Hiking, Paddling & Camping Weekend at Beautiful Dauset Trails + Optional Mtn Biking - Fri, Apr 27 2012

REGISTRATION & PAYMENT REQUIRED: Once you've reviewed the event details, and decided you'd like to join us, you MUST sign up at the bottom of this page. This is a paid event with payment managed through the AOC. Please read the event description carefully for details; you will be given payment instructions after you sign up. Late payments are NOT accepted for this event, in any circumstance.



Hiking, Paddling & Camping Weekend at Beautiful Dauset Trails + Optional Mtn Biking


The Basics:
Event Type:Adventure
Event Location: 1 hour south of Atlanta, just off I-75   Adventure: Hiking, Paddling & Camping Weekend at Beautiful Dauset Trails + Optional Mtn Biking  National Weather Service Forecast
Date(s) & Time:Fri, Apr 27 2012  7:00 pm >> Sun, Apr 29 2012 1:00 pm
Registration Opens: Thu, Mar 15 2012 10:00 pm
Registration Cut Off: Fri, Apr 13 2012 4:00 pm
Event Duration:Two days, w/ carside camping Fri & Sat nights
Difficulty Rating:D2: Easy to Moderate
Pace:Leisurely
Trip Leader(s):
Charlie Cottingham
Courtney H
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Member Cost:$25.00/Person (See Detailed Cost Info Below)

Participant Info:
Who's Invited: Members Only, 21 And Older Only
Maximum Group Size:25
Minimum Group Size:15
Number Registered So Far: 26 / 0 (To see who's signed up, log in to the Member Area)
Are Dogs Permitted: No

Itinerary:
OVERVIEW:  Our home away from home for the weekend will be the beautiful 1200-acre Dauset Trails Nature Center, an easy 1-hour drive south of Atlanta (see detailed directions & links below).
  Our unbelievably low event price includes two delicious group meals and a wide variety of exciting optional activities—big campfires both nights, unlimited free use of Dauset Trails' fleet of kayaks & canoes, its miles of scenic mountain biking/ hiking trails, and much more—including just relaxing at our lovely campsite by the lake!
   Camping not your thing?!  Feel free to do your sleeping at home and join us for our many other great activities all weekend.  But our event price includes exclusive use for our AOC group all weekend of Dauset Trails' wonderful lakeside camping area (see details below) and its spacious covered dining pavilion complete with its big picnic tables, and charcoal grills—even hot showers, heated restrooms (w/flush toilets!), electric light and numerous outlets.  There's ample free parking directly beside our pavilion and campsites.
  Drive down anytime Friday, or plan to arrive as late as Sat AM if you prefer.  Stay as late as mid-afternoon Sunday if you like.

"C TO THE 10TH" EVENT!  This adventure getaway can aptly be described as "C to the 10th Power."  It's Convenient, Close, and Cost-Conscious, and even includes a big Saturday evening Cookout and hot Sunday breakfast—a great Carside Camping and adventure experience for outdoor enthusiasts from beginner thru expert.  There are even Covered-Camping "Turkey Roost" structures (see below) for those who prefer open-air sleeping with or without a tent. 
 We’ll have FREE weekend-long Canoeing and Kayaking with the Nature Center's own fleet of boats (plus paddles, lifejackets, and swimming, weather permitting) in the lake by our campsite.  There are also great Cycling and Hiking opportunities, including leader-led group mountain bike rides and hikes on the huge network of wooded trails—so bring your hybrid or mountain bike if you have one and don't forget your hiking shoes or boots.
  For the benefit of any who may be new to any of these wilderness pursuits, we'll have experienced AOC volunteers on hand to offer free Counseling in the basic skills of camping, hiking, kayaking and canoeing.
  Bonus "Map & Compass Hike" this trip:  Our friends in the GA Orienteering Club are hosting an "O meet" at Dauset Trails on Sat Apr 29.  Join me (Charlie) to try a couple of hours of this fun sport if you like.  I like to describe it as a "wilderness scavenger hunt!." 
 Another huge bonus of the Nature Center is its free 10-acre “Critter Corral,” a.k.a. the "wildlife trail" and its adjoining visitor center/museum —displaying dozens of GA's native wild mammals, birds, reptiles and fish in a picturesque lakeside setting.
  You newcomers will quickly discover why I've fallen in love with this in-Credible place! —your AOC trip co-leader, Charlie Cottingham, a.k.a. "C square."  :-)

