up in the river? I have wondered why would they do that? They couldn't see it, so what good was it for? What purpose did it serve?

Then it hit me. It was a beginning point. It was the mark that they made that was their signature, their promise to God that He would be their God. That they would love Him. That He would be the groom and they would be the bride, till death do us part.

This is the same thing that Brandy and I did at our marriage ceremony. We made vows, to each other and to God. And we marked it with 2 boulders. The first boulder is the ceremony. We walked down the aisle and with our mouths we set a boulder. Except the river didn't cover it to hide it from us. Time did. Even now, 2 weeks and 1 day later, it is covered. I have the memories of that day, but I cannot see them with my physical eyes. However we also had another boulder that we can see with our eyes every day, just as the Israelites did, our rings. Our rings aren't just a promise to each other but it is a symbol of the covenant that we made with God as well. Our rings are there to mark us and to remind us.

The t-shirt serves as the boulder that I can see everyday, as reminder of another covenant. The retreat was the boulders in the river, again covered by time. The shirt is something that I will remember every time that I see it of how God opened a place inside of me, and ripped the curtain in half. The shirt is for me to remember...this is why I needed the shirt.

To take this one step farther, I understood something about baptism today as well, which was the topic of pastors message today. There are two boulders here. One to mark the time but is left behind and one that is carried everyday to remind us of the covenant made with baptism. The first boulder is the act of baptism and is left in the water, so it is covered in water. The second boulder that is carried around as a reminder is the new life in Jesus.

Scrappy, The One & Only......

Scrappy was our first doggy. We got him at the Tupelo Flea Market October of 2008 (I believe). He was a tiny puppy! We didn't really need to have a puppy, especially inside (I'm not the biggest dog person) but she wanted one. So while we were walking she stopped to look at some. She picked up Scrappy and I gave her a hard time, telling her how cute he was, ya know, stuff like that......
Needless to say, she brought him home. We got him all the stuff, and it was all great. Then after w while the new wore off, and I started getting tired of him peeing all over, and the wet dog smell. Also, we felt bad because he wanted to be out and play, but everyday when we went to work, we locked him up inside his tiny little pen. He would be in there all day, so of course he was excited to get out of there at the end of the day. He would be so excited that he couldn't figure out if he should lick us to death or go outside and pee, so he would pee while licking us to death!
We had some good times, and of course so not so good times, but he grew on us. Both of us, but like I said, I'm not the biggest dog person, and especially not inside. So, eventually we decided to give him to Brandy's sis. He had more freedom there and also had other doggies to play with. Of course we missed him, even me. I still have a picture of him sitting in an ole' coke box in my truck. Brandy took it harder. But we moved on and got used to him being gone.
This past Thanksgiving when we went to Brandy's granny's house for dinner we saw him again. This was the first time I saw him since the day he left our apartment. I missed the little guy, and even though I knew better, I wanted to bring him back with us. And for Brandy too. She loved him, and she missed him. When we left he chased us way down the road, too far away from the house so we stopped and put him in the truck. I wanted to take him home, but Brandy, through tears knew it was better not to. We brought him back. (You can see some of the pics in my Thanksgiving pics below of Scrappy).
This past weekend Brandy got a call from her sister saying that Scrappy was in a fight with another dog, and was in bad shape. Last night her mother called me and told me that he had passed away.

We miss him. And now he's gone.
This post is in memory of Scrappy.
The One and Only.....
We will always remember you, and we miss you....

Sipsey Wilderness Trip Report

Sipsey Wilderness Trip Report
November 26th - 29th, 2009

November 26th, 6:00 pm. Matthew and I got into our loaded down Xterra for the roughly 2 hour drive to the Sipsey Recreation Picnic Area. We were excited! We were meeting with Mississippi Rob, HoboSteph, and Robs 2 kids for a 2 and a half-ish day hike.This was my first trip to Sipsey, and Matthews first multi-night trip. So we drove into the night and we eventually made it there.....

We made it to the trail head around 7:45 pm. As soon as we got there we bust out of the truck, grabed our headlamps / flashlights and headed down the trail! Who cares that it was dark-thirty, we wanted to see what awaited us....

The trail started under the very road that we drove on to get there....under a bridge. Matthew found a cane pole that was just his size, ran up against the bridge and forced me to take his pic.....

After this we walked down the trail just a little ways more. I came across what I thought was a tombstone at first, but turned out to be a trail marker, I presume...

We walked a little farther, dreaming one step at a time, what the trail will hold for us the next morning! We finally turned around and headed back to the truck to get everything settled in, but not before I took my own pic....

 

We got back to the truck, moved everything around and tried to make a palate in the back with a bunch of quilts and pillows. It was then that I realized that I couldn't fully lay down in the back of my Xterra! We made it work though....

We had our DVD player and brought along Indiana Jones to watch before bedtime. So we layed back, turned the movie on and tried to relax. Then we noticed that the Xterra doesn't stay warm very long inside when it;s turned off, so we turned it on and off for a while......

I woke up around 2:00 am and noticed that Mississippi Rob, and HoboSteph had made it, so I tried to go back to sleep......It was very cold. The temperature reading in the truck was 29* F......BBrrrrrr....

Finally it was morning! We got up, and I dug the stove and cook set out of my backpack and started boiling water for breakfast (luckily Rob and Steph had brought a gallon of it - it wasn't their first trip!) So, I got breakfast going....

