This was a terrific trip for all skill levels. It was about 6 miles and took us 2-3 hours. The scenery along the way was very good. We awoke pretty early to get to the put-in spot. The put in spot was actually at Appalachian Outfitters on the road to the way to Dahlonega. I normally don’t promote another rental service but I must say these guys at Appalachian Outfitters were true professionals. If you can’t get in touch with Kayak Guy Atlanta to rent, I guess I would send you to this outfitter.
It was funny as I showed up at their parking lot with a trailer full of my kayaks. They had no trouble giving me some good hints and information and they were even nice enough to carry our boats to the river. This made my life a bit easier too so I was more than thankful to the guys up there.
We started out down the Chestatee River in the morning around 9AM. It was a humid and sticky morning so I was glad to be on the river. It was my first time on the Chestatee and I was enjoying the scenery and wildlife along the way. Turned out, one of the kayakers with us was also enjoying the scenery too much and even decided to float backwards. That’s normally not all that strange when on the larger river.
However, with a smaller river there are also more fallen trees that end up in the river. Yeah, that was what got him. I wasn’t paying attention, he wasn’t either and when I noticed a tree in his path it was too late for him. Big trees do not give way so he got flipped and in he went. He was fine but the trouble was flipping a kayak full of water with high water and steep banks. It took both of us to muster up the strength to flip the boat and empty the water.
We all had a good laugh from that slight mishap. He and I were soaked. The girls with us had a good chuckle. But the trip continued in style. I think Jason was a bit more cautious now. It was a hard lesson learned but I think he kept his kayak facing downstream the rest of the trip. I also think he avoided the river banks. Fun time I must say.
The rest of the trip was uneventful. We took pictures and enjoyed the river. We even stopped on the river banks for some stretching and a quick bite. The river was pretty high volume after the heavy rains so you can see the brown water in the pictures. I would highly recommend this tour for people who are new to kayaking. The trip is mostly remote and very quiet until near the end there are a few homes.
The total time on the water was only around 2 and 1/2 hours.
Thanks again to the crew and cheers from Kayak Guy Atlanta. If you want to join us for a trip like this, call (678-920-3944) or email (Scott@KayakGuyAtlanta.com).
Pregame
Watch out for that tree!
Chestatee River Kayaking