Lower Etowah River Day Paddle (Bartow County, Georgia)

 

It's been a while since I've gone on any outings with the Georgia Conservancy, which is a non-profit advocating for protection of many of Georgia's natural areas. It's a great organization with a great purpose and I enjoy engaging on their events whenever possible. Last year, I wanted to do a paddle they organized along the Lower Etowah River, but due to scheduling conflicts, I was unable to participate. This year, I tried to make it a point of keeping that day clear.

While there was a little confusion on where we were suppose to meet and the time we would be hitting the water, I eventually got to the right spot and met several other participants while we waited for the stragglers to arrive. After a short safety briefing and a little discussion on why the organization hosts these outings, we put our boats into the near the mouth of Euharlee Creek, where it flows into the Etowah River. 

This first section was shallow due to the very limited rain we've had lately and required dodging numerous rocks both under and jutting out of the water. It gave the trip a little adventure, which was nice. After hitting the river, the water way opened up significantly, but was still dotted with rocks and shallow areas. We did our best to avoid the, but a few folks got stuck here and there. With a combination of 'rocking the boat' and in some cases, just stepping out of it and pulling the boat free, we managed to navigate this section of the river. It took us much longer than expected though.

When we finally arrived a little island that splits the river, we took our first break and exited the boats. Many of us wandered into the trees to find a place to relieve ourselves. Looking at the clock, it seems were are likely going to get back to our cars nearly two hours later than the original plan. The entire paddle trip was supposed to be about 10 miles, but as I and a few others had plans this evening, our guide contacted the outfitter and made arrangements for us to exit at a boat ramp just another mile or so up the river. I hate departing early and I really wanted to run the entire river, but it would just get home too late to get cleaned up and then get to my plans.

Just before the boat ramp, we passed the remains of support for a now-vanished bridge. I have no idea how old this is, but it's always interesting to see things like this on the rivers. It is just a few meters way from the newer version of Harden Bridge and probably was the predecessor to the current one.

Five of us exited the water and pulled our rental boats to the top of the boat ramp. A short time later, the outfitter arrived with two vans and trailers. We loaded the boats and were promptly returned to our cars. We only got about 4.5 miles in, but it was still a very nice day to be on the river. Given the recent heat wave and the humidity in this part of the world, anywhere that affords me a chance to get in the water is a welcomed trip.