CANCELLED
MAY 4, SATURDAY, 8:15 a.m.
MAY 4, SATURDAY, 8:15 a.m.
Wildflower Walk
Where: Bucks Pocket State Park
Details: Bucks Pocket
State Park has one of the greatest concentrations and variety of wildflowers of
any public area in the State of Alabama. Join fellow nature lovers for a
walk on trails in this very scenic park. We expect to have a wildflower resource guide
knowledgeable in wildflower identification to
hike with us on this outing.
In
the morning we’ll first drive to visit High Falls. This
is a spectacular, large volume waterfall. We’ll have our picnic lunch at
High Falls Park. Then we’ll drive a short distance to Bucks Pocket State
Park for an easy stroll on trails in this very scenic park. We’ll start
at the overlook and walk slowly down to the canyon floor. Along
the way we’ll stop by and view two lovely waterfalls. After that part of the hike in Bucks
Pocket State Park, we’ll cross the creek and see even more wildflowers as we
walk on a trail through the woods heading upstream beside the creek to a third
waterfall.
Total
walking distance in Bucks Pocket State Park is about 5 miles. Hike rated
moderate. Well-behaved, properly supervised
children age 7 and up able to walk five miles without complaining welcome.
Note-To
view photos of what we will see on this trip, please click on these links:
AND
Please
be sure to click on the links and view the photographs.
After
the outing we’ll enjoy an optional delicious restaurant dinner together in
Guntersville.
Please
meet at 8:15 a.m. at the Food
Giant parking lot in Pinson. We plan to depart from there at 8:30 a.m.
Info.
and trip leader:
Dan Frederick, seoutings@bellsouth.net or
phone 205/631-4680
MAY 5, SUNDAY, Meet 1:45 p.m.
Walk Very Near Birmingham
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 new trail which has been officially opened since 2012. The trail
extends from the upper parking area through the woods to a large creek with a
long, sloping waterfall in the middle of the preserve. Please bring drinking water with you. Well-behaved, properly supervised children
age 7 and over are welcome.
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.
MAY 7,
TUESDAY, Meet 6:45 p.m.
Weekday Evening Walk
Where: Hillsboro Trail, Helena, Shelby County, Alabama
Details: Join friendly folks on an easy four-mile evening walk
on the Hillsboro Trail in Helena, Alabama.
This smooth trail is wide, paved and with only a few short hills. On this particular walk you will be walking
on a scenic trail which goes through mostly wooded terrain.
No motorized vehicles are allowed
on your trail! All road crossings are
through three tunnels under the
roads. Note this is a relatively easy
outing, one which should be lots of fun for everyone. Well-behaved, carefully supervised children age seven and up able
to walk four miles without complaining are welcome on this walk.
After the walk we’ll enjoy going
for frozen yogurt at Yogurt Mountain in Hoover. Meet at 6:45 p.m. in the front parking lot at the Helena Middle
School and depart from that location at 7:00 p.m. to begin the walk.
MAY 11, SATURDAY, 9:45 a.m.
Canoe and Kayak Outing, Big Wills Creek near Gadsden, Alabama.
Details: This will be Southeastern
Outings’ seventh 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 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 or one person sit-upon plastic kayaks and paddles from Big
Wills Outfitters. 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 May 11at 256/438-7172 to reserve your boat. Tell the outfitter you are boating with Southeastern Outings. Please note that the outfitter has only 7 canoes and 57one-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 May 11, 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 pavilion 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 planning to go to a restaurant in Gadsden for dinner. 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 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.
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
below.
Info. and trip leader: If you have further questions,
please call or email Dan Frederick, seoutings@bellsouth.net or
205/631-4680.
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 Big Wills Outfitters.
If you want to come on this SEO kayak and canoe trip AND you are renting
a boat from the outfitter, you are required to call the BOTH the
outfitter to reserve your boat AND ALSO contact the trip leader, too,
and notify him that you are coming!
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 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 it 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 or canoe from the outfitter
or bringing your own boat
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. And 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!!
MAY 18, SATURDAY, Meet 8:45 a.m.
Canoe and Kayak Trip with Dinner After
Where: Terrapin
Creek near Piedmont, Alabama
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 no classified rapids. This is a scenic stretch of creek located in a very rural area. Thirty-three Southeastern Outings people participated in this popular outing in June of 2017.
Please note that for this trip you may rent
canoes for $50 each or one person sit-upon plastic kayaks for $30 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 May 18 at
256/447-6666 to reserve your boat. Please be sure you tell the Center you
are boating with Southeastern Outings.
After the canoe and kayak trip we are planning
to go to a restaurant in Gadsden for an optional dinner. If you would
like to wash up and/or have dinner with us at the restaurant after the 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 seoutings@bellsouth.net 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 or wish to
rent a canoe or kayak and whether you need a paddling partner. You may
leave a message on Dan’s voice mail if you wish.
If you want to come on the May 18 kayak and
canoe trip AND you are renting a boat from the outfitter at the site of the
trip, you are required 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 at the end of this calendar.
Info. and Trip Leader: If you have further
questions, please call Dan Frederick, 205/631-4680 or email seoutings@bellsouth.net.
MAY 25,
SATURDAY, 9:45 a.m.
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 the last Saturday in
May.
Well-behaved, properly supervised children age 7 and over
welcome.
Optional dinner after.
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
Dayhike
Where: Hillsboro Trail, Helena, Shelby County, Alabama
Details: Join friendly folks on an easy four-mile walk on the
Hillsboro Trail in Helena, Alabama.
This smooth trail is wide, paved and with only a few short hills. On this particular walk you will be walking
on a scenic trail which goes through mostly wooded terrain.
No motorized vehicles are allowed
on your trail! All road crossings are
through three tunnels under the
roads. Note this is a relatively easy
outing, one which should be lots of fun for everyone. Well-behaved, carefully supervised children age seven and up able
to walk four miles without complaining are welcome on this walk.
After the walk we’ll enjoy going
for frozen yogurt at Yogurt Mountain in Hoover. Meet at 1:45 p.m. in the front parking lot at the Helena Middle
School and depart from that location at 2:00 p.m. to begin the walk.
