Most of you are
already familiar with the stay-at-home
order issued by the Governor of Alabama and effective
beginning April 4, 2020 at 5:00 p.m.
order issued by the Governor of Alabama and effective
beginning April 4, 2020 at 5:00 p.m.
The proclamation
states , “Effective Saturday,
April 4, 2020, at 5:00 P.M., every person is ordered
to stay at his or her place of residence except as
necessary to perform any of the following “essential
activities”:
April 4, 2020, at 5:00 P.M., every person is ordered
to stay at his or her place of residence except as
necessary to perform any of the following “essential
activities”:
One of those notable
essential activities
relevant to Southeastern Outings events is:
relevant to Southeastern Outings events is:
To engage in outdoor activity. A person
may leave his or her place of residence to participate in outdoor activity that
involves fewer than 10 people 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 encourage all our people coming on outings
with us to drive from the meeting place to the outing start point in the same
vehicle in which they arrived at the meeting place. Naturally if more
than one person arrives at the meeting place in a given vehicle, then all the
people in that vehicle may ride together in that same vehicle driving from the
meeting place to the outing start point.
One or two persons will be designated to sign
everyone in so that clipboards and pens are not shared by everyone on the
outing.
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.
In instances when we have more than ten
participants coming on an outing, we will split the group up into two parties
of ten or less people with two different leaders. Everyone will go to the
same places during the outing, but we will want to reduce the number of people
hiking together in the same group to less than ten.
Optional restaurant dinners 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
where there are not many other people present is considerably safer at this
time than walking 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.
MAY 2, SATURDAY, 10:00 a.m.
Southeastern Outings Dayhike on the Montevallo Parks Trail
Details: Enjoy an easy 4-mile hike on a trail in
Montevallo. The main trail is two miles
one way and goes through parks, by two picturesque, flowing streams, and around
a beautiful University-owned lake in a wooded park. Total hiking distance is about four miles.
This walk will be Southeastern
Outings’ ninth or so hike on the Montevallo Parks trail. Come with us for a guided tour of an easily
walkable trail. Please bring plenty of
water and wear good walking shoes or boots. Dress appropriately for the
weather.
Meet
10:00 a.m. at the McDonald’s Galleria.
We plan to depart from there at 10:15 a.m. or you may meet the group at
10:45 a.m. at the parking lot beside the larger bridge over Shoal Creek
which is the wide creek that flows through Orr Park between the ball fields and
the open recreational area in the park in Montevallo. The bridge is right beside the parking lot along the creek at the
back of the ball fields. Please email
Dan Frederick at the email address below if you would like driving directions
from Hoover to Orr Park sent to you before the hike.
Well-behaved,
carefully supervised children age 7 and over able to complete the hike welcome.
Please
bring your picnic lunch and plenty of water with you.
Admission to Trail: Free
MAY 9,
SATURDAY, 8:45 a.m.
Southeastern
Outings Dayhike
Where: Pinhoti Trail near Coleman Lake in the Shoal Creek Ranger District,
Talladega National Forest. Cleburne County, Alabama
Note-This
outing is tentatively scheduled at this time pending Covid 19 pandemic
announcements from the authorities.
Details: A moderate 6 mile hike in one of
the interesting parts of the Talladega National Forest, mostly on the Pinhoti
Trail. This year's route will vary from our previous hikes and exclude visiting
the historic Shoal Creek Church.
Instead, we'll combine a loop south of the trailhead around beautiful
Coleman Lake with a visit to the "woodpecker farm" north of the trailhead
on Forest Service Road 500.
The Pinhoti Trail guide describes the woodpecker farm as
follows: "The Woodpecker Farm is
basically what 92,000,000 acres of the Southeast looked like before Europeans
arrived. The area was formerly
completely dominated by very mature longleaf pines up to 400 years old and old
growth oak, hickory and tupelo as the canopy over a grass understory". The
area is one of several maintained by the U.S. Forest Service to help preserve
the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker. Our route back will take us along the
Coleman Lake trail, providing a different view as we return to the trailhead.
Well-behaved, properly supervised children age 7 and older
welcome.
This hike
is relatively flat but rated moderate because of its length. Please
bring picnic lunch and water with you on the hike.
Please
meet at 8:45 a.m. in the Leeds Highway 78 gravel
parking lot. We plan to depart
from there at 9:00 a.m
MAY 14,
THURSDAY, Meet 9:30 a.m.
Southeastern
Outings Dayhike
Where: The new Shoal Creek Park, Montevallo, Alabama
Details: Southeastern
Outings has planned an easy approximately 4.1-mile hike in the new Shoal Creek
Park in Montevallo. On October 30,
2018, ten people participated in an SEO scouting trip there led by Shane Baugh,
the Montevallo Parks and Recreation Director, and we were delighted at what we
found. We subsequently had highly
successful hikes there for the entire group on December 22, 2018 and again on
March 9, 2019.
This 167-acre park has some new trails (2.1 miles and 1.6
miles) already constructed and some less developed trails which we will also
hike. One trail does follow the creek a
good ways. Total hike distance is about
4.1 miles.
The park is located on both sides of Shoal Creek about 2
miles upstream from Orr Park where we have begun our past hikes on the
Montevallo Parks Trail.
For those concerned about having to cross the slippery log
over the creek, please be advised that the trail now crosses the creek on a
brand new, sturdy, concrete bridge and on a wooden bridge in yet another
location in the park. Also please note
that the restrooms in the park are now completely constructed and open for your
use.
We are pleased to advise that this hike will be led by Bill
Ennis. Bill has basically adopted this
lovely park as a pet project. He has
laid out and built some of the trails on which we will hike on May 15, and he
has designed and constructed the wooden bridge in the park as well.
