Tuesday, December 26, 2023

SAFETY WARNING

This blog is being posted for selfish, selfish me... because I am also increasingly forgetful and I like keeping information like this handy.   All water sports are dangerous and I am not liable for your actions.

I do have a couple of suggestions for making paddling safer:

  • Wear your life vest.  
  • Go in a group.
  • Check river levels before proceeding to put-on a run.
  • Look at a map of the run and familiarize yourself with the put-in and take-out, and any other access points along the way.
  • Tell someone where you are going in case you don't return in a timely fashion (need help).
  • Bring extra food and water, some warm dry clothes, a small headlamp, and a firestarter in case you have to spend the night outside.
  • Bring a first-aid kit.
  • Tie down your stuff in your boat, so that if your canoe tips over, you don't lose stuff.
  • Be mindful of snakes, leave them alone.
  • Did I mention WEAR YOUR LIFE VEST? Also called a PFD (Personal Floatation Device).   https://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Accident/view/

Thursday, June 24, 2021

List of outfitters who rent kayaks in Alabama

This great list of kayak rental places in Alabama was made by Lauren Leath Rubino and shared on Facebook.

Monday, May 24, 2021

Cahaba sections and recommended minimum levels

 I will add to this as I get more section information.  Got some beta from Gordon B.


Lovick section: Moon River Launch to Grants Mill:  Reasonable minimums are 300cfs for Canoe, 400 for kayak.  

Grants Mill to Old Overton/Cahaba River Walk Park - we did it in mid May 2021 at 95 cfs, in recreational kayaks.  I'd say it was about as low as you could go without dragging boats. 

Gordon mentioned the level for this section would be the same recommended for the section down to 280.

Roper Rd. section: Much tougher to figure. There are some long shallow shoals and one rapid of consequence.  Otherwise lots of flat pools and easy moving water. In a canoe probably 200 cfs would be ok. You could do it lower, but with a fair bit of scraping. In the WW K-1 again I'd want a fair amount more, say 300 cfs. And except for the one rapid it is not a great K-1 run. About 4 weeks ago a large tree went completely across the river at the very bottom of the rapid. No biggie for a competent paddler, there is a good eddy above on the right and you can limbo under the right side by shore (at 200 cfs.) 

GAUGES: 

Use the Trussville, White's Chapel, and Mtn Brook gauges to figure levels out. Rising and falling levels above can make a huge difference. In general for the Roper Rd I just use that gauge. For Moon River down I use the Mtn Brook gauge, with and eye on the one above in case it is rising fast. And the same for the run down to 280.

From Justin C.:  Upper Cahaba from Camp Coleman to Roper Road: Gauge at Mtn. Brook 750/800 cfs, Trussville gauge 30-40 cfs, 2.5 hours to golf course.  (He has private access to Camp Coleman, the Trussville park put-in adds quite a bit more of the run).  

Map for Upper Cahaba: https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=16YBeH0orBSKji_d3IkJXn6W7rq7SCX4j&usp=sharing



Justin C. in his canoe on the biggest rapid on the section of the Cahaba from Camp Coleman to Roper Rd., at low water. He says at high levels "leave the rec boat at home".




Wednesday, April 21, 2021

Kayaking 29.5 miles on the Enitachopco & Hillabee Creek.

Here is a nice video by Shane Newsome on a float/overnighter on Enitachopco and Hillabee creek in Alabama.  I've wanted to do this run for years, maybe I'll get my chance sometime in the near future.  


Sunday, May 19, 2019

Paint Rock River, Estill Fork Alabama


Members of the Birmingham Grotto paddled the Paint Rock River in Estill Fork, Alabama.  This is a nice, scenic float without any whitewater, but with plenty of good current. The level was low and we had to drag our boats across a few spots, but the trees were all passable with the exception of one across the bridge at the putin, which we cut out of the way with a hand-saw.  Photos of our trip are here:
https://dangerjudy.smugmug.com/Other/PADDLING/Paint-Rock-River-2019/
The only gauge for the Paint Rock river is many miles downstream at Woodville https://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?site_no=03574500    and it read in the 350 cfs range.  It was enough but just enough for the float.
I am not certain of the usefulness of the Woodville gauge for judging flow for the section we paddled - but it is all we have.  The Birmingham Grotto paddled this section in July of 2013 and had over twice the cfs showing on the Woodville gauge, but I would not say the river was over twice as high.  Photos of that trip are here:
https://dangerjudy.smugmug.com/Other/PADDLING/Paint-Rock-River-2013/

A map to a few different putin and takeout options for the Paint Rock River is here:  http://goo.gl/maps/BIeAe.  I believe that during our 2012 SERA event some B'ham Grotto members did the section above the one we did, but stout rains would be required to float it.  


