JUNE 3, 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, waterfalls 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. We strongly recommend that you bring two sturdy hiking poles for wading in the creek. Using poles as you walk in the stream will substantially reduce the chance of your falling while wading in the creek!
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.
Please come with us June 3 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 southeasternoutings@gmail.com by 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, June 1. Please do not try to reserve a place on this outing after 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, June 1. 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.
Information and trip leader: Dan Frederick, southeasternoutings@gmail,com or 205/631-4680
JUNE 10, SATURDAY, please meet 9:45 a.m.
Southeastern Outings River Float, Picnic, Swim on the Locust Fork River from Taylor’s Ford through Cornelius Falls in Blount County near Royal, AL
Details: Easy river float on the Locust Fork River. Float in the river from Taylor’s Ford through Cornelius Falls and below. We’ll float downstream to the widest waterfall on the Locust Fork River. Enjoy eating your picnic lunch sitting on the rocks overlooking the waterfall. This is one of the prettiest lunch spots we have ever seen in Alabama. As we float we’ll also view sheer cliffs that rise high above the river. So enjoy a flowing river, high rock bluffs and a gorgeous waterfall—all along a nearly uninhabited stretch of this river. Please bring a picnic lunch, drink, sunscreen and something to float on such as an inflatable vinyl float. See Float Note below for additional information.
Please bring a towel, your picnic lunch and drinking water. Wear swimsuit and sturdy footwear you don’t mind getting wet and dirty. Old sneakers work well. Bare feet, flip-flops, slip-ons and thin-soled “beach shoes” are not acceptable! You must be able to swim to participate in this outing!
Have fun swimming in the pools in the river and just sitting in Cornelius Falls. Well-behaved, properly supervised children age 8 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 9:45 a.m. at the Cleveland Chevron. We plan to depart from there at 10:00 a.m.
Info. and trip leader: Dan Frederick, email southeasternoutings@gmail.com or call 205/631-4680
River 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 60-inch floats for sale for $15 each, and after six years Dan finally has 72-inch floats for $23 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 at the start point of the river float.
JUNE 13, TUESDAY, Meet 8:45 a.m.
Southeastern Outings Canoe and Kayak Trip probably with dinner after
Where: Terrapin Creek near Piedmont, Alabama
Click for More Pictures
Details: Please plan to come on a relaxing kayak and canoe trip on Terrapin Creek in Calhoun County near Piedmont, Alabama. The section we will paddle is relatively easy with one class I classified rapid (which you can portage around if you prefer). This is a scenic stretch of creek located in a very rural area. Twenty-four Southeastern Outings people participated in this popular outing on May 18, 2019.
Please note that for this trip you may rent one person sit-upon plastic kayaks for $25 each from Terrapin Outdoor Center. Rental fees include shuttle service, paddles and life jackets. Also the outfitter will shuttle for a $10 fee per boat all private boats used on this outing. If you wish to rent a boat from Terrapin Outdoor Center, please call the Center BEFORE June 13 at 256/447-6666 to reserve your boat. Please be sure you tell the Center you are boating with Southeastern Outings. Please note that the outfitter has only 100 one-person sit-on-top kayaks for rent, so be sure you call to reserve early. Once all their kayaks are reserved for June 13, there will be no more kayaks available to rent!
This outfitter no longer has canoes to rent. However, Dan Frederick’s daughter, Aree, has a few canoes which she may offer to rent to people who want to canoe on this trip and who do not have their own canoes. Again, please notify Dan Frederick, southeasternoutings@gmail.com or phone 205/631-4680 BEFORE June 13 to request a rental canoe if that is what you want. We will do our best to fulfill your request. If you rent a canoe from Aree Frederick, Southeastern Outings will pay your canoe shuttle fee.
After the canoe and kayak trip we are planning to go to a pleasant restaurant in Piedmont for an optional dinner. If you would like to wash up and/or have dinner with us at the restaurant after the kayak and canoe trip, please bring a change of clothes and a towel. Outfitter has four changing rooms. Two are changing rooms only with no toilets or washbowls, and two are restrooms with washbowls, toilets and running water, but no showers.
Reservations Required: You must email souhesternoutings@gmail.com or call Dan Frederick, 205/631-4680 if you plan to come on this outing. Please advise your name, telephone number, skill level, whether you are bringing a canoe or kayak or you wish to rent a kayak or canoe. You may leave a message on Dan’s voice mail if you wish. If you want to come on the June 13 kayak and canoe trip AND you are renting a kayak 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! 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.
Meet 8:45 a.m. at Applebee’s Restaurant 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.
Info. and Trip Leader: If you have further questions, please call Dan Frederick, 205/631-4680 or email southeasternoutings@gmail.com.
Southeastern Outings Kayak and Canoe Outing, Big Wills Creek near Gadsden, Alabama.
Click for More Pictures
Details: This will be Southeastern Outings’ fourteenth 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:
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 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, June 17 at 256/538-3226 to reserve your boat. Tell the outfitter you are boating with Southeastern Outings. Please note that the outfitter has only 5 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 June 17, 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 in the picnic area 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 down the creek to the take out, stopping as often as we want to.
Well-behaved, properly supervised children age 10 and over welcome.
After the canoe and kayak trip we are hopefully planning to go to a restaurant in Gadsden 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 June 17 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.
Note for Kayak and Canoe Trips
The kayak and canoe outing listed in the announcement above is 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 or canoe from the outfitter listed above.
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 or canoe from the outfitter 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!
JUNE 24, SATURDAY, please meet 8:45 a.m.
Southeastern Outings Kayak and Canoe Trip, Chattooga River near Gaylesville, Alabama
Details: This will be Southeastern Outings’ second 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. However, Dan Frederick’s daughter, Aree, has a few canoes which she may offer to rent to people who want to canoe on this trip and who do not have their own canoes.
Again, please notify Dan Frederick, southeasternoutings@gmail.com or phone 205/631-4680 BEFORE June 25 to request a rental canoe if that is what you want. We will do our best to fulfill your request. If you rent a canoe from Aree Frederick, Southeastern Outings will pay your canoe shuttle fee.
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 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 to shuttle your privately-owned boat.
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 wear dry clothes for the drive home or in order to go to dinner with us, please bring a change of clothes to be kept in the car. You may change clothes in the outfitter’s exceptionally clean, spacious restrooms complete with toilets, washbowls, running water, 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!
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 scouting trip, please call Dan Frederick, 205/631-4680 or email southeasternoutings@gmail.com.
Note for Kayak and Canoe Trips
The kayak and canoe outings 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.
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.
