December and January Activities
CANCELED
DECEMBER 8, SUNDAY, please meet 12:45 p.m.
Southeastern Outings Second Sunday Dayhike in Oak Mountain State Park
Click for More Pictures
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.
Info: Randall Adkins, 205-719-7719
DECEMBER
12, THURSDAY, please meet 9:45 a.m.
Southeastern
Outings Weekday Hike
Where: Veterans Park, 4800 Valleydale Road, Hoover,
AL 35242
Details: Come with us on a weekday hike. Enjoy an easy 3-mile hike
on trails in North Shelby County just off Valleydale Road. Veterans Park is an 82-acre park with numerous
walking trails, a four-acre lake and a one-acre pond.
If
you are retired or not working or have off on this particular Thursday, you are
urged to participate in the Southeastern Outings group hike on the trails and
get a feel for the location and scale of the land.
This walk
will be Southeastern Outings’ eighth hike in Veterans Park. Come with us for a guided tour of easily
walkable trails. Please bring water and
wear good walking shoes or boots. Dress appropriately for the weather.
Please meet at 9:45 a.m. in the Veterans Park parking lot right beside the
building with restrooms in it at the park.
We plan to depart from there at 10:00 a.m.
Optional
lunch nearby after the hike at Metro Diner Restaurant in Inverness.
Admission to Park: Free
Information and hike leader: Randall Adkins, 205/719-7719 cell
DIRECTIONS TO MEETING PLACE
Veterans Park-- 4800 Valleydale Road, Hoover, AL 35242. From Birmingham on I-65, take I-65 South to
exit number 247, Valleydale Road, Shelby County Route 17 exit. Drive to the end of the ramp and turn
left. Drive 4.0 miles just past the
Jefferson State Community College Shelby Campus to the traffic light at the
entrance to Spain Park High School (NOT the Spain Park Sports Complex!) and
turn left into the driveway for the Spain Park High School on Jaguar Road. Drive less than 1/10 mile and turn right
into the driveway into Veterans Park.
Drive to the parking lot beside the building with the restrooms in it.
From
U.S. Highway 280 drive to intersection with Valleydale Road, Shelby County
Route 17 and turn right coming from Birmingham, left from Chelsea. Drive about 2.9 miles on Valleydale Road,
Shelby County Route 17, to the traffic light at the entrance to Spain Park High
School (NOT the Spain Park Sports Complex!) and turn right on Jaguar Road. Then follow directions above.
DECEMBER
21, SATURDAY, please meet 8:45 a.m.
Southeastern Outings Dayhike
Where: DeSoto State Park and Lost Falls
Details: Moderately easy hike in DeSoto State Park. We will
hike along the beautiful West Fork of Little River. We’ll also hike various other trails in the park and visit Lost
Falls. We expect to see a total of
eight waterfalls during this hike.
This is one of the most scenic state parks in Alabama.
Note-To view photos
of what we will see on this trip, please click on this link:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/jvLT4A3GbhPpLgQZ2
Please be sure to click on the link and view the photographs.
Well-behaved,
carefully supervised children age 9 and over able to walk about 5 miles without
complaining welcome.
After the
outing we’ll enjoy an optional restaurant dinner together.
Please
meet 8:45 a.m. at the Applebee’s Trussville. We plan to depart from there
at 9:00 a.m.
Info. and Trip Leader: Dan Frederick, southeasternoutings@gmail.com or phone 205-631-4680
DIRECTIONS TO MEETING PLACE
Applebee’s
Restaurant Trussville (coming from Birmingham)—4711 Norrell Drive, Trussville, AL
35173. Take I-59 North to Exit #141
(Chalkville Mountain Road Exit). Exit
I-59 at Exit #141. Drive to traffic
light at far end of interstate exit ramp.
This is at intersection of the exit ramp and Chalkville Mountain Road.