Matthew was so cold, he didn't want to move, even to say hi to our new friends! Finally warm food and hot cocoa got him moving around. He climbed in the back of the Xterra for breakfast, white powder doughnuts, Maple and Brown Sugar Oatmeal, and hot cocoa. He made a mess.....

I had my coffee and Oatmeal and he finished most of his.....So we got our stuff packed up, got the truck locked up and went to meet our new friends. MississippiRob, HoboSteph, Head of the Class, and Mississippi Queen. We stood around and talked while finished getting all there stuff rounded up.

So then we got going! The kids were excited but still a little tired. The air was still cool, but the scenery took your mind off of that! It was beautiful! So here we go......We stopped and let the kids go and explore all the "caves" that they saw, ok, most of them. Even though the trip was for us (the adults), it was about the kids, so we let them go. They had a great time.

 

So, we trekked on. I think everyone led at one time. I hung back and talked gear with Rob, talk about the kids with Steph, and laughed at all the kids! The only thing that I didn't have was Brandy.....

So we hiked on some more, crossed some little streams, stoped for snacks, and enjoyed God's majestic artwork that we where wandering through....It was during this first early morning that Matthew got his trail name, Twig!

At one point we had decided that we didn't turn off on 209 and stayed on 200, so we backtracked a little ways. We came to a large opening that had a small creek on one side, and the river on the other. We debated about going on or staying, and let the kids decide. They concluded that we make camp there and day hike the rest. So we made camp.

We first had lunch, then set up tents, hung bear bags, then Rob and I repacked small packs with snacks and water and what nots and took the kids for a hike. Steph hung out a camp and settled in a few more things and enjoyed a book in the nice quiet wilderness....

 

 

Rob and I continued to head down the Borden Creek Trail. We met another couple with a little girl that had set up camp on down from us. They told us that Fat Man Squeeze was just on down so we made that our goal. From that point all the kids talked about was Fat Man Squeeze! We finally made it, and it was a squeeze....

 

 

Going in was hard, but coming back out was harder! On the other side we were rewarded with an awesome  double waterfall...

So, the kids played around and then we made our way back to camp for the night. We got back to camp and got settled in. We made us some nice warm dinner, some more hot cocoa, (hot tea for me) and got ready for the night. It was already getting cold again, and the lows were supposed to get in the high 20's the last time we had checked.
We made us a nice little fire, got warm, enjoyed some conversation and turned in pretty early.. We had a big day ahead of us the next day so we needed our rest, and it was going to be a cold night to get through.

 

 

The next morning we woke up early. We had to get ready for the water crossing! We all stumbled around until fully awoke, which didn't take long, it was cold!! We got our warm breakfasts' and hot drinks made and then got ready to head off...

 We took up our packs and head off....into the wild. We backtracked to 209 and made our way down the embankment and changed into our water shoes! This was both mine and Twigs first water crossing, and despite the near freezing temperatures, we were all excited! This will definitely be a memory that I believe we all will have....

 

After we crossed and all had a good laugh we climbed the embankment on the other side and sat down to dry our feet and put our boots back on. We also had a quick snack here and then hauled our packs up again and headed for Falls Creek Falls! The kids found lots of nooks and cranny's to hide and play in along the way....

 

We hiked along and finally made it to Fall Creek Falls, and it was grand. I never would've thought that such beauty was just a few miles down the road from my house, but here it was! We watched the kids run and play, throw rocks in the small pool just below the falls, and climb the rocks. Twig picked up a second trail name here, HoboSteph dubbed him Mountain Goat!

We settled down, took our packs off and pulled out some lunch.

 

 

We got loaded up after a nice lunch to carry on. The day had turned very nice! It was good and warm and the sun was shining. So we made our way past the falls and hiked on some more. After a while we contemplated turning back for the day. There were mixed answers so Rob decided to head up a large hill where we were currently at and do some exploring! After that we would head back and call it a night.

After a short time exploring we headed back towards camp. Twig and Head of the Class resumed their session of sword fighting and we started getting everything ready for dinner and the night. This was our last night out in the wilderness...

 

We had our dinner and Steph broke out the brownies! We celebrated MississippiRob and Head of the Class' birthday. After this we sat around the fire and told old war stories, and I learned of the Hairy Man story! It was a good night. The air was only slightly cool, some clouds had moved in around the moon, and the fire gave us a hearty warmth. We sat around and enjoyed our last night....then we hit the sack listening to the slow soothing flow of the creek just below us....

The next morning we got up super early, had breakfast and tore down camp. We packed our bags and made sure we took everything we brought in the wilderness, back out. As we were finishing, only a shadow remained on a single garbage bag that MississippiRob had left out to collect any trash we saw on the way out....

The kids lead the way back out. Sometimes they would have to stop and wait on us......

So, we made it out around 9:15 am this morning. We took our packs off and loaded them in our Xterra's, got cleaned up a little bit then said our goodbyes.....

This was my first trip to the Sipsey Wilderness, but I plan on going back. It is too beautiful not to. Even if it's for a day hike, but I know I'll spend more nights out in the wilderness, if God's willing....

There is much more to our story than whats posted here, and many more pics. Just click on My Picasa pics and go to the Sipsey album to see them all....

Thanks for reading....