Mayor and Chairman's Withlacoochee River Paddle, Sugar Creek to Troupville

Same date, slight reroute: Sugar Creek to Troupville.
Please be at the bottom of the Bertas Kitchen parking lot by 8AM so we can try to be on the water by 9AM.
Join us for a leisurely paddle with Valdosta Mayor Scott James Matheson and Lowndes County Chairman Bill Slaughter on the Withlacoochee River.
[Chairman and Mayor's Paddle, Sugar Creek to Troupville, Withlacoochee River, 8 AM, April 19, 2025]
Thanks to a generous grant from Georgia Power, this outing is free for everyone.
Thanks to Valdosta-Lowndes County Parks and Recreation Authority (VLPRA) for shuttle vans.
Thanks to Valdosta Boys & Girls Club for bringing youth and boats to paddle.
Thanks to Steve Miller for bringing a golf cart to help put in and take out.
Thanks to Gee Edwards for leading this expedition, Phil Royce for being sweep, and to Phil Hubbard and Phil Royce for chainsawing the route.
When: Gather 8 AM, shuttle ASAP, launch 9 AM, end 2 PM, Saturday, April 19, 2025
Put In: Salty Corner Landing, at the bottom of the parking lot for Bertas Pizza Kitchen, 1405 Gornto Rd, Valdosta, GA 31602.
GPS: 30.8625, -83.31875
[Geese in Sugar Creek at the WaterGoat, 2025-04-13, 09:55:00, 30.8618548, -83.3188441]
Sugar Creek tested clean for E. coli last week in WWALS sampling.
Valdosta Utilities will have more results later today, which everyone hopes will also be good.
Take Out: Troupville Boat Ramp, 19664 Valdosta Hwy, Valdosta, GA 31602. I-75 exit 18, west on GA 133 (St. Augustine Road) away from the Valdosta Mall, at the traffic light for Val Tech Road, turn left down to the boat ramp, in Lowndes County.
By the boat ramp, see the WWALS water trail signs about the WWALS Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail (WLRWT).
GPS: 30.851842, -83.346536
[Troupville Boat Ramp, 2023-03-04, 08:42:21, 30.8512870, -83.3473456]
Boats: Bring your own kayak or canoe if you can.
If you do not have one, WWALS will have a few canoes and kayaks, first come, first served.
Bring: the usual personal flotation device, boat, paddles, food, drinking water, warm clothes, and first aid kit.
Also trash pickers and trash bags: every WWALS outing is also a cleanup.
Please follow Leave No Trace principles by packing out all trash, avoiding damage to vegetation, and respecting wildlife.
[Paddlers, 2024-03-02, 14:11:38, 30.8471247, -83.3475737]
Safety: Be on time. If you miss the safety briefing, you cannot paddle with us.
Each person in a boat, no matter how young or old, must wear a Personal Flotation Device (PFD).
Free: This outing is free to everyone, thanks to a generous grant from Georgia Power.
Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1603504050556169/
https://www.meetup.com/withlacoochee-alapaha-suwannee-rivers-wwals-outings/events/305789933/
Duration: 4 hours
Paddle: 4.26 miles, 3 hours.
Shuttle: 6 miles, 20 minutes, round trip
Thanks to Valdosta-Lowndes County Parks and Recreation Authority (VLPRA) for providing shuttle vans.
Gauge: Valdosta (US 41 aka North Valdosta Road). Highest safe 12.7 feet, 123′ NAVD. Lowest boatable 5.7 feet, 116′ NAVD.
[Valdosta @ US 41 Withlacoochee River Gauge]
Host: Gee Edwards
Contact: wwalswatershed@gmail.com or 850-290-2350
[GA 133 Bridge again, 2025-04-13, 17:03:15, 30.8509323, -83.3391475]
Backup: in case of bad weather or high or low water is: Reschedule
[Little River Confluence signs made by Phil Hubbard --Quen Metzler, 2024-07-27, 10:44:23, 30.8469, -83.347652, 10:55:23, 30.836143, -83.359444]
More: For more WWALS outings and events as they are posted, see the WWALS outings web page, https://wwals.net/outings/. WWALS members also get an upcoming list in the Tannin Times newsletter.
-jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®
You can help with clean, swimmable, fishable, drinkable, water in the 10,000-square-mile Suwannee River Basin in Florida and Georgia by becoming a WWALS member today!
https://wwals.net/donations
https://wwals.net/?p=67456