It began several months ago with a phone call from Todd Hobbs, Scoutmaster of Troop 735 in Dallas, Georgia, who was looking for a 3 or 4 day kayak trip down the Etowah River for a small group of Boy Scouts plus several adults.Several months later the plan was to meet at 10:30am Thursday, July 8, 2010, at The Outside World on GA400 . From there it was a 3 mile drive to the Hwy 53 Bridge where the group would start their downriver journey. During their 4 day, 3 nights event, they would paddle 65 miles through Dawson, Forsyth and Cherokee Counties to the Knox Road Bridge Park at the backwaters of Lake Allatoona, for their take-out location on Sunday.

Never knowing how a trip will go, this one couldn’t have gone much better.

• Starting Put-in GPS: N34-22-910, W084-03-812
• Starting time: 11:35am Thursday, July 8, 2010

Starting at Hwy 53 it is always amusing to watch everyone packing their gear into the kayaks for the first time, but they did it like pros. Then they dragged the kayaks down the bank to the river and climbed in. The river was a little murky from the rains and up a couple inches from the normal flow, which would help us out. What you need to know is that natural, small rivers like the Etowah, are full of rocks of all sizes, tree stumps and trees. Trees totally blocking the channel had been mysteriously removed by a good Samaritan, but the other things would be interesting obstacles for them to paddle over, around, or under. A few times, they would cause an unscheduled swim and a laugh from the others or just plain fun. Paddling (kayaking) is a water sport, so getting wet is just one of the things that happens and there were several unscheduled swims. Who was first, who was last and who swam the most will remain a Boy Scout secret.

This is a stub post (empty post ready for the true content to be added soon).

Back in September 2009, there was some flooding in Georgia that set new records for ‘High Water Marks’ all over the various river basins.

Richard and Doc went out after the storms and took these photo’s of the Etowah River/Amicalola Creek areas in Dawson County, GA. This is the area of the Etowah-X Fall 2009 trip the following week…

No doubt, once the flood levels subsided, there would be some flood debris cleanup required…

This is information from our 9.5 hour, 20.8 miles kayak trip. The trip consisted of 18.8 miles on the Amicalola River starting at Lindsay Ford (Six Mile / DNR Campground) to the Etowah River and 2 miles down the Etowah River to Kelly Bridge in recreational kayaks. It was quite a trip. Mileage was documented using a Garmin 76CS GPS.

Below is some general information for the benefit of readers who do not know the river.

Section I is a Class I/II creek. The creek is very boney (rocky) at a flow level of 0.63 but a safe trip for beginners. At this level, the ledges allow you to paddle up to them and scout ahead without being uncontrollably washed over them. Plan on getting stuck on rocks many times. Some of the bedrock is angled and some is flat. The flat rock is the hardest to see. Near the Hwy 53 Bridge there is a 3 foot ledge that should be scouted. There are a couple of areas where the route will take you along the bank where the branches (strainers) of shrubs can drag one out of their kayak.

Section II is a Class III/IV (V) creek. A few hundred yards below the Hwy 53 Bridge is an area know as ‘Edge-of-the-World’ for good reason. I read about this area but was impressed when I actually saw it. Special note: The area is a massive, solid rock formation and extremely slippery. The rock in the water is extremely slippery and the exposed rock becomes slippery after getting wet. I would believe more people are hurt falling in this area. Below ‘Edge-of-the-World’, the river is a little wilder than Section I with a few more ledges.

The water level on this date was adequate for what we wanted to accomplish, yet we dragged and got stuck many times on rocks. The ledges were fun and scouted for safety as well as navigability. Scouting is important. It doesn’t tell you how you will do, it shows you the best route and what to prepare for.

Our trip started Saturday morning at 9:30 am when Traci, Cindy, Doc and I slipped our kayaks into Amicalola Creek at the Lindsey Access (Six Mile put-in / DNR Campground)

GPS put-in coordinates: N 34 – 28 – 556; W 084 – 14 – 535

USGS River gage: was 0.63

There were many flowers (whose names I do not know) in bloom that I photographed.

