15th Annual Dauset Trails Fall Camping, Hiking and R&R Retreat w/free use of Kayaks, Canoes and 20+ miles of Trails

IN a NUTSHELL:  Ask any of the hundreds of AOCers who've enjoyed this multi-sport  adventure trip with us over the years.  It's always a blast!   As usual we'll have exclusive reserved use of Dauset Trails' lakeside group campsite & spacious dining pavilion with restrooms, hot showers, electric power and its panoramic view of the lake.  You're welcome to arrive, depart & return at your convenience from midday Friday thru Sunday afternoon - see detailed Directions below.  Included at no extra charge are many amazing extras:  Use of Dauset Trails' fleet of kayaks & canoes (+ paddles & PFDs, on the lake by our campsite).  Also easy access to miles of scenic biking & hiking Trails - where we can enjoy group hikes and explore the Nature Center's wonderful free Zoo!  If you prefer, feel free at any time just to "chillax" by the lake - the perfect place for rest & relaxation.  Camping not your thing?  Since our site is so conveniently close to Atlanta, feel free to do your sleeping at home and as your time permits join our friendly group for whatever appeals most to you.  See more below about our "potluck-family-style" group meals and other weekend extras & options!  Our miniscule $25 event fee is the same regardless of whether you prefer being a "day tripper" or spending either or both nights with us at the group site.

MORE about CAMPING and optional "Covered-Camping" in our TURKEY ROOSTS:  There's plenty of level shady campsite space around our dining pavilion and lake, and for any who prefer more privacy it's fine to pitch your tent (or hang your hammock) in any of the many clearings in the surrounding forest.   From our group site parking area it's just a 2- or 3- minute walk to any of the dozens of beautiful tent or hammock sites.  Esp. if the weather happens to be unusually wet or cool, feel free to sleep inside your own vehicle or compact RV, as I (Charlie) often do!  The three open-sided roofed Turkey Roosts are available at no extra charge and adjoin our lakeside tent sites.  Each can sleep up to about six and has two "stories" of wooden decks (each deck ~12 feet wide x ~10 feet front-to-back) with stairs and surrounding safety railings.  To sleep in one without a tent simply lay your pad and sleeping bag directly on the deck and perhaps pat a little insect repellent on your face and neck as you go to bed.  If you have a small- to medium-sized self-supporting dome-style tent (and there's available space) feel free to pitch it directly on one of the covered decks—no rain fly necessary, and a good idea esp. if showers are likely!

GROUP MEALS OVERVIEW:  Our spacious lakeside Dining Pavilion conveniently adjoins the group campsite's large free parking area.  It's well-equipped for preparing & serving family-style group meals - also ideal for getting together to socialize, play games, etc. and the overhanging roof helps assure that we always enjoy the trip "rain-or-shine."  There are eight large picnic tables, clean restrooms, safe running water, hot showers, and electric lights & outlets.  The king-sized raised charcoal grill is ideal for roasting burgers, brats, steak, fish, chicken, foil-wrapped items, etc.  It's appropriate to bring our own food & beverage coolers with plenty of ice, and the roof-shaded perimeter of the pavilion is a convenient place to consolidate them over the weekend along with our other meals-related things.  Extra bagged ice is usually available for purchase about a 5-mile drive away.  The Club will provide a limited supply of napkins, paper towels, steel silverware, cooking utensils, etc. for group use at the Pavilion all weekend.  Our AOC policy is to minimize the amount of disposables, so to "Be Green" please bring your own personal insulated and covered drinking mug and your own personal washable plate and bowl, plus personal knife, fork & spoon.   We’ll provide a hot-water dishwashing station, "camp suds," scrubbing pads, & towels, and recruit small crews to wash & dry dishes after each group meal.

GROUP MEALS DETAILS for all who'd like to participate:
Our FRI EVENING DINNER and SAT BREAKFAST will be "Potluck" FAMILY STYLE. These have been lots of fun in the past and everyone is encouraged to participate!  For either of these 2 meals, if you'd like to participate just bring 5 or 6 servings of a single food or beverage item to share - ideally something you personally enjoy and can easily prepare & serve.  On Friday evening, for the benefit of those who arrive by about 7:30 PM, the Pavilion's charcoal grill will be lit (by about 6:30) and implements provided.  If you'd like to use it please plan to grill just a few servings to help assure adequate space for everyone.
"PerfectPotluck.com" is a free website that makes it easy to use interactive online forms to enter what Food & Refreshment items, Dining Supplies, Cooking Gear, etc we each would like to bring to share.  We encourage everyone to do so ASAP for the benefit of the group.  Each of us can easily see what there may be too little of or too much of and re-edit the form to adjust our own planned contributions accordingly.  Please ASAP click, etc. below (~Sep 15th or later) and take a few minutes to enter what items & gear you'd like to bring - then simply show up for the meal and prepare/ serve your items.  The forms list the various categories of items and examples of appropriate quantities, etc.
- Friday Evening Group DINNER     (~7:00 - 8:00 PM):    https://www.perfectpotluck.com/meal s.php?t=RBAF4664&v=76311feca0
- Saturday AM Group BREAKFAST (~7:30 - 9:30 AM):   https://www.perfectpotluck.com/meals.php? t=VZWB5030&v=76311feca0

- Sat & Lun informal Lunches : For those who wish to join us around midday at the shady dining pavilion we enjoy putting out various tasty "potluck" items to share, but don't bother trying to plan specific contributions.  If you expect to be away from the site hiking, biking, exploring, etc. consider carrying a light daypack or fanny pack with a few snack items such as fruit, a sandwich, trail mix, cookies, etc.— plus water, smartphone, camera, etc.

