Free Class at REI: Paddling the Beautiful Etowah River

IMPORTANT NOTES about HOW to SIGN UP:

1. PLEASE FORMALLY RESERVE YOUR OWN FREE SPOT at REI.COM.  If you wish to attend you should click on the following link to REI's special webpage for this free class and complete and submit the brief online registration form.  (No problem if you're not an REI "member" - just click that box on the form.)  http://www.rei.com/event/52800/session/77111

2. PLEASE ALSO ADD YOURSELF to our INFORMAL AOC "SUBGROUP ROSTER" for this event by clicking, etc. at the base of this article.  (See "Why an AOC Subgroup...?" below.)

IN A NUTSHELL:  In the interest of our Atlanta Outdoor Club members who would like to learn more about paddling North Georgia's Etowah River I've posted this article to urge you to register yourself to attend this indoor REI class on Thursday evening, Aug 15 at the REI "Atlanta Store" in NE Atlanta—see easy directions below.  Atlanta's REI stores offer a variety of FREE classes, seminars and talks on topics ranging from hiking, backpacking, camping, bicycling & paddling to skiing, rock climbing & mountaineering—also first-hand accounts of exotic adventures and favorite wilderness destinations.  Each session is presented by an invited guest speaker who is an expert in their field or by an REI employee who specializes in the featured topic.

MEETING & SEATING:  Our AOC subgroup will first gather at 6:40 PM just inside the store entrance where we'll introduce one another and "take roll."  Then a few minutes before 7:00 PM we'll find seating together in the designated area where we'll meet the featured speaker(s) and other clinic attendees.  If you have to arrive late, you can likely still be seated - just ask an REI employee to direct you to the seating area.
Here are excerpts from the online promotional material for the class:

KAYAKING & CANOEING NORTH GEORGIA'S BEAUTIFUL ETOWAH RIVER:  Join the Etowah's very own "Riverkeeper," Joe Cook for this enlightening and entertaining presentation.  Says Joe, "The Etowah is just an incredible river, It's an untapped resource because people don't know about it. It's a river that really anyone can paddle from expert kayakers and canoeists all the way down to beginners. Also there are tremendous historic resources on it - places where you can actually touch history. Then, of course, you've got the biodiversity and the Etowah is one of the most biologically diverse rivers of its size in the country."
Joe's beautiful recently published handy paddler's manual, the "Etowah River User's Guide," will be available for purchase after the talk and for signing by the author.

WHY an AOC "SUBGROUP" for this FREE REI CLASS?  Several good reasons:
- AOC members can conveniently register to attend by going to the linked REI webpage for the class of interest, and may not be aware that the class is available without seeing the AtlantaOutdoorClub.com announcement.
- By attending the class together as a "subgroup" we can meet other AOC members who have an interest in the class topic. Upcoming class-related AOC events, specialty gear, etc. can be discussed with one another and with the REI  instructor(s).
- The AOC subgroup can browse the store together (e.g, after the class) to compare and discuss various examples of the relevant gear, clothing, guidebooks, maps, etc.
- A record of each AOC member's class attendance and a link to the class details will be automatically archived in the member's "My Past Events" on the Club website. 

P.S.  OTHER REI CLASSES - HOW to make RESERVATIONS ON YOUR OWN:  You can check the various REI stores' class offerings and space availability as follows, and reserve spot(s) for yourself and friends for any class that interests you:
1. Go to http://www.rei.com/
2. Click on "Store Locator" at the top of the home page, then click on "GA" on the US map, then on a particular store name; e.g. "Atlanta REI Store."
3. Scroll down the list of scheduled events and click on any of the Classes or Seminars that interest you. (Note that many are FREE and also that numerous fee-based classes are available.)
4. Fill in the online Reservation form and click "Submit."  For most REI classes it's unnecessary to be an REI member, but a lifetime REI membership costs only about $20. (A major benefit of membership is your annual "dividend" - a refund based on your REI purchases in the previous year.)
5. If you fail to make a formal reservation, keep in mind that walk-ins at REI's free in-store events are usually acceptable, but only on a space-available or standing-room-only basis.

THE REI "ATLANTA STORE" is at 1800 Northeast Expy, Atlanta, GA 30329 about 4 miles toward downtown from "Spaghetti Junction" (the I-85/ I-285 interchange in NE Atlanta).  For a zoomable online color map and satellite view of the store and its vicinity click on the rectangular blue & green "Event Location" icon near the top of this article.  You GPS or Google.com/maps users may find its Lat/Lon coordinates handy as your entered destination: 33.8395,-84.3213
 The store is on the southbound I-85 Access Road just south of the Clairmont Rd exit.  Two approach options are detailed below.  The store's phone number is 404-633-6508.

FROM SPAGHETTI JUNCTION ETC. via I-85 SOUTH:
1. Going southbound on I-85, take Exit #91 "Clairmont Rd" and continue straight ahead at the exit traffic light (crossing Clairmont).
2. After you cross Clairmont bear slightly right to stay in the rightmost lane of the I-85 southbound Access Road.
3. The store is on the right side of the Access Road, about 0.5 mile south of Clairmont and just beyond the Briarwood Road junction.

FROM MIDTOWN ATLANTA, ETC. via I-85 NORTH:
1. Going northbound on I-85 take Exit #91 "Clairmont Rd," and stay in the far left lane of the exit ramp as you near Clairmont.  This will loop you counterclockwise onto the southbound I-85 Access Road without any traffic lights.
2. Bear quickly right to get into the rightmost lane of the Access Road without re-entering I-85.
3. The store is on the right side of the Access Road, about 0.5 mile south of Clairmont and just beyond the Briarwood Rd junction.

Free Event with Free Parking!