order issued by the Governor of Alabama and effective
beginning April 4, 2020 at 5:00 p.m.
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”:
relevant to Southeastern Outings events is:
AUGUST 1, SATURDAY, Meet 8:45 a.m.
Southeastern Outings Short Dayhike and Glorious Swim at the bottom of the 102-foot-high DeSoto Falls in DeSoto State Park
Details: Strenuous walk through the woods and down a short, but very steep hill in DeSoto State Park to the huge pool which many of you have seen from above when at the overlook above DeSoto Falls. We’ll be swimming and playing for most of the day in this pool at the bottom of the waterfall which is in the West Fork of Little River. You can also walk and play in the section of the river that flows out from the pool. It takes only 20 minutes or so to walk from where we’ll park our cars to the water. All but the last 75 feet or so is simple walking on fairly level ground. BUT the last 75 feet are quite strenuous, requiring some rock, root and rope climbing. So we are rating the hiking portion of this outing as strenuous. Please note that we will use thick, very sturdy ropes at two places to go down to the waterfall and at the same two places going up, also. Your feet will always be on the ground. You will not be dangling from a rope without having your feet on the ground. But if you are queasy about this aspect of the walk in and out, please do not come on this trip.
You must be able to swim to participate in this outing! Well-behaved, properly supervised children age 8 and up welcome, but parents are responsible for all risks to their children.
Participants on this hike must: be able and willing to wear hiking boots or sturdy overland shoes to hike to and from the pool and bring and wear shorts or swim suits and water shoes for the swim. Sturdy foot protection is required all day. Old sneakers work fine for the in-water activities, but please no bare feet, flimsy beach shoes, flip flops or loose slip-ons for the swim! 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 water, swimsuit, and any kind of a flotation device you wish. Also please bring a picnic lunch with you from home. Please do not make 20-30 people wait while you take time to buy lunch or have your lunch prepared after you arrive at the meeting place at 8:45 a.m.
You are required to carry your flotation devices deflated for the walk in and out from the pool. Dan Frederick will bring one of his float pumps to pump up and deflate floats at the edge of the pool when we get there.
After our swim and float, we’ll walk less than one mile back to the cars and then go for showers and an optional dinner. Hot showers for $2.00 per person are available before dinner. Please bring shower things and change of clothes if you wish to clean up and change for dinner.
Please meet 8:45 a.m. at the Applebee’s Restaurant Trussville. We plan to depart from there at 9:00 a.m., or you may meet the group at 10:30 a.m. in the lobby of the DeSoto Park Lodge where we will stop to use the restrooms before we begin the short drive from there to the start point of our walk. Please email me at seoutings@bellsouth.net if you would like me to email to you driving directions to the Lodge.
Info: Dan Frederick, seoutings@bellsouth.net or 205/631-4680
CANCELED
AUGUST 8, SATURDAY, Meet 8:45 a.m.
Southeastern Outings Waterfall Walk, Stream Wade and Long Swims
Where: South Caney Creek in the Bankhead National Forest
Details: Join us for short, moderately easy hikes to two beautiful waterfalls on South Caney Creek. We’ll swim at both of the falls. These falls are very lovely. We’ll walk through the woods to one waterfall, stop and swim there and get underneath the waterfall if you wish. Then we’ll wade for about a mile IN the creek to a second, larger waterfall where we’ll swim and stand under the waterfall again if you like. Then we’ll walk from that second waterfall through the woods back to the cars.
If you think that you may want to come home before the group outing is completed, please don’t come on this outing. In order to prevent traffic congestion at the usual public trail head our vehicles will be parked at a remote location during the entire outing. Outing participants will probably not be able to walk unguided to their cars before the outing is completed. The walk portion is completely off trail.
Wear old shorts or a swim suit and sturdy footwear you don’t mind getting wet and dirty. Old sneakers work well. Bare feet, flip-flops, loose slip-ons and thin-soled “beach shoes” are not acceptable! Also bring a towel along with your picnic lunch and water.
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, please bring a towel and change of clothes for dinner.
Well-behaved, properly-supervised children age 7 and over welcome. Please meet 8:45 a.m. at the Floor Décor Store on Green Springs Highway in Homewood. We plan to depart from there at 9:00 a.m. or you may meet the group at 10:30 a.m. at Jacks in Double Springs.
Info: Dan Frederick, seoutings@bellsouth.net or 205/631-4680
August 15th 9:45 AM
Southeastern Outings Canoe and Kayak Outing, Big Wills Creek near Gadsden, Alabama.
Details: This will be Southeastern Outings’ ninth canoe and kayak 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 Southeastern Outings 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 or one-person (solo) or two-person (tandem) sit-upon plastic kayaks and paddles from Big Wills Outfitters.
Here is the schedule of outfitter charges:
1. solo kayak rentals each $30
2. Canoes and tandem kayak rentals $50 each
3. shuttle fee per boat for owned rather than rented boats $10
Life jackets, paddles and shuttle fee 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 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.
