January Activities
JANUARY 25, 2025, SATURDAY, please meet 8:45 a.m.
Southeastern Outings Waterfowl Viewing Trip
Where: Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge (WNWR), Decatur, AL
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Details Experience the thrilling sight of thousands of
sandhill cranes, wild geese and ducks plus herons and other birds. The Refuge has the largest concentration of
wintering cranes, geese and ducks in the entire state of Alabama! You don’t need to be a bird watcher to enjoy
this outing! Experienced birders
leading the trip will share their knowledge
with all.
This 35,000-acre refuge attracts thousands of
wintering waterfowl each year. WNWR is
comprised of diverse habitat types including bottomland hardwoods, wetlands,
pine uplands, shoreline or riparian woodlands, agricultural fields, and
backwater embayments. These habitats
provide excellent feeding, resting, and roosting sites for wintering waterfowl,
white pelicans, sandhill cranes and a few endangered whooping cranes as well as
nesting sites for migratory songbirds and many species of resident wildlife.
Note-To view photos of what we
will see on this trip, please click on this link:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/SvhqhVBWlcJX5qBL2
Please be sure to click on the link and view the
photographs.
We are
highly privileged to have as our guide Dwight Cooley, the retired Refuge
Manager. Dwight will take us on refuge
roads behind locked gates as we drive to various bays and sloughs where you can
easily see hundreds of ducks and geese in large numbers. We’ll also see many other types of birds
including, hopefully, bald eagles.
We’ll even see a huge flock of sandhill cranes which winter at the
refuge each year. This winter the
Refuge expects to host in excess of 22,000 sandhill cranes and about 20 endangered
whooping cranes. The gated roads are
closed to the public but will be open to our group.
Please
bring binoculars, a birding field guide and a spotting telescope with you if
you have them. The leader and Dan
Frederick will each bring a spotting telescope which they will share with
participants. Also, please bring your picnic lunch and drink with you.
This
outing is rated easy as there is very little walking involved, and we won’t be
climbing any hills or walking through thick brush. Please dress for the weather.
The wind at the refuge can be biting, blowing across open water on cold
days.
Well-behaved,
carefully supervised children age 10 and over who can remain quiet for extended
periods of time (so as to not disturb the birds and bird watchers) are welcome.
Possible
optional dinner after the birding trip depending on what time we finish bird
watching.
Reservations Required: If you wish to participate in this
outing, you are required to call Dan Frederick, 205/631-4680 or email your
reservation to southeasternoutings@gmail.com by 5:00
p.m. on Thursday, January 23, 2025.
When you contact Dan, please be sure you leave your first and last name
and either your phone number or email address.
If you are bringing guest(s), please be sure to give Dan the first and
last names of each of them.
At a later time Dan Frederick will
advise meeting time and place only to those who have signed up and been
approved for this trip.
We look
forward to seeing many of you on January 25, 2025.
Info: Dan Frederick, 205/631-4680 or southeasternoutings@gmail.com
Southeastern Outings Leisurely Weekday Hike
Where: Red Mountain Park
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Details: Please come with us for a 3-4 mile hike on a walkable portion of this noteworthy place. We will hike from the Red Mountain Park Parking Lot on Lyon Lane to the Grace’s Gap and back.
The walking pace for this hike is rated moderately easy since there are some hills to climb. We’ll stop often to catch our breath and note flowers, trees, birdsongs and the trail and woods around us.
Please bring your picnic lunch and plenty of water. Wear good walking shoes or boots. Dress appropriately for the weather.
Please meet at 9:30 a.m. in the large Red Mountain Park parking lots on the right side of Lyon Lane immediately after you turn right onto Lyon Lane off of the north end of Frankfurt Drive off Lakeshore Parkway. We plan to depart from there at 9:45 a.m.
