Chattahoochee Bend Hike & Paddle (Coweta County, Georgia)

 

I've been meaning to get down to hike at Chattahoochee Bend for quite a while. It's about 70 miles from my house, but as I enjoy seeing new places and hiking new trails, this seemed like a place worth exploring. Earlier this year, I had signed up for an event called the Hike & Paddle hosted by the volunteer group, Friends of Chattahoochee Bend State Park. We had some family visit during the originally planned weekend and so, I was forced to reschedule. The organizers were very gracious in letting me move my reservation. 

Driving down in the brisk morning hours of this fall Saturday was uneventful, but it gave me a chance to catch up on some podcasts. I arrived at the visitor center and was able to quickly check-in with the organizers. I then drove another couple of miles to the boat ramp, where we would begin and end our adventure. Shortly thereafter, others began arriving until finally, the whole group and all of the guides were present. They did a quick round of introductions and went over the agenda for the day. Our plan was to hike northeast through the park and mostly along the river to another put-in for the kayaks. From there, we would enjoy a leisurely paddle down the Chattahoochee River to where this very spot.

We soon hit the trail. The lead guide discussed several topics along the way including invasive species, flooding, and construction projects within the large state park. Everyone was quite friendly and we were able to keep a pretty good pace, though we did stop a few times at interesting spots. One of those spots was a large wooden observation tower constructed by the park system. While much of the brush and overgrowth has been cleared out, it still doesn't really offer much of a view than can be achieved on the ground. I'm not exactly sure why someone would decide to build it here, but it was a nice stop nonetheless. 

Continuing on, we departed from the track along the river and headed uphill a bit. From here, the trail zigzags a bit as it makes it's way through a few small ravines and finally ends up at a cleared area with picnic tables. When we arrived, the kayaks were waiting for us. Being lunchtime, we sat at some picnic tables and enjoyed whatever lunch we had carried with us - a peanut butter sandwich for me. 

Soon, we were donning our life-jackets and carrying the boats down a set of stairs to the river below. With the sun shining overhead and a cool headwind blowing in our faces, I really just felt like taking a nap while the current carried me downriver. We paddled very leisurely, letting the river do most of the work. For a couple of participants, it was their first time in a kayak, but they seemed to pick it up pretty quickly. 

After about an hour-and-a-half or so, we were back a the starting point. Each paddler propelled their boat onto the boat ramp with as much speed as they could muster and the guides helped most people bring it the rest of the way in. We took a quick group picture and headed our separate ways. The hike was approximately 5.7 miles and the paddle just over 3.5 miles. It's interesting how much more direct the river is than a trail through the woods. Overall, it was a great experience and I'm thankful to the organizers for putting it together.