Most of you are
already familiar with the stay-at-home
order issued by the Governor of Alabama and effective
beginning April 4, 2020 at 5:00 p.m.
order issued by the Governor of Alabama and effective
beginning April 4, 2020 at 5:00 p.m.
The proclamation
states , “Effective Saturday,
April 4, 2020, at 5:00 P.M., every person is ordered
to stay at his or her place of residence except as
necessary to perform any of the following “essential
activities”:
April 4, 2020, at 5:00 P.M., every person is ordered
to stay at his or her place of residence except as
necessary to perform any of the following “essential
activities”:
One of those notable
essential activities
relevant to Southeastern Outings events is:
relevant to Southeastern Outings events is:
To engage in outdoor activity. A person
may leave his or her place of residence to participate in outdoor activity that
involves fewer than 10 people so long as the person maintains a consistent
six-foot distance from other persons.
Notice of Southeastern Outings Precautionary
Measures Concerning Covid 19 Virus
Southeastern Outings assures all our outings
participants that we strongly desire to protect your health during this
critical time. You may make your own decisions about what to do to
protect yourselves, but the following measures are what we strongly
suggest. We recommend taking the following measures.
We ask our participants to maintain a
reasonable social distance, usually 6 or more feet, between yourself and other
people. We recognize that this may not always be possible, but we
encourage you to keep some distance from others as much as possible.
We encourage all our people coming on outings
with us to drive from the meeting place to the outing start point in the same
vehicle in which they arrived at the meeting place. Naturally if more
than one person arrives at the meeting place in a given vehicle, then all the
people in that vehicle may ride together in that same vehicle driving from the
meeting place to the outing start point.
One or two persons will be designated to sign
everyone in so that clipboards and pens are not shared by everyone on the
outing.
We will have outing announcements, but we ask
you to try insofar as possible to maintain a distance of six feet between
yourself and others while the announcements are given. Dan will try to
project his voice effectively in such instances, and please, please do not
converse with others while announcements are being made.
In instances when we have more than ten
participants coming on an outing, we will split the group up into two parties
of ten or less people with two different leaders. Everyone will go to the
same places during the outing, but we will want to reduce the number of people
hiking together in the same group to less than ten.
Optional restaurant dinners will be cancelled
until further notice.
In any case, of course, if you have
flu-like symptoms (fever, aches or pains in the joints and respiratory system
problems) please stay at home and do not come on outings with us! This is
just common sense.
We want to point out that walking in the woods
where there are not many other people present is considerably safer at this
time than walking in crowds of people or in heavily populated public
places. Participating in our events will give you opportunities to be in
the outdoors, get some beneficial exercise, and do something you enjoy with
other people while still allowing you to easily and conveniently maintain safe
social distancing.
JULY 11, SATURDAY, 8:00 a.m.
Southeastern Outings Kayak and Canoe Trip on the Elk River near Elkmont,
Alabama
Details: The section we will paddle is easy with no obstructions. This is a scenic stretch of river located in a very rural area. Novice canoeists are welcome and may come on this trip, but each one must be partnered with an experienced canoeist in their boat.
If you
want to rent a kayak or canoe, please call Elk River Adventures
931-468-2444 to reserve your
rental boat. This is a new outfitter
for Southeastern Outings. The previous
Elk River outfitter closed his business and sold his equipment to Elk River
Adventures which is located near Elkton, Tennessee. However, we will still boat on the same stretch of the Elk River
as we have done previously. When you call to reserve your boat, please
be sure to identify yourself as coming with Southeastern Outings on July 11. Please
note that the outfitter has 27 canoes and only 23 one-person sit-upon kayaks,
18 one-person sit in kayaks and 5 tandem sit-upon kayaks for rent, so be
sure you call to reserve early.
Once all their boats of a particular type are reserved for July 11 by
Southeastern Outings people or anyone else, there will be no more boats in that
category available to rent from that outfitter!
Boat
rental charges are:
Solo
kayaks $30
Tandem
kayaks $45
Canoes $50
If you
rent a boat from this outfitter, the outfitter will take you and your rented
boat to the put in and meet you at the take out, so you will never need to
transport your rented boat at all.
Shuttle fee paddles, and life jacket are included in boat rental fee for
those who rent boats from the outfitter.
You may
bring your own canoe or kayak on this trip, but you must pay the outfitter to
shuttle your privately-owned boat.
Shuttle
charges are:
Owned
kayak $15 per boat
Owned
canoe $20 per boat
Please see
note for kayak and canoe trips below for additional important general
information as well.
