JULY 21, SATURDAY,
9:00 a.m.
Waterfall Walk,
Stream Wade and Long Swims
Where: South Caney Creek in the Bankhead
National Forest
Details: Join us for short, moderately easy
hikes to two waterfalls on South Caney Creek.
We’ll swim at both of the falls.
These falls are very lovely.
If you think that you may want to come home before the
group outing is completed, please don’t come on this outing. In order to prevent traffic congestion at
the trail head most of our vehicles will be parked at a remote location during
the entire outing. Most outing
participants will not be able to access their cars by just walking back to the
start point of the walk.
Wear old shorts or a swim suit and sturdy footwear you
don’t mind getting wet and dirty. Old
sneakers work well. Bare feet, flip-flops, loose slip-ons and
thin-soled “beach shoes” are not acceptable!
Also bring a towel along with your picnic lunch and water.
After the outing we are planning to go to a restaurant for
an optional dinner. You can shower and
change clothes at a campground near the restaurant. If you would like to shower and/or clean up and have dinner with
us at the restaurant, please bring a change of clothes for dinner and your
shower things. No charge to use the
campground rest room just to wash up and change clothes. If you wish to shower, please bring $2.00 exact change cash for shower fee.
Well-behaved, properly-supervised children age 7 and over
welcome.
Depart 9:00 a.m. from
the Floor Décor Store on Green Springs Highway or meet 10:20 a.m. at Jacks in Double
Springs.
JULY 28, SATURDAY,
9:00 a.m.
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, please call Fort Hampton
Outfitters 256/431-8988 to reserve your rental kayak. Be sure to identify
yourself as coming with Southeastern Outings on July 28. Please
note that the outfitter has no canoes and only 19 one-person sit-upon kayaks, 1
one-person sit in kayak and 6 tandem sit-upon kayaks for rent, so be sure
you call to reserve early. Once
all their kayaks are reserved for July 28, there will be no more kayaks
available to rent from that outfitter!
If you rent a kayak 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. You may bring your own canoe or kayak on
this trip, but you must pay the outfitter to shuttle your privately-owned
boat. Shuttle fee and life jacket are
included in rental boat fee for those who rent kayaks from the outfitter. Please note that this outfitter does not
rent canoes at all. Please see note for
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.
Depart 9:00 a.m. from
the Hayden/Corner Park and Ride.
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 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: 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 Fort Hampton Outfitters 256/431-8988.
If you want to come
on an 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! No
exceptions! No ifs, ands or buts!
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. Please don’t let this happen again!
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!!
AUGUST 11, SATURDAY,
9:00 a.m.
Easy River Float #2,
Picnic, Swim, Short, Moderate Dayhike
Where: Locust Fork from Swann Bridge to
Powell Falls near Cleveland, AL
Details: Easy river float on the Locust
Fork River. Float in the river from
Swann Covered Bridge to Powell Falls.
We’ll view a genuine, old but newly refurbished wooden covered
bridge. Then we’ll float under the
bridge and further, about a mile and a half, downstream to the waterfall. We’ll also view the sheer cliffs that rise
about 60 feet above the river. So enjoy
a flowing river, covered bridge, high rock bluffs and at least one
waterfall—all along a 1.5-mile stretch of this river. Bring something to float on such as an inflatable vinyl float or
air mattress. Substantial, fabric-covered, inflatable, vinyl, rectangular floats like you use to ride
the waves at the Gulf work best. See
float note below for information about acquiring floats.
Also please bring a picnic lunch, 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 strap the pack to your back.
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 be on the huge flat rock in the middle of the
river beside the waterfall. Have fun
swimming in the pools at the base of the rock, jumping into the larger pool,
climbing up and down or just sitting in Powell Falls. We will walk back to the bridge on a trail along the river. 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,
passenger car and pick up truck tire tubes 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. The last time a woman tried to float down this river with
us on a spring float (now that I know what it is called), I had to order two
high school football players in our group to wade out into the river immediately
to seize her and her spring float in order to prevent her from being swept over
the big waterfall. 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.
Bring a friend or several if you wish. Please be at the Cleveland Chevron Service
Station no later than 8:45 a.m. ready to depart promptly at 9:00 a.m. Arriving 15 minutes before departure time
will allow time to use the restrooms at the service station, hear announcements
concerning the day’s event, and form carpools from the Chevron. Parking is extremely limited at the put in
point on the river.
