Sat, Oct 8 2016 - Etowah & Chestatee River Volunteer Project: Hiking or Paddling Option + Breakfast, Dinner & T-Shirt! (View Original Event Details) Trip Leader(s): Bobby Marie, Charlie Cottingham Participants: Charlie Cottingham, Alison, Bobby Marie, Mary Madden, David Duffey, Charina, Bart, Darlene, Mary Lou, Wayne O., Pat E, Terry S, Eme, Gloria Colley, Jerry Colley, Jane Z, Shawn Z, Greg Walling, RCommander4656, Mary T, Steven K, William Meinert, Elvin Hilyer, Nancy Hilyer, Robin Walling, Carla Bell

Hip-Hip-Hooray! - and a big pat on the back to you cheerful AOC volunteers who joined me & Bobby and dozens of other friends of Georgia's rivers & streams yesterday for this big festive event.  It's the 5th year in a row that our Club has pitched in to help clean up the lovely upper Etowah and its "sister" watershed, the Chestatee.  AOC members Elvin Hilyer, his wife Nancy and their son Forest do a fantastic job each October hosting this worth cleanup project, based at their gorgeous riverfront home on the Etowah River just west of Dahlonega.  Jointly this month there have been in fact thousands of Rivers Alive volunteers working in teams throughout Georgia to remove and dispose of countless pounds of unsightly and unsafe refuse while having tons of fun and fellowship in the process. 
  Our nine "By-Water" paddler-cleaner-uppers put in with our own flotilla of boats at about 11 AM at Jay Bridge, 6 miles upstream of the Hilyers' home - Bobby, Jane & Shawn, Mary Lou, Terry and Bart in their kayaks - plus me, David & Mary M in canoes which we used as "garbage scows" for the full bags, large objects, etc.  Due to the very low water level of the river this year we had to get out or our boats often to tow them over shoals, etc.  Also because of a huge deadfall that we had to manhandle our boats and debris over and around, we decided take out at the Hwy 52 bridge.  Our 200+ pounds of trash and river junk this year included a huge truck tire, several lounge chairs, a large sunken tent, an old fish trap, an old "surfing boogie board," a rod & reel and dozens of bottles, bags, styrofoam objects, etc.  Many thanks to Forest for giving us a speedy shuttle rides back up to Jay Bridge to pick up our vehicles!
  Congrats also to our AOC "By Land" volunteers Jerry & Gloria, Wayne, Greg, Robin, Carla, Charina, Pat, Mary T, Alison, and others - who likewise did a fine cleanup job with their assigned riverfront teams!
  We wrapped up the day with a delicious BBQ-grilled dinner party & guitar sing-along down by the river which even included a roaring campfire and a hike along the half-mile or more of lovely wooded riverfront trails built and maintained by the Hilyers on their property.
  Many in our group took colorful photos which Bobby and I will be happy to add to this archive - ideally in the form of "clickable links" to online photo albums. - Submitted by Charlie, Sun. Oct 9th