Tag Archives: Outing

Sullivan Launch to Madison Blue Springs, Withlacoochee River, 2017-06-24

Update 2017-06-26: A fine day on the Withlacoochee River from Sullivan Landing to Madison Blue Spring 2017-06-24.

Paddle with WWALS to one of the most beautiful springs on the Withlacoochee River, from Sullivan Launch to Madison Blue Spring, about 6.5 hours including shuttle, with lunch, swim stops, and bon-bons, of course.

Bring the usual personal flotation device, boat paddles, food, drinking water, warm clothes, and first aid kit. Bring a canoe or kayak if you’ve got one, otherwise there are plenty of outfitters, or let us know and many of us have extra boats.

When: 9AM Saturday 24 ~~May~~ June 2017

Put In: Sullivan Launch, river mile 21.9
From Pinetta, travel east on CR 150; turn right at the bridge and follow road to launch.

GPS: 30.595667, -83.26

Duration: 6.5 hours

Event: facebook

Free: This outing is Free! And we recommend you support the work of WWALS by becoming a WWALS member today!

Take Out: Continue reading →

White Springs to Swift Creek, Suwannee River, 2017-05-20

Because SRWMD tells us Blue Sink Launch is closed, our May Suwannee River outing will take out slightly downstream at Swift Creek Lunch, which should be easy to recognize from the river because American Canoe Adventures has put up these nice triangular flags:

Photo: Jesse Wilkes, November 23, 2016

The put in at White Springs Wayside Park and everything else is the same; see the updated outing announcement for all the details.

We’re bringing bon-bons. See you there in May!

-jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

You can join this fun and work by becoming a WWALS member today!

Ft Macomb to Ivey Memorial Park, Suwannee River, 2017-06-10

A medium length summer paddle on the Middle Suwannee River: Fort Macomb Ramp to Ivey Memorial Park June 10, 2017, past springs, shoals, and Branford. This one will probably take about 5 hours paddling, or 6 hours including shuttle. With lunch, swim stops, and bon-bons, of course.

Bring the usual personal flotation device, boat paddles, food, drinking water, warm clothes, and first aid kit.

When: 9AM Saturday 10 June 2017

Put In: Ft. Macomb Ramp, river mile 86.6
From Mayo, travel east on US 27 to CR 410; turn left on CR 410; follow to boat ramp.

GPS: 30.0097911,-83.0168023

Take Out: Ivey Memorial Park Ramp, river mile 76.0
Boat ramp is located in Branford on the south side of US 27 at the Bridge in Ivey Memorial Park.
29.9538379,-82.9303607

Event: facebook, meetup

This map detail and all landing directions are from Continue reading →

White Springs to Blue SInk Swift Creek Launch, Suwannee River, 2017-05-20

Update 2017-05-17: OK, the water’s gotten too low at the original location, so we’re moving downstream to Woods Ferry Tract Launch to Suwannee Springs.

Update 2017-05-15: The water’s low, but so far it’s a go, plus it’s Hands across the Sands on the Suwannee against the Sabal Trail fracked methane pipeline and for solar power.

Update 2017-04-06: SRWMD tells us Blue Sink Launch is closed, so we’ll be taking out nearby at Swift Creek Launch.

Join WWALS for a brief paddle 8 miles on the Suwannee River through White Springs down to ~~Blue Sink~~ Swift Creek Launch. This shouldn’t take more than 4 hours paddling or 5 hours including shuttle. With lunch, swim stops, and bon-bons, of course.

Bring the usual personal flotation device, boat paddles, food, drinking water, warm clothes, and first aid kit. If you don’t have a boat, there are many outfitters, or let us know and many of us have spare boats.

When: 9AM Saturday 20 May 2017

Put In: Suwannee River Wayside Park Ramp, river mile 171.0
From White Springs, travel south on US 41 to the river; the ramp is on the south side in the town park.

GPS: 30.3255398,-82.7413685

This map drawn using landing directions from the Suwannee River Wilderness Trail map of Boat Ramps & Canoe Launches and SRWMD’s Blue Sink, Rocky Creek, Swift Creek.

Duration: 5 hours

Events: facebook, meetup.

Free: This outing is Free! And we recommend you support the work of WWALS by becoming a WWALS member today!

Shuttle Distance: Continue reading →

Update: Fargo to Roline, Suwannee River, 2017-03-18

WWALS Outings Committee Chair Phil Hubbard wrote Tuesday on the facebook event:

Looking forward to the WWALS outing on the historic Suwannee River. Water level currently at Fargo is 93.34′ (2.34′) slightly increasing with the 0.6″ of rain in Fargo yesterday. White Springs is at 52.02′ and rising.

Weather forecast is clear skys and virtually no chance of rain. Temps with an over night low mid 40’s and forecast high of upper 70’s.

What an awesome way to welcome in the return of spring from its brief departure.

Follow the original event blog post for more details.

See you 7AM Saturday, March 18th, 2017, at the Suwannee River in Fargo, Georgia, to paddle into Florida to Roline Landing!

For more outings and events as they are posted, see Continue reading →

Pictures, McIntyre and Arnold Springs, Nankin to Madison Hwy, Withlacoochee River 2016-07-09

Update 2024-02-29: Now with better picture format.

