BYO-Boat Happy Hour on the Hooch, I-285 to US-41

SPECIAL NOTES:  If you sign up for this event you should plan to Bring Your Own Boat (kayak, canoe or inflatable) —plus your own paddle and lifejacket for each person in your boat.  Please arrive a half hour early if possible (by 5:00) to help set up our easy shuttle - see shuttle details below.

OVERVIEW: It's fun to paddle the river together in a flotilla of our own kayaks, canoes and inflatables.  June is a perfect time for this, with max evening daylight and generally warm air temperatures.
  Our AOC "Happy Hours on the Hooch" the past 5 summers have all been a blast, so by popular demand here's an encore leisurely after-work float down the popular 2-mile section of the Chattahoochee from Powers Island (just upstream of I-285) to US-41.  (For a zoomable map or satellite view of our precise meetup spot click the square blue & green "Event Location" icon above.)
  In this gorgeous section rocky "palisades" rise steeply on both sides of the river and there's a wilderness aura much like being in the mountains.   This is "where the action was" in the legendary "Ramblin' Raft Races" of the 1970s and 80s, and it's a perfect place to kick back and enjoy a few refreshments while running the Class I and easier rapids that are suitable for beginners.
  As usual we'll appreciate help in setting up our convenient shuttle system – see details below.  Prior to the float we'd like to leave as many empty vehicles as possible at the takeout—then after the float give rides back upstream (just a 10-minute drive) to our put-in for those whose cars are left there.
  We consider this a "rain-or-shine" event, and intend to go ahead with it unless there's perhaps a high likelihood of severe thunderstorms.

PADDLING PLAN:  We'll meet at 5:30 PM at the "Powers Island" parking lot of the Chattahoochee River Nat'l Recreation Area (CRNRA – see detailed directions below).  After introducing one another and checking to make sure we're all OK with our boats and gear, we'd like to launch by 6:00 PM from the large wooden dock on the far side of the island—about a 5-minute "carry" with our boats & gear from the parking lot.  After paddling under the I-285 bridge, we'll pass "Ray's on the River" and the old Riverbend apartment complex.  Our first Class I rapid will be on "river right" near Riverbend, then we'll bear left to shoot the thrilling Class-I "Devil's Race Course" rapid.  After another Class-I at a big rightward bend in the river we'll make an obligatory stop on the beach across from the famous "Jumping Rock,"  with optional swimming and leaping into the cool deep water from the rock.  After a very shoaly section and a couple more Class-I rapids we'll pass under the I- 75 bridge and take out on river right at the convenient "Paces Mill" CRNRA concrete ramp, about a quarter-mile upstream of the US-41 bridge (target take-out time about 8:30 PM).

SHUTTLE SET-UP PLAN:  As mentioned above we request that all who can do so please meet early at 5:00 PM at our Powers Island "put-in" lot to help set up our shuttle.  After unloading our gear we'll drive as many vehicles as possible to the Paces Mill take- out lot by US-41 – just a 10-minute drive – while one or two paddlers stay at Powers Island to watch our boats and gear.  At least one volunteer driver will then return those drivers back to Powers Island (ideally arriving back there to join the group by 5:45 PM).
  After the float if you've helped with this early setup and left your vehicle at our US-41 takeout, you're welcome to depart for home immediately with your boat and gear.  Some of us can give rides back to the put-in lot for any who may need it, and we'll likely be able to haul a few boats back to the put-in lot if necessary.

No Charge – Free event, with only the usual $3 CRNRA self-serve Parking Fee (good at multiple CRNRA lots in case you pay in one lot but park also in another on the same day).