The park is located 1.1 miles south of American Village on
AL Highway 119 in Montevallo.
Please bring your picnic lunch, water, and a hiking pole or
two with you.
Please meet at 9:30 a.m. in the
parking lot behind the McDonald’s on U.S. Highway 31 at the Riverchase
Galleria. We plan to depart from there
at 9:45 a.m.
Well-behaved, carefully supervised
children age 7 and older able to walk 4 miles without complaining are welcome.
Admission to the park is free!
MAY 16,
SATURDAY, Meet 9:45 a.m.
Southeastern Outings Moderate Dayhike Along Buck Creek in Helena, AL
Details: Come explore the wilder side of Helena. Hike with SEO on a lovely creekside trail in
Helena in Shelby County. Total hiking
distance is less than four miles. Hike
rated moderately easy. We will be
walking briefly off trail and walking up some hills when the trail routes us
away from the creek. Well-behaved,
properly supervised children age eight and up welcome.
Meet at 9:45 a.m. in the parking lot for the Helena City
Park on AL Highway 261by the bridge over Buck Creek in Helena. We plan to depart from there at 10:00 a.m.
Directions
to Meeting Place: Take I-65 to Exit #247, the Shelby County Route 17,
Valleydale Road exit. Go to end of ramp
and turn right regardless of whether you come from the south or the north. Take Co. 17, which changes from Co. Route 17
to AL 261, all the way into Helena. You
will cross one railroad and then drive over a bridge with a dam and waterfall
on the left. Immediately past the
bridge, turn sharply back to the right just
before you cross a second
railroad and then drive into the parking lot for a city park right on the
shore of the creek. Distances on
Valleydale Road, (Shelby County Route 17) and then Alabama Route 261 from I-65
exit number 247 to driveway into Helena Park parking lot are 5.5 miles from
bottom end of southbound ramp and 5.9 miles from bottom end of northbound ramp.
Info: Dan Frederick, seoutings@bellsouth.net or 205/631-4680
MAY 23,
SATURDAY, 9:45 a.m.
Southeastern
Outings Cahaba Lily Walk, Hargrove Shoals along the Cahaba River in Bibb County
Details: Please
come with us to see the largest display of blooming Cahaba lilies in the world,
acres and acres of them spread out over the water in the river. These lilies are a sight to behold! In places, it often looks like it has snowed
on the river in May.
Over seven miles of the Cahaba River lie within the Refuge
boundary. The rolling uplands surrounding the river are forested with mountain
longleaf and loblolly pines. Mixed upland hardwood species line ravines and the
river's edge.
The largest known stand of the imperiled shoals lily (known
locally as the Cahaba lily) also occurs within the Refuge. During May and June,
this beautiful plant blooms, and people come from across the region to view
this magnificent display of nature. There is even an annual Cahaba lily
festival that draws thousands of visitors to the area in May.
Well-behaved, properly supervised children age 7 and over
welcome.
The hike is about five miles round trip. Rated easy.
Wear sturdy footwear you don’t mind getting wet and dirty. Old sneakers work well. You’ll want to put on your river shoes so
you can walk out into the shallow parts of the river to stroll through and
touch the lilies which grow only in the water.
Bare feet, flip-flops, slip-ons and thin-soled “beach shoes” are not
acceptable!! You may wear your sturdy river shoes for the entire trip if you
like. Please bring picnic lunch and
your drink. Hiking poles are strongly
recommended to provide additional stability when wading in the river.
Please meet at 9:45 a.m. at the McDonald’s Galleria. We plan to depart from there at 10:00 a.m.
Info. and
hike leader: Dan Frederick, 205/631-4680 or seoutings@bellsouth.net
CANCELLED
MAY24 SUNDAY, Meet 1:45 p.m.
Southeastern Outings Walk Very Near Birmingham
Note-This
outing is tentatively scheduled at this time pending Covid 19 pandemic
announcements from the authorities.
Where: Turkey Creek Nature Preserve near Pinson in Jefferson
County, Alabama
Details: You are invited to participate in an easy, fun
Southeastern Outings short Sunday afternoon dayhike in the Turkey Creek Nature
Preserve near Pinson. Come walk with us
through this heavily-wooded area. We’ll
hike on the relatively new park perimeter trail on which we have not hiked
previously. We may also visit in the
park a large creek with a long, sloping waterfall in the middle of the
preserve. Total hiking distance is 2-3
miles. Please bring drinking water with
you.
Please meet 1:45 p.m. at the Turkey Creek Nature Preserve oval, upper parking
lot on the north side of The Narrows Road about 1.4 miles west of the
intersection of AL 79, AL 151 and The Narrows Road in Pinson. We plan to depart from there at 2:00 p.m.
Well-behaved, carefully supervised
children age 7 and older able to walk 4 miles welcome.
Share an adventure. Bring a friend or friends.
Info. and trip leader: David Shepherd, 205/240-4681
MAY 30, 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,
small falls 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.
Hiking poles are strongly recommended!
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. Showers, if desired, are available for $2.00 per person after the
hike.
Please come with us May 30 and
help count waterfalls.
Reservations Required: If you wish to participate in this
outing, you are required to call Dan Frederick, 205/631-4680 or email
seoutings@bellsouth.net by 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 28. Please
do not try to reserve a place on this outing after 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, May
28. 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:
1. Anyone who wants to come
on this outing MUST make a reservation with the leader by Thursday, May 28 at
5:00 p.m.
2. 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 NAMES of those other people.
3.
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.
4. 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. 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.
5. 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.
6. Please do
not register yourself or any guests unless you are absolutely certain that they
are free on May 30 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!
7. 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 say, 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.
Information and trip leader: Dan Frederick,
seoutings@bellsouth.net or 205/631-4680
