When heading out on a backcountry hike, leaving your itinerary on your vehicle’s dashboard is a crucial step for ensuring your safety. In the event of an emergency, it provides valuable information that could expedite rescue efforts. If you get lost, injured, or encounter unexpected delays, rescuers will have a starting point to search for you. Your itinerary should include details such as your planned route, expected return time, and any potential alternate paths you might take. This information can be the difference between a timely rescue and a prolonged, dangerous situation.

Another important aspect of leaving your itinerary visible is that it informs others who may be passing by your vehicle. Fellow hikers or park rangers often check vehicles at trailheads, especially if they notice a car parked longer than expected. If your vehicle is still there after your anticipated return time, they may recognize that something is amiss and alert authorities. This early alert can save precious time in initiating a search, especially in remote areas where cell service is unavailable.

Lastly, leaving your hike itinerary on your dashboard is a small but significant way to respect the wilderness. It signals to others that you are prepared, responsible, and aware of the inherent risks of backcountry hiking. It also helps protect the environment by reducing the likelihood of large-scale search efforts that can disrupt wildlife and damage delicate ecosystems. By taking this simple precaution, you’re contributing to a safer and more respectful use of natural spaces.

Get a ready-to-use template for your next wilderness adventures. CLICK HERE

As we celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Wilderness Act, we must reflect on both its significance and the complex history it intersects. Signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson on September 3, 1964, the Act was a landmark in American environmental policy, creating the National Wilderness Preservation System, which now safeguards over 111 million acres of wild landscapes. While this legislation marked a pivotal moment in the conservation movement, it’s essential to acknowledge that these lands were never "untrammeled" in the way the Act defined. For thousands of years, Indigenous peoples have lived, stewarded, and thrived on these landscapes, long before they were designated as "wilderness."
The Wilderness Act was innovative for its time, offering legal protection to areas where nature could exist without the imprint of modern civilization. However, the language of the Act—describing wilderness as a place "where man himself is a visitor who does not remain"—overlooked the deep, ongoing relationship between Indigenous communities and their ancestral lands. These lands were, and continue to be, central to Indigenous cultures, histories, and livelihoods. As we honor the Act, it is crucial to recognize that what was framed as "preservation" often involved the erasure of Indigenous presence, stories, and rights to these lands.
Margaret Murie, known as the "Grandmother of the Conservation Movement," was a key figure in advocating for the passage of the Wilderness Act. While her work was instrumental in protecting wild landscapes like the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, it’s important to remember that these areas were not empty or untouched. Indigenous peoples had been stewards of these lands for millennia, managing ecosystems and living sustainably. The Muries’ contributions to conservation were significant, but our understanding of wilderness today must evolve to include the perspectives and rights of the Indigenous peoples who were, and still are, the original guardians of these landscapes.
As we mark this 60th anniversary, we celebrate the Wilderness Act's achievements while also recognizing the need for a more inclusive approach to conservation. Honoring the Act should go hand in hand with acknowledging the enduring presence of Indigenous peoples on these lands and supporting their sovereignty and stewardship. The future of wilderness conservation must embrace this holistic view, ensuring that protected areas are not only preserved for their ecological value but also respected for their cultural and historical significance. By doing so, we can forge a path that honors both the legacy of the Wilderness Act and the deep, ancestral connections that Indigenous peoples have to the land.

It's cool to stay cool!
Understanding Heat-Related Illnesses: Stay Safe in the Summer Heat

As summer is upon us, many of us eagerly embrace the sun’s warmth and the opportunity to enjoy outdoor activities. However, it’s crucial to be aware of the risks associated with excessive heat exposure. Heat-related illnesses can range from mild discomfort to severe conditions that require immediate medical attention. In this blog post, we'll explore the different types of heat-related illnesses, their symptoms, prevention tips, and what to do if you or someone you know shows signs of being affected.

