Hidden
:
Saturday, August 16, 2008
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(other)
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Let's go paddle
and have a morning of fun on the water!
Saturday, August 16th
9:30 AM
We will all meet at at the coordinates listed above. We will park
at the public boat landing.
You may bring your own kayak or canoe. However, if you need
to rent one for the event (at your own expense), we have been
offered a super special rate by Ogeechee Outpost which is located
very near Morgan's Bridge Landing. If our group rents four or more
boats from the outpost, our rental rate per boat is $25.00. If we
only rent up to three boats from the outpost our rental rate per
boat is $35.00. Life jackets and paddles are provided with the boat
rental. The rental fee covers the entire day. So, as a group we can
take our time or if the group event ends earlier than you'd like,
you may still make use of the boat for the remainder of the day.
Remember, even in your own canoe or kayak, life jackets are
required to be worn while on the water.
If you don't have your own canoe or kayak and need to rent one, you
will need to contact the outpost directly to reserve your
watercraft. The phone numbers for the outpost are (912) 748-6716
and (912) 414-2907. When you call to reserve your canoe or kayak,
just tell them that you are with the geocaching group for the
paddling event scheduled for Saturday, August 16th. The person at
the outfitter that helped me make the arrangements is Connie and
she should be of great help in making a reservation for boat
rental. Remember, that you may bring your own kayak or canoe
and there will be no fee involved. You are in no way required to
rent supplies from this particular outfitter. This outfitter just
happens to be the only one that I have found in the area and I
wanted to be sure everyone who would like to attend the paddling
event have access to a kayak or canoe.
If you would like to pair up and share the rental expense of a
canoe with another geocacher or share a seat in a boat you own,
feel free to write a note below and try to find a paddling buddy in
that manner.
For our paddle, we won't have a professional guide. We will be on
our own while on the river and will help each other as much as
possible. Although, if we are very lucky, Samson may attend and
guide us to any points along the river that he finds of particular
interest. (if you don't understand that cryptic message, email me
for more details.)
We will meet at the public Morgan's Bridge Landing by 9:30 am.
Then we will make our way, via shuttle, six miles up river where we
will launch for our adventure on the Ogeechee River. If you bring
your own kayak or canoe, plan to follow behind the shuttle vehicle
in your own transportation. However, if you have to drive to the
put-in, others who park at the take-out, Morgan's Bridge Landing,
will help you get back to the put-in. We won't leave anyone
stranded. We will then paddle six miles down river back to Morgan's
Bridge Landing. There should be plenty of time for us to play and
have lunch or a snack between the put-in and the take-out point
back at Morgan's Bridge Landing.
Rules:
1. Have lots of fun.
2. Help other group members. We will all be of different skill
levels and the more experienced can assist those with less paddling
experience.
3. We will stay fairly close together to be certain that no one is
lost or left too far behind.
4. Everyone must wear their life jacket. Life jackets are
provided at the outpost. This one is not only extremely important
for safety, it is also required by law.
5. Have some more fun.
Summary
We will meet at the above coordinates by 9:30am on Saturday, August
16th. We will then be shuttled to the launch area at approximately
10:00am. I expect the trip to take around 2 hours. Of course this
is an estimate only and will depend upon how the group proceeds
together and how much extra time we may take to play. The total
distance for the paddle is 6 miles. The water is fairly flat and
this should be a really nice paddle, even for beginners.
Suggested items:
Of course these are all optional. But, they may make the adventure
more enjoyable.
-GPSr (you know it should come in handy while on the river)
-sunscreen
-bug spray
-sun hat
-towels
-snacks and/or lunch
-drinking water/soft drinks/juice
-extra set of dry clothing for your drive home
Canoe Safety Tips:
To get into your canoe:
Have someone hold the canoe steady – you don’t want to tip the
canoe before you even get out on the water!
Crouch low - keep your knees bent and Grab the sides of the canoe
for balance as you walk to your seat
Always walk along the center – keeping your feet on the centerline
will help keep the canoe from rocking.
Stay low – do not stand up or walk in your canoe when you are away
from shore.
Always wear your life jacket - you never know when you might fall
out or tip over.
Avoid sudden or jerky movements – rocking from side to side could
cause the canoe to tip over.
Be aware of the currents in the water – you don’t want to end up
floating farther downstream than you planned.
Always sit on the seats or in the center of the canoe – sitting on
the side of a canoe will cause it to tip over.
Stay away from low hanging trees and branches near the shore
Do not canoe in bad weather
Avoid letting big waves hit the side of your canoe – always try to
keep your canoe at a right angle to the waves.
If you canoe tips over:
Don't panic
Stay with your canoe. Remain upstream of the canoe. If you position
yourself downstream of the canoe, you could become pinned between
an obstruction and your canoe.
Paddle or push your canoe to shore – with the help of the other
person in your canoe, you can get out in shallow water and flip the
canoe to dump out the water and climb in. Your canoe will float
even if its full of water until you can get to shore to empty it.
Be sure to bring the proper equipment:
Life vests
Sun protection – hats, sunscreen, long sleeves and pants
First aid kit
Plenty of food and water
Tie all equipment to your canoe – put your equipment into a
waterproof bag to keep it dry and tie it to one of the center beams
in the canoe so that you don’t lose everything.
Do not litter – carry out everything you bring in.
Please log if you plan to attend. Also, please state in your
attending log if you will be renting a boat, if you will bring your
own boat or if you have extra space in your boat for another person
and would be willing to share.
For clarification on any of the above information
or if you have questions, please email me or post a question in a
log below.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Lbh xabj lbh jnag gb nggraq. Guvf vf tbvat gb or sha.