At 0.63 the river is rocky, but much better than out trip the previous Sunday at 0.53. We had fun paddling around obvious rocks, or some how getting unstuck from the unmarked sneaky ones just below the surface. After 2.5 hours we took our first break and were surprised to find out that we had only paddled 3.7 miles. This was our first indication that it was going to be a long day. Our second indication was at the Hwy 53 Bridge which was supposed to be a 6 mile trip was 8.6 miles. By looking at the USGS gage you can see the river level drops as fast as it rises and it was dropping as we paddled. Our second stop was at the big rock formation on river-right, just before the take-out at the Hwy 53 Bridge. None of us wore spray skirts (even though we had them with us) so we were constantly sponging or pumping water out of our boats. We did have some folks who went swimming but that’s the beauty of a water sport. There were 2 dead-falls on this section that we had to exit our kayaks and climb over.

We knew from reading about Section II of the place below Hwy 53 called ‘Edge-of-the-World’, but didn’t expect what we found. It was wild and beautiful. For a recreational paddler, wild is an understatement. After walking around and looking for a route, I decided to give it a try in my CD Kestrel 120HV. Having only the nylon spray skirt with me, I opted to paddle without it, which wasn’t a good idea. After the first drop, the kayak filled partially with water so I stopped and emptied it before making the second drop. On the second drop, the kayak took on about 5 gallons of water which was ignored (another bad idea). The last drop filled the kayak three quarters full, but we made it around the rocks to the recovery pool. My second run of the ‘Edge-of-the-World’ was in a WS Pungo 120 without a skirt. Thank goodness I like to swim and that’s about all I can say about that run, other than don’t paddle a WS Pungo 120 in Class III/IV with or without a skirt! My third run was in a WS Tsunami 125 with a skirt. They say the third one is a charm and this was the charm. The Tsunami paddled like a dream. It made a 120 degree left turn on a dime, dropped about 6 feet, went totally underwater, popped up and made a sharp 90 degree right turn, went over the second drop, totally submerged, popped up and headed for drop number 3, dropped, submerged and popped up again! I have to say that this was a dream run. My fourth run was in a WS Tsunami 120. Not much to tell about this one other than I had another good swim. Below ‘Edge-of-the-World’ and before the island on river-left there was a tree blocking the best route over this ledge, so we paddled down a tricky section just to the right of the tree.

There are several more significant ledges on down river, but after a day of paddling this stuff they were just ledges. Lots of rocks, lots of navigating, lots of dragging and getting stuck on rocks. Paddling on the Etowah River is completely different than paddling on the Amicalola.but it was fun. After what we had just paddled through, paddling on the Etowah is like paddling on slow moving lake water.

It was 7:10pm when we arrrived at Kelly Bridge and the GPS reading was 20.8 miles. It was 18.6 miles from Lindsey Ford to the confluence with the Etowah River.

Conclusion:

The upper 6 miles section was 8.6 (river) miles

The lower 9.75 miles section was 12.2 (river) miles

Time on the river including lunch: 9.5 hours

= One GREAT paddling day!

I have a few videos of the ‘Edge of the World’ ledge area… It would be best if you followed the album link to watch these directly from Google!

Tracy has a few good videos and photo’s in here album too!

My typical Sunday paddle usually starts out meeting Doc for a 6:00am breakfast at the Huddle House in Cumming, but this wasn’t a typical paddle and I was an invited guest. Doc, two of his friends and I were going to paddle the upper section of Amicalola Creek.

After a 7:30am breakfast Doc and I drove to what was going to be our take out, the park at the Hwy 53 Bridge (crossing Amicalola Creek about 6 miles west of Dawsonville), where we met Gary and Kenneth. From there we drove up to the 6 Mile put-in. This is Dawson County Park which has good access as well as camping.

I’m not sure what time it was when we finally started downstream. It wasn’t important. Neither Doc nor I had been down this creek but it was on our list. River level wasn’t important either. We wanted to see what it was like and then we could watch the USGS gage and decide when to paddle it again. The river gage on this day was 0.53 and for you readers this is a boney level so plan on dragging bottom and getting stuck on the rocks many times. There are a few surprising drops and it may have potential to be an exciting river at higher levels, providing the ledges aren’t washed out. We did a lot of navigating around rocks and a lot of scooting over the rocks we got stuck on. There are so many rocks you couldn’t miss them all. Two deadfalls completely blocked the river which required us to get out of our kayaks and drag them over the fallen trees. If they are gone when you paddle through, then Doc and I probably removed them with our chainsaws…but don’t tell anyone. The scenery in this section is beautiful and there aren’t any houses.  At a place called “The Devil’s Elbow” you find a 30-40 bank to jump off or a rope swing which ever you choose. We passed on both.

