Paddle Georgia 2014 - week of Kayaking & Camping on the Hooch

IMPORTANT!  This AOC "event" is intended to facilitate the experience of those AOC members who have already registered and paid for Paddle Georgia 2014.  It has been SOLD OUT since February with a large wait list.  Each of us who wishes to participate should have already become confirmed via the following independent website: http://www.garivers.org/paddle_georgia/

JOIN OUR AOC "FACILITATION LIST!"  Clicking, etc. at the base of this article will put you on our INFORMAL list of Atlanta Outdoor Club kayakers & canoeists who have an interest in Paddle Georgia (this year or in future years) and/or who wish to participate in our mutual planning, facilitation and enjoyment of this year's trip - see more below. As worked well on six previous "Paddle GAs," we on this INFORMAL AOC list can be in touch with one another to share newly posted trip details, discuss transportation & gear needs, advise one another about meals, shuttling, camping & activity options, etc.  If you have questions feel free to email me (Charlie) and Jerry by clicking above or by giving us a phone call. Again, in order to actually participate in Paddle Georgia 2014 you should already have become confirmed and paid (independently of the AOC) via the above "GARivers.org/Paddle_Georgia" website!

YOU CAN CANCEL EASILY THRU JUNE 1st.  For those who have become confirmed and have paid for this year's event and its various options, refunds are available through June 1st if you need to cancel anything, and the Paddle GA staff can move another paddler up from their wait list to replace you.

PADDLE GEORGIA IN A NUTSHELL:  I (Charlie) and other AOC friends have had a blast for several years now participating in this amazing week-long paddling and camping event - suitable for kayakers and canoeists of all ability levels.  Each year since 2008 we've recruited an "AOC participation subgroup" of paddlers to enjoy the "river odyssey" along dozens of other friendly Paddle GA veterans and newcomers from the public at large.

Each paddler is responsible for providing our own kayak or canoe (owned, borrowed or rented - see more below) + paddle & lifejacket.  Our selected river this 10th year of the big event is the lovely Chattahoochee River which in fact was the river chosen for the first Paddle Georgia in 2005.  Although our total 7-day paddling mileage will be about 100 miles the adventure is considered suitable even for novices.  We paddle only about 15 miles per day and camp near the river in convenient parks, air-conditioned gyms, schoolyards, etc. Daily shuttle buses get us from our campsites to & from the river. Fortunately this year we have to change campsites only 3 times all week, and on those days (Mon, Wed & Fri) our gear is hauled by truck to the next campsite while we paddle. In our boats each day we carry only a few personal items, lunch and water.

Optional catered dinners and breakfasts are served at our campsites (for a reasonable optional fee) throughout the week, and hearty bag lunches (also an option) are also available for us to carry in our boats each day.
This year our first day launch will be on Sat AM June 20 at the Settles Bridge Rd launch ramp near Suwanee, GA.  Our final takeout will be on the afternoon of Fri June 21 in Franklin, GA (SW of Atlanta). 

Each year the GA River Network staff and their expert volunteers do an outstanding job organizing and overseeing this unforgettable week-long odyssey and assuring safety both on and off the river.  They arrange daily & nightly optional activities and tours of fascinating natural areas, etc. along the way.  We're free to do any or all of these fun and educational options, but the river and our enjoyment of the river is the main focus.  You'll find that Paddle Georgia and its activities, accommodations, meals, logistics options, etc. are an unbeatable value for your vacation dollar!

YOU CAN JOIN our AOC PADDLE GA 2014 "INFORMAL INTEREST SUBGROUP" by clicking, etc. at the base of this webpage. (No fee or obligation to participate.)   For those who sign up below we AOC "co-leaders" (and other AOC "veterans" of the trip) are happy to assist you with the following:
- Further advise you about Paddle GA registration + meals & activity options, trip logistics, etc.
- Assist you in choosing an appropriate boat and suitable gear for the trip.
- Help you arrange possible carpooling and boat transportation. (See more below.)
- Facilitate our camping (in parks, school gyms & schoolyards, etc.) and enjoyment of optional activities during the trip.
- We'll host at least one informal "Pre-trip Planning Meeting" for our Paddle GA subgroup here in Atlanta.  Mark your calendar to meet us (if convenient) just before the trip, on Tue June 10 at the 57th Fighter Group - same place as our 2nd-Tue June AOC Social.  We can answer everyone's questions and finalize all of the above issues.
- AOC "Private Shuttle": Jerry Kelley has a pickup truck with space for carrying up to 3 passengers and 5 or 6 boats that he plans to make available at the end of the trip for the return from Franklin back to our parked cars at Lambert High School.  Let Jerry know ASAP if you're interested in this special private "end-of-trip" AOC shuttle as an alternative to Paddle GA's optional fee-based charter bus & truck shuttle system.  We encourage others of you who may have vehicle space, boat racks, etc. to assist with our AOC carpooling and gear shuttling.
- Loaner Boats available to AOCers:  Jerry has about 3 spare kayaks that are suitable for Paddle GA 2015 and that he is willing to lend and shuttle for fellow confirmed and paid AOC members.  Contact him for more details. He and Charlie also have a few spare paddles and lifejackets, etc. that AOCers are welcome to borrow.

