Category: St. Clair Outdoors

Hiking St. Clair

Sport finds new home in Pell City

Story by Scottie Vickery
Submitted and archive Photos

When the day-to-day demands begin to get overwhelming, Urainah Glidewell knows it’s time for a little outdoor therapy. That’s when she laces up her hiking boots and heads for the woods in search of the road – or trail – less traveled and the joy she finds out in nature.

“Hiking is one of my favorite things to do,” she said. “Getting away from technology and the stresses of life is very peaceful and calming. It really helps to clear your mind. We focus on the things around us, and when the things around us are calming, you feel more calm within.”

Glidewell doesn’t have to go far to find the peace she craves. St. Clair County, nestled at the foot of the Appalachian Mountains, has an ever-growing list of beautiful options for getting away from it all. And fall, with its cooler temps and breathtaking colors, is the perfect time to plan an escape.

It’s one of Josh Reyes’ favorite times to head to one of his preferred places, Horse Pens 40, an historic park at the top of Chandler Mountain in Steele featuring ancient rock formations. Although Reyes, an avid boulderer, goes for the climbing, he usually can’t resist heading to the end of the trail that overlooks the valley. “It makes for some gorgeous sunsets,” he said. “It’s a beautiful view you don’t have to work hard to get to.”

Enjoying the beauty that St. Clair County has to offer is the main draw for Glidewell. “For me, it’s being out in nature, enjoying the flora and fauna and seeing If I can spot any animals,” she said. “I’m not as focused on how many steps I’ve taken. Pretty soon, I’ve hiked five miles, and it doesn’t feel like it. Five miles on a treadmill feels a lot different.”

Regardless of whether you have time for just a quick trek or a full day to explore, finding a change of scenery and mindset is as easy as putting one foot in front of the other. So, when you’re ready to hit the trails, here are some places to start:

Camp Sumatanga

Sumatanga Camp and Conference Center, founded as a United Methodist camping ministry in Gallant, offers a one-mile Mountain Trail that ends at Creel Chapel at the top of Chandler Mountain. There is also the paved Rosenau Lake Trail that begins at Pool Camp, the historic center of the facility that includes eight original cabins and winds around Lake Sumatanga.

The trails are open to the public from August to May but are reserved for campers during June and July, according to Camp Sumatanga’s Leslie McClendon. Visitors are asked to check in at the lodge, where trail maps are available, so the staff can know who is on the property. Dogs must be leashed, and no one is allowed on the trails at night.

“Sumatanga” is the Himalayan word for a place of rest and vision, and that’s exactly what hikers can expect to find. Although considered a more moderate hike, the Mountain Trail is the most popular because of the beautiful view from the chapel. “It’s just you, nature and God,” McClendon said. “We always say that if you can’t find God at Sumatanga, you can’t find God.”

For information and directions, visit www.sumatanga.org.

Double Cove Park

Part of The Preserves, Alabama Power’s public-use properties, Double Cove Park was previously known as Logan Martin Dam Park. The day-use park, open from daylight to dusk, features a beach and swimming area, two fishing piers, grills, picnic tables, restrooms, and pavilions, as well as a view of Logan Martin dam. The park also boasts a playground and several trails ranging from just over a mile to just under two miles. Although leashed dogs are allowed on the trails, they are not allowed at the park.

“This, for me, is a hidden gem,” Glidewell said. “They have some absolutely beautiful trails going back through the woods with some wonderful benches and gazebos tucked away.”

Alabama Power offers more than 70 public-use properties around 12 reservoirs on the Coosa, Tallapoosa and Black Warrior rivers. Some are boat launches or picnic spots while others, like Double Cove, have a number of amenities.

“We have some wonderful recreation sites, and they’re all free for everyone’s use,” said Josh Yerby, a team leader for Alabama Power’s Shoreline Recreation.

For more information and directions, visit www.apcpreserves.com.

Horse Pens 40

Horse Pens 40, with what Reyes calls its “corridors of beautifully sculpted sandstone formations,” is well known and respected in climbing circles and is one of three sites in the Triple Crown Bouldering Series.

“We have a lot more people from out of state than in-state come visit,” said Ashley Ensign, a member of the Schultz family that operates the park. “We have people who come out and stay for an hour or come and stay all day. There’s lots to explore.”

The park is home to 60 rare, threatened, protected or endangered species, and Ensign said it’s like an undeveloped Rock City. “There’s no concrete pathway, nothing is paved,” she said. Instead, the trails wind around the ancient boulder field, ending at the overlook that Reyes and others have come to love. “It’s a beautiful place with absolutely beautiful trails and a lot of history,” Glidewell said.

Billed by the family as “the South’s best kept secret,” Horse Pens 40 was occupied by Native Americans, including the Creeks and Cherokees. “The first humans to see the mountain would have considered it a huge fortress that could provide them protection, shelter, food and water throughout the year,” according to the website.

The boulders form a natural corral, and “it’s called Horse Pens 40 because the Native Americans chased wild horses and herded them up so they could break them and tame them,” said Reyes. He lives in Jacksonville but has become something of an expert about the park he’s been visiting for 20 years, usually two or three times a month. “It reminds us that we weren’t the first ones here.”