Types of Heat-Related Illnesses

1. Heat Cramps: These are painful muscle spasms that often occur during or after intense physical activity in hot weather. They are caused by dehydration and loss of electrolytes.

2. Heat Exhaustion: This is more severe than heat cramps and can occur when the body loses too much water and salt through sweating. Symptoms may include heavy sweating, weakness, dizziness, nausea, headache, and fainting.

3. Heat Stroke: This is the most serious heat-related illness and requires immediate medical attention. Heat stroke can occur when the body’s temperature regulation fails, and body temperature rises to dangerous levels (above 103°F or 40°C). Symptoms include confusion, hot and dry skin (no sweating), rapid heartbeat, and unconsciousness.

Symptoms to Watch For

Recognizing the symptoms of heat-related illnesses is crucial for timely intervention:

Heat Cramps: Muscle pain or spasms, usually in the abdomen, arms, or legs.

Heat Exhaustion: Heavy sweating, weakness, dizziness, nausea or vomiting, headache, cool and clammy skin, and a weak pulse.

Heat Stroke: High body temperature (above 103°F or 40°C), altered mental state or behavior, confusion, hot and dry skin (no sweating), rapid and strong pulse, and possible unconsciousness.

Prevention Tips

To prevent heat-related illnesses, follow these tips:

Stay Hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid beverages with caffeine or alcohol, as they can contribute to dehydration.
  
Stay Cool: Seek out shade or air-conditioned environments during the hottest parts of the day (usually midday to late afternoon). Wear lightweight, loose-fitting clothing and use hats and sunscreen to protect against sunburn.
  
Take Breaks: If engaging in physical activity outdoors, take frequent breaks in the shade or indoors. Pace yourself and listen to your body.
  
Monitor Vulnerable Individuals: Keep an eye on young children, elderly individuals, and those with chronic medical conditions who may be more susceptible to heat-related illnesses.

What to Do if Someone Shows Signs of Heat-Related Illness

If someone shows symptoms of heat-related illness:

Move them to a cooler place: Bring them indoors or into the shade.
  
Cool them down: Use cold compresses, ice packs, or a cool bath or shower to lower their body temperature.
  
Hydrate: Offer them water or a sports drink (if conscious and able to swallow) to help rehydrate.

Seek Medical Attention: If symptoms worsen or if the person shows signs of heat stroke (high body temperature, confusion, unconsciousness), call emergency services immediately.

By understanding the risks of heat-related illnesses and taking proactive steps to stay safe in hot weather, you can enjoy summer activities while minimizing health risks. Remember to stay hydrated, stay cool, and stay informed about the symptoms of heat-related illnesses. Together, we can ensure a safe and enjoyable summer season for everyone.

Stay cool, stay safe, and enjoy the sunshine responsibly!