Info: Dan Frederick, seoutings@bellsouth.net
or 205/631-4680
Float Note
Substantial, fabric-covered,
inflatable, vinyl, rectangular
floats like you use to ride the waves at the Gulf work best. Trip leader Dan Frederick has 60-inch
long floats for $12 each for sale ONLY
at the start of outings Dan attends. We
regret that at this time we have been unable to find a source where we can buy
more of the longer 72-inch canvas-covered floats. Please pay either with exact
change or a check made out to SEO.
First come, first served.
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.
Inflatable boats
are not permitted on SEO river floats!
AUGUST 18, SATURDAY,
9:00 a.m.
River Beach Party,
Swim and Picnic at Barton’s Beach in Perry County, Alabama
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. See float note
above for information about acquiring floats.
Dan will bring float air pump.
Restrooms are available at Perry Lakes County Park where we’ll park our
cars. The 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!
Optional dinner following our day of sunning and
swimming.
Depart 9:00 a.m. from McDonald’s Galleria.
AUGUST 25, SATURDAY,
10:00 a.m.
Canoe and Kayak
Outing, Big Wills Creek near Gadsden, Alabama.
Details: This will be Southeastern Outings’ sixth canoe and kayak trip on Big Wills
Creek. This is a scenic stretch of
river located in a very rural area.
This stretch is fairly easy and without classified rapids. Along the river we’ll see wildflowers and
stop to investigate islands and beaches.
Forty-six SEO people participated in this very popular outing in 2015.
Novice canoeists are welcome and may come on this trip,
but each novice canoeist must be
partnered with an experienced canoeist in their canoe.
Please note that for this trip you may rent canoes or one
person sit-upon plastic kayaks and paddles from Big Wills Outfitters. Rental fees include life jackets and shuttle
service. Also the outfitter will
shuttle for a fee all private boats used on this outing. If you wish to rent a boat from Big Wills
Outfitters, please call the outfitter BEFORE August 25 at 256/438-7172 to
reserve your boat. Tell the outfitter
you are boating with Southeastern Outings. Please note that the outfitter has only 7
canoes and 43 one-person sit-upon kayaks and 3 tandem (2-person) kayaks for
rent, so be sure you call to reserve early. Once all their boats of one type or the other are reserved for
August 25, there will be no more boats of that type available to rent!
If you rent a boat from this outfitter, the outfitter will
take you and your rented boat to the put in, and you will take out at the
outfitter’s property so you will never need to transport your rented boat at
all. Life jackets, paddles and shuttle
fee are included in the rental boat 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. For more
information about the outfitter and photos of the creek, please visit their
website www.facebook.com/bigwillsoutfitters
When we arrive at the outfitter’s, you will sign a waiver,
pay your shuttle or boat rental fee, use the restroom, and then eat lunch in
the picnic pavilion at the outfitter’s.
After you finish lunch the outfitter will transport ALL the boaters and
their boats, both rented and owned, to the put in. We will then paddle down the creek to the take out, stopping as
often as we want to.
Well-behaved, properly supervised children age 10 and over
welcome, but parents are responsible for all risks to their children.
After the canoe and kayak trip we are planning to go to a
restaurant in Gadsden for dinner. If
you would like to have dinner with us at the restaurant after the canoe trip,
please bring a change of clothes. A
changing room and a restroom are each available at the outfitter’s.
Reservations
Required: You must contact Dan Frederick, email seoutings@bellsouth.net or call 205/631-4680 if you plan to come on this kayak and canoe trip.
You may leave a message on Dan’s voice mail if you wish.
Depart 10:00 a.m. from the Applebee’s in Trussville.
For more essential information about this trip, please see Note for
Canoe Trips below.
Info: If you have further questions,
please call or email Dan Frederick, seoutings@bellsouth.net or
205/631-4680. You may leave a message
on Dan’s voice mail if you wish.
Note for Kayak and
Canoe Trips
The kayak and canoe outing listed in the announcement
above is suitable for beginner/novice canoeists and kayakers, but each beginner
canoeist must paddle with an experienced canoeist. Life jackets or personal flotation devices
are required and must be worn. Bring
your own boat, borrow one, paddle with a friend, or rent a kayak or canoe from
Big Wills Outfitters.
If you want to come
on this SEO kayak and canoe trip AND you are renting a boat from the outfitter,
you are required to call the BOTH the outfitter to reserve your boat AND
ALSO contact the trip leader, too, and notify him that you are coming!
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
don’t already have it attached to your own 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 or
canoe 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. Don’t
just tell your friend if you intend to cancel!!
