APRIL 2, SATURDAY, Meet 10:45 a.m.
Southeastern Outings Dayhike, Richard Martin Trail (previously named Limestone Rail Trail), Elkmont, Alabama
Details: This trail is located in extreme North Alabama just to the west of I-65 and a few miles south of the Tennessee-Alabama border. The hike is rated easy. We will hike a total of 5.3 miles. There is much lovely scenery along the path that was once a part of the Tennessee and Alabama Central Railroad.
Walk on one of Alabama’s rails-to-trails conversion routes on an old railroad right of way. This smooth trail is wide, level and paved. No hills on this trail. On this particular hike you will be walking on a scenic trail which goes through fields, near houses and through the woods. The trail winds through wetlands with wildlife and a great variety of birds. On the trail you will pass the site of the Civil War Battle of Sulphur Creek Trestle. Please bring your picnic lunch and drink with you.
Well-behaved, carefully supervised children age 8 and over able to walk 6 miles without complaining are welcome. Absolutely delicious optional dinner afterwards at Terranova’s Restaurant in Athens, Alabama.
Please meet 10:45 a.m. at the Hayden/Corner Park and Ride. We plan to depart from there at 11:00 a.m.
Info. and Trip Leader: Randall Adkins, 205/317-6969
APRIL 9, SATURDAY, 9:45 a.m.
Southeastern Outings Dayhike
Where: Moss Rock Preserve
Details: Explore a section of this 350-acre forested park in Hoover on a moderately strenuous 2-3 hour hike with some climbing up and walking down hills on Shades Mountain. We’ll experience the preserve’s diverse natural features which include longleaf pine forests, huge boulders, grassy areas, outstanding views and several beautiful streams and waterfalls which hopefully will be running bountifully when we are there.
We recommend that you bring hiking poles with you on this hike if you have them.
Please bring water to drink. Well-behaved, properly supervised children age seven and up able to walk the distance and complete the hike without complaining are welcome.
Please meet 9:45 a.m. at the Moss Rock Preserve Parking Lot on Patton Chapel Road. We plan to depart from there promptly at 10:00 a.m.
Well-behaved, carefully supervised children age eight and over welcome.
Below is a link to the website for Moss Rock Preserve, where you can print a map of the trails in Moss Rock Preserve for use on this hike or on future hikes there on your own,
http://www.hooveral.org/219/Hiking-Map-Trail-Guide
Info. and Trip Leader: David Shepherd, 205/ 240-4681, email davidshep2@yahoo.com
APRIL 10, SUNDAY, Meet 1:45 p.m.
Southeastern Outings Second Sunday Dayhike in Oak Mountain State Park
Details: Enjoy a moderate 4 to 5-mile walk in the woodlands near Birmingham on a Sunday afternoon. This is an excellent outing for introducing your friends to Southeastern Outings and for making new friends who enjoy the outdoors. Parts of this hike may be off the color-coded trails. There will be some ups and downs.
Well-behaved, properly supervised children age eight and up able to walk the distance of about 4 miles without complaining and complete the hike are welcome.
Share an adventure! Bring a friend.
Please meet at 1:45 p.m. in the Oak Mountain Park office parking lot. We plan to depart from there at 2:00 p.m.
Please bring $5/person ($2.00 seniors) park admission fee plus your drink.
Info. and Trip Leader: Randall Adkins, 205/317-6969
APRIL 13, WEDNESDAY, Meet 9:00 a.m.
Weekday Hike
Where: Beeswax Creek Park, Lay Lake, Wilsonville, Alabama
Details: Beeswax Creek Park, bordered by Beeswax Creek to its north and Lay Lake (Coosa River) to its east, is located in the Columbiana/Wilsonville area. Beeswax Creek Park has many amenities including two picnic pavilions, three fishing piers, a 2.8- mile multi-use trail for hiking, two restroom facilities and a huge parking lot. A caretaker provides security for the park. Alabama Power Company, through its "The Preserves" program, has added a boardwalk and a bridge to the trail system, created a pollinator plot with interpretive signs, and built two gazebos overlooking Lay Lake.