We had a fun day on the river even though it took longer than we expected. We spent about 7 hours paddling the 6 miles. I haven’t checked the mileage but will take my GPS the next time we paddle this section. The next trip on the Amicalola Creek will be the wild and scenic Section 2, from the Hwy 53 Bridge down to the Etowah River and Kelly Bridge.

We were not able to do the clean-up because the river was muddy, but it didn’t stop us from having a good paddle trip.

As planned, we met at 8:00am in Roswell’s Azalea Park. For those who don’t know, the Chattahoochee River at Azalea Park is actually a lake. Some 4.5 miles down stream of Azalea Park is Georgia Power’s Morgan Falls Dam which creates this lake, known as Bull Sluice Lake. Saturday morning the lake water was muddy brown and higher than normal due to the previous week’s rain. And because it rained most of Friday night this was no surprise. Experienced paddlers adapt to last minute changes.

We knew from experience that we wouldn’t be able to do the aluminum can clean up so we left the tools and bags in our vehicles. The high water level meant that we would be in for a faster than normal 14+ mile trip. Normally the trip from Medlock Bridge to Azalea Park would take 5-6 hours including a lunch stop but today the rock garden shoals at Jones Bridge and Island Ford would be under water.

It was a quick 5 miles to Garrard Landing (Holcomb Bridge) where we made our first stop to stretch our legs. The higher river level at the boat ramp made this a nice place to stop. The mud bar at the normal level was pleasantly underwater so we were able to paddle to a clean ramp.

At the Jones Bridge ramp we saw a couple of paddlers getting ready to go paddling. There were a few rocks visible here but the river was navigable river-wide.

Our next stop was just before Island Ford Shoals. We stopped for lunch at the big rock in the river on river left where two smaller channels split off the main river. During normal level the wide main channel is shallow and difficult. The middle section is scenic and the left channel borders residential property. Lunch was filled with joyful conversation and rehashing old memories.

Island Ford Shoals were underwater and the river was high enough for some to paddle on the right side of the islands along the roadway.

We arrived at Azalea Park around 2:00am. The 5-6 hour trip took 4-4.5 hours and ended at the North River Tavern over a late-late lunch or early dinner.

It was a good day on the river and we welcomed our newest member Bill Hansford.

This was a 3 day, 3 night, self-sufficient kayak camping trip from the Lake Weiss Diversionary Dam to Sam Davis’ backyard in Gadsden, Alabama. Paddlers on the trip were: Larry Johnson, Chris, Sam Davis and Richard Grove.

The trip started on Monday, July 20, 2009 at the Diversionary Dam Park located on the southwest side of the the dam. It has a large parking lot and a locked gate blocking the road down to the put-in. Although we made several trips to get our gear and kayak to the river, I don’t think anyone measured the distance. After the lengthy walk to the ramp, the slope and length of the ramp become the final interesting part of this portage. The gravel road to the ramp is quite visible even though the weeds were getting tall. The ramp is concrete and you’ll need good legs and a strong back to get your gear there.

Chris’s pictures are below:

Once we got to our campsite we paddled upriver to get a closer look of dam and take pictures. . This was play time and everyone wanted to spend more time on the water. Water flow is cut off by the dam so there is no current and the water is shallow and stagnant for the first several miles. At night we sat around the campfire and talked until dark while the mosquitoes feasted on our bodies. My recommendation would be to take plenty of good insect repellent.

For me, it started on Wednesday morning June 10 with a 2 hour drive from Atlanta, Georgia to Riverside Campground at Cedar Bluff, Alabama. The pleasant drive was replete with frequent stops; Bank of America was first on the list followed by a fill up at the gas station. Breakfast was orange juice and coffee because the drive was taking me past a restaurant where I could get a hand cut fried bologna sandwich on white bread with yellow mustard. This favorite sandwich that I still enjoy is a wonderful reminder of my happy years in the West (by God) Virginia hill country where I grew up. A final stop at WalMart to get another SD card for my camera and I was Alabama bound.

