Georgia Wilderness Society
Adventures on the Flint River
May 20, 2023
Seven intrepid adventurers set out Saturday morning, 20 May, 2023, for some fun on the Flint River. They were not disappointed. A fairly high prediction of rain was forecast, but the river gods blessed us and we had cloudy but nice weather both days.
We put-in near Molena, Ga. on highway 18/74/109. We weren't alone. The parking lot was nearly full, and we saw many more boat-carrying vehicles on the road as we ran shuttle. (Most people were putting-in at Sprewell.) A group of paddle-campers put-in just before us, but we passed them about midway to the Ga. DNR camp site. First come, first served. We were sitting in camp when they paddled up, but we pointed them to the lower sites, and, when we saw them Sunday morning, they seemed happy.
This section of the river is broad and hilly, so the views are very nice, particularly on a sunny day, with the sun sparkling on the waves at the shoals. With the clouds, this trip wasn't ideal in that respect, but next time!
The four campers were: Curt & Irene Cole, Joe Mangum, and Terry Ross. The three who made a day trip of it were: John Harrison, Shirley Williams, & Basil Youman. They paddled with us to our camp, then had a nice, uneventful trip to their take-out at Sprewell Bluff. The river gods declined to flip anyone.
Over the two days, the Thomaston (highway 36) gauge read about 1,650-1,350 cfs, and 4.6'-4.4'. This was a little low for a tandem aluminum canoe loaded with camping gear. Irene & I hung up several times, and scraped numerous times. The others, all solo boaters, scraped less.
Besides the common wildlife, we saw deer, an otter, and a Bald Eagle.
Thanks to all the participants. Hope to see you again soon.