If you wish to rent a boat from Big Wills Outfitters, please call the outfitter BEFORE Saturday, August 15 at 256/538-3226 to reserve your boat. Tell the outfitter you are boating with Southeastern Outings. Please note that the outfitter has only 7 canoes and 57 one-person sit-upon kayaks and 4 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 15, there will be no more boats of that type available to rent!
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 (this one with running water!), and then eat lunch at the outfitter’s. 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 together down the creek to the take out, stopping as often as we want to.
Well-behaved, properly supervised children age 8 and over welcome.
We will probably go out for dinner after this trip. If you would like to change into dry clothes for dinner and/or for the ride back home, please bring a change of clothes to be kept in the car. A changing room and the bathroom are both available for your use at the outfitter’s.
Reservations Required: You must contact Dan Frederick, email seoutings@bellsouth.net 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 15 kayak and canoe trip AND you are renting a canoe or kayak from the outfitter at the site of the trip, you are required in this instance to call BOTH the outfitter to reserve your boat AND ALSO contact Dan Frederick the trip leader, to notify him that you are coming! Please do not just show up for this outing at the meeting place without making an advance reservation! And 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 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 Canoe Trips at the end of this calendar section.
Info. and trip leader: If you have questions or would like additional information about this outing, please call or email Dan Frederick, seoutings@bellsouth.net or 205/631-4680.
CANCELED
AUGUST 22, 2020, Meet 9:45 a.m.
Southeastern Outings Tube Float
Tallapoosa River at Heflin
Details: This will be the second tube float we have offered to our people this summer. Southeastern Outings is very pleased to once again offer the opportunity to go tube floating. It is one of our most popular outings.
We just identified two summers ago a new tube floating outfitter on the Tallapoosa River at Heflin. Tallapoosa River Outfitters has rented kayaks and canoes to SEO for many years, and now they also rent tubes.
Join friendly folks on a relaxing, lazy summer day tube float. Everyone is cordially invited on this real fun event. The float will be on the Tallapoosa River near Heflin, Alabama.
We will eat our picnic lunches by the river when we arrive at the outfitter’s. The outfitter will put us on the river upriver from his place, and you will float down river for about two to three hours and take out at the outfitter’s place. Then you can play in the river at the end of the tube float if you wish, and/or just lie out and relax or get in your car and go home after finishing the tube float.
Please bring picnic lunch, drink, sunscreen, towel and dry clothes in the car to change into for the ride back home. For the tube float itself wear old shorts or a swim suit and substantial, snug fitting footwear you don't mind getting wet and dirty. Old sneakers usually work well. Bare feet, flip-flops, slip-ons and thin-soled “beach shoes” are not acceptable!
The usual charge for tube rentals is $15 per tube. However, if we bring ten or more people in our group, the outfitter will charge us only $10 per tube, so please bring your family and friends with you. Please come on this outing yourself and bring others with you to help us have over ten people in our group so that we are eligible for the discount.
Tube rental charge covers tube rental, transportation upriver to put-in point, use of a life jacket and use of picnic area and swimming area in river after lunch. All participants are required to rent tubes from the outfitter for the tube float itself, no exceptions. Please do NOT bring your own tube on this outing!
Well-behaved, properly supervised children age 7 and older able to handle themselves in a tube for two to three hours on moving water are welcome and encouraged to come. Parents are advised of risks of wading and swimming in sometimes deep water, and parents are responsible for all risks to their children.
Possible optional dinner at a Thai restaurant in Anniston after the tube float.
Here are some special points to note regarding this outing.
1. If you are unwilling to carpool with others in a van between the take out and the put in because of concerns you have about the Covid-19 virus, please do not make a reservation to come on this outing!
2. Please bring a mask with you. You are asked to wear it only when you are in a van transporting you from the take out to the put in, but you may wear it at other times if you wish.
3. There is no limit on the number of people permitted to come on this outing. We require reservations so that we can advise the outfitter how many people and how many tubes he will need to hold and transport for our group.
Please meet at the Leeds Highway 78 gravel parking lot no later than 9:45 a.m. We plan to depart promptly from there 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 parking lot. If you are not at the meeting place at the designated departure time, you will be on your own at the tube float. Please be on time ready to go at the meeting place!
Please eat breakfast before you arrive at the meeting place, and come with a full tank of gas if you intend to drive.
Reservations Required: You must email seoutings@bellsouth.net or call Dan Frederick, 205/631-4680 to make your reservation by Thursday, August 20 if you plan to come on this outing. Please advise your name and telephone number. You may leave a message on Dan’s answering machine or voice mail if you wish. 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”. We are requiring reservations for this outing because we need to know in advance whether we are eligible for the group discount tube rental charge. We will tentatively reserve some tubes in advance for Southeastern Outings for August 22.
If you have made a reservation to participate and then decide to cancel, please be absolutely sure to call and notify the trip leader. Don’t just tell your friend if you intend to cancel!!
Please do not just show up for this outing at the meeting place without making advance reservations! And if you decide to meet us at some place (like at the outfitter’s) other than the meeting place specified in this announcement, please notify Dan in advance and directly of this fact.
