A trip that took decades to complete

[C.Killmaster]

Not sure because hotels didn't factor into my planning. There's a few developed campgrounds it seems along the way.

Would you mind sharing some of the logistics? Was it easy to find sandbars to camp, or did you pre-plan camping locations? How were you able to carry enough water for that many days, or did you filter/purify river water?

 

[Tugboat1]

Would you mind sharing some of the logistics? Was it easy to find sandbars to camp, or did you pre-plan camping locations? How were you able to carry enough water for that many days, or did you filter/purify river water?

In my younger years I was a serious backpacker with plenty of 5 - 10 day trips under my belt. When on the trail I never planned meals per se. I'm more of a snacker, eating when I'm hungry. I had a good store of dehydrated meals and food I prepared this past winter that I took. I cooked catfish I caught. I took a big cooler, which I considered a luxury, but considering the first few days were in the mid 90s, I'm so glad I did. I had three gallon sized vinegar jugs of frozen water, ice and some frozen foods/perishables I kept in it. I also took two additional jugs of water for a total of five gallons on board when I shoved off. I took some cans of ginger ale and sparkling water. Although I never used it, I also had a gravity feed water purifier. I was able to refill water jugs at Towns Bluff Park and Heritage center and buy more ice. It's river right just past the hwy. 221 bridge near Hazelhurst. At the landing in Jesup, there is a store just up the road where I resupplied with ice. I made sure to have a good supply of citrus fruit because, for me, there's nothing quite so refreshing as a chilled orange on a hot day. I drank fluids continuously and kept a cooling towel on my head under a straw hat. Just dipped it in the water every thirty minutes or so, worked well.
The other things I gave fore thought to were safety( I updated and took two very complete first aid kits and a repair/tool kit), navigation ( I had printed hard copy maps of the rivers with take outs/distances) and planned to use Google Earth on my phone. To that effect I brought a 20 watt solar cell with USB port and charging cables attached to keep a small 12 v. battery topped off. I was also concerned about mosquitos, expecting them to be overwhelming at times. I brought a small, plastic 12 v. Radiator fan to hook to the battery to keep them blown off me when cooking and such. Luckily, or rather, miraculously, I saw maybe two dozen the entire trip. Also, an extra paddle.
Besides all that I made sure to have a good supply of headlamps, flashlights and batteries. I paddled after dark twice.
I gave no thought to campsites/distances but when I hit the Altamaha it was the start of Labor Day weekend and there was considerable boat traffic and just about every sand bar from Hazelhurst to past Jesup was occupied or staked out for mullet fishing( I started seeing mullet below Mt. Vernon on the Oconee.) But I was able to carve out a secluded spot in some willows. The stretch known as The Narrows really didn't have many suitable sand bars, even in low water. It was getting late and I planned on tucking in amongst the willows but started encountering/spooking quite a few gators from the willow banks. At late afternoon I was coming around a bend and thirty feet away a huge gator came down the willow bank, exploded the water and I watched this enormous dark shape go past the front of my canoe. My canoe is four inches shy of sixteen foot and it was easily fourteen feet long. Although I wasn't generally concerned about gators, that encounter gave me pause and I decided camping solo amongst the willows probably wasn't a prudent idea. So I paddled on through the narrows and finally found a large suitable sand bar down towards Sansavilla around midnight. I enjoyed the night paddling, calm, cool and the number of gators I spotted and heard bellowing along that stretch was impressive.
When I reached Altamaha Park I had a two day wait for my shuttle so I camped on the small island under the bridge across from the park. I paid to use their shower facilities.
I tried to go with the flow as it were.

 

[C.Killmaster]

In my younger years I was a serious backpacker with plenty of 5 - 10 day trips under my belt. When on the trail I never planned meals per se. I'm more of a snacker, eating when I'm hungry. I had a good store of dehydrated meals and food I prepared this past winter that I took. I cooked catfish I caught. I took a big cooler, which I considered a luxury, but considering the first few days were in the mid 90s, I'm so glad I did. I had three gallon sized vinegar jugs of frozen water, ice and some frozen foods/perishables I kept in it. I also took two additional jugs of water for a total of five gallons on board when I shoved off. I took some cans of ginger ale and sparkling water. Although I never used it, I also had a gravity feed water purifier. I was able to refill water jugs at Towns Bluff Park and Heritage center and buy more ice. It's river right just past the hwy. 221 bridge near Hazelhurst. At the landing in Jesup, there is a store just up the road where I resupplied with ice. I made sure to have a good supply of citrus fruit because, for me, there's nothing quite so refreshing as a chilled orange on a hot day. I drank fluids continuously and kept a cooling towel on my head under a straw hat. Just dipped it in the water every thirty minutes or so, worked well.
The other things I gave fore thought to were safety( I updated and took two very complete first aid kits and a repair/tool kit), navigation ( I had printed hard copy maps of the rivers with take outs/distances) and planned to use Google Earth on my phone. To that effect I brought a 20 watt solar cell with USB port and charging cables attached to keep a small 12 v. battery topped off. I was also concerned about mosquitos, expecting them to be overwhelming at times. I brought a small, plastic 12 v. Radiator fan to hook to the battery to keep them blown off me when cooking and such. Luckily, or rather, miraculously, I saw maybe two dozen the entire trip. Also, an extra paddle.
Besides all that I made sure to have a good supply of headlamps, flashlights and batteries. I paddled after dark twice.
I gave no thought to campsites/distances but when I hit the Altamaha it was the start of Labor Day weekend and there was considerable boat traffic and just about every sand bar from Hazelhurst to past Jesup was occupied or staked out for mullet fishing( I started seeing mullet below Mt. Vernon on the Oconee.) But I was able to carve out a secluded spot in some willows. The stretch known as The Narrows really didn't have many suitable sand bars, even in low water. It was getting late and I planned on tucking in amongst the willows but started encountering/spooking quite a few gators from the willow banks. At late afternoon I was coming around a bend and thirty feet away a huge gator came down the willow bank, exploded the water and I watched this enormous dark shape go past the front of my canoe. My canoe is four inches shy of sixteen foot and it was easily fourteen feet long. Although I wasn't generally concerned about gators, that encounter gave me pause and I decided camping solo amongst the willows probably wasn't a prudent idea. So I paddled on through the narrows and finally found a large suitable sand bar down towards Sansavilla around midnight. I enjoyed the night paddling, calm, cool and the number of gators I spotted and heard bellowing along that stretch was impressive.
When I reached Altamaha Park I had a two day wait for my shuttle so I camped on the small island under the bridge across from the park. I paid to use their shower facilities.
I tried to go with the flow as it were.