Turn right at the traffic light at the far end of exit ramp. Drive to first road you come to on the left
when you are on Chalkville Mountain Road. This is immediately after you pass a
Texaco gas station on your left and a Shell gas station on your right. Turn left there onto Norrell Drive. Applebee’s Restaurant is on Norrell Drive
directly behind the McDonald’s which faces Chalkville Mountain Road at the far
left corner of that intersection. There
is no longer a stoplight at this intersection.
DECEMBER 28, SATURDAY, please meet 1:45 p.m.
Southeastern Outings Easy Walk
Where: Vulcan Trail inside the City Limits of Birmingham
Details: Enjoy an easy walk in the woodlands overlooking
Birmingham on the Saturday after Christmas.
The trail is level, as it is on an old mining railroad right of way just
below the crest of Red Mountain. This
walk is an ideal activity for those holiday guests who have been in your house
for several days and with whom you are looking for something to do to get them
out of the house. A previous walk on
this trail drew one of the highest number of participants, 67, on any outing
SEO has ever sponsored. Don’t miss it!
Please meet at 1:45 p.m. in the
Vulcan Park and Museum Parking Lot where you would normally park to visit the
statue and Vulcan Park. We plan to
depart from there at 2:00 p.m. We will
walk from the big parking lot a short distance down some new stairs to the
trail head and then on the trail to Green Springs Highway and back. The formerly unpaved section of the Vulcan
Trail has recently been widened and resurfaced.
There is
no charge to participate in this hike and there is no charge for admission to
either Vulcan Park or the trail.
Well-behaved,
carefully supervised children age 7 and older able to walk 4 miles
welcome. After the walk is completed,
there will be an optional dinner at Jim 'N Nick's 11th Avenue Grill at Five
Points South.
Share an
adventure. Bring a friend or friends.
Info: Dan Frederick, southeasterneoutings@gmail.com or
205/631-4680
JANUARY 4, SATURDAY, please meet 8:45 a.m.
Southeastern Outings Dayhike
Where: Brushy
Creek and Sougahoagdee Falls, Bankhead National Forest
Details: The hike
will be 6 miles long and is rated moderate. We will follow a beautiful
trail which runs from the Brushy Creek Bridge along Brushy Creek. At the
intersection of Brushy Creek and Sougahoagdee Creek, we turn and follow
Sougahoagdee Creek less than ¼ mile upstream to Sougahoagdee Falls, one of the
largest and most scenic waterfalls in the entire Bankhead National
Forest.
We usually
observe about eleven waterfalls on this hike. We should also see
lovely cliffs, hemlock trees, canyons and perhaps some additional
waterfalls. If we have time, we may also visit the nearby natural bridge
(not the one at the town of Natural Bridge) in the Natural Bridge
Recreation Area of the Bankhead National Forest.
No charge
for admission to the Bankhead National Forest, the Brushy Creek Trail, and the
Natural Bridge Recreation Area of the Bankhead National Forest.
Carefully-supervised, well-behaved
children age 8 and older welcome.
Please
bring a picnic lunch and water.
Optional
dinner after at a delightful Italian restaurant in Double Springs.
Please
meet 8:45 a.m. at the Hayden-Corner Park and Ride at Exit 284 off of I-65 North. We plan
to depart from there at 9:00 a.m. Or you may meet the group at 9:20 a.m.
at the Mile 300 Rest Area on I-65.
Info: Dan
Frederick, southeasternoutings@gmail.com or
phone 205/631-4680
JANUARY 9, THURSDAY, please meet 9:30 a.m.
Southeastern Outings Leisurely Weekday Hike
Where: Red
Mountain Park
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
JANUARY 12, SUNDAY, please meet 12:45 p.m.
Southeastern Outings Second 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.
Info: Randall Adkins, 205-719-7719
JANUARY 20, SATURDAY
Southeastern Outings Dayhike, Sipsey Wilderness, Bankhead National
Forest
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,
January 18, 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. Note that this is a change from the total number of people
allowed on this hike listed in our original January newsletter. 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 20 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
JANUARY 25, 2025, SATURDAY, please meet 8:45 a.m.
Southeastern Outings Waterfowl Viewing Trip
Where: Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge (WNWR), Decatur, AL
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
