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July and August Activities

AUGUST 3, SATURDAY, Meet 9:45 a.m.

Southeastern Outings Easy River Float

Float Location: Locust Fork River from the Church Street Bridge in Warrior to the U.S. Highway 31 Bridge in Kimberly.

Details: Easy river float on the Locust Fork River.  Float in the river about 2.5 miles downstream, stopping to get in the water at river beaches along the way.

Please bring something to float on such as an inflatable vinyl float.  See float note below for information about acquiring flotation devices.  Dan will bring float air pumps to the put in so you can inflate your floatation device just before you begin the float.

 Please bring a picnic lunch with you from home or pick your lunch up BEFORE you arrive at the meeting place.  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 tie your pack 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 at a convenient stopping place along the river.  Have fun and cool off swimming in the river as we float down it.  For this river float both the put in and the take out are a very short walk from the edge of the river, so there will be very little walking in the heat involved!  We will provide a shuttle for vehicle drivers from the end point back to the start point before we start paddling.  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. 

Please bring a friend or several if you wish.  Please meet in the parking lot at the McDonald’s Restaurant/Exxon Service Station, 300 Cane Creek Road in Warrior at the I-65 Exit 282 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, hear announcements concerning the day’s event, and form carpools from the McDonald’s. 

Please note that reservations are NOT required for this event!

Info: Dan Frederick, southeasternoutings@gmail.com or 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.  He also has 60-inch-long inflatable floats for sale for $15 each. These floats are available ONLY at the start of the river floats.  Please pay either with exact change or a check made out to SEO.  First come, first served.

 

AUGUST 10, SATURDAY, please meet 8:00 a.m.

Southeastern Outings Kayak and Canoe Trip on the Elk River near Elkmont, Alabama

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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. 

Please note that for this trip you may rent one person sit-in plastic kayaks and paddles for $20 per person or you may rent two-person canoes also for $20 per person from Flint Creek Canoe and Kayak Rental.  This outfitter has 26 tandem

(2-person) canoes for rent and 13 one person sit-in kayaks to rent.  Please note that this outfitter currently has NO sit-upon kayaks to rent.

Also, the outfitter will charge a $20 per person fee for all privately-owned boats, be they canoes or kayaks, used on this outing. 

Please note that this outfitter does not have an actual office per se.  Therefore, the outfitter requires that all participants remit their boat rental and shuttle fees to me and I pay our entire group’s fees to the outfitter with a single check on the SEO checking account.  So please be prepared to pay your boat rental or shuttle fee with exact change cash or a check made out to SEO (NOT to Dan Frederick) on the day of the outing.  Credit cards are not accepted.

If you rent a boat from this outfitter, the outfitter will bring your rented boat to the put in and meet you there.  He 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 boat rental fee for those who rent boats from the outfitter. 

If you wish to rent a kayak or canoe from the outfitter, please notify Dan Frederick, southeasternoutings@gmail.com or phone 205/631-4680 BEFORE August 10 to reserve your boat.

If you want to come on the August 10 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 Dan Frederick and notify him that you are coming!  Dan will inform the outfitter how many rental kayaks and canoes he 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. 

Note that the outfitter is giving us a $5 per person discount off his regular prices if we bring more than 5 people in our group.  We have always had many more than 5 people on our kayak and canoe outings, so we are quoting the rates we anticipate being charged on this outing.

Children able to swim and age 10 and over welcome.

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 Eye’s in Athens, Alabama.  You will be able to use the very large restrooms and change clothes and wash up there in relative comfort if you wish.

Please meet 8:00 a.m. at the Jacks parking lot near the Hayden/Corner Park and Ride.  We plan to depart from there at 8:15 a.m.

Reservations Required: You must call Dan Frederick, 205/631-4680 or email souheasternoutings@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 the notes below.

Info. and trip leader: If you have questions, please call Dan Frederick, 205/631-4680 or email southeasternoutings@gmail.com.

 

AUGUST 17, SATURDAY, Meet 9:15 a.m.