    by Anne Markham Bailey

​    We drop into a narrow canyon in a gap between storms. The narrow creek rushes beside us and off the bluff, water aloft and falling into the larger creek below. The hemlocks begin to fill the mid-story as we descend. We move more quickly than is typical on a Forest Bathing immersion because we want to reach the rock shelter before the next line of weather arrives. Still, we move into silence after our initial introductions and safety protocols at the top of the trail. The forest begins to take us in as we begin to open.
    We are hosting four military veterans on this immersive Forest Bathing session, a beta session for a new program for military veterans that we are launching and seeking to fund.  For over two years I have collaborated with Janice Barrett, the Bankhead Outreach and Education Coordinator at Wild Alabama on a monthly day-long Forest Bathing program in the Bankhead National Forest.  In heat and in cold, we guide participants into deep connection with what is now being termed the more-than-human world rather than nature. The term nature implies a separation between humans and everything else (air/water/rocks/trees), when in actuality, none such separation exists. We move into the senses through guided prompts,  and participants most often feel the reality of our connectedness. This process yields impressive evidence-based benefits for physical, mental, spiritual, and social well-being.
    In addition to the military veterans on this blustery day, we are hosting Sheila Holifield, Regional Public Relations Specialist for the Southern District of the US Forest Service. Sheila is writing an article on the launch of our new Forest Bathing program Forest Bathing For Veteran Wellness.  Wild Alabama has applied for an NEEF grant to fund the new program. (Sadly, we did not get the grant.)  The Forest Service launched a new initiative that focuses on how nature connects us, and our program is a good fit for an article. Our program is different from the wilderness programs for veterans. We developed a protocol for persons with disabilities as well as for those who can hike the relatively short distance into the steep narrow canyon. The program does not require out-of-state travel, and is workable as a day trip.
    We begin the program by noticing the feeling of breathing, a crucial relationship in our lives that we typically ignore. This is an opportunity to notice how much we are isolated in our thoughts, even though we are made for connection. We are only connected with all of being regardless of our beliefs or ideas. When we breathe, we engage with the living air so that we might live. We can explore this relationship by noticing the details of our experience. What does it feel like to be a body breathing? Does anything shift when a person becomes aware of the air as a fundamental ally?
    The sky darkens and the birds are silent. The storms breaks as we settle into our bodies. Torrents of water stream through the tulip poplars, oaks and hemlocks. The creek gushes, The waterfall roars. Together in the rock shelter, we notice the lightening and thunder beyond the veil of rain. We move through the program protocols, coming into a sharing circle after each invitation to notice with the senses, exploring an expansive relationship with the forest - the trees, the water, the stone, and the sky.  Several participants voice the power of the dramatic flow of water.  All express gratitude for the experience of the storms from within the rock shelter.  Eventually we make our way back up the trail after the storms have passed, after our final sharing circle.
    A week later Janice and I facilitate a follow-up session with the veterans on Zoom to gather feedback. The veterans want more. They want to offer the program to more veterans. They want to do more Forest Bathing. They felt the power of our fundamental connection as beings. They feel the support of planetary forces such as gravity, water, and air.  They resonate with the trees, and the soil. I take notes.
    In the summer of 2023, I made a promise to a young veteran. His name is Joel Cruz, and he participated in a Wild Alabama Forest Bathing program with Janice and me. He felt the healing power of the Forest Bathing practice, and he wanted more veterans to be able to experience the benefits. I decided then that I would find a way to start a program and to find funding for the Forest Bathing For Veteran Wellness program. Six months later, we were setting up the first exploratory program through a VFW in Birmingham, and Joel was helping with the process.
    We know that this program will grow so that we can reach more veterans. If you have any connections to funding sources or wish to support this effort to bring healing and well-being to veterans, please reach out to me!  [email protected]
    -Want to learn more about Forest Bathing? https://www.annemarkhambailey.com/forestbathingfaqs
  -Want to learn more about Forest Bathing with Wild Alabama? https://www.wildal.org/forest-bathing.html
    Want to donate to the work of Wild Alabama? Donate now. 

Sipsey Fork rapids ~ Photo credit: Tony Barber

​Click above to listen to this article.

​The quick answer is yes, most definitely!

The Sipsey Fork is Alabama's only Wild and Scenic River, protected under the Wild and Scenic rivers act of 1968. It is part of the larger Black Warrior watershed. The headwaters of the Sipsey Fork undulate freely and without restraint off the Tennessee Valley Divide, a ridge line that runs generally east/west separating the Tennessee Valley and Black Warrior watersheds. For tens of thousands of years, indigeneous peoples, settlers and now locals have used this pathway for many reasons. It's continued high elevation allows for unobstructed travel without having to navigate the intricate canyons and precipitous slopes. These unique features provide outstanding opportunities for water to shed and filter through boulders and creek beds creating pristine clear waters that are necessary for the health of the ecosystems they support. 

