Proposed for the WWALS January 2014 outing:
the river most people know nothing about,
from the convergence of Mud Swamp Creek where Grand Bay Creek forms the border
between Lowndes County and Echols County in Georgia east of Valdosta,
about 14 miles through Echols County between Lake Park and Statenville,
to the Alapaha River in Hamilton County, Florida east of Jennings:
the Alapahoochee River.
Echols / Hamilton county, GA SR 135 to FL SR 150 on Alapaha section
whitewater kayaking, rafting, and paddling information.
This stretch of Alapahoochee River Grand Bay Canal) in Echols /
Hamilton County is 4.5 miles long and is according to American
Whitewater a class II section of whitewater.
8AM to 1PM this coming Saturday at Reed Bingham State Park,
it’s also the September WWALS outing now:
Rivers Alive Little River Clean Up.
Bring your canoe or kayak or rent one there for half price to volunteers!
We will be removing trash from the Little River and Reed Bingham
Lake. Experienced canoeists and kayakers have the opportunity to
paddle down the little river while picking up garbage. Canoes and
kayaks are available to volunteers for half off. Please register in
advance to ensure your rental spot is available. Non-boaters can
walk around and in the lake and river picking up garbage and debris.
$5 parking. 229-896-3551.
Join WWALS on our monthly outing, on the exotic Alapaha River:
Jungle-like in its remoteness and luxurious with exotic vegetation,
the dark reddish-brown waters of the Alapaha wind through a swampy
wonderland teeming with wildlife.
—
Alapaha River Paddling Guide,
by Suzanne Welander
Yet it’s right here in Berrien County, Georgia, only an hour’s drive from
Valdosta and less from Adel, Lakeland, Tifton, etc.
Meet at the intersection of Hwy 82 bridge and the Alapaha River, about 2 miles east of Alapaha, GA.
Park cars at the top near a derelict brick building (south of highway). There is a road down to the river but it is badly washed out so you probably want to take a look before you drive down.
We’re planning to paddle upstream a ways and then float back down.
The June WWALS outing is from Clyattville-Nankin Road to Horn Bridge on
Madison Highway (GA 31) on the Withlacoochee River.
Meet at the Clyattville-Nankin Road putin at 9AM, put in at 10AM, Saturday, 22 June 2013.
Join the
facebook event if you like.
See you there!
Update 20 June 2013:
How are we getting back to our vehicles with this trip?
We’ll deposit all the boats at
the put-in (Clyattville-Nankin Road), take most of the vehicles
down to the take-out (Horn Bridge on Madison Highway aka GA 31),
carpool in a few vehicles back to the put-in, and float down the river.
Tom Baird described this nine-mile two-hour trip as:
The section
includes where Clyatt Mill Creek enters, a truly fun set of rapids (two
drops) at the Ga – Fla border, a very nice Second Magnitude Spring (that I
have yet to find the correct name), the remains of the enormous abandoned
trestle over the river of the Georgia & Florida Railroad,
or Ole God
Forsaken as it was nicknamed, the ghost town of Olympia on the Georgia side,
and several Indian quarry sites. It is along this section that the river
cuts deeply enough that the banks switch from sand banks to limerock cliffs.
Paddle distance is about 9 miles, so a little over two hours paddling time.
There are plenty of places to stop and look around.
There are shoals right at the state line, so beware, esp. if you’re in a canoe.
The book Canoeing and Kayaking Georgia, by Susanne Welander, Bob Sehlinger, and Don Otey (2004) says: Continue reading →
Water issues strongly affect economic development, so I talked about
the new WWALS Watershed Coalition at the
16 April 2013 Board Meeting
of the Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority.
The VDT declined to speak, so I did.
After apologizing for no okra today,
I commended the Authority for talking about the missing agenda items
and for mentioning due diligence and flood control.
WWALS board meetings are every second Wednesday of the month,
usually at the IHOP in Adel because it’s centrally located.
WWALS is communicating with Valdosta and
various organizations about
flooding and other watershed-wide issues, which in my opinion
have to do with things like too much clearcutting without
consideration for where the water goes, too much development
without consideration for what the impervious surface would do,
(to my surprise, the Executive Director and several board
members nodded along with that)
so it was good to hear them mention flood containment.
Arsenic, Outings, and Flooding: WWALS Watershed Coalition
Regular Meeting, Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority (VLCIA),
Norman Bennett, Tom Call, Roy Copeland, Chairman, Mary Gooding, Jerry Jennett,
Andrea Schruijer, Executive Director, J. Stephen Gupton, Attorney, Tom Davis, CPA, Allan Ricketts, Project Manager,S. Meghan Duke, Public Relations & Marketing Manager, Lu Williams, Operations Manager,
Video by John S. Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE), Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 16 April 2013.
On Saturday, March 30 WWALS held their first joint fundraiser with
the Friends of Reed Bingham State Park: the first annual Big LITTLE
RIVER Paddle Race. We had 18 boats and 27 paddlers participate. The
start was at Rountree Bridge at the north end of Reed Bingham State
Park.
Proposed for the WWALS January 2014 outing:
the river most people know nothing about,
from the convergence of Mud Swamp Creek where Grand Bay Creek forms the border
between Lowndes County and Echols County in Georgia east of Valdosta,
about 14 miles through Echols County between Lake Park and Statenville,
to the Alapaha River in Hamilton County, Florida east of Jennings:
the Alapahoochee River.
Here’s a brief day paddle description,
Florida whitewater, Alapahoochee River Grand Bay Canal),
by
riverfacts.com:
