We tell everyone who registers for Paddle Georgia to bring a “flexible mindset” to the event. That recommendation was put to test June 25-July 1 during Paddle Georgia 2023 on the Savannah River. For the first time in 18 years of staging these week-long paddle adventures, river conditions forced us to cancel portions of our original route.
Like quarterback Peyton Manning directing a late game scoring drive, we yelled “Omaha,” and thanks to Georgia’s seemingly limitless network of rivers and streams (and great state parks), we scored some paddling touchdowns.
Below are random thoughts and images from a week of exploring the Savannah River basin and surrounding areas…
George L. Smith State Park is a Winner!
When it became clear that the Savannah River would be at flood stage for the week, George L. Smith State Park immediately came to mind as an alternate paddling destination. The park is renowned for its beautiful cypress/tupelo filled 400-acre lake and winding paddle trails through dense stands of these water-loving trees. The lake was created in 1880 when local entrepreneurs built Parrish Mill and Dam to power a grist and saw mill on Fifteen Mile Creek, a tributary of the Canoochee River, just north of Metter.
As participants emerged from their excursions on the century-old mill pond, we heard the following words repeatedly: “magical,” “fabulous,” “spectacular.” Indeed, the man-made, blackwater wetland was all those things. Nobody complained about not being on the muddy, swift-moving Savannah after a few hours enjoying “Watson Pond.”
The trip also prompted one of the better short-nose sturgeon jokes of the week courtesy of Philip Barkes. An anxious and depressed sturgeon struggled with his mental health until he swam up the Ogeechee and Canoochee rivers and finally up Fifteen Mile Creek where it skirts the city limits of Metter. Metterites have long claimed that “everything is better in Metter.” The sturgeon concurred. After a time in Fifteen Mile Creek, he did, in fact, feel better. Note: the bar was very low for “humor” when it came to sturgeon jokes this year!
Excursions to Magnolia Springs State Park and to Skidaway River where we skirted Skidaway Island State Park further highlighted the great diversity of Georgia’s landscape and state parks system.
Flooded Savannah Turns Ebenezer Creek Floodplain into Paddling Play Land
Our original paddling route included an excursion on Ebenezer Creek, one of three streams in the state officially designated as a state “scenic river” (the other two are the Conasauga and Chattooga rivers in far North Georgia).
Under normal conditions Ebenezer is one of those magical places where massive and ancient bald cypress (some 1,000 years old) shade boaters as they wind up (or down) the slow-moving, swamp-like creek. But at flood stage, Ebenezer Creek spills into its floodplain, creating acres and acres of inundated forests. Slipping off the creek’s main channel and into these watery woods is like stepping through a portal to a different world. We were fortunate to catch this unmatched creek at such a time. Sightings of pileated woodpeckers, barred owls, prothonotary warblers, alligators, snakes and not just a few very large spiders were reported with frequency.
So expansive was the Ebenezer Creek floodplain that we did, in fact, lose a paddler for a time (we won’t name names!). We tracked down the wayward explorer without issue, but the incident proved a cautionary tale supporting our admonishments to stick with a buddy boat or group and track your progress on smartphone-based mapping systems…like the Georgia River Guide App!
A Day Off on Future Paddle Georgia Events?
Thanks to the Savannah’s high water, we did have one day of “no paddling.” It proved popular, especially since Black Creek Scout Reservation offered a beach for swimming, a zipline into a lake and climbing walls and ropes courses.
But as much as the Scout Reservation had to offer, I saw just as many playing cards and board games and simply enjoying the company of fellow paddlers. I caught the children of the Swift clan (12 in total) gathered around a table playing Uno. Hardly a smartphone to be seen. It warmed my heart.
Some liked the down time so much they suggested we incorporate such a day into future Paddle Georgia events. Noted. Perhaps a short day of paddling with other activities planned for the afternoon is a good anti-venom for sunburn and blistered hands.
One major benefit from this down time was a record turn out for Georgia Adopt-A-Stream’s citizen water monitoring workshop. Cecilia Nachtmann and the AAS team certified a record 22 participants! Now, go out and adopt a stream near your home! We need eyes and ears on the ground protecting our water!
Cirque du Swiftee
Speaking of the Swift clan…I thought that perhaps on this trip the grandchildren of 80-year-old ichthyologist Camm Swift would stick to their boats and not attempt any high flying leaps from cliffs or other high objects. On my scouting excursions, I just didn’t see any likely locations for such stunts…but I don’t see the world through the eyes of an 18-year-old.