CLUB-PROVIDED MEALS SAT EVENING & SUN AM: For this trip the AOC event leader(s) will provide the main ingredients and supplies for a big Saturday evening cookout meal (~6:00-8:00pm) and for a hot Sunday morning breakfast (~7:30-9:30am).  Tasty items that remain from our previous potluck-style meals are also appreciated to add to the variety!

 
EASY DIRECTIONS from ATLANTA to AOC GROUP CAMPING AREA & PAVILION at DAUSET TRAILS NATURE CENTER:

IMPORTANT:   Please pay close attention to the numbered verbal Directions  below. They give the precise mileages between turns and explain the special entrance & exit procedures for reaching our remote AOC Group Site.  Don't try to rely solely on GPS!  (As an adjunct to these directions you GPS users can enter Lat/Lon 33.2321,-83.9489 as coordinates of our special AOC entrance gate discussed in detail below.)
  Our reserved AOC group site is roughly half-way between Atlanta and Macon - just 8 miles east of the I-75 "High Falls Rd" Exit.  For many Atlantans this is normally only about a 1-hour drive except during "rush hour."  For a zoomable map & satellite view of our special Camper entrance gate and its surrounding area click the rectangular blue & green "Event Location" icon near the top of this article.
1.  From the southside I-75/ I-285 Interchange  (east of the Atlanta Airport) take I-75 South about 35 miles and get off at Exit #198, "High Falls Rd." (If you live on Atlanta’s east side consider this shortcut:   From I-285 Exit #52 take I-675 southward to I-75 South, then it's just 29 miles further to Exit #198 at High Falls Rd.)
2.  Turn Left onto High Falls Road (over the I-75 bridge) and go 4.6 miles to Mt. Vernon Church Road (passing through High Falls State Park en route).
3.  Turn Right onto Mt Vernon Church Rd, go 3.0 miles and look for a gravel road on your left with a sign that says, "Dauset Trails Nature Center...Group Camping Entrance."   You GPS users may wish to enter the following Lat/Lon coordinates of this gravel entrance as your "destination address": 33.2321,-83.9489  (If you happen to overshoot this entrance, in just 0.1 mile you'll reach the main Dauset Trails paved entrance, in which case you should make a U-turn and backtrack to this proper entrance near the street address "389 Mount Vernon Road.")
4.  Turn Left off Mt. Vernon Church Road onto the gravel "Camping" entrance road  discussed above, and bear leftward for about 100 yards where you’ll arrive at a steel gate. (The gate is just beyond a “check-in bulletin board” and gravel parking lot for mountain bikers & other “day-use” visitors.)  CRUCIAL DETAIL:  Drive through this gate toward our Camping Area as follows: The gate is normally "Fake-locked" with an old padlock on a chain.  Simply lift the end of the chain off the nail, open the gate, proceed through it with your vehicle, then reclose the gate just as you found it by wrapping the chain and padlock around the gatepost and re-hooking it on the nail.
5.   Then drive beyond this Camping gate about 0.8 mile northward via the gravel road to our  lakeside campers’ Dining Pavilion ("Group Pavilion #2") on your right.  There's plenty of free Parking along both sides of the gravel roadway.  (By the way, just before you reach the Pavilion area you'll pass through a second steel gate that is normally left unlocked for reserved camping groups.  We like to leave this second gate in the OPEN all weekend.  If you arrive early and find this 2nd gate locked, feel free to ask a ranger at the nearby Nature Center Office to assist you, and you could try reaching them by phone at 770-775-6798.)
6.  When you arrive, park initially at the pavilion, and consolidate there your coolers, camp chairs, and cooking/dining gear, etc.  If other AOCers have already arrived they can assist you in choosing a campsite. The main tent camping area  is in the forest near the lake, about 100 to 200 yards to the right of the pavilion beyond the little open-air chapel.  The “Turkey Roost” camping platforms are about 50 yards beyond this tent camping area, via the same forested trail.

Our $25 Event Fee covers:

It is your responsibility to get your event payment in on time.   Please allow at least two days for processing a PayPal (preferred) or Electronic Funds Transfer transaction.  If you pay by check it should ideally be hand-carried to an AOC Officer or Treasurer by the payment deadline.  Paying via a mailed check should pre-approved by the AOC Treasurer.

CANCELLATION POLICY:   If you cancel on or before Sep 15th, full payment will be refunded less a $3 administrative fee to cover processing of the payment and refund. No refund for cancellation after Sep 15th unless another AOC member replaces you and pays in full, and then you may request a refund less the $3 fee.  No partial payment for partial attendance will be accepted or returned.  This is considered a "Rain-or-Shine" AOC Event,  esp. since we have such excellent shelter in Dauset Trails' spacious dining pavilion and "turkey roost" structures - also since we have quick access to our vehicles.