Checking in at the campground Mike, Tresa, their daughter Jess and my favorite little buddy Clayton met me with a smile. Not only are they friendly, they are all good cooks and eating at Riverside Restaurant is a good way to enjoy a day. After checking in I went to find a campsite to set up my tent only to find that I wasn’t the first to arrive. The friendly Floridians, Jim and Faye Lacefield had arrived with their camper and kayaks.

Soon other paddlers arrived and the campground came alive. Signs, banners, tables, chairs and tents let everyone know that Paddle Alabama 2009 had landed. It rained just enough to keep the dust down before the sky cleared for a beautiful cool night. Most of us had dinner in the Riverside Restaurant.

Thursday started at 5:00am with a cup of coffee. Shortly everyone was up and ready to go. Across the parking lot the other paddlers were arriving. At 9:35am Paddle Alabama 2009 was officially underway with all boats on the water headed towards Pruitt’s Island our lunch stop. On the way the wind started picking up and caught a few off guard. This was an open water lake paddle where that is always a possibility. After lunch the wind continued yet the group stayed close together. Finally we arrived at the Alabama Belle Resort after our 7.5 mile exciting lake crossing. Tents went up and dinner was in the restaurant. Afterwards Michael McCreedy spoke to the group about the local geology.

Friday morning started with a beautiful day and a light breakfast. The group was divided into two groups. The first group out would make a 4 mile longer and faster pace trip then meet with the other group at the lunch stop. During the morning paddle the wind picked up but wasn’t noticed because we were protected by the causeway. After lunch the ASRT decided the wind and waves were too strong for many of the paddlers and that they would shuttle them to the campsite. Twelve paddlers challenged the wind and waves on Weiss Lake for an exciting paddle to Driftwood Campground. Coincidentally with arranging transportation for paddlers and boats everyone arrived at the campground at the same time. And again the little village of Paddle Alabama came to life. Dinner was provided and all were entertained by a reenactment by a revolutionary soldier and a Blue Grass Band. During the evening the winds became stronger in bursts but no rain.

Saturday morning was pleasant. Breakfast was served and the group departed for Yellow Creek Falls but stopped at the Hwy 273 Bridge where lunch was served. The ASRT had a check presentation will Alabama and County officials before the Dragon Boat races began. Afterwards some paddled to Yellow Creeks Falls and hiked up to the Falls. Upon returning to the lunch stop most elected to be shuttled back to their vehicle. For Neal Bates and I Paddle Alabama ended when we paddled the 3 miles back to Driftwood Campground. After loading our kayaks we made a stop at the Office/Store where I had a farewell meal of pickled hard boiled egg, hot sausage and a Coca-Cola and that’s the way to leave Alabama.

The greatest thing about Paddle Alabama 2009… A group of people with a common interest came together, paddled, ate and socialized for 3-4 days and saw one of Alabama’s beautiful natural resources, Lake Weiss.

The exceptional things about Paddle Alabama 2009… Food had to be at the top of the list. Thereasa Hulgan not only prepared some of the food but she made sure everyone had a full stomach even if she had to hand serve it. Food on a trip is very important and she gets a Blue Ribbon for a job well done. Don Coley who is an excellent paddler unselfishly chose to shuttle and support us on the trip but when he got a lawn mower and cut grass at our Day 2 lunch site he certainly went above and beyond the call of duty.

The funniest thing that happened during Paddle Alabama 2009… I’d love to tell you but the threat on my life prevents me from doing so. Perhaps she will tell you … but don’t count on it.

The saddest part of Paddle Alabama 2009… That it will be 360 + days before we all get together and do it again.

The worst thing of Paddle Alabama 2009… Mother Nature reminded us that she controlled the weather and some paddlers were unable to paddle the second leg (4 miles) of Day 2 on rough open lake water.

Special thanks to the ASRT and everyone who had any part of making it a fun, successful, enjoyable and memorable event.