TENT CAMPING FACILITIES:  There's plenty of nicely shaded level campsite space near the lake and dining pavilion, and for any who prefer more privacy it's fine to pitch your tent in any of the many flat clearings in the adjoining forest.  If you prefer you're welcome to sleep on one of the convenient “Turkey Roost” platforms on a first-come-first-serve basis - see below.  From our parking area by the pavilion it's no more than a 3-minute walk to your chosen camping spot.  Also, sleep inside your vehicle if you prefer, as I (Charlie) often do!
 
“TURKEY ROOST” COVERED CAMPING STRUCTURES:  These three open-sided roofed buildings are similar to the popular "Squirrel's Nest" structures at Unicoi State Park, and are available to us at no extra charge.  Each can sleep up to about 6 campers.  They’re set on a scenic hillside overlooking a creek just upstream of the lake.  Each “turkey roost” has a sturdy overhanging roof and two wooden-deck platforms, each roughly 15 feet wide by 10 feet front-to-back, and with a surrounding safety railing.  If you prefer not to bring a tent you can simply lay your pad and sleeping bag directly on one of the covered decks, and perhaps pat a little insect repellent on your face and neck before bedding down.  They're also highly suitable for dome-style tents pitched directly on the covered decks—no rain fly necessary!

GROUP MEALS:  The lakeside dining pavilion by the campsites and parking area has eight large picnic tables, and is ideally suited for preparing meals and dining together in a friendly group such as ours.  Its excellent shelter means that we can be confident of enjoying the trip "rain-or-shine."   Large coolers are appropriate with plenty of ice to preserve your favorite beverages and foods – the pavilion is the perfect shady place to consolidate them over the weekend.   The king-size raised charcoal grill by the pavilion is ideal for group barbecuing. For this trip the AOC event leaders will provide the main ingredients and supplies for a big Saturday evening meal (~7:00-8:30pm) and for Sunday morning hot breakfast (~8:00-9:30am). 
   We’ll also host optional “potluck-style” group meals at the Pavilion for our Fri dinner (~7:30-8:30pm) Sat breakfast (~8:00-9:30am) and Sat & Sun lunches (~12:30-1:30 both days). For any potluck-style meals that you choose to take part in, simply show up and chip in a ingredient or two of your choice, or a small prepared dish, salad, dessert, beverage etc. (For Sat breakfast: perhaps a dozen eggs, pound of bacon, quart of juice, fresh fruit, half-dozen bagels, etc.) – also please do your share to help with food prep, cooking & cleanup for all of our meals at the Pavilion.
  On Friday evening, for the benefit of those who arrive by about 7:30 PM, the Pavilion's charcoal grill will be lit and implements provided for those who would like to barbecue a REASONABLE-sized personal item of your own: e.g., a piece of steak, chicken breast, 2 or 3 hotdogs, couple of burgers, etc.
  All weekend the Club will provide a limited supply of napkins, paper towels, steel silverware, cooking utensils, etc. for group use.  Our Club 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 will recruit a small crew to wash & dry dishes after each group meal.

TUE APR 10 "PRE-TRIP PLANNING HAPPY HOUR," 6:00-7:00 PM prior to AOC SOCIAL at TACO MAC (Note change of location since this was first posted):   If your schedule permits, please plan to join us for this informal drop-in gathering at our regular AOC 2nd-Tue April Social.  The Taco Mac is in the Prado Shopping Mall on Roswell Rd in Sandy Springs, just 1/2 mile South of the  I-285 Roswell Rd exit.
  After introducing one another we'll address everyone's questions and suggestions about the trip. If you're interested we can perhaps help you pre-arrange a "custom carpool" at a convenient time from your side of town, although the Nature Center is so close to Atlanta that most campers prefer the freedom of driving down and back independently.
  By email after the meeting we can continue to firm up details of our group meals, campfires, schedule of optional group activities, etc.