We put in across from Freedom Baptist Church in Estill Fork, and took out at County Road 507 for a 5 hour trip.   There are two bridges we crossed under; the section after the second bridge is slackwater.  I believe we have not chosen to take out at the second bridge due to difficult access but I haven't checked to confirm this.  The third bridge on CR 507 has a trail just downstream on river right where you can carry boats easily, though there is a considerable amount of decaying logs and branches generously dotted with plastic bottles and other trash.  This takeout could use a clean-up. 

Still, the river itself has very little trash except for random tires embedded in the river bottom, visible below the very clear water,.  The amount of wildlife, especially different birds, is amazing.  A wild turkey flew across the river 20 yards in front of my kayak; we spooked great blue herons; There were ducks, one of which did a distressed/wounded act downstream to keep me away from her nest; a few hawks, and several turkey vultures.  Many different songbirds sang as we drifted down the river and I regretted not being able to identify them.  I saw a large softshell turtle on a bank with its neck extended, darting back into the water before I could get my camera focused. 


The section we paddled goes past the entrance to Henshaw Cove adjoining the Skyline Wildlife Management area.  This is a great place to visit for a hike, with a parking area, being mindful of hunting seasons.  If you do visit Henshaw Cove be prepared to cross the creek on foot.

UPDATE 4-11-21  We did the Paint Rock from Freedom Baptist Church to County Rd. 507 (Third bridge) at 900 cfs on the Woodville gauge.  Even though the creek looked low at the putin, and a drag over shallow rocks not far downstream, we had no other portages and plenty of water and current for the third bridge.  We stopped for lunch and had a leisurely 4-5 hour float. Photos here. 

Wednesday, May 6, 2015

Cahaba, Grants Mill to Overton

May 2nd I helped teach a class with the Birmingham Canoe Club on the Cahaba River, Grants Mill to Overton section.  The class was called, "Float the Lazy River" and had about 20 participants/instructors/assistants.  Photos from the trip are here.

The put-in is on Grant's Mill Rd. and has a nice parking area, with a concrete walk-way down to the riverside.

Click to see full size.
The take-out is on Old Overton Rd., and is a concrete slab with steps up to another nice parking area, including a shaded picnic table.

Our run was at approx. 190 cfs on the USGS gauge, and I think that is as low as I would run it.   *update: we did this same class in May 2017 at 118 cfs and we had plenty of water.   Using a flatwater kayak instead made a big difference.  I now have a Dagger Axis 10.5 for trips like this.* There was one strainer down, with a sandbar on the left for portaging, and a thin line on the right parallel to the tree.  Of course after every rain event there will be changes in the wood condition on this run. River water temp was cooler than I expected; air temp was in the 70's.

We were teaching a class to a large group, so the pace was very slow.  I believe we spent 6-7 hours on the river.  However, based on trips I've done here in times past I believe this trip would normally take about 4 hours. Some of this is river level dependent.  The last portion of the trip is without current at 190 cfs. which makes it a slog in a whitewater boat.  You will pass under two powerline cuts on the trip; the second powerline is interesting.  A person on the trip told me that the  towers date back to the 1930's or so. They were originally windmills bought from Sears and Roebuck, which the power company converted to hold powerlines, and they are still in use today.


                                                        SAFETY WARNING




Monday, April 20, 2015

Talladega Creek, Kymulga Mill to the lake

No whitewater, but good current.  Level on the gauge at http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?site_no=02406500 was in the 250 range.  The groundskeeper at the mill charges $3 per boat to park your car there (two of us in one canoe for $3, for instance).  He closes the gate at 5pm. 
He, and my friend Damon who lives nearby, predicted a 6 hour float due to the deadfall/strainers, but even with a couple of portages we did the trip in a leisurely 3.5 hours.
Photos by Tim Harris.

Put in below this covered bridge and dam, at the Kymulga Mill