Etowah River Volunteer Project: Hiking or Paddling Option + Breakfast, Dinner & T-Shirt!

Weather Update, added Sat Oct 10, 6:00 AM:  The current weather front with its band of scattered showers is taking a bit longer to move through the Upper Etowah vicinity than had previously been forecast. Please dress accordingly and be prepared to wear rain gear.  It is now expected to be mostly cloudy and in the 60s all day with the probability of showers diminishing from about 60% at 10am down to about 20% at 5pm.  About 1/4 inch of rain is likely to fall while we're out volunteering. WE'RE STILL ON for the EVENT, so PLEASE STICK WITH the PLAN and PITCH IN!  Bring a spare dry change of clothing, shoes & socks in case you need them after the cleanup. - Charlie

Please sign up to support our AOC participation in this very worthwhile - and fun! - Oct 10 beautification project along the riverbanks and channels of North GA's lovely Etowah and Chestatee Rivers.  Each volunteer will be awarded a nice "Rivers Alive 2015" T-shirt.  Also our gracious hosts will treat us to a delicious kickoff breakfast and post-cleanup riverfront BBQ cookout at their lovely home overlooking the famous Chuck Shoals rapids on the "Upper Etowah" near Dahlonega.

For the past seven years AOC volunteers have had a blast "giving back to nature" by pitching with this festive annual statewide volunteer cleanup of Georgia's streams, rivers, lakes, beaches, and wetlands.  On the 2nd Saturday in October each year there are dozens of focus groups such as this one, with thousands of participants of all ages and levels of experience.  Our past President Paula Schubert has done an amazing job supporting Rivers Alive each year since 2008, and usually spearheads a second AOC group to clean up the waterway at Olde Rope Park near Woodstock.

  TWO WAYS to HELP:  BY WATER or BY LAND!

Option 1:  By Water in our own boats: Those of us who can bring our own kayak or canoe (+ paddle & PFD) and have previous river paddling experience will focus on cleaning up an assigned section of river channel and riverbank while paddling together down the river.  Each of us will be assigned to a paddling subgroup and river section that is appropriate for our own individual experience level - novice thru expert.
  Option 2:  By Land: We encourage AOC volunteers who don't have a boat to also sign up for this event!  Hiking volunteers can do equally valuable cleanup work with your designated team on an assigned section of riverbank frontage.

Please let us know in the "Notes" section of your registration whether you prefer volunteering by water or by land.  If "by water" please indicate the type of kayak or canoe and other gear you expect to  bring - also a brief summary of your past river paddling experience and whether you have extra space in your boat for another volunteer.

TWO DRIVING OPTIONS and MEETUP TIMES:  Each of us who registers for this AOC event/cleanup may choose either of the following two driving options:
A.  Drive directly to the Etowah riverfront home of our Rivers Alive hosts Elvin and Nancy Hilyer (directions below) where we'll all gather at 8:45 AM, OR
B. Meet Charlie & Bobby at 7:30 AM for carpooling at the GA-400 Mansell Park & Ride lot near Roswell (directions also below) and caravan to the Hilyers' home where we'll all gather at 8:45.

 Elvin and Nancy are long-time organizers and sponsors of this excellent Rivers Alive project and host the event each fall at their gorgeous home.  In the morning prior to the cleanup they and their friends will provide a delicious breakfast... And after our teams return:  Hot-off-the grill burgers and brats, plus a wide assortment of side dishes and liquid refreshments!  Each volunteer or group of carpoolers is welcome to "split" at any time, but hopefully can take the time to relax and enjoy the cookout, camaraderie and riverfront scenery.

 At our initial morning gathering we'll each be asked to sign the Rivers Alive liability waiver.  The event organizers will then assign us to appropriate cleanup teams and distribute trash bags, cotton gloves, etc. - also discuss team directions & logistics before sending us off.

This volunteer event is co-sponsored by the following fine organizations. (Click either or both links for more details):
http://www.RiversAlive.com/
and
http://www.lumpkincoalition.org/otheraction.html 

DIRECTIONS to ELVIN & NANCY HILYER'S RIVERFRONT HOME at 3865 Dawsonville Highway.  This is where we volunteers for this Etowah "Rivers Alive" event will gather both before and after our cleanup assignment:

From the GA-400/ I-285 Interchange in north Atlanta:

1.  Take GA-400 North about 42 miles to the traffic light at GA-136 (This is just 3 miles north of the busy GA-53 intersection where there's a McDonalds and many other shops, etc.)

2. Turn Left (off GA-400) onto GA-136 West and go about 6 miles to the 4-way stop at GA-9.

3. Turn Right onto GA-9 North, go 7 miles, and look for a small sign with the number "3865" on the right side of the road (It's just beyond a small "eyebrow turnoff" near the Hilyers' driveway.  If you miss seeing the sign, in about 0.2 mile you'll reach the Etowah River bridge, so go back ~0.2 mile.  Their driveway is the 2nd one SW of the bridge.)

4. Park along the shoulder of GA-9 (or in the little "eyebrow turnoff") and walk down the Hilyers' driveway to their home. Feel free to ring the bell and introduce yourself.  We AOCers will gather there at 8:45 AM. It's on the Etowah riverfront beside the beautiful "Chuck Shoals" rapids. Many other nice volunteers will be arriving a few minutes later.

For a zoomable map or satellite view (of the GA-9 shoulder where we'll park by the Hilyers' home) click on the square blue & green "Event Location" icon near the top of this article.

You GPS or Google.com/maps users may wish to augment the above directions by entering as your destination these approx. Lat/Lon coordinates of our roadside parking area at the top of the Hilyers' driveway: 34.5119, -84.0630

If river levels are considered too low or too high for safe paddling we may decide to "pass" on the boating option and instead ALL do a walking cleanup on various assigned sections of riverfront.  In this case we'll do our best to inform our paddlng volunteers in advance that you won't need to bring your boats.