Upcoming Activities
AUGUST 29, WEDNESDAY, 8:45 a.m.
Southeastern Outings Kayak and Canoe Trip
Where: Flint River near Brownsboro, Alabama
Details: This will be Southeastern Outings’ fifth group trip on the Flint River. 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.
Novice canoeists are welcome and may come on this trip, but each novice canoeist must be partnered with an experienced canoeist in their canoe.
The outfitter, TGL Adventures, has for rent 1 tandem canoe, 50 new one-person sit-upon kayaks, 6 tandem kayaks and 6 sit in solo kayaks.
We thank SEO member Wendy Plash for observing the signs for this outfitter while she was kayaking on the Flint River and then referring us to TGL Adventures.
Here is the schedule of outfitter charges:
- solo kayaks (both sit-upon and sit-in) each $40
- tandem (2-person) canoes $60 each
- tandem sit upon kayaks $60 each
- shuttle fee per boat for owned rather than rented boats $15
Life jackets, paddles and shuttle service are included in the rental boat fee for those who rent boats from the outfitter. If you rent a boat from this outfitter, the outfitter will shuttle you and your rented boat from the take out back to the outfitter’s office 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.
When we arrive at the outfitter’s, you will sign a waiver, pay your shuttle or boat rental fee, use the restroom, and then we’ll put in the river at the outfitter’s. We will then paddle down the river to the take out, stopping as often as we want to. The outfitter’s vehicles will meet us at the take out and transport us and our boats back to the outfitter’s office where our cars are.
Well-behaved, properly supervised children able to swim and age 10 and over welcome.
After the canoe and kayak trip we are going to a nearby restaurant for an optional dinner. If you would like to wear dry clothes for the drive home or to go to dinner, please bring a change of clothes to be kept in the car. The outfitter has changing rooms. There is a shower you can use in one of the changing rooms.
Reservations Required: You must contact Dan Frederick, email southeasternoutings@gmail.com 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. If you want to come on the August 29 SEO kayak and canoe trip AND you are renting a boat from the outfitter at the site of the trip, in this instance you are required to call or contact ONLY the trip leader and notify him that you are coming! Dan will inform the outfitter how many and what type of rental boats he will need to provide to SEO people for this trip. Also, if you decide to meet us at some place other than the meeting place specified in this announcement, please notify Dan in advance and directly of this fact. Please do not just show up for this outing without making advance reservations!
Please meet 8:45 a.m. at the Hayden/Corner Park and Ride at Exit 284 off of I-65 North of Birmingham. We plan to depart from there at 9:00 a.m. For more essential information about this trip, please see Note for Kayak and Canoe Trips below.
Information and Trip Leader: Dan Frederick, email southeasternoutings@gmail.com, landline 205/631-4680 If you have questions or would like additional information about this trip, please email Dan Frederick.
Note for Kayak and Canoe Trips The kayak and canoe outings listed in the announcements above are 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 boat from the outfitter(s) listed above.
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, thick-soled 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 cord attached to your own boat. If you have further questions, please call the trip leader. When you make your kayak and canoe trip reservation with the trip leader, please be absolutely certain to provide ALL of the following information:
- Whether you want to kayak or canoe
- Whether you are renting a boat and what kind or bringing your own boat (kayak or canoe)
- Your name
- Your telephone number and/or email address
- 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”.
- If you are canoeing, please give your skill level.
- 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.
- Please do NOT just show up at the meeting place for a kayak and canoe trip without making an advance reservation!!
- If you have made a reservation to participate and then decide to cancel, please be absolutely sure to call and notify the trip leader 1 ½ hours or more before the event departure time. Don’t just tell your friend if you intend to cancel!!
- If you have made a reservation for a friend whom you have invited to come on this trip and your friend is not coming, you must notify the leader of this cancellation 1 ½ hours or more before the event departure time! No-shows cause considerable logistical complications for the leader and for the outfitter!
- Anyone who wants to come on this outing MUST make a reservation with the leader by Thursday, September 3, 2026 at 5:00 p.m.
- You are welcome to invite friends or family, but you are required to request and receive approval from the leader to bring any guests with you BEFORE you tell those you invite that they definitely may come. Please make this policy clear to those you invite when you invite them. Please do NOT just show up with additional people not cleared in advance. They will be sent home. If you want to bring people other than yourself on this outing, please give Dan Frederick the first and last NAMES of those other people.