In addition to trails and boulders, the park, open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., offers primitive camping, RV hookups, eight cabins, picnic areas and a playground. No dogs are allowed in the park, and the day use fee is $10 per person. Children under 10 are admitted free.

For information and directions, visit www.hp40com.

Lakeside Park

If you want proof that getting away from it all doesn’t mean you have to go far, look no further than Lakeside Park in Pell City. Next to the Civic Center on Stemley Bridge Road, the park is built on 65 acres and is a beautiful oasis bordering Logan Martin Lake.

“If you have a quick 15 or 30 minutes and want a nice place to get out and experience some beautiful nature and get some exercise, it’s a great place to do it,” Glidewell said. “If people are just starting out it’s an easy trial. The walking track goes along the lake and there’s a trail through the woods as well.”

The Native Plant Walking Trail, a project of the Pell City Garden Club that spans two acres, is only one draw of the park, where many people go to spend the day.

Along the way, discover Wetlands Boardwalk Project, an effort by Logan Martin Lake Protection Association to preserve Logan Martin’s wetlands area and to raise awareness about the critical role wetlands plays in the environment and to educate youths on its importance.

A hand-built, 70-foot walkway guides you into the natural wetlands, and a 40-by-12-foot observation platform allows you to take in the scenery and sounds of nature. Signs from the platform identify the plants seen from the boardwalk and observation deck.

But the walking trail doesn’t end there, it also winds around the park, which features a beach and swimming area, boat launch, restrooms, picnic tables, pavilions, fishing piers and an amphitheater available for rent, and a newly rebuilt Kids Kastle playground that is a hit with kids of all ages. During the summer months, the Splash Pad is a popular destination.

The park is open from 6:30 a.m. to sunset. Dogs are allowed but must be on leashes. For more information, visit www.pell-city.com/lakeside-park.

Ten Islands

Another of The Preserves’ offerings, Ten Island Historic Park in Ragland, has a long and storied past. Some speculate that the Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto, crossed the river at this point in the 1540s, according to Alabama Power’s website for the Preserves.

The indigenous Creek first named the site of this park “Oti Palin,” which means Ten Islands, after a series of small islands along the Coosa River, the majority of which no longer exists. The Creeks settled on the largest island, Wood Island, which was later used when Neely Henry Dam was constructed.

Today, the park, which is open from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. and is part of the Alabama Birding Trails, is considered one of the best public spots for bird watching. Ten Islands offers a boat launch, beach and swimming area, restrooms, multiple picnic pavilions and tables, two fishing piers and gazebos. And although the trails, which total nearly two miles, have long been a big draw, the opportunity to travel through the woods has been opened up to even more people.

“We’ve cut another trail into the woods with ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliant slopes,” Yerby said of the project that was scheduled to be in September. “It runs alongside the other trail and connects them at certain points, so it will add about another ¾ of a mile.”

The new trail will give those who use wheelchairs “the experience of being in a truly wooded area on a nature trail,” he said. “We have projects like this going on all over the state.”

Dogs on leashes are allowed on the trails, but not in the park area. For information and directions, visit www.apcpreserves.com.

Coming Soon

Big Canoe Creek Nature Preserve, a 422-acre Forever Wild property, will soon offer even more options for hiking in St. Clair County. The groundbreaking for the project was held in March, and plans call for a series of trails that will eventually cross the preserve.

For more information, visit springvilleparksandrec.com or bigcanoecreekpreserve.org.

Kayaking Big Canoe

Big Canoe Creek becoming a top draw for paddle enthusiasts

Story by Loyd McIntosh
Submitted Photos

We’re standing on the bank looking out onto the Big Canoe Creek checking out the water levels. It’s Saturday, shortly after noon, right around the time the morning Yak Tha Creek tour of Big Canoe Creek would be ending for the day.

Today, however, they had to cancel due to the water levels being too low, an issue the small Ashville-based company has faced all summer long. Today is one of those days. The water at its lowest point is only a foot and a half, too low to safely get the kayaks in the water.

“We don’t like to run under two feet,” explains Madison Vann, the daughter of Yak The Creek’s owner and founder, Randall Vann. She instituted that rule recently after eight of Yak Tha Creek’s Perception sit-on-top kayaks were damaged one weekend after putting in water below two feet in depth. It’s a shame because this five-mile stretch of Big Canoe Creek is spectacular in its scenic beauty, is home to some amazing wildlife best experienced on a kayak. In total, Big Canoe Creek is a 246-mile watershed spanning the northern edge of St. Clair County. Originating in northeast Jefferson County near Zamora Park Lake, Big Canoe Creek flows into the Coosa River in southwest Etowah County ending its run in Neely Henry Lake.

According to the website, The Friends Of The Big Canoe Creek (bigcanoecreek.org), Big Canoe Creek is home to more than 50 species of fish, including the trispot darter, a species that was found in the waters near Springville in 2008.

