CANCELED due to low interest: JUNE 6, SATURDAY, please meet 8:45 a.m.
Southeastern Outings Kayak and Canoe Trip
Where: On the Elk River near Elkmont, Alabama
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.
Many of our members have expressed a desire to paddle once again on this stretch of the Elk River. We are extremely grateful to Dan’s daughter, Aree Frederick, who has agreed to provide outfitting services to our entire group for this outing. For this trip you may rent from Aree one-person plastic kayaks and paddles for $30 or you may rent two-person canoes for $40. She has for rent about 110 one-person sit-upon kayaks and about 30 tandem (two-person) canoes.
If you rent a boat from Aree, she will bring your rented boat to the put in and meet you there. She 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 the boat rental fee for those who rent boats from Aree Frederick.
If you wish to rent a kayak or canoe from Aree, please notify Dan Frederick, southeasternoutings@gmail.com or phone 205/631-4680 BEFORE June 6 to reserve your boat.
If you want to come on the June 6 SEO kayak and canoe trip AND you are renting a boat from Aree 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 Aree how many rental kayaks and canoes she 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. Until 2024 we had been unable to sponsor a trip on this river for four years because we could not identify an outfitter who would provide boat rental services to us.
You may bring your own kayak or canoe on this outing. You will not have to pay a shuttle fee to Aree because boat owners on this trip will run their own shuttle.
Children age 10 and over and able to swim are 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 Ee’s or at a rest stop on I-65 near Athens, Alabama. If you wish, you will be able to use the very large restrooms and change clothes and wash up there in relative comfort before you go to the restaurant for dinner with us and/or drive home
Please meet 8:45 a.m. at the Hayden/Corner Park and Ride at Exit #284 off I-65 North. We plan to depart from there at 9:00 a.m. For more essential information about this trip, please see Notes for Kayak and Canoe Trips below.
Reservations Required: You must call Dan Frederick, 205/631-4680 or email southeasternoutings@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 in the notes below.
Information and Trip Leader: If you have questions, please call Dan Frederick, landline 205/631-4680, or email southeasternoutings@gmail.com,
JUNE 13, SATURDAY, please meet at 9:45 a.m.
Southeastern Outings River Float, Picnic, Swim
Where: 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 a fabric-covered, inflatable vinyl float. See Float Note below for additional information.
Please 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 at 9:45 a.m. at the Cleveland Chevron. We plan to depart from there at 10:00 a.m.
Information and Trip Leader: Dan Frederick, email southeasternoutings@gmail.com, landline 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.
