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 one class I classified rapid (which you can portage around if you prefer).  This is a scenic stretch of creek located in a very rural area.  Twenty-four Southeastern Outings people participated in this popular outing on May 18, 2019.

Note-To view photos of what we will see on this trip, please click on this link:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/CSy2UkTRrd4jfC0y1

Please be sure to click on the link and view the photographs.

Children age 10 and older welcome.

Please note that for this trip you may rent one person sit-upon plastic kayaks for $25 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 July 27 at 256/447-6666 to reserve your boat.  Please be sure you tell the Center you are boating with Southeastern Outings.  Please note that the outfitter has only 100 one-person sit-on-top kayaks for rent, so be sure you call to reserve early.  Once all their kayaks are reserved for July 27, there will be no more kayaks available to rent!

This outfitter no longer has canoes to rent.

After the canoe and kayak trip we are planning hopefully to go to a restaurant for an optional dinner on the way back.  If you would like to wash up and/or have dinner with us at the restaurant after the kayak and 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 a canoe or kayak or you wish to rent a kayak.  You may leave a message on Dan’s voice mail if you wish.  If you want to come on the July 27 kayak and canoe trip AND you are renting a boat from the outfitter at the site of the trip, you are required in this instance 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.

Please meet 8:45 a.m. at Leeds Highway 78 gravel parking lot.   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 below.

Info. and Trip Leader: If you have further questions, please call Dan Frederick, 205/631-4680 or email seoutings@bellsouth.net.

DIRECTIONS TO MEETING PLACE

Leeds Highway 78 gravel parking lot-6995 Parkway Drive, Leeds, AL 35094. Gravel parking lot on Highway U.S. 78 between the Chevron and Marathon service stations at the first Leeds exit, Exit number 140, off I-20 heading east (towards Atlanta) out of Birmingham. Turn RIGHT at the end of the exit ramp coming from Birmingham. See Chevron and Marathon stations on right immediately after first red light.

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 from the outfitter(s) listed.

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, 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 boat if you don’t already have cord 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:

Whether you want to kayak or canoe
Whether you are renting a boat and what kind or bringing your own boat (kayak or canoe)
Your name
Your telephone number or email address
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”.
If you are canoeing, please give your skill level.
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.
Please do NOT just show up at the meeting place without making an advance reservation!!
If you have made a reservation to participate and then decide to cancel, please be absolutely sure to call and notify the trip leader 1 ½ hours or more before the event departure time.  Don’t just tell your friend if you intend to cancel!!
If you have made a reservation for a friend whom you have invited to come on this trip and your friend is not coming, you must notify the leader of this cancellation 1 ½ hours or more before the event departure time!  No-shows cause considerable logistical complications for the leader and for the outfitter!

DESCRIPTION OF SOUTHEASTERN OUTINGS

Do you wish you had friends who share your active lifestyle and enjoyment of outdoor activities?  Then become active with Southeastern Outings (SEO), a nonprofit organization committed and created to serve people who enjoy being active in the outdoors.  The organization plans, organizes and leads outings such as dayhikes, easy kayak and canoe trips, stream and waterfall walks, bicycle rides, lake events and other fun activities to beautiful sites in our natural environment.  From time to time we also sponsor potluck suppers and other socials.  All events and activities of the group are open to the public.  Participating in SEO activities is a splendid, simple way to make congenial new friends who enjoy the outdoors.

NO DOGS OR SMOKING ALLOWED, PLEASE, ON ANY SOUTHEASTERN OUTINGS EVENTS.

The organization currently has about 300 members.  We have scheduled forty-six fun events for you to enjoy in the first six months of 2022.  This is an average of EIGHT fun outdoor events per month.  We enjoy the outdoors in all seasons throughout the year.

SEO does not charge for participation in any of its outings.  You do not have to be a member to participate in one or two SEO activities.  Dues are only $10 per family or household.  Please contact Dan Frederick, President, 205-631-4680, or seoutings@bellsouth.net for more information and to obtain three free monthly newsletters with membership application and a complete description of all our outdoor events.

Southeastern Outings now has a website.  Just go to seoutings.org to find announcements of all our upcoming outings scheduled plus some brief, general information about Southeastern Outings, a membership application and 1500 lovely photographs from most of our outings.

Thank you.