Information and Trip Leader: Christine Heckemeyer, 205-979-5730
Southeastern Outings Leisurely Weekday Hike
Where: Beeswax Creek Park, Lay Lake, Wilsonville,
Alabama
Details: Beeswax Creek Park, bordered by Beeswax
Creek to its north and Lay Lake (Coosa River) to its east, is located in the
Columbiana/Wilsonville area in Shelby County, Alabama. Beeswax Creek Park has many amenities
including two picnic pavilions, three fishing piers, a 2.8- mile multi-use
trail for hiking, two restroom facilities and a huge parking lot. A caretaker provides security for the park. Alabama Power Company, through its "The
Preserves" program, has added a boardwalk and a bridge to the trail
system, created a pollinator plot with interpretive signs, and Alabama Power
has also built two gazebos overlooking Lay Lake.
The walking pace for this hike will be
moderately easy. We’ll stop often to
catch our breath and note views, trees, birdsongs and the trail and woods
around us.
Please
meet at 9:30 a.m. at the McDonald’s Galleria.
We plan to depart from there at 9:45 a.m.
Admission to the park is free.
Info. and trip Leader: Christine
Heckemeyer, 205-979-5730
FEBRUARY 8, SATURDAY, please meet at 9:45 a.m.
Southeastern Outings Dayhike
Where: Piper Interpretive Trail and the Cahaba Loop
Trail in the Cahaba National Wildlife Refuge, Piper (near West Blocton),
Alabama
Details: Come with us on an easy 3 or so-mile hike on
three trails in the especially lovely Cahaba National Wildlife Refuge. The walking
pace for this hike will be moderately easy.
We’ll stop often to catch our breath and note views, trees, birdsongs
and the trail and woods around us.
The Piper Interpretive Trail is a 2.8-mile, lightly trafficked trail in
the Cahaba National Wildlife Refuge located near Piper, Alabama. The trail features views of the Cahaba River
and is good for all skill levels. The trail is primarily used for hiking,
walking, nature trips, and bird watching and is accessible year-round.
This well-maintained trail goes through the forest and ends with a deck
overlooking the Cahaba River. The trail passes some interesting ravines and
cliffs.
The first half of the trail is an old mine railroad right of way along a
rocky ridgeline high above the Cahaba River.
A
stand of pine, mostly loblolly pine planted to replace the longleaf pines that
were clearcut years ago, makes for a beautiful canopy and visually appealing
section of the trail—the fallen needles provide soft footing and make the
peaceful forest even more quiet. At mile
1.2, you will find a side trail off to the right that leads downhill to the
first overlook.
After enjoying the view from the first overlook, you will continue
onward to a second overlook which is slightly more difficult to reach, due to
elevation changes. You will cross a
second bridge over
a seasonal stream. From there the trail climbs up the ridge on a rocky old
mining road to the final overlook. From the platform you can see the
Cahaba River far below.
We’ll then walk back to the Piper Trail parking lot on a different trail
which is a pretty logging or mining road through the woods.
We will then drive across the river, repark our cars and then walk on
the Cahaba River Loop Trail which turns off of the road in the main part of
Cahaba National Wildlife Refuge across the river from the Piper Trail.
Children age 9 and older welcome.
Please meet 9:45 a.m. at the McDonald’s
Galleria parking lot. We plan to depart
from there at 10:00 a.m.
Information
and Trip Leader:
Dan Frederick, email southeasternoutings@gmail.com, phone 205/631-4680
FEBRUARY 16, SUNDAY, please meet 12:45 p.m.
Southeastern Outings Third Sunday Dayhike in
Oak Mountain State Park
Details: Enjoy a moderate 4-mile walk in the woodlands
near Birmingham on a Sunday afternoon.
This is an excellent outing for introducing your friends to Southeastern
Outings and for making new friends who enjoy the outdoors. Parts of this hike may be off the color-coded
trails. There will be some ups and
downs.
Well-behaved, properly supervised children age
eight and up able to walk the distance of about 4 miles and complete the hike
are welcome.
Share an adventure! Bring a friend.
Please
meet at 12:45 p.m. in the Oak
Mountain Park office parking lot. We
plan to depart from there at 1:00 p.m.
Please bring $5/person ($2.00 seniors) park
admission fee plus your drink.
