Hiking, Paddling & Camping Weekend at Beautiful Dauset Trails

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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

The Basics:

Event Type:

Adventure

Event Location:

Dauset Trails Nature Center, just 1 hour S of Atlanta

Date(s) & Time:

Fri, Apr 9 2010 6:00 pm >> N/A

Registration Opens:

Mon, Mar 16 2009 10:00 pm

Registration Cut Off:

Wed, Mar 31 2010 5:00 pm

Event Duration:

2 Nights & 3 Days (Come & go at your convenience.)

Difficulty Rating:

D1: Easy

Trip Leader(s):

Charlie Cottingham
Bobby Marie

Email Trip Leader(s)
You must be logged in to get the Trip Leader contact information.

Member Cost:

$20.00/Person (See Detailed Cost Info Below)

Participant Info:

Who's Invited:

Members Only, 21 And Older Only

Maximum Group Size:

Minimum Group Size:

Number Registered So Far:

21 / 0 (To see who's signed up, log in to the Member Area)

Are Dogs Permitted:

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).
In addition to camping (see below) our unbelievably low event price includes two delicious group meals and a wide variety of exciting optional activities: big nightly campfires and unlimited use of Dauset Trails canoes & kayaks and hiking/ mountain biking trails. Free instruction will be available in the basics of paddling and orienteering (hiking with a map & compass). A bonus of this trip is the Saturday "O Meet" at Dauset Trails that will be hosted by Charlie's friends in the GA Orienteering Club.
    Camping not your thing?! Feel free to join us for our many other great activities all weekend and do your sleeping at home. But our event price includes exclusive use all weekend of Dauset Trails' wonderful lakeside camping area (see details below), spacious covered dining pavilion complete with hot showers, heated restrooms with flush toilets, electric lights & outlets, picnic tables, and charcoal grills. There's ample free parking just a few yards from 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 night Cookout and hot Sunday breakfast – a great "prime time" spring Camping and adventure experience for outdoor enthusiasts from beginner thru expert.
We’ll have FREE weekend-long Canoeing and Kayaking (with the Nature Center's own fleet of boats plus paddles & lifejackets) in the lake by our campsite all weekend, including an optional free tutorial Clinic in boating & paddling basics—also a tutorial in using a Compass while hiking (orienteering). There are also great Cycling and Hiking opportunities (including at least one scheduled AOC group hike) on the huge network of wooded trails – so bring your hiking boots and perhaps your hybrid or mtn bike if you have one. There's even a free 10-acre “Critter Corral,” a.k.a. the "wildlife trail"—displaying dozens of GA's native wild mammals, birds, reptiles and fish in a wooded lakeside setting.
–Your AOC trip leader, Charlie Cottingham

TENT CAMPING FACILITIES: There are about 15 beautiful shaded campsites adjoining the lake with level tent pads. Every campsite is within a 3-minute walk from our vehicle parking area by the pavilion. Several fire rings and steel lantern poles are provided. If you prefer you may sleep inside your vehicle or on one of the “Turkey Roost” platforms—see below.

“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 hill overlooking a creek that flows into the lake. Each “turkey roost” has two wooden-deck platforms, each roughly 15 feet wide by 10 feet front-to-back, with a surrounding safety railing. They’re just a 3-minute walk from the pavilion and parking area. 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 on the covered decks—no rain fly necessary!

GROUP MEALS: The spacious 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. The excellent shelter and vehicle access means that we can be confident of safely 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 leader will provide the main ingredients for a big Saturday evening barbecue cookout (~7:00-8:30pm) and for Sunday morning breakfast (~8:00-9:30am).
We’ll also host optional “potluck” 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, or a small prepared dish, dessert, beverage etc. – also please pitch in with food prep, cooking & cleanup.
The group charcoal grill will be lit Friday evening in the patio & fire-ring area, and implements provided for those who would like to barbecue a reasonable-sized personal item of your own: e.g., a steak, chicken breast, hotdogs, burgers, etc.
Charlie will also provide a limited supply of napkins, paper towels, stainless steel silverware, cooking utensils, 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 hard plastic (or enamelware) plate and bowl. 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.

"TRIP E-FORUM:"  For all who sign up, the Trip Leader will facilitate "reply-all" email discussions of appropriate gear, clothing, food & supplies to bring and/or share. By email we can also firm up details of our group meals, campfires, schedule of optional group activities, etc.  This "E-Forum" will also come in handy for any of you campers who may prefer carpooling together from mutually convenient places in and around metro Atlanta.

FOR MORE ON DAUSET TRAILS NATURE CENTER visit their official website at www.DausetTrails.com. 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 fantastic included extras. For a color topo map which includes the extensive hiking/biking trails network go to: http://dausettrails.com/DT-2002b1.pdf

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 sleep on one of the roofed "Turkey Roost" platforms.
• 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 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 leader will provide a 2-burner Coleman stove, electric frypan & hotplate, and even a small microwave for heating beverages, etc.

How to Get There:

Event Directions:

From ATLANTA to AOC GROUP CAMPING AREA & DINING PAVILION at DAUSET TRAILS NATURE CENTER
–The camping area is 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 (also ignore other online aids such as Google or MapQuest!) 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 toward Macon and go about 33 miles to Exit #201. (Shortcut if you live on Atlanta’s east side: Consider taking I-675 southward from I-285 Exit #52 east of town to I-75 Exit #227, then drive just 26 miles south on I-75 to Exit #201.)

2) Get off I-75 at Exit #201 (GA-36 “Jackson/ Barnesville”).

3) Turn Left over the bridge onto Hwy 36 East and go about 3.1 miles (toward Jackson, GA).

4) Turn Right onto High Falls Road and go about 2.5 miles.

5) Turn Left onto Mt Vernon Church Rd (also known as Mt. Vernon Rd) and go about 3.0 miles to Dauset Trails Nature Center on your Left.

6) The Camping Area entrance is a gravel road on your Left surrounded by a long bank of pine trees at a rightward curve in the highway. (This is about 0.1 mile before the better-marked paved entrance road to the Nature Center Visitor Center.) A few yards down the above-mentioned gravel road (from Mt. Vernon Rd) you’ll find a steel gate (just beyond a gravel parking lot and “check-in bulletin board” for mountain bikers & other “day-use” visitors). Enter through this gate toward our Camping Area as follows: Unhook the chain (which may appear to be locked, but isn't), open the gate, proceed through it with your vehicle, then reclose the "faux-locked" gate and rehook the chain behind you as you found it.

7) The 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.

8) When you arrive, park initially at the pavilion, and consolidate there your coolers, camp chairs, and cooking/dining gear, etc. Look for Club volunteers there who can assist you in choosing a campsite. The gravel tent pads and “Turkey Roost” camping platforms and are all near the lake, about 100 to 200 yards to the right of the pavilion beyond the little open-air chapel.

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:

$20.00/Person

Non-Member Cost:

$25.00/Person

Cost Includes:

• Group Cookout Saturday evening,
• Group 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)
• Use of Hiking & Mountain Biking Trails and Wildlife Trail (free zoo).
• Use of Canoes & Kayaks all weekend in lake by camping area.
• Intro to Orienteering (hiking in unfamiliar terrain w/map & compass).

Payment Cut Off:

Payment must be received by the AOC on Wed, Mar 31 2010.

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 March 31 Registration & Cutoff date.

CANCELLATION POLICY: If you cancel on or before March 31, full payment will be refunded less a $5 administrative fee. No refund after March 31 unless someone 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.