Wow, thank you so much! I really appreciate all the detail! That's a trip I've wanted to do for quite some time now.

 

[Tugboat1]

Wow, thank you so much! I really appreciate all the detail! That's a trip I've wanted to do for quite some time now.

You are welcome.

 

[Nicodemus]

In my younger years I was a serious backpacker with plenty of 5 - 10 day trips under my belt. When on the trail I never planned meals per se. I'm more of a snacker, eating when I'm hungry. I had a good store of dehydrated meals and food I prepared this past winter that I took. I cooked catfish I caught. I took a big cooler, which I considered a luxury, but considering the first few days were in the mid 90s, I'm so glad I did. I had three gallon sized vinegar jugs of frozen water, ice and some frozen foods/perishables I kept in it. I also took two additional jugs of water for a total of five gallons on board when I shoved off. I took some cans of ginger ale and sparkling water. Although I never used it, I also had a gravity feed water purifier. I was able to refill water jugs at Towns Bluff Park and Heritage center and buy more ice. It's river right just past the hwy. 221 bridge near Hazelhurst. At the landing in Jesup, there is a store just up the road where I resupplied with ice. I made sure to have a good supply of citrus fruit because, for me, there's nothing quite so refreshing as a chilled orange on a hot day. I drank fluids continuously and kept a cooling towel on my head under a straw hat. Just dipped it in the water every thirty minutes or so, worked well.
The other things I gave fore thought to were safety( I updated and took two very complete first aid kits and a repair/tool kit), navigation ( I had printed hard copy maps of the rivers with take outs/distances) and planned to use Google Earth on my phone. To that effect I brought a 20 watt solar cell with USB port and charging cables attached to keep a small 12 v. battery topped off. I was also concerned about mosquitos, expecting them to be overwhelming at times. I brought a small, plastic 12 v. Radiator fan to hook to the battery to keep them blown off me when cooking and such. Luckily, or rather, miraculously, I saw maybe two dozen the entire trip. Also, an extra paddle.
Besides all that I made sure to have a good supply of headlamps, flashlights and batteries. I paddled after dark twice.
I gave no thought to campsites/distances but when I hit the Altamaha it was the start of Labor Day weekend and there was considerable boat traffic and just about every sand bar from Hazelhurst to past Jesup was occupied or staked out for mullet fishing( I started seeing mullet below Mt. Vernon on the Oconee.) But I was able to carve out a secluded spot in some willows. The stretch known as The Narrows really didn't have many suitable sand bars, even in low water. It was getting late and I planned on tucking in amongst the willows but started encountering/spooking quite a few gators from the willow banks. At late afternoon I was coming around a bend and thirty feet away a huge gator came down the willow bank, exploded the water and I watched this enormous dark shape go past the front of my canoe. My canoe is four inches shy of sixteen foot and it was easily fourteen feet long. Although I wasn't generally concerned about gators, that encounter gave me pause and I decided camping solo amongst the willows probably wasn't a prudent idea. So I paddled on through the narrows and finally found a large suitable sand bar down towards Sansavilla around midnight. I enjoyed the night paddling, calm, cool and the number of gators I spotted and heard bellowing along that stretch was impressive.
When I reached Altamaha Park I had a two day wait for my shuttle so I camped on the small island under the bridge across from the park. I paid to use their shower facilities.
I tried to go with the flow as it were.

Enjoyed that. Thank you for posting.

 

[Tugboat1]

Enjoyed that. Thank you for posting.

Yessir. No bother.

 

[Dr. Strangelove]

Thanks for posting - it's a fascinating read. Years ago when I was in college, DNR or maybe UGA, I don't know, someone, offered a canoe trip from Watson's Mill Bridge State Park northeast of Athens to the coast. I was always interested in that but never made it happen. Good job!

 

[davidf]

thanks for sharing your adventure

 

[nrh0011]

Sounds like a great trip! I just completed a long float and kept telling myself similar things the whole time. It's about the experience, not the destination or checking the box. I need to float the ocmulgee someday. Cheers

 

[Pilgrim]

Wow - sounds like an unforgettable experience in the best way. Thank you for sharing!