A FEW MORE TRIP DETAILS: As discussed above the river selected for 2014 is the 100-mile portion of the Chattahoochee from just below Lake Lanier, through metro Atlanta, and downstream to Franklin.  The Paddle GA staff has an excellent portaging system for assisting everyone and our boats around the dams that we encounter along the route.  The scenery is spectacular in many place with high rocky palisades, swimming holes, etc.  Birds and other wildlife are frequently sighted. 

All paddlers are encouraged (if possible) to arrive at our "Kickoff Campsite" (Lambert High School in Forsyth County) by about 6:00 PM on Fri June 2014.   There we can check in with the Paddle GA staff, take advantage of the big catered Kickoff dinner, safety briefing & program, and enjoy that optional extra free first night of camping.

After breakfast on the morning of Sat June 21 we'll begin our 100-mile downstream journey at the boat ramp at nearby Settles Bridge Road. (Click on the above blue & green "Location Icon" for a zoomable map.)
Other details, directions, schedule, etc. about this year's trip have been emailed to us confirmees.

BOAT CHOICE, RIVER DETAILS,  etc:
- A Suitable Boat is your personal choice and responsibility (plus paddle(s), lifejackets, etc. and their transportation to the initial put-in or from the final takeout - see shuttle options below).  The Chattahoochee between Lake Lanier and Franklin has up to Class I rapids - also rocky shoals in many places - so consider that when choosing a boat.  Most paddlers will be in lightweight and simple sit-inside or sit-on-top single kayaks, although tandem canoes or kayaks are also a great idea if you have a compatible paddling partner.  Daily paddling distances average about 15 miles and none of this year's legs are considered very "technical."  The rapids we encounter are not considered too difficult or dangerous for novice paddlers. Security is provided for our boats each night at river takeout points (where boats are launched at the same point next morning).
WHERE DO WE "CAMP?"  The Paddle GA staff arranges for the group to use the nice facilities of parks and schools on or near the river with school bus transportation provided if necessary between the campsites and the river and back. (Details about this year's camping locations have been emailed to all confirmees.) Most of us prefer to sleep without a tent when enclosed spaces such as gyms are available.  Others prefer to sleep in their own tent each night.  Each of us should be prepared to put up a tent if necessary.  Hot showers and clean toilet facilities will be available at each school or other campsite venue.

YOUR EVENT REGISTRATION FEE INCLUDES:

1. Nightly Camping with entertainment, educational programs and games. The big "River's-End Cookout and Party" are included. (An excellent Meals Package for any or all of the other meals is available optionally for an extra charge - see below.)
2. Ground Transportation each morning from campsite to river put-in and each afternoon from take-out to campsite,
3. Truck Transportation for our camping gear & personal bags from each campsite to the next (typically 3 or 4 campsite moves during week),
4. Companionship and camaraderie with dozens of fellow paddlers,
5. Optional Daily Environmental & Natural History Programs including tours of riverside historic sites, nature preserves, etc.
6. Optional Scientific Research training in chemical & biological water monitoring.
7. "Paddle Georgia" T-Shirt & Decal, waterproof Map Case and package of other nice "freebies."

MEALS OPTIONS:  Those who wish to opt for the “Full Meals Deal” can pay for this option as late as the end of May. If you choose this option you'll receive a colored wrist band which in effect will be your meal ticket at each meal.  Breakfasts & Dinners are served at the campsite, and Bag Lunches are made up each morning for our enjoyment on the river. The bag lunches are essentially the same all week, but you can select pre-order one of 3 different sandwiches each day.
It's fine to postpone till late May your choice of which if any meals to order (of the bkfasts, bag lunches & dinners).  The individual per-meal fees add up to virtually the same total price as the "Full Meals Deal."  It's OK to provide your own food for any meals, but keep in mind that access to grocery stores, ice, etc. will be a bit limited and that cooking is not generally allowed at the campsites.

DAILY ITINERARY: (You can click on "Journey Details" on the left side of the GARivers.org/Paddle_Georgia home page to see the day-by-day paddling plan.

FOR MORE PADDLE GA 2014 details we confirmees should check our email frequently and go periodically to www.garivers.org./paddle_georgia/ and its Facebook page, related blogs, etc.

OUR JUNE 20-21 GATHERING PLACE and JUNE 20-22 CAMPSITE will be (Forsyth County school): 

Lat/Lon coordinates of school for GPS Users:
31.6265,-84.1336

DO NOT PAY THROUGH the AOC!   This AOC "Event" is intended only to facilitate members who have registered and paid independently of the AOC.  For details of Paddle GA 2014 registration and optional meals package fees and what they include go to the following website:  www.garivers.org/paddle_georgia/

CANCELLATION POLICIES: As mentioned above, the GA River Network can normally guarantee a refund of our trip fees for cancellations made through the end of May, with at most a nominal processing fee deducted from refunds.  Fees for Meals and Paddle GA Shuttle Services are normally reimbursable for cancellations of these options through early June, but also may incur a processing fee.
There's no charge, of course, if you decide you'd like to delete your participation in our informal "AOC subgroup" - you can do that yourself online at AtlantaOutdoorClub.com or have one of us co-leaders do it for you.