We found McIntyre Spring, and Arnold Springs, too, on the WWALS Withlacoochee River Outing from Nankin Boat Ramp to Madison Highway Boat Ramp, July 9th 2016. Swimming, snorkeling, karst, shoals, an abandoned railroad trestle, more shoals, State Line Shoals, old road bridge posts, dragonflies, and Halberdleaf rosemallow (Hibiscus laevis All.), unfortunately plus Chamber bitter.

McIntyre Spring and State Line Shoals 2016-07-09

Update 2017-05-13: On 2016-07-09, the US 84 Quitman gage showed about 1.75 feet (85.26 NAVD), and the Pinetta gage showed about 6.57 (53.08 NAVD). That’s a foot lower than June 22, 2013, when we thought that was already as low as you’d want to paddle.

Here are a few videos, some pictures, and a google map showing where the pictures were taken.

-jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

You can help with clean, swimmable, fishable, drinkable, water in the 10,000-square-mile Suwannee River Basin in Florida and Georgia by becoming a WWALS member today!
https://wwals.net/donations/

Videos

Here is a playlist of WWALS videos:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKwQ5xfKf-Qyed6eWPp4xcYNjZI-NMW-j Continue reading →

Berrien Beach Landing (GA 168) to Lakeland (GA 122), WWALS Outing 2017-02-11

12 + 4 boats and about 18 paddlers went even faster down the Alapaha River than we expected: six hours on the water between GA 168 and GA 122, including a lunch stop. That’s about 3 miles per hour on a chilly morning and a fine breezy warm day. And there were bon-bons and kumquats!

WWALS banner at lunch stop; picture by Gretchen Quarterman for WWALS.

Lots of native vegetation, no invasive species, some birds (buzzards, ducks, heron, flycatcher, cardinals), no animals on the land or in the water. People fishing at Lakeland said they didn’t even get a nibble. I did see a few fish beds below a creek confluence.

The water level was Continue reading →

WWALS Okefenokee Billys Island Outing 2016-12-10

Gators, herons, hawks, and a very hard-to-see bittern, all before Billy’s Island in the Okefenokee Swamp, on a WWALS monthly outing, 10 December 2016.

A few WWALS videos and many pictures and a google map below: Continue reading →

5th Annual BIG Little River Paddle Race with grilling and silent auction 2017-04-29

Update 2017-06-04: And the winners!

Update 2017-04-30: Summary of news coverage.

Update 2017-04-29: Pictures and videos.

Update 2017-04-27: Paddle or Race, Scott James Talk 92.1 FM radio 2017-04-27

Update 2017-04-26: River radio videos: Charlie Walker dried off in time on KIX 99.5 FM for the BIG Little River Paddle Race 2017-04-26 and Video: BLPR and Neighbor Steve Nichols, WVGA 105.9 FM 2017-04-26.

Update 2017-04-25: More river radio: BLPR on The Morning Drive with Steve Nichols, 105.9 FM, 8:15 AM Wednesday April 26, 2017, and you can get a kayak raffle ticket online or at the paddle race.

Update 2017-04-24: Hear about it on the Scott James Talk 92.1 FM radio show 8AM Thursday April 27th.

Back by popular demand! This year plus lunch grilling and a silent auction afterwards: the fifth annual BIG Little River Paddle Race, a fundraiser for WWALS and Friends of Reed Bingham (FORB). Last year we had 34 paddlers, and the traditional winner almost lost! Come on down and you can be a winner, if not first place, in one of many categories.

Where: Red Roberts Landing
31°11’32.0″N 83°31’13.2″W
Rountree Bridge Road
Between Moultrie and Adel, GA
I-75 Exit 41 (at Sparks) to Rountree Bridge Road

When: 8AM-9AM Registration
9:30 AM Mass Start

What: Canoes or Kayaks Only
Life jackets required of all participants.

Let people know: facebook event or the Meetup event.
But remember to register.

Registration: Register on-line Continue reading →

Pictures and video, Suwannee River Outing and Protest 2017-01-14

By water, land, and air hundreds gathered Saturday to protect the Suwannee River from the invading Sabal Trail fracked methane pipeline. 23 people signed in at the WWALS paddle on the Suwannee River. You’ll see more pictures from others later, including from the Southwings flight for WWALS, and from the protest by others on land. Meanwhile, here are a few pictures, a few videos, a google map, plus people stuck outside Suwannee River State Park as reporters drove in, and a few pictures of red pipe going into the ground in Hamilton County, plus 15 state trooper cars. All the news stories I’ve seen thus far are also linked in, plus pictures of the two TV reporters arriving.

Thanks to the 23 paddlers, 5 from Georgia (1 from Hahira, 1 from Valdosta, 1 from Warner Robins, 2 from Pine Mountain) and 18 from Florida (2 from Jacksonville, 1 from Tallahassee, 2 from White Springs, 1 from Live Oak, 4 from Fort White, 4 from Alachua, 2 from Gainesville, 2 from Micanopy). That’s a range of more than 300 miles, along most of the Sabal Trail pipeline path and elsewhere. Thanks to Amy Wiegenstein for Continue reading →

WWALS Watershed Coalition (WWALS) is Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

A healthy watershed with clean, swimmable, fishable, drinkable water.