The boats and gear to be used for the class were already loaded onto the shuttle waiting to take them to the put-in point. The weather forecast called for rain in the afternoon, so the group loaded up and proceeded to the put-in point for a brief safety talk given by Fred Couch of the ASRT. Don Coley, who knows the river like the back of his hand, was going to lead the group down river. Terrapin Creek is a wonderful place to teach entry-level paddling. The moving water is calm enough for students to learn proper paddle strokes and how to control their kayak, before they reach the sections of the river where these basic skills will be tested.

Joan Alexander, Fred Couch and myself, were going to be the class instructors; dividing the group of students between us. Being the paddler that I am, I quickly took two of the girls under my protective wing to teach them a few paddle strokes and the basics of boat control. Both girls were eager to learn and in short time, they were literally paddling circles around the rest of the group; navigating around rocks and between over-hanging branches, having a fun time paddling. This was a beginner kayaking class and most of the girls couldn’t swim, but that didn’t stop them from having a good time or learning.

After a brief lunch stop, the girls cooled off in the river and had a splashing party before continuing the trip downstream. When the group finally arrived at the section of the river where the girls had been told to watch for obstacles in the river, they were instructed how best to get through and deal with the faster moving water. With groups of novices, someone always goes swimming and this group was no different. I have a policy that I tell everyone at the beginning of a class: “No-one goes in the water without me!”. True to my word, when one of the girls upset her boat -I was right there in the water beside her. I have found that actually being in the water, talking to someone who is scared, has a more effective calming effect; besides, I am an excellent swimmer! With the girl clutching to my back, I swam with the current though both deep and shallow, fast moving water; smiling and talking the whole way to where their boats were. Paddling is, after all, a water-sport and even the more experienced amongst us takes a dip in the river now and again.

The trip sadly came to an end when the group arrived at the take out beside the Terrapin Outdoor Center. It had been a great day on the water. Everyone was smiling and the girls were ready to go again.

This was a great trip and one of the most enjoyable groups that I have taught. The girls were wonderful; enthusiastic; listened intently and followed directions. I made the comment to the adults that it would be my pleasure to take these girls on the upcoming three-day Paddle Alabama trip on Lake Weiss.

Thanks girls; counselors; Dr. David West; Fred; Don; Joanne and the Terrapin Outdoor Center for another great afternoon on the river.

It was Thursday when I decided to spend the weekend with my old friend, the Chattahoochee River. I needed some ‘alone time’ on the river and with the Bush Head Shoals 2 event coming up on June 27 & 28, this would be a good weekend to spend some time on the island and plan the event logistics.

My plan was to leave early Saturday morning and return late Sunday. It was supposed to rain both days which was good, because I also wanted it to be a tough weekend. Friday night I was working on my computer and as always, time got away from me. Before I knew it the clock showed 1:10am when I went to bed. Five hours later, drinking coffee and trying to get things in order for the trip, I decided not to complicate the weekend, but just throw some things together and go. I’d make the best out of the spur of the moment plans and not worry about what I forgot. The plan was to clean up the island and make sure that 22 people could camp there.

Taking all the gear and equipment necessary for a cleanup had been an issue in the past. The local outfitter has NuCanoes™ and I had used one on the previous trip,  towing it behind my kayak. The NuCanoe™ did the job; but leaving the island with it already loaded to the hilt meant that we didn’t have that much room for extra trash. My sister has an aluminum Grumman row boat that I considered using as a tow boat. It was light, wide flat bottom boat with a flat up sweeping bow that might work better. A hole was drilled on either side of the bow gunwale/gunnel for a two point tow rope to be attached to my kayak. This should keep it in line. Would it work was the question. The only way to find out was to try it, so it went into the pick up along with: my kayak; Stihl™ 024AV chainsaw; gas; oil; ax; small sledge; wedge; hatchet; pruners/loppers; rake; shovel; trash bags and my personal food and gear which I hadn’t even started packing. Having been on many overnight trips, food and gear was selected in less than 30 minutes.

By 2:10pm I was on my way to the local outfitter and it rained on the way, which I had expected. I was paddling downstream at 5:25pm. The Grumman worked like a charm. Of course, it started raining hard half way to the island and I arrived at 7:50pm soaking wet.

