To sign up for a trip, contact the trip leader, or you can click the Contact Us button above and provide your name, which trip you are interested in, and a telephone number where you can be reached.
GWS MEETINGS are held on the 3rd Tuesday of February, April, June, October, and December at the Museum of Arts and Sciences in Macon, 7:30pm.
Mar 6 Camellia Gardens & Bicycling Meet 11:00 at Massee Lane Camellia Gardens south of Fort Valley to tour the gardens ($5) and picnic. The camellias should be blooming nicely. Then we'll mount up at 12:30 or 1:00 to ride fat tire bikes on mostly dirt roads, some quiet paved roads. You’ll need gears. We'll go a moderate pace, and take 3 hours to cover 17 miles. The route is lovely and unspoiled: antebellum homes, peach and pecan orchards, a huge and ancient oak, and beaver swamps. Kathy Stege can be reached at (478) 955-3422
Mar 12-14 Satilla River CANCELED DUE TO HIGH WATER
Mar 14-18 Big Lagoon State Park in Florida Enjoy Florida's western most tip of the panhandle at Big Lagoon State Park while camping with friends for a few days, relaxing on the bay. The campground is located near Perdido Key on the bay, and is a very short ride from the gulf beaches. Pensacola, FL and Mobile, AL are also fairly close by. Plenty of opportunity for quiet walks, biking, photography, canoeing or kayaking the shallow bay, fishing, or just relaxing. Contact Bonnie Gehling for details
Mar 24-28 Cumberland Island Camping Spend a few days camping at Sea Camp, strolling the island trails, exploring the ruins, watching the horses, and walking the beaches. Photos from previous trip.
Ferry will leave St. Mary's on Wednesday, March 24, 2010 at 11:45 and return Sunday, March 28th, 2010 at 10:15 Contact Bonnie Gehling for details. At this time, the trip is full (we only have reservations for 16 people). If you want to get on the waiting list (yes, people do have to cancel sometimes), just email Bonnie.
Mar 27 - Apr 4 Buffalo River Canoe camp down the beautiful Buffalo National River in the scenic Ozarks of northern Arkansas. Canoe through pristine forests, past massive cliffs, and spot wildlife along the nation's first National River. Additional details will be posted here soon. Contact Curt Cole or Basil Youman for more info.
Apr 3 Info Booth at Dauset Trails We will once again have our info booth set up at Dauset Trails's Bluebirds and Bluegrass Festival, near Jackson. Lots of toe tapping to the music, plenty of animals to see, and the chaos of the big Easter Egg Hunt!
Apr 10 - 11 Appalachian Trail Backpacking Neel's Gap to Woody Gap (across Blood Mountain). About 5 miles each day, one night on the trail. Margaret Clay is the trip leader.
Apr 10 Lockerly Gardens Walk Enjoy a day strolling through Lockerly Arboretum in Milledgeville. Hopefully, we will hit it at the peak of azalea season! Corky Hayward will lead the trip, 478-922-3004.
Apr 24 The Flint River Day trip. Put-in at Ga. Hwy 18/109, between Molena & Woodbury. (Georgia Gazetteer, p. 25, F-7.) Takeout at Sprewell Bluff. This will be about a 14 mile paddle. (Southern Georgia Canoeing, p. 60-1, J to K.)
May 7 - 9 Cahaba River Help us to explore this "new" river for most of us. Located in central Alabama, the Cahaba is well known for the shoal lilies. We will paddle from Booth's Ford at Hwy 13 down to Cecil Crews Park (22 miles) on Saturday & Sunday. For those who want to stay and paddle Monday, an option exists to paddle 5.3 miles from Old Overton Rd to Hwy 280. Contact Basil Youman for more info
May 14 - 16 Pine Mountain Trail Camp at the pioneer group site and there will be two dayhikes, each about 11 miles long, which will allow hikers to do the entire Pine Mountain Trail at FDR State Park. Tom Payne and Margaret Clay are the trip co-leaders. Previous trip's photos.
May 29 - 30 Chattahoochee River Whitesburg to Franklin, Georgia Car camp Friday & Saturday nights at McIntosh Reserve near Whitesburg, if it is open. Otherwise, we’ll try Banning Mills RV park. (Georgia Gazetteer, p. 25, F-7.)