Prior to its rediscovery, the trispot darter was thought to have disappeared from Alabama waterways as early as the 1950s. It’s surprises like these that kayakers are treated to barely a stone’s throw away from the busyness of the area’s highways and interstates.

“There’s all different kinds of fish. We even got some alligator gar out there. If you kayak real slow, they’ll rise to the top. It’s so cool,” Vann says. “We’ve got groundhogs, raccoons and lots of lots of turtles. Oh, my goodness, we have an insane amount of turtles. And there’s a ton of mussels.”

In fact, there are eight federally listed freshwater mussel species known to be living in Big Canoe Creek. Additionally, a section of the creek stretching for 18 miles was designated “critical habitat” under the Endangered Species Act in 2004 and a new species, known as the Canoe Creek clubshell, was recently identified living in one of the Big Canoe Creek watershed tributaries.

Yak Tha Creek

For the past seven years, Yak Tha Creek has been taking people on kayak tours on a five-mile portion of Big Canoe Creek. Originally launched by Randall Vann, the director of Maintenance at Spartan Invest in Birmingham, the business has been turned over to the next generation of Vanns. “It’s me, my dad, and my brother Mason. Dad kind of lets me and Mason run a lot of it since we’ve been doing it so long,” says Madison Vann. “Every once in a while, we’ll hire some high school kids to help out because hauling those kayaks can be kind of rough.”

Yak Tha Creek uses nine-and-a-half foot, sit-on-top kayaks, which Vann says don’t hold water like the more traditional sit-inside kayaks. It has other benefits, too. One doesn’t typically find wildlife hiding on sit-on-top kayaks. “I’d rather not stick my leg in there and find a snake in there,” Vann says before erupting into laughter. “Someone the other day told me he had left a fish in there all summer long; I don’t know what I would have done. Probably thrown the kayak away!”

Yak Tha Creek operates weekends, typically between Memorial Day to Labor Day but may extend the season depending on demand. They put in on Doss Lane just off Pinedale Road with the exit point five miles away on state property in the shadow of the U.S. Highway 231 bridge less than a mile from downtown Ashville.

Each Friday, the Vanns work their stretch of the creek, clearing trees and other debris. The route typically takes three to four hours to complete and is suitable for the beginner learning the ropes and the expert looking for a more relaxing, low-key day on the water.

“It’s a good, easy beginner’s creek, though. There’s nothing rough about it unless the water is high,” Vann adds. “It’s a super easy kayak for beginners. I have seven year olds come out here and do it.”

Even though she says maintaining the creek is hard work, she never grows tired of kayaking Big Canoe. “There’s so much stuff out there to find. I’m a treasure hunter. There’s crazy stuff out there,” Vann says.

Among the items she’s uncovered over the years include cellphones, teacups, and a complete set of Mason jars buried in the dirt, most likely holding some forgotten-about moonshine from an old still hidden in the bank along the stretch of the creek. “There was a guy out here one day sifting for gold up the stream a little farther,” Vann says. “I don’t know if he ever found any.”

Big Canoe Creek Outfitters

Approximately 30 minutes southwest in Springville is another family-owned kayak business – Big Canoe Creek Outfitters. Owned and operated by the Shaffers, a family originally from Mountain Brook with a short stop in Trussville in between, they bought the property earlier this spring, accidentally becoming business owners in the process.

“The kayak business came with the purchase of the house,” says Robert Shaffer, the patriarch of the family. “Honestly, we didn’t know there was this kayak business when we first looked at the property in April.”

Much like Yak Tha Creek, the Shaffers turned the business over to their teenage sons, Thomas and Lyons. Essentially a summer job for the Shaffer brothers, Big Canoe Creek Outfitters opened for the 2022 season on Memorial Day weekend.

Lyons, a student at Auburn University, says the previous owners left the kayaks and other equipment in good shape, so all that was necessary was some cleaning and general maintenance – as well as learning how to run the business. “We were learning as we were going in the beginning because we did not know a lot,” says Lyons.

For example, Lyons says he was surprised at the biodiversity of Big Canoe Creek. “I did not realize how much wildlife there would actually be in just a simple creek, but there are so many different types of fish,” he notes. According to the Big Canoe Creek website, the 3.85-mile section on which the Shaffers offer tours is home to many interesting species of birds, including great egrets, barred owls and bald eagles.

With the first summer under their belts, Lyons says he believes they can expand Big Canoe Creek Outfitters’ offerings in the summers to come. “We definitely would like to expand and get some boats so we can accommodate bigger parties,” Lyons says. “We just needed to learn what we were doing first so now we can actually grow.”

Meanwhile, back in Ashville

As the conversation with Madison Vann started to wind down, a pair of kayakers row to the exit point having just completed a long morning on Big Canoe Creek. Van Lyvers, a resident of Pinson, and Bart Albritton, from Odenville, are friends who have kayaked many waterways throughout Alabama but had never kayaked Big Canoe Creek until today.

