Yes this was the third trip on the Etowah River in Dawsonville, GA. But man, they just seem to get better. This trip took place on a cool November 1st morning. It was chilly but we had 7 brave kayakers not afraid of a little cool weather. One so brave he decided it would be a good idea to go in the very cold water.
We started out at 10AM at the Hwy 9 bridge. Although it wasn’t the height of the leaf fall like I promised…..it was still very scenic. Minus the gunshots of the shooting range in the distance, it was one of the more peaceful tours we took. There were even two whitetail buck that we spooked along the river bank…..it looked like they came to the Etowah River for a drink and instead came across some insane kayakers. Unfortunately, they were too fast for us to pull out our cameras and get a picture of them.
This picture to the left gives you an idea of how scenic this trip really is. The reflection was amazing on this morning and the colors where still vibrant.
And like we normally do… at the halfway point, the crew stopped to stretch legs and hike the Bearfoot Falls. This time we really did hike all the way to the top. This time we found a trail that led us all the way to the top of the falls. Pretty cool I must say.
We grabbed a bite there and within 45 minutes we were back on the river. Just below that point there is the small rapids that sounds like Niagra Falls from a distance but are really pretty calm when you go through it. My wife and I had a giant 2 person sea kayak for this trip, so we dragged our way through the rapids. The others were much more graceful getting through without a single issue at all.
The only issue came when kayaker Harry decided he didn’t want to pay attention to the tree that was sprawled across the river on the right. Well most times its not the rapids that flip kayakers, its the strainers….aka trees. We this tree branch did a good job of toppling him. But he did a textbook exit from the kayak. He grabbed the tree and hung on with a terrific grip. The kayak going down stream without him.
Amazing, even though he was hanging from a limb (literally), he still had a calm, cool demeanor. That’s a lot considering the water was very darn cold. I told him I wasn’t jumping in the cold water to save him, so he should just grab the back of our boat. (picture included below) It makes for a good picture…..sorry Harry.
The funniest part was his wife was laughing and the others were taking pictures of us. Terrible…haha. But we retrieved the kayak and emptied the water (pics also below). Luckily we were near the finish of our trip so Harry didn’t have to freeze in wet clothes for too long.
This trip was awesome. Everyone was lots of fun and I hope you all come out again. Julie, Michelle, Cheryl, Kristi, Ang, Eric and Harry you guys rocked! Thanks a bunch.
Kristi and Eric
Yes that is a man on the back of the kayak.
Ducks in a row!
Taking selfies and laughing at the drama.
emptying water!
Cheryl near the cliff!
Scenic Etowah