Information and trip leader: Randall Adkins, 205-317-6969
FEBRUARY
22 SATURDAY, please meet 9:45 a.m.
Southeastern
Outings Picnic Lunch and Moderate Dayhike
Where:
Paul Grist State Park near Selma, Alabama
Details:
Paul Grist State Park is one of the state’s most uncrowded, yet
scenic state parks containing hills, forests, fields and a large, beautiful,
tree-lined lake.
Prior to the dayhike we will get
together at the smaller pavilion right near the park office to eat our picnic
lunches. Please bring your picnic lunch
and also $3 per person ($2 for children age 2-6 and seniors age 62 and older)
park admission and a beverage for yourself.
Dayhike
Details: Hike rated moderate. There
are only a few ups and downs. Total
hiking distance is approximately 5.5 miles.
We plan to walk all the way around the lake and then also walk on some
additional trails in the park to make the drive time down and back
worthwhile.
Well-behaved, carefully supervised
children age nine and over able to walk 6 miles without complaining are
welcome. Please bring your picnic lunch
and drink and wear sturdy footwear.
Optional group restaurant dinner
after the hike. Reservations not
required for this outing.
Please meet 9:45 a.m. at the McDonald’s Galleria. We plan to depart from there
at 10:00 a.m.
Info.
And Trip Leader: Dan Frederick email southeasternoutings@gmail.com or telephone
205-631-4680
MARCH 6, THURSDAY, please meet 9:30 a.m.
The trail is about 2.3 miles in length, and we plan to hike it one way, so we will run a car shuttle with some of our vehicles to be parked at both ends of the trail.
Flemming Park currently consists of about 43 acres and is the first phase of a park which will eventually cover 130 acres and stretch three miles along the Cahaba River.
Signature Homes already has developed a number of hiking and biking trails on the property and built two restrooms and a pavilion that can hold 30 to 40 people. There is also a gravel parking lot that can hold approximately 10 cars. Several miles of the hiking trails are already located near the frontage of the Cahaba River.
The walking pace for this hike will be moderately easy. Total hiking distance will probably be about 2.3 miles. We’ll stop often to catch our breath and note views, trees, birdsongs and the trail and woods around us.
Please bring with you on this hike your picnic lunch, water and a plastic ground cloth or trash bag to sit on at lunch. There is no charge to participate in this hike and no charge for admission to the park.
Please meet at 9:30 a.m. in the parking lot behind the McDonald’s Galleria. We plan to depart from there at 9:45 a.m.
MARCH 8, SATURDAY
Southeastern Outings Dayhike, Sipsey Wilderness, Bankhead National Forest
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Details: Moderately strenuous 4-mile hike in a highly scenic location, Upper Quillan Creek Forest Area. Most of the hike is off trail, there are lots of ups and downs, and several rock-hopping crossings are required across small creeks.
We’ll walk along two creeks and on an old road. At a beautiful waterfall we’ll visit the site of an old mill. On this hike we’ll see several small waterfalls on side creeks and tributaries to Quillan Creek. We will visit at least three very pretty waterfalls on Quillan Creek itself along the way. We expect to see a minimum of a total of twelve lovely waterfalls on this trip.
Please bring picnic lunch and water for the day. We expect to finish about 4:00 p.m. Optional dinner after. Well-behaved, properly supervised children age 9 and over able to walk 4 miles off trail without complaining welcome.
Reservations Required: If you wish to participate in this outing, you are required to call Dan Frederick, 205/631-4680 or email your reservation to southeasternoutings@gmail.com by 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 6, 2024. When you contact Dan, please be sure you leave either your phone number or email address. This outing is limited to 10 people in order to comply with U.S. Forest Service regulations. We hope the limitation will not prove to be a problem.
If you make a reservation with Dan to come on this trip and then for any reason decide later to not come on this outing, please telephone Dan, 205/631-4680 right away. If we have 10 people signed up on the day of the hike and, for example, we have two people on the waiting list and then two people who signed up don’t show up for the hike, those two no-show people have in effect deprived the two on the waiting list from participating. Please don’t be a no-show. If you aren’t coming after making a reservation, please notify Dan.
At a later date leader will advise meeting time and place only to those who have signed up and been approved for this trip.
Information and Trip Leader: Dan Frederick, southeasternoutings@gmail.com, or 205/631-4680