Settlers began to populate the area in the early 1800s bringing with them farming and homesteading practices that would influence the quality of water. Non native plant and animal species such as privet and wild pigs have been introduced to the landscape. The headwaters of the Sipsey Fork have no specific upstream threats such as chicken houses or runoff from farms. The threats to the water quality are local on the landscape. Wild pigs and unburied solid dog and human waste can cause e-coli to be present in the water. When unfiltered water is consumed by recreationists it can cause gastrointestinal issues. Other threats to water quality include sedimentation due to runoff from unsustainable hiking trails and "user made" trails but that is an entirely different blog post. 

What are the best ways to treat water? 

The most traditional way to treat water is through boiling. This would involve resources such as a camp stove or fire to heat. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) recommends boiling water for at least one minute with increased times at higher elevation. Further guidance can be found HERE. The disadvantage to this method is having to wait for it to cool down enough that you won't burn your mouth. If you are in a critical position where you are nearly dehydrated, this is not a feasible method. 

Another method of filtering water is to use a water filtration system that uses a carbon cartridge. Popular brands like Katadyn make several light weight models. The drawback to this method is trying to filter murky standing water. Pro tip: cover the prefilter with an additional prefilter, a paper coffee filter. Take extra according to how many you may need on your trip. Another consideration is they do freeze in winter which can crack the plastic or clog the tubes. 

One of the most effective methods are tablets. Some brands kill everything from viruses to bacteria. You put the recommended amount into a one liter Nalgene bottle and wait at least 20 minutes. Add more time if the water is cold. The disadvantage of this method is the wait time if you are in a pressing situation with dehydration. 

A final method of filtering water is through UV treatment. This method will also kill bacteria and viruses. It can be expensive but it takes the least amount of time among all of the methods of water treatment. The downside is the water MUST be free of debris so prefilter, prefilter, prefilter. 

There are other ways that I did not mention here like LifeStraws and more. Feel free to leave your water filtration advice in the comments.

What can YOU do to help improve and sustain good water quality in the Bankhead National Forest? 

• Bury both human and dog waste in a 6-8 inch "cathole" or simply pack out all solid waste.
• Clean camp dishes at least 200 feet from water. 
• Volunteer to help improve the quality of the trails. Learn about the Legacy Trails project. 
• Stay abreast on water quality issues through reputable organizations such as Alabama Water Watch, Alabama Rivers Alliance or Black Warrior Riverkeeper.

Kim Waites is a Leave No Trace Level Two Instructor, Wilderness First Responder. She has over 15 years of hiking and backpacking experience and teaches courses on LNT, map reading, Ten Hiking Essentials and more. She can be contacted at [email protected]

I recently made a trip to Calera, Alabama to visit my dad and sister. As we always do, dad and I sat on the back porch in the morning shade listening to birds and watching the trees grow, we say. Dad planted three trees in honor of his late brother Larry and father Paul.  Two are hickories and one is a red maple. Within a cramped suburban neighborhood there are traces of forest left in between property lines, enough to support an ample supply of biodiversity and keep my father and I entertained. A tenacious mockingbird came close enough to us that I got a decent photo with my smart phone. Beside the ubiquitous mockingbird we were delighted to hear a migratory summer tanager in the tree canopy on the outskirts of the west side of the lot. This morning though, we were perplexed by a sound we had never heard before. It sounded like a generator. With no power outage in the area we continued to ponder the possibilities and concluded on nothing. We let it go. The morning passed and I was on to my next stop of the day. 

I drove to Talladega where my mom and stepdad have a house on Lake Logan Martin. I had planned this day to be a long journey from my home on the north end of the Bankhead National Forest to Calera to visit my sister and dad then on to Talladega to visit my mom and stepdad. The goal was to be home by dark. After a brief visit in the house we decided to go down to the gazebo by the dock to sit and enjoy the warm breeze wafting from the lake. Then I heard the distant humming noise again, the same noise I heard at dad's house. I asked my mom and she sated my curiosity. Cicadas, she said! I'm usually the nature nerd educating her about the ways of nature. There she was, schooling me about cicadas. 