They’re all smiles as they pull their boats onto the bank and load them into the bed of Albritton’s pickup truck. The guys say they enjoyed the creek even if the water was quite low in some places. “We’ve seen worse, but it was kind of low,” says Livers. “If it had just a little more water it would have made all the difference in the world.”

“What you see is what it is. There are no rapids, and it’s just leisurely and fun,” says Albritton. “We saw some high-legged woodpeckers, some kingfishers, but unfortunately no snakes.

“I highly recommend it,” adds Albritton. “It was beautiful, scenic and just awesome.”

Features

Amazing Grace Farm

Helping all people connect with nature

Story by Roxann Edsall
Photos by Richard Rybka

“Ultimately, I’d like it to be like ‘Make-a-Wish’ for the elderly.” – Larry Bell, hunting guide

The beautiful house and barn sit well back from the road, just beyond the tranquil pond and surrounded by gently sloping hills of lush green grass. It looks like a peaceful private oasis.

Amazing Grace Farm is unquestionably a peaceful oasis, but its mission is far more inclusive than private. They open their doors by invitation to elderly and disabled individuals to reconnect with nature and enjoy outdoor activities. It is also open to first responders and veterans, and all of it is offered at no cost to participants.

Amazing Grace Farm offers hunting and fishing experiences, including those with mobility and special needs on the 113-acre property off Highway 26 in Ragland. Their list of accessible activities includes hayrides, cornhole, picnics, relaxing at the fire pit, shooting at their range, and meditation and relaxation. They are partnering with senior centers and veterans’ organizations to bring visitors to spend the day at the farm.

“Our elderly and disabled often end up being stuck inside all day looking at four walls,” says owner and director Judy Batson. She is also a nurse and CEO of Healing Touch Caregivers in Gardendale. “I wanted to give them a way to have fun and enjoy outdoor activities again.”

Judy had passed by the property countless times on her way to visit elderly clients in her work as a nurse. Each time she passed the sprawling landscape with its charming barn and home, she felt a stronger connection to it.

Occasionally, she even pulled in to pass the time between clients. On one such occasion, she found the realty sign lying down in the grass, so she called the number. When she said she wanted to place an offer on the property, she was told there were already other offers, and she likely didn’t have a chance. She didn’t hear back from them and forgot about the exchange until she got the call three months later. Her offer had been accepted.

“The idea for it was God-given,” says Judy. “Something about this place spoke to me.” From that point on, she says, she was driven to make the farm a place for a ministry to those she felt were forgotten – the elderly, veterans and those with special needs.

She describes the house as being in “deplorable” condition, with destruction by animals and termites just scratching the surface of the level of decay. It was in such bad shape that the appraiser (who at the time was also the mayor) declared that Judy was essentially buying the land and barn; the house wasn’t worth anything. She spent the next two years working with subcontractors to gut and rebuild the house. On the recommendation of a neighbor, she hired Craig Grigsby and John Bush to work on the floors. And they’re still working at the farm two years later – Craig as property manager and John as assistant property manager.

Both Craig and John live in Panama City, Fla., and spend two weeks of each month at the farm working to restore it and to build programs. They’ve hired another friend, Larry Bell, also from Panama City, to serve as the guide for the hunting program.

The three share Judy’s enthusiasm and mission for serving seniors. “I was introduced to hunting by my grandfather,” Larry explains. “What got me into this was to be able to give back to the people who introduced me to hunting. Ultimately, I’d like it to be like ‘Make-a-Wish’ for the elderly. We could give someone that one last big hunt.”

Craig’s family did not hunt, so, he says, friends invited him along. “As a 16-year-old growing up, I was taken hunting by a couple of preachers. Every Thanksgiving, they would go hunting with their families and they’d invite me. I loved listening to their stories around the campfire. It made me want to hear more.”

On this day, the fire pit is empty. A group of visitors is gathered inside around the coffee table as temperatures soar close to 100 degrees. Guests include seniors from the Ragland Senior Center, veterans and first responders from Ragland and Pell City. Laughter gives way to hugs as paramedic Cathy Riggs is reintroduced to the senior whom she helped on a call just over a year ago. After they catch up, Cathy goes with a guide who takes her to visit her old childhood swimming hole on the property.

“Do you know where Happy Top is?,” asks 94-year-old Raymond E. Smith, Jr., as he talks about where he was born and raised. “You know Lewisburg? Bradford? It’s not far from Bradford. We used to walk from Bradford to Happy Top to go to church.” Raymond is Sgt. Maj. Smith, a Green Beret who served in Vietnam. He talks proudly of his love for America and his pride in his service to the Army Special Forces unit. He also dearly loves fishing.

When the temperature cools off, allowing him to be outside with his oxygen tank, he’ll be headed to the fishing pond. It is stocked with bass, crappie, bluegill and crackerfish. Having the pond dug out and stocked was a big-ticket item for Judy and the Amazing Grace team. Luckily, there was clay and dirt to be sold that helped offset the cost.