FOR MORE ON DAUSET TRAILS NATURE CENTER visit their official website at www.DausetTrails.com.  Phone number: 770-775-6798.  Just 50 miles south of Atlanta, the nature center's friendly staff oversee its amazing features discussed above—plus its visitor center & museum, demonstration farm, and botanical gardens. Reserved paid groups such as ours have exclusive use of the entire lakeside camping area and its nice included extras. For a color topo map which includes the extensive hiking/biking trails network go to: http://dausettrails.com/DT-2002b1.pdf
 An added bonus of Dauset Trails is its proximity to historic Indian Springs Village, Indian Springs State Park, and High Falls State Park which surround the Nature Center and offer fabulous hiking trails, botanical gardens, quaint country stores, antique shops, etc.

FOR SOME NICE AOC DAUSET TRAILS PHOTOS (plus an archive write-up)  of our AOC September 2010 weekend, go to the following link.  Click on "Photo Album." for Courtney & Tom's superbly done Picasa album:
 http://www.atlantaoutdoorclub.com/events/archivedetails.asp?eventid=2650

September 30 - October 2, 2011 photo album
https://picasaweb.google.com/116047776368239884613/DausetTrailsWeekend?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCOvXlqrvwc_hfw&feat=directlink

Thanks to Angela Nelson for the above beautiful group "beach & boats" shot taken on our May 2009 Dauset Trails trip.

Required Items to Bring:

•  Sleeping Bag (or sheets & blanket)
•  Sleeping Pad & Pillow
•  Clothing, Athletic Shoes & Rain Gear appropriate for weather forecast
•  Toiletries, Towel & Washcloth
•  Headlamp & extra Batteries 

Recommended Items to Bring:
Use our Event Checklists to make sure you have everything you need.

• Tent or Hammock—or sleep in a roofed "Turkey Roost" structure (open-air or in small dome tent).
• Large Cooler with plenty of Ice & favorite Food & Beverages.* *Officially Dauset Trails has a "No-Alcohol" policy, which we expect all AOCers to discreetly observe.
• An extra Cooler with extra Ice might come in handy.  Consider pre-freezing some bottles or jugs of water—use them for longer-lasting and less messy solid ice in your food cooler and you can also drink the cold water as it melts inside the plastic container.
• Camp Stove if you have one (+ fuel canister) + Large covered Pot & Pan.
• Folding Camp Chair for Pavilion Area & Campfires
• Personal Drinking Mug, Plate, Bowl, & Knife/Fork/Spoon
• Covered plastic Food Storage Box (+ Ziploc Bags, etc.) for perishable food items.
• Camera w/extra Batteries, Memory, etc.
• Mountain Bike (+ Helmet) if you have one and would like to use it to explore the hiking/biking trails network surrounding our campsite area.
• Fishing Rod & Tackle if you'd like to fish in the lake by our campsites.
• The nearest stores are about ten miles away, so it's best to bring everything we may need for the weekend.  Our dining pavilion has hot & cold running water (safe to drink) and plenty of electric outlets & overhead lights.  We can conserve Coleman fuel, etc. by utilizing onsite electricity.  Trip leaders will bring for group use a large electric coffee percolator, frypan & hotplate, and even a small microwave for heating beverages, etc.


How to Get There:
Event Directions:

 
EASY DIRECTIONS from ATLANTA to AOC GROUP CAMPING AREA & PAVILION at DAUSET TRAILS NATURE CENTER:  The camping area is only about 45 miles (~45 minutes) from the I-75/I-285 interchange on Atlanta's south side.
IMPORTANT: Please IGNORE the DausetTrails.com online directions and instead use these directions which give the precise mileage of each driving leg and explain the special gate and entrance road to our camping area.  Rezero your odometer at each instruction and pay close attention to mileages given and driven.