They found their spot–a large bald cypress leaning over a deep hole on Ebenezer Creek. Others (including myself) were satisfied with a tame rope swing into the cool blackwater from the cypress’s lower platforms, but the Swift boys weren’t satisfied until they climbed to the upper branches of the cypress. It was quite a show, worthy of a circus act.
If we want to keep them off high platforms we may have to look to the flatland of the “Marshes of Glynn.”
The Marshes of Glynn (and Chatham!)
Hats off to Georgia River Network’s new communication coordinator, Savannah resident and coastal open water swimmer Grace Wilson for suggesting and coordinating our Day 7 paddle on Skidaway River. Savannah resident, Paddle Georgia participant and frequent Skidaway River paddler, Joy Tabatabai, also offered her knowledge of the area to help us enjoy a final day exploring a portion of Georgia’s famed coastal marshes, a habitat us Georgians are quite proud of…and with good reason.
Our state’s coast is home to nearly 400,000 acres of salt marshes sandwiched between barrier islands and the mainland. These marshes produce more food energy than any estuarine zone on the eastern Seaboard, supporting the state’s shrimp and crab harvest and a host of commercially important fish species. Lucky for us, the Southeast Coastal Saltwater Paddling Trail (a water trail running 800 miles from Chesapeake Bay to the Florida state line) provides access to all of this beauty, including Skidaway River. In addition to being a great paddling route, the river is apparently an exceptional place to stage epic water battles.
Yutes and Teachers
A yute is a youth. A teacher is, well, one of the understated heros of our society. We had both with us on Paddle Georgia 2023 thanks to the support of our many sponsors, especially the John and L.A. Spears Foundation and Denali Water Solutions.
Twelve middle and high school students from the Gwinnett County area led by Tixie Fowler with Gardens for Growing Community participated and seven teachers from across the state all received “scholarships” to participate.
Both left with memories that will last a lifetime. The teachers are also left with environmental education and Georgia Adopt-A-Stream curriculum to take back to their classrooms.
Tixie reports that many of the yutes are already scheming how they can participate again next year.
Diversity and Inclusion
Was it me or did this year’s Paddle Georgia navy better reflect the increasing diversity of Georgia’s population? Diversity and inclusion, as of late, have become sensitive words in some circles. Lets be clear what it means to Georgia River Network: it means that access and safe travel on Georgia’s rivers and streams should be available to all–that’s, like, EVERYONE, no exclusions. When people from diverse backgrounds are able to participate in our journeys, it enriches the experience for all. When people from diverse backgrounds discover the charms of our rivers, it expands and strengthens the paddlesports and river advocacy communities. We need more than a village to protect Georgia’s water.
Georgia’s population is 59 percent white, 33 percent black, 11 percent Hispanic and 5 percent Asian. Think about a Paddle Georgia journey that reflected those demographics. We are not there yet, but my colleague, Andrea White’s efforts to train “non-traditional” paddlers to become kayaking instructors is steadily blurring the line between “traditional” and “non-traditional” paddlers.
As it was, this year’s trip saw people of all colors and backgrounds participate, including paddlers from 11 different states. I believe I heard at least four different languages spoken during my time on the water last week. I think that’s a first.
Our legislative panel discussion also reflected the state’s diverse population. In January when new lawmakers were sworn in, 39 percent of legislators were of Hispanic, Black, Asian or Arab descent. Among the legislators that talked and paddled with us during the week were Sen. Sheikh Rahman, the first immigrant and Asian American elected to the Georgia Senate and Sen. Jason Esteves, one of several Latino legislators now serving in the General Assembly.
As one who loves experiencing Georgia’s water with people coming from different perspectives, this was especially exciting.
Paddle Georgia 2024
Paddle Georgia 2024 will be…on the Altamaha River. We last paddled “Georgia’s Little Amazon” in 2012. Next spring the Altamaha River Users Guide will be published by the University of Georgia Press so we thought it appropriate to return to this South Georgia beauty. Get ready for beautiful sandbar play places, wild backwater sloughs, trips up mysterious blackwater tributaries, and a finish in Darien where we will all be jonesing for some of iconic coastal seafood. The Altamaha ranks among the favorite destinations of long-time participants. Exact dates to be confirmed soon, but likely June 16-22, 2024.
Joe Cook/Paddle Georgia Coordinator
July 5, 2023
And, here’s a few fun select photos…
It was a fierce and hard-fought competition but the father-son team of Roman and Lotem Kol took home the glory in the Canoe Tug-O-War competition at Black Creek Scout Reservation.
Paddle Georgia, A Project of Georgia River Network - Weblog 