Fast forward to today. Every year I participate in the annual bird count on the Bankhead National Forest. There are dozens of locations within the forest where data is collected. Species of birds are documented along with weather and other local conditions. The data reveals how birds are responding to forest management practices and possibly informs management decisions on the forest. We kick off the project with a 3 day "birding boot camp". Armed with the bits of knowledge my mother gave me, I understood what I was seeing and hearing in the forest. Cicadas were the back drop for all of the birds we heard and observed to the point I joked "there's that cicada warbler singing again". Spent cicada shells ornamented blooming milkweed and oak leaf hydrangeas. Swarms of cicadas circled the canopy. I mused to myself, "this is the year of the cicadas we will be talking about in years to come."
​

• The cicadas are a superfamily of insects in the order Hemiptera (true bugs). More of the blah blah blah can be found HERE if you are so inclined to go down the rabbit hole. 
• The North American periodical cicada emerge en masse every 13 to 17 years. 
• In 2024, 13 year Brood XIX, which is the largest of all periodical cicada broods, will co-emerge with 17 year Brood XIII
• For the first time since 2015 a 13-year brood will emerge in the same year as a 17-year brood.
• For the first time since 1998 adjacent 13-and 17-year broods will emerge in the same year.
• For the first time since 1803 Brood XIX and XIII will co-emerge.

Check out a distribution map of periodical cicadas HERE. 

​You are welcome! 

Kim Waites is the Wilderness Stewardship Coordinator for Wild Alabama . More about Kim HERE. 

​Terri is a lifelong resident of north Alabama and has been visiting Bankhead National Forest since she was a toddler when her family would spend weekends camping at Brushy Lake and hiking the woods.  When they weren't camping, her Daddy loved riding the forest's dirt roads in his Ford pickup and Terri was always there with him.

Len moved to Alabama in 1992 and met Terri when they both were hired by TVA.  They have been hiking together ever since from Bankhead and Sipsey to the Smokies, Glacier NP, Olympic NP, Yellowstone NP, Alaska, and Canada to name a few of their favorite hiking spots.

Terri and Len are both volunteer canine handlers for North Alabama Search Dog Association looking for lost/missing persons as well as deceased individuals.  Terri joined the team in 2003 and Len followed in 2005.  They have been deployed to Bankhead National forest for multiple searches.  Len's "first find" was a missing hiker in the Gum Pond Cemetery area in 2012 who had been missing overnight. Len's SAR dog Rudy found the missing woman in less than 30 minutes.


Len and Terri also serve on the Board of Directors for a national canine search and rescue group, Canine Search and Recovery.  Terri has served as the secretary for several years and Len is a Board member.

As Wild Alabama Volunteer Rangers, both are B level crosscut sawyers and have spent many hours helping clear trails in the Sipsey.  Len and Terri also enjoy Ranger Patrols and interacting with hikers giving directions, suggesting places to visit, and sharing Leave No Trace principles.  Both have participated in multiple trash pickups and campsite monitoring and cleanup.  Terri likes to help out at the office when helping hands are needed for admin work, sticking labels and stuffing envelopes.  Terri was named Wild Alabama Premier Volunteer in 2021, an honor she treasures.  Terri also enjoys leading her photographer friends deep into the forest and the Sipsey to share with them her favorite locations, including the many beautiful waterfalls to be found there.

A few other things Len and Terri like to do in their "spare" time:  Len is finishing rebuilding and restoring his grandfather's 1948 Farmall Cub tractor.  Len is also an avid gardener, specializing in heirloom tomatoes, and spends many hours canning and preserving the garden harvest.  Terri is working on obtaining her drone pilot's license hoping to put that to use in future search and recovery efforts.  Len and Terri travel often with their two German Shepherd Dogs in their RV, spending weeks at a time on the road, and if there is a lighthouse, they will climb it!