1. From the southside I-75/ I-285 Interchange (near 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: Take I-675 southward from I-285 Exit #52 to I-75 South, then it's just 29 miles to Exit #198.) 

2. Turn Left over I-75 onto High Falls Road 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 and go 3.0 miles to the special gravel Dauset Trails campers' entrance road described below.

4. IMPORTANT!  Our special campers' entrance is a gravel road on your Left. There's normally no prominent sign there, but it's surrounded by a long bank of pine trees at a rightward curve in the paved road.   When used in conjunction with these written directions the following Lat/Lon coordinates of this special entrance may be useful as your entered GPS or Google.com/maps destination  33.2321,-83.9489
(By the way, if you overshoot this special entrance, in just another 0.1 mile you'll reach the main Dauset Trails visitors' gate/sign, in which case just turn around and backtrack 0.1 mile to the proper entrance!)
 
5. From Mt. Vernon Road drive up this special gravel entrance about 50 yards where you’ll find a steel gate. (The gate is just beyond a “check-in bulletin board” and a gravel parking lot and for mountain bikers & other “day-use” visitors.) CRUCIAL DETAIL: Enter through this gate toward our Camping Area as follows: The gate is "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.

6. Our covered lakeside Campers’ Pavilion (Group Pavilion #2) and campers’ parking area are about 0.8 mile beyond the steel gate down this gravel road, on your Right. Just before you reach this pavilion and camping area you'll pass through a second steel gate that is normally left unlocked and open for reserved camping groups.  If you arrive early and find this second steel gate locked, feel free to ask a ranger at the nearby Nature Center Office (via the main paved entrance off Mt Vernon Rd) to assist you.

7. 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.


Notes:
Important information for paid events in which payment is managed through the AOC:

     - Payment must be received by the payment due date and prior to participation in the event.

     - Some paid events require a minimum number of registered participants. If that number is not met, the event will be canceled and refunds will be issued to those who have already paid.

     - Third-party vendors often require damage deposits. Each registrant agrees to be liable for and required to reimburse the Atlanta Outdoor Club for any withheld deposits due to the actions of or damages caused by that registrant.

     - No partial payments. All registrants must pay the posted Member Cost regardless of any agreement you may have with any party involved in the event.

     - Read the event description carefully for additional information, and contact the trip leader(s) with any questions.

* We encourage all members to follow our Etiquette Guidelines while participating in AOC events.

Cost & Payment:
Member Cost:$25.00/Person
Cost Includes:• Cookout Dinner Saturday evening,
• Hot Breakfast Sunday morning,
• Weekend-long Camping in shaded Campsites and "Turkey Roost" covered camping structures.
• Use of lakeside group Dining Pavilion (with its Restrooms & Hot Showers)
• Exclusive use of Canoes & Kayaks all weekend in lake by camping area.
• Use of Hiking & Mountain Biking Trails and Wildlife Trail (free zoo)!


Payment Cut Off:Payment must be received by the AOC on Fri, Apr 13 2012.
Make a Payment:Click here for the details. PLEASE PAY AFTER YOU HAVE SIGNED UP BELOW.

Cancellation/Partial Attendance:   Please review the AOC cancellation policy.
*Note: PLEASE REVIEW OUR CANCELLATION POLICY CAREFULLY!

*NOTE: It is your responsibility to get the payment in on time. Please allow two days for processing a PayPal transaction and one week for a check. No checks will be accepted after the Registration & Cutoff deadline date.

CANCELLATION POLICY: If you cancel on or before April 13, full payment will be refunded less a $5 administrative fee. No refund after Apr 13 unless a Member replaces you and pays in full, and then you will receive a full refund less a $5 administrative fee. No partial payment for partial attendance. If the trip leader cancels the event, full payment will be refunded. If you do not cancel your attendance or fail to show up for the event, you are still responsible for full payment.