- If you or anyone you want to bring with you is placed on the wait list, you are required to give the leader a telephone number where they can be reached in the event that they are transferred from the wait list to the list of approved participants as a result of cancellations. On a previous outing five people who were so transferred did not check their email notices that they were approved for transfer and thus did not show up. As a consequence, they deprived others on the wait list from coming on the outing.
- Please note that if you or anyone you invite who is approved cancels, please do not substitute, try to substitute or think you can substitute a family member or friend in place of a previously registered participant who has cancelled. When you register, you are not reserving a place for anyone but yourself or those people coming with you who are initially registered and approved. All substitutions will be made BY THE OUTING LEADER from the wait list in the order in which they are received. It is unfair to those on the wait list for you to fill a vacancy with a friend when others asked the leader to participate before you informed the leader of your cancellation.
- If you decide to cancel, if you do not inform the leader of your cancellation, and if you are just a no-show, you will not be permitted to participate in any future Southeastern Outings events where the number of participants is limited.
- Please do not register yourself or any guests unless you are absolutely certain that they are free on September 5 and they definitely want to come on the outing. In the past we have had as many as 22 people cancel participating in a single outing after they signed up for an outing where the number of participants was limited. We don’t want “possibilities,” “undecideds,” or “might comes” to register for ANY Southeastern Outings event for which the number of participants is limited!
- 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 wait list from participating. Please don’t be a no-show. If you aren’t coming after making a reservation, please call Dan.
SEPTEMBER 5, SATURDAY
Southeastern Outings Dayhike and Beautiful Creek Wade
Where: : Quillan Creek, Sipsey Wilderness, Bankhead National Forest
Details: This outing will be exciting, scenic and lots of fun! Those who participated in this outing in years past found it to be one of the most beautiful natural areas we have ever seen anywhere! There are numerous (about twelve) beautiful, waterfalls in Quillan and various side creeks. We can actually walk up and right through an extensive, gently sloping cascade easily. Quillan Creek is located in a heavily-forested area with hemlock trees and high banks alongside.
Participants on this hike must: be able and willing to walk at least 4 ½ miles off trail over rugged terrain including wading 1½ miles in a creek which is sometimes knee deep, wear hiking boots and long pants to hike to and from the creek, and bring and wear shorts or swim suits and wading shoes for the creek wade. Sturdy foot protection is required. Old sneakers work fine, but please no bare feet, flimsy beach shoes, flip flops or loose slip-ons! Please don’t come if you are unwilling to get wet! Also please do bring a large plastic bag with twist tie or large Ziploc bag in which to put your wet shoes and also bring a hand towel to dry your feet before putting your socks and hiking boots back on for the walk out. We strongly recommend that you bring two sturdy hiking poles for wading in the creek. Using poles as you walk in the stream will substantially reduce the chance of your falling while wading in the creek!
Please bring picnic lunch, drink, and daypack. A change of clothes (dry underwear also advised) to be left in the car is also recommended. Rated moderately strenuous due to the entire hike being off trail, some elevation gain, and the need to walk in the creek a good portion of the time. Well-behaved, carefully supervised children age 10 and over welcome.
Please come with us September 5 and help count waterfalls.
After the outing we are planning to go to a restaurant for an optional dinner. If you would like to have dinner with us at the restaurant and if you would like to wash up and change clothes for dinner, we suggest that you bring soap, a washcloth, towel and a complete change of clothes with you to be kept in the car during the stream wade. After the outing is completed, you can wash up and change clothes in the spacious restrooms at the restaurant in Double Springs.
Reservations Required: If you wish to participate in this outing, you are required to call Dan Frederick, 205/631-4680 or email southeasternoutings@gmail.com by 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 3. Please do not try to reserve a place on this outing after 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 3. When you contact Dan, please be sure you leave your phone number and 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. At a later date leader will advise meeting time and place only to those who are confirmed for this trip.
Please observe the following policies and procedures regarding this outing:
Information and Trip Leader: Dan Frederick, email southeasternoutings@gmail.com, landline 205/631-4680
SEPTEMBER 12, SATURDAY, 8:45 a.m.
Southeastern Outings Kayak and Canoe Trip
Where: : Elk River near Elkmont, Alabama
Details: The six-mile 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.
Many of our members have expressed a desire to paddle once again on this stretch of the Elk River. We are extremely grateful to Dan’s daughter, Aree Frederick, who has agreed to provide outfitting services to our entire group for this outing. For this trip you may rent one-person plastic kayaks and paddles for $30 or you may rent two-person canoes for $40 from Aree. She has for rent about 75 one-person sit-upon kayaks and about 30 tandem (two-person) canoes.