Children
age 10 and over welcome.
After the
kayak/canoe trip we plan to go for dinner at an excellent restaurant in Athens,
Alabama. If you would like to have
dinner with us at the restaurant after the kayak and canoe trip, please bring
your things to clean up with and a change of clothes.
Please meet at 8:00 a.m. at the
Hayden/Corner Park and Ride. We plan to
depart from there at 8:15 a.m.
Reservations Required: You must call Dan Frederick, 205/631-4680 or
email seoutings@bellsouth.net if you plan to come on this kayak and canoe trip. You may leave a message on Dan’s voice mail
if you wish.
If you want to come on this SEO kayak and
canoe trip AND you are renting a boat from the outfitter at the site of the
trip, you are required to call BOTH the outfitter to reserve your boat AND
ALSO contact the trip leader, too, and notify him/her that you are coming!
If you are
planning to meet the group initially at the outfitter’s instead of at the
designated meeting place near Birmingham, please tell Dan Frederick in advance
that you are planning to meet the group at the outfitter’s.
Please
do not make it necessary for Dan to contact you concerning information which
you have already received in this announcement and the notes below.
Info. and trip leader: If you have further questions,
please call Dan Frederick, 205/631-4680 or email seoutings@bellsouth.net.
Note for Kayak and Canoe Trips
The kayak and canoe outing listed
above is suitable for beginner/novice canoeists and kayakers, but each beginner
canoeist must paddle with an experienced canoeist. Life jackets are required and must be
worn. You are responsible for finding
your own boat. Bring your own boat,
borrow one, paddle with a friend, or rent from the outfitter listed.
Two people
just showed up for a river trip we had in 2015 without notifying the leader
that they were coming. This created
considerable confusion and delay. The
outfitter had to make a second trip from the put in back to his office and
bring two more boats to the put in because the total number of people who
showed up that morning was two more than the number which the leader had given
to the outfitter the day before. If you plan to participate in this trip,
please be sure you make a reservation with the trip leader and the outfitter in
advance.
Please
bring in the boat your picnic lunch, something to drink, and a towel. Put your
belongings in a waterproof dry bag in the boat. Wear old shoes you don’t mind getting wet (old sneakers work
well). Also bring at least 6 feet of
sturdy cord to tie up your boat. If you
have further questions, please call the trip leader.
When
you make your reservation with the trip leader, please be absolutely certain to
provide ALL of the following
information:
1.
Whether you want to kayak or canoe
2.
Whether you are renting a kayak from the outfitter or
bringing your own boat
3.
Your name
4.
Your telephone number or email address
5.
If you are also making a reservation for someone else coming
with you, please give the NAME of that person.
Don’t just say, “My daughter, my friend, my wife”.
6.
If you are canoeing, please give your skill level.
7.
If you have already selected a canoe partner and you are
making a reservation for your partner, too, please give the name and skill
level of your partner.
8. Please do NOT just show up at the meeting place without
making an advance reservation!!
9. And if you have made a reservation to participate and
then decide to cancel, please be absolutely sure to call and notify the trip
leader at least two hours before the departure time from the meeting place. Don’t just tell your friend if you intend to
cancel!!
JULY 18,
SATURDAY, 9:15 a.m.
Southeastern
Outings Easy River Float
Where: Locust
Fork River from near River Road to the Mount Olive Road Bridge
Details: Easy river float on the Locust Fork River. Float in the river about 3.8 miles downstream to the new Mount Olive Road Bridge stopping at two lovely river beaches along the way. Bring something to float on such as an inflatable vinyl float or tube. See float note below for information about flotation devices.
Also
please bring a picnic lunch with you from home or pick your lunch up BEFORE you
arrive at the meeting place. Please do
not make lots of people wait while you take time to buy lunch or have your
lunch prepared after you arrive at the meeting place at 9:15 a.m. Also please bring your drink, towel and
sunscreen. Pack these items in 2
plastic garbage bags with twist ties, one bag over the other. Then put the bags in your daypack and tie
your pack to your float. This keeps
your things dry and prevents them from floating away. Wear swimsuit and sturdy foot protection. Old sneakers work well. Bare
feet, flip-flops, slip-ons and thin-soled “beach shoes” are not
acceptable!
Lunch
will probably be at one of the beaches.
Have fun swimming in the pools in the river along the way. We will walk for about 15-20 minutes through
the woods to get from River Road to the start point of our float. We will provide a shuttle for drivers from
the end point back to the start point before we start paddling. You must be able
to swim to participate in this outing!
