Ever seen a big tree? What about a really big tree? This virtual cache will take you deep into the Sipsey Wilderness in Bankhead National Forest, where you will see the largest yellow poplar in Alabama. It's possibly the largest tree in the Southeastern United States. The tree, believed to be over 500 years old, is around 150 feet tall and takes 4 grown men, arms outstretched, to circle its trunk. The tree sits in a hollow, complete with nearby waterfall and a cavernous rock shelter perfect for waiting out a storm or resting in the cool shade.
The trek to the Big Tree is not an easy one. Depending on your specific route, the trip to the tree and back will range from 8.5 to 14 miles. There is some elevation change, but no climbing or scrambling is required. Depending on the route, you may have plentiful filterable water part of the way or most of the way to the tree. I recommend starting at the Thompson Creek Trailhead (see additional waypoints). You may spot some well known points of interest along the way, including a shortcut through a canyon wall referred to as The Needle's Eye (see additional waypoints), and close to that, Ship Rock. The trail is well-worn, though not blazed or marked. Since this is a designated wilderness area, all trail maintenance is performed on foot with non-powered hand tools.
Plan ahead. Be sure to dress appropriately and carry plenty of water and/or a way to filter water. Leave a plan with someone so they know where you are and when you should be expected back. Cellular phone service is spotty at best in this area, and you will likely lose reception miles before you even reach the trailhead. If you hike with a dog, for your pup's safety, keep your dog leashed at all times. This area has a large wild hog population (you will likely encounter a hog wallow or two along your way, and may even hear them calling throughout the canyon), and the hogs carry pseudorabies, a communicable disease fatal to dogs.
In order to log this cache, you must prove that you visited The Big Tree as a virtual geocache. Posted with your log, or sent to me in an email or message, you must include a picture of you and at least part of The Big Tree in the same frame, and you conspicuously displaying your GPS, GPS watch, map & compass, sextant, globe, or whatever other device you used to navigate to the geocache. In the event that your GPS device and your camera are the same, you may take the picture while pretending to hold your GPS. This picture will serve as proof that you were at The Big Tree specifically for this virtual geocache. As per Geocaching HQ guidelines, you may blur, obscure, or hide your face if you wish, but I do need to see at least part of a body, part of the tree, and a navigation device (or a pretend one) PROMINENTLY displayed in the picture.
Any log without an accompanying picture described above, either attached to the log or sent to me, is subject to deletion.
Virtual Rewards 2.0 - 2019/2020
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between June 4, 2019 and June 4, 2020. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 2.0 on the Geocaching Blog.