Please meet at 9:00 a.m. at the Publix in Lee Branch. We plan to depart from there at 9:15 a.m.
Admission to the park is free.
Info. and trip Leader: Francis Rushton, 205-290-5557
APRIL 16, SATURDAY, Meet 8:45 a.m.
Southeastern Outings Dayhike
Where: Chief Ladiga Trail, Piedmont, Alabama
Details: Join friendly folks on an easy 3.6-mile dayhike and picnic on the Chief Ladiga Trail east of Piedmont, Alabama. Walk on Alabama’s first extended rails-to-trails conversion route on an old railroad right of way. This smooth trail is wide, level and even paved! Absolutely no hills—guaranteed! On this particular hike you will be walking on the most scenic section of the trail. This newly-paved part goes through mostly wooded terrain.
No motorized vehicles are allowed on your trail! Note this is a relatively easy outing, one which should be lots of fun for everyone. Well-behaved, carefully supervised children age eight and up able to walk four miles without complaining are welcome on this walk.
Please bring a picnic lunch and drink. From the trail you can see Dugger Mountain, one of the newest national wilderness areas in Alabama.
There will be an optional restaurant dinner after the hike. You will have an opportunity to wash up and change clothes in the Eubanks Welcome Center restrooms after the hike. If you’d like to clean up and/or change clothes, please bring your soap and towel and/or change of clothes with you.
Please meet 8:45 a.m. at the Applebee’s Restaurant in Trussville. We plan to depart from there at 9:00 a.m. or meet 10:20 a.m. at the Eubanks Welcome Center on the Chief Ladiga Trail in Piedmont.
Trip Leader and Info: Sean Boogaard, 256/365-6321.
APRIL 16, SATURDAY, Meet 8:45 a.m.
Southeastern Outings 11-Mile Bicycle Ride
Where: Chief Ladiga Trail, Piedmont, Alabama
Details: Join friendly folks for a 10.6 mile bicycle ride on the Chief Ladiga Trail in the Piedmont, Alabama area. Ride on Alabama’s first extended rails-to-trails conversion route on an old railroad right of way. The trail we’ll be riding on is smooth, 8-10 feet wide and even paved. There are no hills on this trail. The trail is suitable for road bikes plus mountain, hybrid and urban bicycles. Ride through towns, fields and picturesque woodlands. No motorized vehicles are allowed on your trail!
Bicycle helmets are required and must be worn. Please bring a picnic lunch and drink.
The pace of this bicycle ride will be leisurely. From time to time we will stop bicycling just to enjoy the scenery and views from the four bridges over the creeks. However, please note that this ride is 10.6 miles long. We recommend that participants intending to come on this outing have bicycled at least a few times during the 30 days prior to April 16. In order to be assured that you can ride comfortably on this trip you should probably be able to ride at an average speed of 8-12 miles per hour on level terrain.
There will be an optional restaurant dinner after the bicycle ride. You will have an opportunity to wash up and change clothes in the Eubanks Welcome Center restrooms after the bicycle ride. If you’d like to clean up and/or change clothes, please bring your soap and towel and/or change of clothes with you.
Please meet 8:45 a.m. at the Applebee’s Restaurant in Trussville. We plan to depart from there at 9:00 a.m. or meet 10:20 a.m. at the Eubanks Welcome Center on the Chief Ladiga Trail in Piedmont.
Reservations Required: If you want to come on this bicycle ride, please make a reservation with Dan Frederick, email seoutings@bellsouth.net or phone
205-631-4680. Also, if you have a bike rack which can hold more than one bicycle, please bring it with you to Piedmont in order to facilitate the required car shuttle and advise Dan that you are doing so. We will probably need to leave about two vehicles at the Eubanks Welcome Center in order to transport the drivers of all the remaining vehicles from the end point of the ride back to the start point to pick up their vehicles after the ride is concluded.
Information and Ride Leaders: Dan Frederick, 205/631-4680, email seoutings@bellsouth.net and Wimberly Scarbrough, 571-235-5899, email scarbrowl@hotmail.com
APRIL 23, SATURDAY, Meet 9:45 a.m.