There are many big projects in the works to continue to build programs for their guests. One of those projects is building a 12-by-12-foot shooting house. Why so big? Craig explains that it would allow the family of a physically challenged person to be a part of the experience in watching the shooting. They’ve also contracted with Michigan-based Wolf Creek Productions to document the experience as a keepsake for the client.\

Craig has also spent many hours working to implement plans for a zero-entry pool. Even with him digging it himself and purchasing supplies, the estimate to complete the project is $180,000. And, even then, they can’t find anyone willing to come out to work. They remain confident that it will come together eventually. “We even plan to invite churches to use it to baptize people who wouldn’t be able to (using traditional baptismal fonts),” says Judy.

They are also working on a café, adjacent to the pool area, where guests could come to get a cool beverage and relive “soda fountain” memories. While not complete, the plans include 50s-style furnishings and a jukebox.

Judy is quick to credit the completion of so much of the work at Amazing Grace Farm to Craig, John and Larry. “They share my vision, and they have such big hearts,” she says. “This would not be where it is without them.”

Greg Estes, commander of the Ragland VFW, is impressed with the changes. “I remember seeing this property when it sold. It’s night and day different.” He is already making plans to bring people to the farm. Teresa Harden with the Ragland Senior Center brought a group to the farm and plans to make the trip again. “It means the world to them. They enjoyed it so much.”

Editor’s Note: The farm is in need of sponsors to help with the costs associated with the programs. Amazing Grace Farm is a nonprofit and depends on donations to meet the needs of its visitors. If you are interested in visiting Amazing Grace Farm or supporting their ministry, you can contact them at 205-281-7828 or info.amazinggracefarms@gmail.com.

A Fitting Tribute

St. Clair rodeo honors Tanner Carleton

Story by Carol Pappas
Photos by Mackenzie Free
and Jolie Free

If you didn’t know Tanner Carleton, the 11-year-old boy who lost his life in a tragic accident at St. Clair County Arena, a single photo seemed to have the ability to capture the essence of his passion.

The youngster’s eyes peer out beneath the oversized brim of a cowboy hat, a wide grin crossing his face, telling you all you needed to know. Cowboy life fit him as comfortably as a well-worn pair of jeans. Life fit him just fine. There was no mistaking it.

Friends and family talked endlessly of his love of everything cowboy.

When the annual St. Clair Cattleman’s Rodeo was heading to St. Clair Arena, he wanted to be there, helping get things set up the day before. He was like that. Always ready to help. And it was there in one of the places he loved best – the rodeo – doing what he loved best – offering a helping hand.

“He was a real good boy, well mannered, always willing to help,” said Adam Stansell, president of the Cattleman’s Association.

It would have been understandable for the rodeo to be cancelled. But recognizing their son’s love for it, parents Lacey and Trevor Carleton encouraged the cattlemen to go on with the rodeo. Tanner would have wanted it that way, they said.

“Tanner Carleton has been a fan of rodeos from a very young age,” the Cattleman’s Association announced on March 9. “With his parents’ complete support and absolute insistence, we will move forward with the 3rd Annual St. Clair County Cattlemen’s Rodeo.”

The rodeo, the association’s largest fundraiser, did indeed go on, but not before a poignant tribute to the young cowboy.

Tanner had a zest for life. He put his all into every endeavor. He was as passionate about his baseball as he was being a cowboy. Countless photos show him in uniform year after year, one where he was even sporting a championship ring.

Dozens of fellow players from various teams he played with circled the arena the night of the tribute, a show of respect for their beloved teammate. The arena darkened, and a small line of fire began to light a path in its center, eventually forming the shape of a baseball diamond.

As the announcer began, the fire followed his words, symbolizing Tanner’s run of the bases – to first base, on to second, rounding third and heading quickly to home. Tanner, he said, “lived life to the fullest of his ability. He loved life. He loved his friends, and he had a passion for baseball. That young man was always swinging for the fence.”

As the fire blazed its path toward home plate, the announcer referenced the uncertainty of life and the absence of a guarantee of another day. “We don’t know if we are in the home stretch,” he told the crowd. “We might be. You need to hug your family, hug your friends and tell them you love them every chance you get. Tonight, Tanner has made that home run.”

And with a nod to Tanner’s passion for life, he said, “Take time to remember that cowboy smile.”

A rider on horseback galloped through the arena carrying an American flag to conclude the tribute and signal the beginning of the rodeo that Tanner would have wanted to go on.

Tanner’s photo – the one with the cowboy hat and that contented grin – hung above the gate as each of the rodeo competitors entered the arena. It was their personal reminder of that cowboy smile.

“He ran his race spiritually,” his parents said. “He ran home to the Lord. He was all about church. He loved being there, he even went on Spring break one time just to help plant flowers.”

That’s just the way he was. He loved helping others.

Across the community, an outpouring of love and compassion has enveloped the family in the days since, offering comforting remembrances of a special young man.

A sampling of social media posts from those who knew him help tell his story and his impact in a life cut too short:

We will never forget your smile. You just being you.

Playing baseball with the greats now! Rest easy, sweet boy.

With broken hearts, the Williams Intermediate School family is praying for Tanner’s family, friends, teachers and classmates. Rest in peace, sweet boy.

