History
The Walls of Jericho (WOJ) is a canyon located on the Alabama-Tennessee border. The canyon is part of a large system of cracks in the Cumberland Plateau. Many years ago, Davy Crockett's family lived and hunted in the WOJ area. Legend has it a preacher traveling through the area saw the canyon, and due to the large, vertical walls, proclaimed one particular canyon the Walls of Jericho. The WOJ property has been in private hands for many years and has been closed to the public since 1977. The Nature Conservancy purchased the land in 2003, and recently the Alabama Forever Wild program purchased the land. In August of 2004, the land was opened for public use.
Schedule of Events
We arrived at the WOJ horse trail parking lot at about 10:30pm. We were in our tents by 11:00pm. We had some light rain during the night, but woke up to an overcast sky without rain. We moved to the hiking trail parking lot at 8:00am. By 8:30, we were making our way down the hiking trail. Approximately 1-1/2 hours later, we arrived at Hurricane Creek. We put on our sandals and walked across the creek to the campground. After setting up the tents, we took our lunches up the WOJ canyon. We ate lunch in the amphitheatre. We spent the next couple of hours exploring the WOJ area. We made it back to our campsite by about 2:30pm. We had dinner about dark, spent a couple of hours around the campfire and made it an early night. We had a slight sprinkle between 3 and 4 am. We started breaking camp at 6:00am. After cooking and eating breakfast, we moved to beyond Hurricane Creek and started up the mountain at about 8:30am. Two and a half miles walking and 1000' vertical climb, we made it back to the parking lot at 10:30am.
Trip Difficulties
The trip to the WOJ area was easy and simple as far as roads go. Due to the humid conditions, when we got on top of the mountains around Hytop, AL, we found the area enclosed in either fog or low hanging clouds. At one point, visibility had been reduced to a few feet. At some points, our caravan was moving less than 5 mph. Fog and low hanging clouds should be taken seriously by travelers in the area.
The tenting area at the horse trail parking lot is fairly lousy. The designated area is covered in mud, horse droppings, and deep bulldozer tread tracks. We camped in the gravel parking lot and made out ok. This was fine at 8:00am Saturday morning, but Sunday morning by 10:30am the parking lot was covered in horse trailers. Good thing we did not camp there Saturday night.
The trail from the Clark Cemetery to the WOJ is quite precarious. There are some places where the trail is 20 feet above the canyon floor and scarcely a person wide. The trail is very muddy, making the trail very slippery. Hiking boots and staff are a must.
Be mindful of the slick limestone formations at the WOJ. We watched one person fall (not in our group) and put a gash in the back of their head. Our Scout Master administered emergency first aid until the person was able to walk out. The rocks are very slippery. One must move around with great care.
Trip Highlights
After mentioning the above difficulties, you would think the trip was terrible. On the contrary, some scouts told me the WOJ trip was in the top 3 trips of all time taken with the troop. For the first time, I had several scouts come up and thank me for an amazing trip. It's hard to imagine just a few days before we were considering rerouting or canceling the trip due to bad weather.
Coming around the bend in Turkey Creek into the amphitheater is an awe-inspiring sight. There are no words to describe what the water has done with the limestone at the bottom of the WOJ. You just have to be there. The bowls, tunnels, waterfalls, ledges, overhangs, etc. are unlike anywhere else in the world.
Although raining almost everywhere else in Alabama, we had almost perfect weather for backpacking. Practically no rain, 55 degrees, and no scorching sun made the walks enjoyable. The low-hanging vaporous clouds and thick fog made an eerie presence in the mountains. If only all trips could have such conditions.
Summary
After visiting the WOJ, one can easily see why the Nature Conservancy, Forever Wild Alabama, and the corresponding groups in Tennessee, made such a fuss about acquiring the WOJ. With enough money, volunteers, and effort, the WOJ could become one of the top spots to visit in the Southeast. I am sure in the years to come, Troop 96 will pay many more visits to the WOJ.