If you rent a boat from Aree, she will bring your rented boat to the put in and meet you there. She will also 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 the boat rental fee for those who rent boats from Aree Frederick.
If you wish to rent a kayak or canoe from Aree, please notify Dan Frederick, southeasternoutings@gmail.com or phone 205/631-4680 BEFORE September 12 to reserve your boat.
If you want to come on the September 12 SEO kayak and canoe trip AND you are renting a boat from Aree at the site of the trip, in this instance you are required to call or contact ONLY Dan Frederick and notify him that you are coming! Dan will inform Aree how many rental kayaks and canoes she will need to provide to SEO people for this trip.
This is a new outfitter for Southeastern Outings. Both of the two Elk River outfitters we used previously closed their businesses. However, we will still boat on the same stretch of the Elk River as we have done previously. Until 2024 we have been unable to sponsor a trip on this river for four years because we could not identify an outfitter who would provide boat rental services to us.
You may bring your own kayak or canoe on this outing. You will not have to pay a shuttle fee to Aree because boat owners on this trip will run their own shuttle.
Children able to swim and age 10 and over welcome.
Southeastern Outings is both honored and privileged to inform you that this outing will be co-sponsored by the Alabama and Tennessee Alumni of Middlebury College. The College is located in Middlebury, Vermont. We hope to have some Middlebury College Alumni participate with us on this outing.
After the kayak/canoe trip we will go for dinner at an excellent Italian 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. After the kayak and canoe outing is completed, we plan to schedule a stop at the Buck Ee’s near Athens, Alabama. If you wish, you will be able to use the very large restrooms and change clothes and wash up there in relative comfort before you come to the restaurant for dinner with us and/or drive home.
Please meet 8:45 a.m. at the Hayden/Corner Park and Ride at Exit #284 off I-65 North. We plan to depart from there at 9:00 a.m. For more essential information about this trip, please see Note for Kayak and Canoe Trips below.
Reservations Required: You must call Dan Frederick, 205/631-4680 or email southeasternoutings@gmail.com 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 put in 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 put in.
Please do not make it necessary for Dan to contact you concerning information which you have already received in this announcement and in the notes below.
Information and Trip Leader: Dan Frederick, email southeasternoutings@gmail.com, landline 205/631-4680
Note for Kayak and Canoe TripsThe 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 boat from the outfitter(s) listed above.
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, thick-soled 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 cord attached to your own boat. If you have further questions, please call the trip leader.
SEPTEMBER 26, SATURDAY, 9:45 a.m.
Southeastern Outings River Float, Picnic, Swim
Where: : Locust Fork River from Taylor’s Ford through Cornelius Falls in Blount County near Royal, AL
Details:Easy river float on the Locust Fork River. Float in the river from Taylor’s Ford through Cornelius Falls and below. We’ll float downstream to the widest waterfall on the Locust Fork River. Enjoy eating your picnic lunch sitting on the rocks overlooking the waterfall. This is one of the prettiest lunch spots we have ever seen in Alabama. As we float, we’ll also view sheer cliffs that rise high above the river. So, enjoy a flowing river, high rock bluffs and a gorgeous waterfall—all along a nearly uninhabited stretch of this river. Please bring a picnic lunch, drink, sunscreen and something to float on such as an inflatable vinyl float. See Float Note below for additional information.
Please bring a towel, your picnic lunch and drinking water. Wear swimsuit and sturdy footwear you don’t mind getting wet and dirty. Old sneakers work well. Bare feet, flip-flops, slip-ons and thin-soled “beach shoes” are not acceptable! You must be able to swim to participate in this outing!
Have fun swimming in the pools in the river and just sitting in Cornelius Falls. Well-behaved, properly supervised children age 8 and up able to swim welcome, but parents are responsible for all risks to their children.
Please bring a friend or several if you wish. Please meet 9:45 a.m. at the Cleveland Chevron. We plan to depart from there at 10:00 a.m.
Information and Trip Leader: Dan Frederick, email southeasternoutings@gmail.com, landline 205/631-4680
River Float Note: Substantial, fabric-covered, inflatable, vinyl, rectangular floats like you use to ride the waves at the Gulf of Mexico work best. Now, after six years, trip leader Dan Frederick finally has 72-inch-long inflatable floats for sale for $23 each. Dan also has 60-inch-long inflatable floats for sale for $15 each. These floats are available ONLY at the start of Southeastern Outings river floats. Please pay either with exact change or a check made out to SEO. First come, first served.
Dan will provide hand float pumps to pump up your float 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.