By the time I arrived, the rain had slowed to a misting rain. The tent went up immediately and all personal gear was placed inside just in case it rained hard again. The kayak was pulled onto the sand and tied to a tree trunk with the Grumman tied to it. Now it was time to get some firewood cut before dark. The Stihl™ and I went to work cutting up the dead trees that had washed up on the island. The last time we were on the island, we built our warming fire under and beside a large washed up tree. After the fire burned through the trunk one end was cut off and put on the fire. This time more of that section was cut off to be used for a chair. Cutting this section off also cleared a path, so no-one would have to climb over the trunk to move around the sandbar campsite. The fire was started even though everything was soaking wet and by the time it was going good, darkness arrived.

With everything going well and nothing to do, it was time for coffee. So here I am, sitting by the fire on my freshly made log seat, drinking coffee on an island in the middle of the Chattahoochee River. The crickets, frogs and jumping fish furnish the sound and the fireflies twinkling in the darkness are my movie. I was completely surrounded and entertained by Mother Nature and I was lost in the moment in this peaceful world I had come to love. Whatever was important -it wasn’t, for the moment. Tomorrow would be another day.

Time for some trivia. Did you know that crickets and frogs go to bed around 1:00am? Well they do! It was 1:02 and I was sitting in total silence except for the crackling fire and an occasional fish splash.

5:05am and coffee was brewing. The fire was still going because I had added logs during the night because I wouldn’t leave the campsite until 3:30pm. After coffee, I paddled the Grumman to the head of the island where there was a huge pile of washed up logs and trash. Ten 44 gallon trash bags were easily filled with trash and there is still more. With plenty of time, I decided to empty the bags out to sort and count what had been collected. Besides something required by the Rivers Alive river cleanup group; sorting the different types of trash is one of the things I can do to keep my mind busy so I am never bored. Afterwards, I decided to clean some areas for campsites when I hear what I thought was an Indian on a praying mission, but it turned out to be the local outfitter in a kayak. Some people can’t stand someone having a great time so he came to join the party. We talked for a short time but it was time to get busy.

Across from Paddle Island (the sandbar at the head of Island 2) is another island (island 1) with a small channel separating it from a lower one (island 3). The outfitter and Chris went scouting in this area on the last trip because trees blocked the entrance to the area below the islands. Well, the outfitter suggested that we start clearing the trash and trees blocking that entrance and another mission was started. The river between the island we were on and the one where we were going to clean was shallow enough to walk across . He waded across and I took the Grumman, with the chainsaw and trash bags. Many washed up trees branches and trunks were cut up and 10 more bags of trash were collected; plus a few larger trash items that were thrown in the Grumman. With the new trash and what I collected earlier, the Grumman was going to be loaded to the max.

Finally it was time to go. We had two sets of shoals to go through, Bush Head shoals and Daniels shoals, so all gear and trash was carefully packed in the Grumman. The campsite was cleaned up and given a last minute check before we left.

We came, we saw and we did. At least we were satisfied with our accomplishment. On a large scale, what we did was small; but for two people and Bush Head Islands we did well.

The trip from the 5 islands to Franklin was uneventful except for the rain. Bush Head and Daniels Shoals can both be exciting for beginners and even though the outfitter and I are experienced, it is still tricky especially if you are towing a loaded 12’ Grumman row boat. It was 5:00pm when we arrived in Franklin.

There will be another trip another time. Some of the details will change, but it will be another wonderful weekend and you are invited.

Cleanup Information.

Approx weight: 580lbs.

List of materials:

• 315 plastic bottles
• 91 glass bottles
• 19 spray cans
• 7 metal cans
• 8 aluminum cans
• 132 tennis balls
• 11 basketballs
• 8 footballs
• 2 soccer balls
• 3 softballs
• 4 baseballs
• 27 misc balls
• 16 pens / markers
• 22 cigarette lighters
• 7 snuff containers
• 1 Freon 22 20# container
• 1 Propane tank
• 31 sandals / shoes
• 3 head lights
• 2 tail lights
• 3 reflectors
• 1 plastic property line marker
• 1 x 2 gal pump up sprayer
• 1 x 5 gal gas can w/ gas
• 4 toys