August and September Activities
SEPTEMBER 16, SATURDAY, Meet 9:00 a.m.
Cave Tour and Leisurely Weekday hike
Where: Cathedral Caverns State Park, Woodville, Alabama
Reservations Required
If you want to come on this outing, you must call trip leader Bonnie Black,
205-994-5434 before noon on Monday, September 11 so that we can abide by the Park’s group tour reservation deadline policy. Please give Bonnie your name, age, telephone number including area code, and email address if you have one. Cave tour admission arrangements for participants who register by this deadline will be compliments of Southeastern Outings.
Details: Tour one of Alabama’s largest developed caves. After we arrive at the park, you can use the restrooms and eat your lunch. We then are required to assemble together at 11:45 a.m. right outside the cave entrance for our tour which starts at 12:00 noon sharp. The cave, which maintains a constant temperature of 60 degrees Fahrenheit, includes a very large entrance and several beautiful formations.
The cave tour walk with tour guide is 1.5 miles in length and takes 1.5 hours. Following the cave tour we will hike in the park through hardwood forests on gentle slopes and through grassy meadows.
Please bring your picnic lunch and water with you.
Optional dinner in Guntersville after the outing concludes.
Please meet 9:00 a.m. at the Hayden/Corner Park and Ride, 171 State Highway 160, Warrior, AL 35180. We plan to depart from there at 9:15 a.m.
Remember—Reservations for this outing are required before noon on Monday, September 11!!
Information and Trip Leader: Bonnie Black, 205-994-5434
SEPTEMBER 23, SATURDAY, please meet 9:45 a.m.
Southeastern Outings Easy River Float, Picnic, Swim, Short, Moderate Dayhike
Where: Locust Fork from Swann Bridge to Powell Falls near Cleveland, AL
Click for More Pictures
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 1.2 miles, 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 one or two waterfalls—all along a 1.2-mile stretch of this river. Bring something to float on such as an inflatable, rectangular vinyl float. See float note below for information about acquiring floats.
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 people wait while you take time to have your lunch prepared after you arrive at the meeting place at 9:45 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 strap the pack to your back or tie it 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 be on the huge flat rock in the middle of the river beside the waterfall. Have fun swimming and floating in the pool at the base of the rock, jumping into the pool, 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 9 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. 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.
Please bring a friend or several if you wish. Please be at the Cleveland Chevron Service Station no later than 9:45 a.m. ready to depart promptly at 10:00 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.
Reservations are NOT required for this event.
Info. And Trip Leader: Dan Frederick, email southeasternoutings@gmail.com or phone 205/631-4680
SEPPTEMBER 28, THURSDAY, Meet 9:00 a.m.
Southeastern Outings leisurely weekday, approximately 1.9-mile dayhike on the Black Creek Trail in the Gardendale and Brookside Areas, just north of Birmingham
Click for More Pictures
Details: You are invited to participate in an easy and leisurely-paced, fun Southeastern Outings short dayhike on a short portion of the Black Creek Trail a rails-to-trails conversion route on an old railroad right of way. This smooth trail is wide and level. No hills! This finely-crushed rock surface trail goes through mostly wooded terrain.
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.
Note that the trail has been extended recently. Our route on September 28 will include both a portion of the previously-hiked section and the new section. So come out to see and experience what the new part looks like! Total hike distance is about 1.9 miles.
No motorized vehicles are allowed on the trail! This outing should be lots of fun for everyone.
We may go for lunch immediately after the hike is completed.
This outing has consistently been one of our most popular events since it is easy and close to Birmingham.
Please meet at the Wal-Mart Gardendale parking lot at 9:45 a.m. We plan to depart from there at 10:00 a.m.
Trip Leader: Christine Heckemeyer, 205-979-5730
SEPTEMBER
30, SATURDAY, please meet 8:45 a.m.
Southeastern Outings Kayak and Canoe Trip, Chattooga River
near Gaylesville, Alabama
Details: This
will be Southeastern Outings’ third group trip on the Chattooga River. Seven Southeastern Outings members kayaked
and canoed this stretch of river on an initial scouting trip September 23,
2022. Everyone who participated agreed
that this part of the river is easy to negotiate and highly suitable for
boaters of varying abilities to paddle.
The service provided by the outfitter was outstanding.
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.
Please note that for this trip you
may rent plastic kayaks and paddles from Tooga Yaks.
Here is the schedule of outfitter
charges:
1. solo sit-upon kayaks each $30. Kayak rental fee includes rent of the kayak,
life jacket and paddles.
2. shuttle fee per boat for owned rather
than rented boats $10
Please note that the outfitter has for rent about 70
one-person sit-upon kayaks.
The outfitter takes most all types of
payment including cash, credit/debit cards, Venmo, cash app and checks.
This
outfitter does not have canoes to rent.
Rental fees include paddles, life
jackets and shuttle service. If you rent a boat from this outfitter, the
outfitter will shuttle you and your rented boat from the outfitter’s office to
the put in 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 a fee to shuttle your privately-owned boat used on this
outing.
When we arrive at the outfitter’s,
you will sign a waiver, pay your shuttle or boat rental fee, and use the
restrooms. Then the outfitter will transport all our people and our
boats, both rented and owned, to the put in. We will then paddle down the
river to the take out, stopping as often as we want to. We will take out
at the outfitter’s place where our cars are.
We plan to
go for an optional dinner on the way back to Birmingham. Our outfitter has recommended a good place
near his office, 10-15 minutes away, in Cedar Bluff. It’s called Smorgasbord at
the Cove. It’s located on Weiss Lake and serves a variety of food such as steak,
pasta, shrimp, southern cuisine, and homemade desserts.
If you would like to shower and/or
wear dry clothes for the drive home or in order to go to dinner with us, please
bring your shower things and/or a change of clothes to be kept in the
car. You may change clothes and/or shower in the outfitter’s
exceptionally clean, spacious restrooms complete with toilets, washbowls,
running water, hot showers, and plenty of floor space.
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.
Please do not just show up for
this outing at the meeting place without making advance
reservations! And please advise
Dan if you plan to meet the group initially at the outfitter’s instead of at
the designated Birmingham Area meeting place.
Please meet 8:45 a.m. at the
Applebee’s in Trussville. 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: If you
have questions or would like additional information about this kayak and canoe
trip, please call Dan Frederick, 205/631-4680 or email southeasternoutings@gmail.com.
Note for Kayak and Canoe Trips
Life jackets or personal flotation
devices are required and must be worn.
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 Dan Frederick, 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 kayak or canoe
3.
Your name
4.
Your telephone number/and or email address
Revised Southeastern Outings Covid 19 Pandemic Information
Most of you are already familiar with the stay-at-home
orders issued by the Governor of Alabama.
The Governor stated, “A person may leave his or her place of residence to participate in outdoor activity 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 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.
Optional potluck dinner parties 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 outdoors where there are not many other people present is considerably safer at this time than being 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.