Southeastern Outings Kayak and Canoe Outing, Big Wills Creek near Gadsden, Alabama.
Details: This will be Southeastern Outings’ twelfth 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, April 23 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 April 23, 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 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.
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.
APRIL 24, SUNDAY, Meet 1:45 p.m.
Southeastern Outings Wildflower Walk in a Forest Preserve in Homewood
Where: Homewood Forest Preserve
Details: The City of Homewood owns two forest preserves on Shades Mountain adjacent to the Homewood High School. Come and spend a relaxing two hours walking and admiring spring wildflowers with us in the lower preserve. Rated moderately easy. Well-behaved, carefully supervised children age 6 and older welcome.
Please meet 1:45 p.m. in the Homewood High School east (nearest Brookwood Village Shopping Center) parking lot, just off Lakeshore Drive in Homewood. We plan to depart from there at 2:00 p.m.
Info: Dan Frederick, seoutings@bellsouth.net, phone 205/631-4680
APRIL 30, SATURDAY, Meet 9:45 a.m.
Southeastern Outings Kayak and Canoe Trip, Locust Fork River
Details: A fun Southeastern Outings kayak and canoe trip on Section 1 of the Locust Fork River in Blount County. This stretch, which several of us have canoed many times previously, is fairly easy and without classified rapids. Along the river we’ll see lots of wildflowers and stop to investigate islands and beaches.
Novice canoeists are welcome and may come on this trip, but each one must be partnered with an experienced canoeist in their canoe.
Please note that for this trip you may rent one person sit-upon plastic kayaks and paddles for $30 each at the put-in from River Beach Outfitters. Rental fees include shuttle service. Also the outfitter will charge a $15 fee for all private boats, be they canoes or kayaks, used on this outing. If you wish to rent a kayak from the outfitter, please notify Dan Frederick, seoutings@bellsouth.net or phone 205/631-4680 BEFORE April 30 to reserve your boat. Dan will then inform the outfitter how many rental kayaks he will need to provide to SEO people for this trip. Please note that the outfitter has only 70 one-person kayaks for rent, so be sure you call to reserve early. Once all their solo kayaks are reserved for April 30, there will be no more kayaks available to rent!
This outfitter does not have canoes to rent. However, Dan Frederick’s daughter, Aree, currently has canoes which she is offering to rent to people who want to canoe on this trip and who do not have their own canoes. The charge for renting a canoe from Aree is $50 per boat. Southeastern Outings will pay the $15 per boat shuttle service fee for people renting canoes from Aree. Again, please notify Dan Frederick, seoutings@bellsouth.net or phone 205/631-4680 BEFORE April 30 to request a rental canoe if that is what you want. We will do our best to fulfill your request.
Please do NOT just show up at the meeting place on April 30 without making an advance reservation with Dan Frederick!! 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!!
Life jackets are required and must be worn. You are responsible for finding your own boat. Bring your own, borrow one, paddle with a friend, or rent from the outfitters listed.
Please bring with you 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 canoe if you don’t already have rope attached to your own canoe. If you have further questions, please call the trip leader.
Please meet at 9:45 a.m. at the Cleveland Chevron Service Station. We plan to depart from there at 10:00 a.m.
Reservations Required: You are required to contact Dan Frederick by email seoutings@bellsouth.net or call 205/631-4680 if you plan to come on this kayak and canoe trip. Please advise your name, telephone number, skill level, whether you are bringing a canoe or kayak and whether you need a paddling partner. You may leave a message on Dan’s answering machine if you wish.
If you want to come on the April 30 SEO kayak and canoe trip AND you are renting a boat from the outfitter at the site of the trip, in this instance you are required to call or contact ONLY the trip leader and notify him that you are coming! Dan will inform the outfitter how many rental kayaks he will need to provide to SEO people for this trip.
Info. and Trip Leader: If you have further questions, please contact Dan Frederick, seoutings@bellsouth.net or 205/631-4680.