Well-behaved,
properly supervised children age 7 and up able
to swim welcome, but parents are responsible for all risks to their
children.
Spring floats and inflatable boats are not
permitted on SEO river floats! A spring
float is a flotation device consisting of an inflatable outer oval with a
small, few inch diameter cross section and a large mesh interior. Those spring floats are meant for floating
in swimming pools and on lakes in still water, not for floating the Locust Fork
River. They are difficult to steer and therefore unsafe for
use on Southeastern Outings river floats.
Please
bring a friend or several if you wish.
Please be at the Wal-Mart Gardendale parking lot no later than 9:15 a.m.
ready to depart promptly at 9:30 a.m.
Arriving 15 minutes before departure time will allow time to use the
restrooms in the Wal-Mart, hear announcements concerning the day’s event, and
form carpools from the Wal-Mart. Note
that parking is extremely limited at the put in point on the river.
Please note that reservations are NOT requested or required for this
event!
Info: Dan Frederick, seoutings@bellsouth.net or 205/631-4680
Here are some special points to note regarding this outing.
1.
If you are unwilling to carpool with others
because of concerns you have about the Covid-19 virus, please do not make a
reservation to come on this outing!
2.
Please bring a mask with you. Drivers are asked to wear it only when they
are in a vehicle transporting drivers from the take out back to the put in
before we launch our floats, but you may wear your mask at other times if you
wish.
3. There is
no limit on the number of people permitted to come on this outing.
River Float Note
Substantial, fabric-covered, inflatable, vinyl, rectangular floats like you use to ride the waves at the Gulf work
best. However, since we have been
unsuccessful during the past several years in finding a source to sell us more
of this type of ideal float, we will also allow both vinyl recreational
floating tubes and truck tire tubes on this river float.
Dan will
provide three hand float pumps to pump up your float or tube at the start point
of the river float.
Here is an
alternative to carrying your lunches, water, towel and sunscreen in a pack on
your back. You can bring with you four 6-7 foot lengths of sturdy
cord. Place your pack with your things in it in the middle of the foot of
your float. Lash the pack to your float with two of the cords, one
passing around the float and through the top of the straps and the other
passing around the float and through the bottom of the straps of your
pack. Pass the other two cords over the top of your pack and under the
float and tie them down tightly. Then
lie on your float with the pack sort of between your knees with your feet
splayed out at the bottom corners of your float. Using this method
eliminates your having to float down the river for several hours on your belly
with a pack on your back, and it also gives you the option of turning over and
lying on your back in the slower-moving sections of the river in order to
change your body position and float more comfortably. If you are an
adult, this method of fastening your pack to your float works only if you are using
a 72-in long rectangular float. Either
method of transporting your pack is satisfactory and acceptable. But I
learned that people like it when you give them choices. In any case, your
lunches, etc. should be double bagged (or placed in a waterproof canoe bag)
inside your pack and your pack should then be tied to your float.
JULY 25, SATURDAY, Meet 8:45 a.m.
Southeastern Outings River Beach Party, Swim and Picnic at Barton’s
Beach in Perry County, Alabama
Click for More Pictures
Details: Enjoy a beach party on a beautiful, fine-grained sand
beach in Alabama without having to endure the long drive to and from the Gulf
of Mexico. The area is an extensive
sand beach on the Lower Cahaba River in Perry County next to the Alabama Aquatic Biodiversity Laboratory (formerly
the Marion Fish Hatchery) and Perry Lakes Park near Marion, Alabama. The scenery is spectacular. The floodplain broadens and creates areas of
bottomland hardwood forests, oxbow lakes and extensive sand and gravel bars.
Please
bring swimsuit, towel, picnic lunch and drink with you. Wading shoes with substantial soles are
recommended. You may bring whatever
flotation device you wish. Dan will
bring float air pump. Restrooms are
available at Perry Lakes County Park where we’ll park our cars. The approximate 1/3 mile hike to Barton’s
Beach is easy since the terrain is level and the walk is all on trails.
We will
also offer an optional opportunity to climb on stairs to the top of the
Perry Lakes Park viewing tower, a rebuilt fire tower with gorgeous views high
above the tallest treetops in the area.
Well-behaved,
carefully supervised children age 7 and older able to swim are welcome, but
parents are responsible for all risks to their children. All participants must be able
to swim to come on this outing!
Meet 8:45 a.m. at the McDonald’s Galleria. We plan to depart from there at 9:00 a.m.