I knew the first time I ever met him that he was special. He was good, good like deep down in his bones, all the way to the center of his soul. He worked harder than most grown men and had more compassion in his little finger than some have their entire life. But the one thing that radiated out of him like laser beams was how unconditionally thoughtful he was … just good as gold and steady as a rocker.

I am so thankful to have known your kind heart, if only for a few short years. You taught me (along with tons of others!) what it means to put others needs first – before ourselves, to be selfless, the very essence of Jesus Christ.

What an example of a Christian, a son, a student, a cowboy, an athlete, a worker, and the list goes on and on.

From his parents, came their own heartfelt message:

We miss his smile, his laugh and so much more than we could ever imagine about you, son! We miss seeing you on the ballfield, and we miss seeing you with your brother.

God had a plan for your life, and it’s something we never knew, but prayed for His will to be done in your life. Your life brought so much happiness! Your life brought so much meaning. You made us parents!

Features

Chandler Mountain Challenge

Bringing people together
to climb for good causes

Story by Loyd McIntosh
Photos by Mackenzie Free

It’s early in the morning of Saturday, March 2, and a diverse group of people are straggling into the grounds of Horse Pens 40. The air is crisp and cool, evidence that while spring is just around the corner, it hasn’t quite arrived.

Despite the temperature hovering in in the mid-40s, many of those assembled are walking around the grounds in T-shirts and shorts, specialty athletic shoes, and large, polyurethane mats strapped to their backs.

This group of outdoors enthusiasts is on site to compete in the 2022 Chandler Mountain Challenge. An annual bouldering competition at Horse Pens 40, the Chandler Mountain Challenge has become one of the most anticipated events among the rock-climbing community. The event is organized by Climbers For Christ, a Christian organization launched in 1989 in Yosemite Valley with a mission to equip, encourage and empower climbers to share the love of Christ with the climbing community.

“The mission that we have in Climbers For Christ is really just to show Jesus to the climbing and outdoor community through service and through conversation,” says Joshua Reyes, a member of the volunteer leadership team covering the southeastern United States.

Originally from New Mexico, Reyes now lives in Jacksonville, Ala., and is a technical advisor for AECOM/URS Corporation and a former nuclear submarine mechanic with the U.S. Navy. He explains that Climbers For Christ most often plays a support role at other climbing and outdoor events, giving the volunteer opportunities to share the Gospel.

“We have teams that go out and serve breakfast, cooking pancakes and stuff like that. With a bunch of hungry climbers, you go through a lot of food pretty quick, and they’re really appreciative of that,” says Reyes. “We like to connect by just serving like that and helping people out wherever they need bodies and people to do the heavy lifting, but we also like to establish those relationships and meet people and talk with them because we’re all about showing them who Jesus is – the truth of who He is.”

The Chandler Mountain Challenge brings climbers of all skill levels to St. Clair County each March, but the event also helps raise funds for a nonprofit or ministry doing important social work throughout the nation.

This year, the Chandler Mountain Challenge supported Orphan Voice, a ministry based in Lexington, Ky., with a mission to serve orphans, children with special needs, abused children and poor single mothers. Founded by Tony and Cindy Brewer, the organization has facilitated the adoption of more than 1,000 Asian orphans to parents in the U.S. and established several anti-trafficking ministries working to rescue children, mostly from Vietnam, who were forced into sexual or labor slavery.

Supporting causes like Orphan Voice’s mission through registration fees is just another feature that makes the Chandler Mountain Challenge an event so many in the bouldering world look forward to, whether they are people of faith or not.

Chris Wendell is an automobile customizer and active boulderer from Philadelphia. With his long hair, bushy beard and laissez-faire attitude, Wendell was straight and to the point when asked if Christian faith was an important factor in taking part in the Chandler Mountain Challenge. “Not really, no, but I can get behind a lot of the causes they support.”

Climbers For Christ works to encounter and minister to fellow climbers, whatever their spiritual opinions or experiences may be. “A friend of mine mentioned to me that the climbers she speaks with out west are more likely to be unchurched and kind of curious about what we’re doing, whereas folks back east, a lot of them have had really negative experiences with the church,” says Kristen McKenzie, a volunteer board member with Climbers For Christ. “We’re hoping to show them, maybe a different kind of Christianity than they grew up with, and just maybe if they see some Christians walking around not being hypocrites, they might reconsider Jesus.”

Wendell is exactly the type of person Climbers For Christ is focused upon reaching, fellow climbers who aren’t active in any religion but who have open minds and, perhaps more importantly, open hearts. “The best thing about (The Chandler Mountain Challenge) is we get everybody to climb just doing what we love and that turns into money that’s donated by someone else, and we take that money, and we donate it to a nonprofit to be picked for the year.

It’s just a great, easy cause for people to rally around,” says Reyes. “I was going to climb here anyway, but 20 bucks gets me a shirt and dinner and then I’m raising money for some kids somewhere? Count me in.”

Why Horse Pens 40?

