By Jim Felder, Executive Director of the Alabama Scenic River Trail.
Fifty paddlers are still drying out their gear as I write this note to let everyone know how wonderfully our June Weiss Lake Event went. I'm betting that there are still some smiles still left on at least some of the sunburnt faces, all of which were grinning the last time I saw them on the Saturday afternoon at the end of the event.
The weather, which did its best to send us everything but snow to stop us from having a good time, was defeated by the high spirits of this wonderful group. Only the bluegrass band and the 18th century French soldier who was sent from the past into a recruiting mission during our Friday night supper were stopped by the rains. Everything else went on, though even most of the seasoned padders didn't think Friday afternoons high winds would be any fun to go out in. There were a lot of novice and first time paddlers on this trip, and they were not allowed to face the whitecaps on the big water of Weiss lake.
We had paddlers from Tennessee and Florida and two families from Mobile. Many brought their own boats but many others took advantage of our low-cost rentals provided by Terrapin Outdoor Center and the Cahaba River Society. The CRS also provided the great leadership and experience of Gordon Black and his crew to the three-day tour.
Since this really was a tour of the lake, it took a lot of wrangling by the Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce to get the circus transported amd set up, to get people back to their autos and to move the vibrant tent city to each new location on the lake. The excellent food was thoroughly enjoyed. I think we all made a mental note that besides the mountain-ringed and capacious lake itself, the food and hospitality provided by Thereasa Hulgan and her Chamber staff and friends will bring the show back next year bigger than ever.
The event was a learning experience for us all. We at the ASRT learned from the experience of our first big outing (remember, we were just a year old when the event began) to make the next one even better. A lot of paddlers got their first taste of canoeing or kayaking, and some got an introduction to both. Even some non-participants got on the water with the equipment we brought. I know a kayak is going to be on a lot of Christmas lists this year. We all learned a lot more about the geological history of the state and its rivers and plant life from Jim Lacefield's excellent presentation on Thursday night. Even after a long day of paddling in the sun and rain, and after one of the best (not to mention the largest) meals of the trip, the crowd was glued to Jim until the end of his fascinating hour-long presentation. and of course we all learned what a spectacle a Dragon Boat race could be, thanks to the excellent efforts of the Lake Lanier Canoe and Kayak Club from Georgia.
The event went out with a bang on Saturday when we participated in the state's first Dragon Boat race at Yellow Creek. After the race, the long, colorful boats were used to ferry visitors and participants up to Yellow Creek Falls. You can see
some of these pictures that were sent to me right after the event by someone in the Birmingham Canoe Club.
If there was a higher point for us in the Alabama Scenic River Trail organization than hearing the praise we heard from the event and seeing everyone having such a good time, it was when Representative Richard Lindsey handed ASRT President Fred Couch a check to cover the sponsorship of the event. Eddie May of the region's Coosa Valley RC&D Council and Probate Judge Melvyn Salter were present at the ceremony which highlighted the achievement. The event got plenty of political attention—State Senator Roger Bedford , and State Representative Richard Lindsey were both at Friday evening's Bluegrass-and-history party at Driftwood Campground. And they came back on Saturday, along with State Senator Larry Means for the Dragon Boat races and check presentation.
It's been a good week for the ASRT. We learned of a grant that will put motorboat fuel at two points on the Alabama River that are critical to getting small craft from the gulf to Montgomery and vice versa, something that isn't possible now. We've received a great letter of support from Representative Jeffrey McLaughlin of District 27 that is encouraging us to add the Tennessee River to the Trail. We'll be attending a groundbreaking ceremony at the Selma Marina in the next few days and then heading to Wilcox County to help plan a big cleanup down there on August 1.
Many new friendships were made, and I know already that the parents of two of the kids on the trip had already made arrangements to get the kids back up to Weiss this summer by the end of day three. Everyone who went along will agree that they never met a better group. The emails attesting to that are zipping to my inbox even as I'm writing this.
Like the river, it never ends. But when it slows down a little, you'll see more and hear more about our trip right here.