Saturday: Put in at the boat ramp at GA hwy 16, Whitesburg. Takeout on river right at Hollingsworth Ferry Road (shows on some maps as Yellow Dirt Road). In Southern Ga. Canoeing, Selinger & Otey, p84-5, BB to DD,. About a 14 mile run. I believe this section is Class I, with some riffles & maneuvering at the shoals near the Reserve. We’ll pass the under-construction Chattahoochee Bend State Park. Sunday: Put in at Hollingsworth Ferry Road, paddle to Franklin 12 miles thru class I-II Daniel & Bush Head Shoals. Should see Red Bone Falls & Holly Mill Falls along the way. Take out at the recreation park in Franklin, under GA 34/100 bridge. Southern Ga. Canoeing, p. 85, DD to EE. Trip leader is Curt Cole.
June 2-13 Blue Ridge Parkway, Skyline Drive, & Washington DC Join us for the whole trip or just a portion as we travel, camp, hike, and photograph the entire length of the Blue Ridge Parkway (celebrating it's 75th year in 2010), then onto Shenandoah National Park's Skyline Drive, culminating with a daytrip or two to the nation's capital for a whirlwind tour of the sites in Washington DC (most are free). Make your own reservations at the campgrounds, except for Roanoke Mountain, which is first come, first served. The travel plan is as follows: 2 nights at Mt. Pisgah Campground June 2-4 , 2 nights at Julian Price Memorial Campground June 4-6 , 2 nights at Roanoke Mountain Campground June 6-8, 4 nights at Big Meadows Campground June 8-12, and then we will camp on private property in extreme north Georgia for one night on the way home. It should be an exciting trip! For more info, contact Chris Bryson.
June 19 Ocmulgee River We will have a one day paddle on the section of the Ocmulgee immediately below Jackson Lake's dam....rocky for a bit, then flat, then rocky again. Put-in below the dam at the boat ramp, take-out will be below at Wise Creek at Lamar Shoals. Wayne Etheredge is the trip leader.
July 10 Ocmulgee River Clean-Up Spend a day helping to clean up trash from your canoe or kayak on the Ocmulgee near Macon. Foye Tinsley will lead the trip.
July 17 - 18 Flint River Depending on water level, this trip will either be a one night or two night trip on the Flint River. One night will be near Marshallville, or two night near Thomaston. Niki Queen will lead. Photos from a previous trip.
July 24 Bicycle Ride to Musella Break out your bike for an early morning ride to beat the heat. Enjoy a stop about half way there at the ice cream stand and peach market for a break. 30 miles. Margaret Clay is the trip leader.
Sept 2 - 5 Sapelo Island Head to the beach for a weekend of camping on secluded Sapelo Island. Previous photos are here. Limited to 20 participants, so sign up early! Bud Queen will lead the trip.
Sept 10 - 12 Appalachian Trail Backpacking Two nights on the trail. Exact section in north Georgia to be announced by trip leader Joe Mangum.
Oct 2 - 3 Oconee River One night will be spent on the river as we paddle around the Balls Ferry area, near Milledgeville. Photos are here from a previous trip. Joe Mangum will lead the trip.
Oct 15 - 17 Talladega Hiking Stay at Cheaha State Park, the highest point in Alabama, Friday and Saturday nights. (Alabama Gazetteer, p. 32, E-5.) I’ll camp, but they also have cabins & a motel & restaurant with great views. Possible day-hikes include: Rock Garden Trail, .8 mi. one way, 850’ gain. Views. (Hike America, Alabama, p. 168) (60 Hikes Within 60 Miles, B’ham, p. 31); Odum Scout Trail, 9.8 RT, 1,000’ gain. Waterfall, views. (Hike America, Alabama, p. 188); Nubbin Creek Trail, 4 mi. RT, 800’ gain. Waterfalls, views. (Hike America, Alabama, p. 174.) (60 Hikes/60 Miles, B’ham, p. 130); Pulpit Rock Trail, 1 mi. RT. Nice place to watch sunsets. (60 Hikes/60 Miles, B’ham, p. 187.); Hike Pinhoti Trail, various. (60 Hikes/60 Miles, B’ham, p. 170-186.) Info about Cheaha is here. Trip leader is Curt Cole.