It may come as a surprise to many people from St. Clair County but the boulders at Horse Pens 40 are well respected among the climbing community. The site is part of what is known as the bouldering “triple crown,” – a bouldering series that also includes Hounds Ears in Boone, N.C., and Stone Fort in Chattanooga, Tenn. – and is also compared favorably to a bouldering site 40 miles south of Paris, France, known as Fontainebleau.

At first glance, it’s difficult to see why. For starters, the boulders at Horse Pens 40 aren’t majestically high. In fact, most of them struggle to reach 30 feet. However, bouldering is a sport that, unlike rock and mountain climbing, utilizes no equipment. Instead boulderers rely only on special climbing shoes and chalk to help the climber grip the rock face and climb to the top. One of the most concentrated areas of boulders in the world, Horse Pens 40 is ideally situated to be one of the best bouldering sites on earth.

“It’s really unique in the formations. It has a lot of these rounded formations and when you get to the top of the ball that’s called doing the “top out” and those big, rounded hulls are called slopers, and you have really nothing good to grab onto to hoist yourself over the edge. It’s like your agave to squeeze,” Reyes says. “I tell people it’s like grabbing the size of a refrigerator and squeezing and holding yourself up.”

Additionally, Reyes says the Southern sandstone that make up the boulders at Horse Pens is world-renowned for its friction, especially in the winter time. “That’s the most popular season, because it’s like Velcro,” he says. “You slap these big, rounded hulls that you can’t normally grab, and your hand just magically sticks. It’s amazing.

“People come here from all over the country and actually internationally,” Reyes adds. “Over the years, I’ve met people from Sweden, Spain, Italy, France and, of course, Canada and Mexico. I mean people from everywhere come here just to climb at Horse Pens 40. So as a transplant local that helps me never take it for granted, I can come here anytime that I want. When I see people that have flown here from Europe. I’m like, ‘OK, I have to remember this place is really special.’”

Every sport has its own language, a vernacular that to the outsider makes not a lick of sense at first glance, but as you study the lingo, you start to get a glimpse of what the sport is all about.

To the sport’s passionate, true believers, that vernacular is more than just a way of communication, it becomes an art form of its own. Bouldering is no different. For the Chandler Mountain Challenge, organizers taped cards on the boulders throughout Horse Pens 40 with advice on solving specific challenges.

Out of context, you could easily see the text on these cards printed in a college literary journal. For instance: “Stand alert. Move to crimp, then jump to right-facing block. Be careful as block creaks a bit … continue up to easy mantle.” Or this one: “Sit start, then move to good chickenheads. Move to good right sidepull, then jugs.”

The jargon on these cards assists the competitors in solving what the bouldering community refers to as “problems.” Before charging ahead and scaling the side of a huge rock, a climber has to consider his/her options; how to attack the problem to ensure success.

It’s no wonder, trial and error is a large part of the process. “You’re trying these problems that are really hard, so you’re often going to fall off,” says McKenzie. “Bouldering involves a lot of failure.”

And, this particular challenge involves a lot of successes. Whether it’s for the world-class challenge, the scenic beauty or the opportunity to support a worthy cause, it brings people of all walks of life to St. Clair County for a day of bouldering and fellowship that helps bridge gaps.

“The climbing community is pretty close-knit and tied together, but quite diverse – race, gender and religious beliefs, political beliefs – it’s just across the spectrum,” says Reyes. “But it’s so neat because even with that diversity of thought and lifestyle, we all have that common thread of climbing. When we show up here, all that goes out the window.”

Features

Net Results

A trio of St. Clair anglers make a splash at Bassmaster Classic

Story by Paul South
Submitted, staff photos

The PGA Tour has its FedEx Cup. NASCAR drivers put the pedal to the metal and trade paint gunning for The Chase.

And Matt Herren, Wes Logan and Joey Nania professional anglers with St. Clair County ties, hoped to make their mark at the 2022 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk, where the best bass fishermen in the world gathered in hopes of reeling in the sport’s most prestigious prize, fishing’s Super Bowl.

Nania finished 13^th with winnings of $15,000; Logan finished 23^rd with $13,000 in winnings; and Herren finished 32^nd with $10,000 in winnings.

The 2022 classic came to Lake Hartwell, a man-made body of water near Greenville, S.C., in early March. While St. Clair County has made a mark in the NFL – with San Francisco defensive end Dee Ford (Odenville) and Major League Baseball with Springville native and Detroit Tiger hurler Casey Mize, the county’s biggest pro sports splash may be in professional fishing, thanks in large part to Herren, Logan and Nania. Seven anglers who have competed on the pro circuit call the county home.

It’s not unusual in sports to see large metropolitan areas produce world-class competitors. But for a largely rural county like St. Clair that’s peppered with small towns, three world-class competitors from the county in a sport’s marquee event is worth cheering, regardless of the end results.

“It’s kind of a cool thing to think about,” said Springville’s Logan. “With our county being so small and three of us competing in it. I think it just shows the caliber of fishing in Alabama and especially in Central Alabama where our county’s located. It gives a testament to the lakes and rivers in the surrounding area about how good they are and how diverse they are.”

