Please Note—The date for the Southeastern Outings-sponsored Cahaba Lily Walk originally scheduled for Saturday, May 16 has been changed to the following Saturday, May 23.  

Details: Please come with SOutheastern Outings 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.  The Field Director for the Cahaba River Society advised Southeastern Outings that he expects the number of lilies in bloom on May 23 to be substantially more than those in bloom on May 16.  The lilies generally bloom for about three or four weeks at this time of year.

On Sunday, May 10 an SEO member who lives near the Cahaba National Wildlife Refuge advised Southeastern Outings and the Executive Director of the Cahaba River Society confirmed that the Cahaba River Festival is scheduled to take place on Saturday, May 16.  The Cahaba River Festival has traditionally been held on Memorial Day Weekend which this year is the weekend of May 23-24.  However, due to global warming the Festival is scheduled May 16-17 this year. Several hundred people are expected to participate.  If Southeastern Outings had our lily walk on May 16 at the same time as the Festival, there would be no place for our people to park, and trying to assemble our group to walk together at the refuge would be impossible.  Therefore, we have decided to postpone our lily walk for one week.  

Well-behaved, properly supervised children age 7 and over welcome. 

Optional dinner after.  You may wish to bring a change of clothes and especially a change of shoes if you plan to stay for the dinner.

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.  Please bring picnic lunch and your drink.  Hiking poles are strongly recommended to provide additional stability when wading in the river.

Depart 9:00 a.m. from the McDonald’s Galleria.

Info: Dan Frederick, 205/631-4680 or seoutings@bellsouth.net

DIRECTIONS TO MEETING PLACE