Southeastern Outings Easy River Float

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Note-This is the river float outing originally scheduled for June 22 and postponed because the water flow rate in the river on June 22 was too slow.

Where: Locust Fork River from near River Road to the Mount Olive Road Bridge

Details: Easy river float on the Locust Fork River.  Float in the river about 3.8 miles downstream to the new Mount Olive Road Bridge possibly stopping at river beaches along the way.  Bring something to float on such as an inflatable vinyl float or tube.  See float note below for information about acquiring flotation devices.

Also please bring a picnic lunch with you from home or pick your lunch up BEFORE you arrive at the meeting place.  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 tie your pack 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 at a convenient stopping place along the river.  Have fun swimming in the pools in the river along the way.  We will walk for about 30-40 minutes through the woods to get from River Road to the start point of our float.  We will provide a shuttle for drivers from the end point back to the start point before we start paddling.  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. 

Please bring a friend or several if you wish.  Please meet at the Wal-Mart Gardendale parking lot no later than 9:15 a.m. ready to depart promptly at 9:30 a.m.  Arriving 15 minutes before departure time will allow time to use the restrooms in the Wal-Mart, purchase a float from Southeastern Outings if you want to buy one, hear announcements concerning the day’s event, and form carpools from the Wal-Mart. 

Please note that reservations are NOT requested or required for this event!

Info: Dan Frederick, email southeasternoutings@gmail.com or phone 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 now has 72-inch-long floats for sale for $23 each and 60-inch-long floats for sale for $15 each ONLY at the start of the 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 or tube at the start point of the river float.

 

AUGUST 24, SATURDAY, please meet 8:45 a.m.

Southeastern Outings Kayak and Canoe Trip, Chattooga River near Gaylesville, Alabama

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Details: This will be Southeastern Outings’ fourth 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.  Seventeen Southeastern Outings people participated in our kayak and canoe trip on the Chattooga River on June 23, 2023 and fourteen SEO people participated in our trip there on September 30,  2023.

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

The kayak and canoe outing 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.

 

AUGUST 31, SATURDAY, please meet 9:45 a.m.

Southeastern Outings Kayak and Canoe Outing, Big Wills Creek near Gadsden, Alabama. 

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Details: This will be Southeastern Outings’ sixteenth kayak and canoe 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 and one or two-person (tandem) sit-upon plastic kayaks and paddles from Big Wills Outfitters.

Here is the schedule of outfitter charges-Note cash only!):

1.    solo kayaks each $30

2.    canoes and tandem kayaks $50 each

3.    shuttle fee per boat for owned rather than rented boats $10

Rental fees include paddles, 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 Saturday, August 31 at 256/538-3226 to reserve your boat.  Tell the outfitter you are boating with Southeastern Outings.  Please note that the outfitter has only 4 canoes and 57 one-person sit-upon kayaks and 5 tandem (2-person) sit-upon 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 31, 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 beside the creek at the outfitter’s take out.  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 at the outfitter’s, stopping along the way as often as we want to.

Well-behaved, properly supervised children age 10 and over welcome.

After the canoe and kayak trip we are probably going to a restaurant in Attalla for dinner.  Our going to dinner depends on what time we finish boating.  If you would like to have dinner with us at the restaurant after the kayak and canoe trip, please bring a change of clothes.  A changing room is available at the outfitter’s.

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 31 kayak and canoe trip AND you are renting a boat from the outfitter at the site of the trip, you are required in this instance to call the BOTH the outfitter to reserve your boat AND ALSO contact Dan Frederick to notify him that you are coming!  Please do not just show up for this outing at the meeting place without making advance reservations!  Please meet 9:45 a.m. at the Applebee’s in Trussville.  We plan to depart from there at 10:00 a.m.  For more essential information about this trip, please see Note for Kayak and Canoe Trips below.

Info. and trip leader: If you have questions or would like additional information about this outing, please call Dan Frederick 205/631-4680 or email southeasternoutings@gmail.com.