Located near the South Carolina-Georgia border, the 87.5-square-mile Lake Hartwell reservoir is comprised by waters from the Savannah, Tugaloo and Seneca rivers and is one of the Southeast’s largest lakes.

Hartwell’s deep waters presented a trophy-sized challenge for Classic competitors. In fact, the 2022 Classic was Logan’s first-ever tournament on Hartwell. The lake is known for its deep waters, similar to Northwest Alabama’s Smith Lake. By contrast, the lakes of the Coosa are stained and shallow.

Anglers call Hartwell a Blueback Herring lake, named for the small migratory fish that’s a favorite bite for the big bass of Hartwell. Because the herring are on the move, it makes anglers’ quest for a catch a bigger challenge. Bluebacks can be in one patch of water in the morning, another by the afternoon, taking the famished bigger fish with them.

“(The herring) roam around a lot,” Logan said. “They’re nomadic. “If you find fish on Tuesday. They’re liable to be gone by Tuesday afternoon. The fish just follow the bait.”

The 50,000-acre lake’s deep waters – a maximum of 185 feet – offers another challenge for anglers.

“It’s going to set up a little bit different than I’m used to, being from around the Coosa River, where it’s shallow fishing mostly. The baitfish and the way the fish act is going to be really different,” Logan said.

“Hartwell is a really good lake, just in general,” he added. “I got to free practice over there for a couple of days, and it seemed to have a really good population of fish in it … I know from past Classics there, it’s a really good lake.”

Joey Nania celebrates win at Bassmaster Elite Series

Herren is an Ashville resident who grew up fishing with his dad, Butch, on Neely Henry Lake. At 59, he’s one of the senior competitors on the B.A.S.S. circuit who didn’t become a full pro angler until 2003. Before that, he worked in his dad’s Birmingham body shop. He married his wife, Candy, and the couple raised two sons, Josh and Jacob.

But this year’s Bassmaster Classic will mark his 17^th major championship tournament since 2003.

“To me, the tournament fishing was kind of an afterthought; I just always loved to fish. I’ve been competitive my whole life. I mean, I played sports in school … One thing led to another.”

The pro fishing game has changed since Herren was in high school and college, when tournament fishing “just wasn’t that big a deal.” Now, it’s a big money game, with tournament cash, television, endorsement deals, even video games. Hank Cherry Jr. took home a $300,000 first-prize check after winning last year’s Classic.

“I think I was 39 when I went full time. The sport has kind of evolved into something the younger guys are getting into. It’s growing by leaps and bounds,” Herren said.

But one of pro fishing’s graybeards isn’t intimidated by the young bucks he faces on tour.

“I’m still highly competitive now,” Herren said. “These young whippersnappers, I can still run with ‘em.”

Herren breaks down Lake Hartwell, much like a football or basketball coach breaks down an opponent. In fishing, the seasons, weather patterns and more are taken into account.

“Every body of water we fish will offer an angler areas that he likes to fish, styles, certain techniques. That’s how I try to go about doing my job,” Herren said. “I try to fish the techniques and patterns that are my strong suit and just see what happens … I just try to be consistent and do what I do.”

A St. Clair County transplant – Joey Nania – moved with his wife and kids to Cropwell from Washington state. In 2009, he competed in the Bassmaster Classic on Lay Lake. He met Rick Hughes, a Cropwell evangelist and “a really good fisherman.” The two became friends, and Nania visited the following summer. The combination of faith, family values and fishing lured Nania to settle in the county. He now calls Pell City home.

Nania accepted Christ at 19 after meeting Hughes. Later, Nania met his future wife, Jessica, and his career took off. He calls it “a string of blessings.” His newfound faith – belief he shares on tour, played a role in his decision to move south.

Along with his pro career, he is a fishing guide on the Coosa River system, Smith Lake and Lake Martin.

“It’s just such a great location, and it’s just the fact about Alabama. If you can learn to fish in Alabama, you can fish anywhere in the country because we have such diversity, Nania said.

Nania has fished Hartwell before, beginning with an episode of a fishing show he hosted for seven years called, Sweetwater. Hartwell is comparable to Smith Lake in Alabama, Nania said.

“I really like the size of the lake. It’s a big body of water; but it didn’t seem like overwhelmingly big. Having the mixture of spotted bass and largemouth and having multiple options that aren’t far apart, is great … If you can catch spots and have a largemouth pattern going, it’s a good way to go. And Lake Hartwell fits that bill.”

Regardless of how St. Clair’s three Bassmaster Classic competitors fared, Logan, Herren and Nania are proud to represent their home county in pro bass fishing’s Super Bowl. The trio are good friends. And all take pride in representing St. Clair County.

“It really just goes to show that fishing is deeply rooted in the South, especially this area of Alabama.” Nania said. “There’s just so many different lakes, and fishing is just sort of a way of life around here. It’s faith, family and then fishing is kind of the motto for people around here. I know Wes Logan and Matt are like that, too

“It’s really a cool thing to see all of us succeeding and has been awesome and just a total blessing.”