Info. and trip leader: Dan Frederick, 205/631-4680 or seoutings@bellsouth.net
AUGUST 29, 2020, 10:15 a.m.
Southeastern Outings Tube Float
Tallapoosa River at Heflin
Details: Join friendly folks on a relaxing, lazy summer day tube float. Everyone is cordially invited on this real fun event. The float will be on the Tallapoosa River near Heflin, Alabama.
Before we begin our float we will eat our picnic lunches by the river when we arrive at the outfitter’s. The outfitter has only 3 picnic tables in the area where we will have our lunches. In order to follow the statewide Covid 19 social distancing order, most of us should not sit at the tables close to other participants. Therefore, we recommend that most of you who are coming on this event bring with you in your cars folding chairs or something like a cushion or trash bag to use to sit on the grass while you eat your lunch.
After lunch the outfitter will transport us and the tubes upriver from his place, and you will float on a tube down river and take out at the outfitter’s place. Then you can play in the river at the end of the tube float if you wish, and/or just lie out and relax or get in your car and go to dinner with the group or go directly home after finishing the tube float.
Note-To view photos of what we will see on this trip, please click on this link:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/
Please be sure to click on the link and view the photographs.
Please bring picnic lunch, drink, sunscreen, towel and dry clothes in the car to change into for the ride back home. For the tube float itself please wear old shorts or a swim suit and substantial, snug fitting footwear you don't mind getting wet and dirty. Old sneakers usually work well. Bare feet, flip-flops, slip-ons and thin-soled “beach shoes” are not acceptable!
The usual charge for tube rentals is $15 per tube. However, if we bring ten or more people in our group, the outfitter will charge us only $10 per tube, so please bring your family and friends with you. Please come on this outing yourself and bring others with you to help us have over ten people in our group so that we are eligible for the discount.
Tube rental charge covers tube rental, transportation upriver to put-in point, use of a life jacket, parking, and use of picnic area for lunch and swimming area in river after the tube float is completed. All participants are required to rent tubes from the outfitter for the tube float itself, no exceptions. Please do NOT bring your own tube!
Well-behaved, properly supervised children age 7 and older able to handle themselves in a tube for two to three hours on moving water are welcome and encouraged to come. Parents are advised of risks of wading and swimming in sometimes deep water, and parents are responsible for all risks to their children.
Optional dinner at a Thai restaurant in Anniston after the tube float.
Please meet at the Leeds Highway 78 gravel parking lot no later than 10:15 a.m. We plan to depart promptly from there at 10:30 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 parking lot. If you are not at the meeting place at the designated departure time, you will be on your own at the tube float. Please be on time ready to go at the meeting place!
Please eat breakfast before you arrive at the meeting place, and come with a full tank of gas if you intend to drive.
Reservations Required: You must email seoutings@bellsouth.net or call Dan Frederick, 205/631-4680 to make your reservation before 4:00 p.m. on Friday, August 28 if you plan to come on this outing. If you want to go on the August 29 tube float and you previously registered for this same float originally scheduled for Saturday, August 22, you must reregister with the trip leader again at this time since we have changed the date of the event, and we have no way of knowing whether you will be free and still want to come with us on August 29.
Please advise your name and telephone number. You may leave a message on Dan’s answering machine or voice mail if you wish. If you are also making a reservation for someone else coming with you, please give the first and last NAMES of that person. Don’t just say, “My daughter, my friend, my wife”. We are requiring reservations for this outing because we need to know in advance whether we are eligible for the group discount tube rental charge. We are required to give the outfitter a firm final number of tubes we will rent for August 29 no later than Friday evening, August 28 so that we will be assured he will reserve and have available for our group the number of tubes required for our group on August 29.
If you have made a reservation to participate and then decide to cancel, please be absolutely sure to call and notify the trip leader. Don’t just tell your friend if you intend to cancel!!
Please do not just show up for this outing at the meeting place without making advance reservations! And if you decide to meet us at the outfitter’s rather than the meeting place specified in this announcement, please notify Dan in advance and directly of this fact.
Info. and trip leader: Dan Frederick, 205/631-4680 or seoutings@bellsouth.net
DIRECTIONS TO MEETING PLACE
Leeds Highway 78 gravel parking lot-6995 Parkway Drive, Leeds, AL 35094. Gravel parking lot on Highway U.S. 78 between the Chevron and Marathon service stations at the first Leeds exit, Exit number 140, off I-20 heading east (towards Atlanta) out of Birmingham. Turn RIGHT at the end of the exit ramp coming from Birmingham. See Chevron and Marathon stations on right of U.S. Highway 78 immediately after first red light.
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 kayak from the outfitter listed.
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 reservation with the trip leader, 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, want to rent a canoe from the outfitter or Aree Frederick or bringing your own boat (kayak or canoe)
3. Your name
4. Your telephone number or email address
5. 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”.
6. If you are canoeing, please give your skill level.
7. 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.
8. Please do NOT just show up at the meeting place without making an advance reservation!!
9. 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!!
10. 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!
