Paddle with author helps celebrate Canoeing and Kayaking Georgia guidebook publication
Special Photo
From staff reports
FOLKSTON — Outdoorsmen and -women are invited to join the Georgia River Network and the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge on Oct. 27 at 2 p.m. to help celebrate the launch of the latest edition of the Canoeing and Kayaking Georgia guidebook with author Suzanne Welander.
Interested persons can sign up today by visiting the Georgia River Network website at garivers.org. Trip registration is $50, and there is an option to purchase the Canoeing and Kayaking Georgia guidebook included in trip registration. All proceeds from the event support the Georgia River Network mobile app project and the Friends of Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge.
Participants will join the author on a gentle six-mile paddle on the Okefenokee Wilderness Canoe Trail followed by a book signing in the Refuge’s Richard S. Bolt Visitor Center. The trip departs at 2 p.m. from the main entrance of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge near Folkston. Participants will learn about the rich history of the swamp while traversing water lily-lined trails to visit the open swamp prairies — some of the most iconic habitats in the Okefenokee Swamp.
“With over 120 miles of water trails for canoeing and kayaking, the Okefenokee NWR is the perfect spot to launch Ms. Welander’s new guidebook for all of Georgia,” Okefenokee NWR Manager Michael Lusk said in a news release. “The refuge is honored to host the author and the Georgia River Network and appreciates the attention it brings to the Okefenokee Swamp, one of the Seven Natural Wonders of Georgia.”
This event coincides with the nearly 50-year anniversary of the federal designations protecting southeast Georgia’s iconic wilderness treasures: the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and the Cumberland Island National Seashore.
“This Okefenokee Wilderness Canoe Trail trip launches a collective swamp-to-sea initiative to raise awareness about the Okefenokee Swamp and increase investment in regional eco-tourism,” Rena Ann Peck, executive director of Georgia River Network, said. “In addition to the famed Suwannee River, the Okefenokee Swamp empties into the St. Marys River, which connects to the Atlantic Ocean and Cumberland Island.
“We are thankful to former Rep. W.S. (Bill) Stuckey for helping pass legislation to permanently protect the Okefenokee Wilderness and wild Cumberland — from swamp to sea.”
Participants are welcome to bring their own boat or can secure a boat rental from Okefenokee Adventures at okeswamp.org/rentals/ or (912) 496-7156. All attendees must sign a liability waiver.
Event registration does not include the cost of the Refuge entrance fee ($5) or cost of a rental boat (if applicable).
The Canoeing & Kayaking Georgia guidebook provides paddlers of all stripes with the descriptions, data, and resources needed to plan self-supported river trips throughout the state of Georgia. The 2022 edition builds on the book’s 40-plus years of experience, now covering nearly 4,000 miles of waterways from mountain whitewater to peaceful calmwater and coastal forays.
“Suzanne’s guidebook is Georgia’s Bible for kayaking and canoeing, and the foundation for Georgia River Network’s new Georgia River Guide mobile app,” Peck said.
The Georgia River Guide app is a digital river trip planning tool that can be downloaded for free at https://garivers.org/georgiariverguide/.
WHAT TO BRING: The trip will be mostly through the unshaded prairies of the swamp where the afternoon sunshine can be intense. Even though October is Georgia’s driest month, rain is still possible. The trip will proceed in rain unless conditions are dangerous or excessively windy.
Required to Bring: PFD (life vest), paddles, boat (or rental), plenty of drinking water, sunscreen, bug repellant, hat, clothing appropriate for the weather, water shoes (not flip flops), snacks if you need them, rain gear.
Recommended (optional) items: Change of clothing in dry bag, camera, extra rope, first aid kit.
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