Apalachicola River staging area at Arrowhead Campground
During October I was fortunate enough to be able to attend the 2012 Paddler’s Rendezvous hosted by the Apalachee Canoe & Kayak Club (ACKC) at Merritt Mill Pond in Marianna, Florida. This four-day event brought over 167 paddlers from across the country to participate in float trips on approximately ten local rivers, creeks and ponds.
Potluck dinner at the 2012 Paddler’s Rendezvous
Rain canceled several of Thursday’s planned trips but a few brave souls shook their fists at Mother nature and ventured out despite the dreary weather. The weather for the remainder of the weekend couldn’t have been more perfect with mild temperatures and sunny skies. Some of the locations paddled were the Apalachicola River, Econfina Creek, Holmes Creek, Ocheesee Pond, Spring Creek, Dry Creek, Chipola River and others. Some trips were so popular that second trips were added to a later schedule.
Canoe Raffle
Arrowhead campground was the official event site for this year’s rendezvous and thanks to the fine planning done by ACKC (even in the face of hiccups like the campground changing owners) things went off with barely a hitch. Saturday night’s entertainment included a group pot luck, special guest speaker Doug Alderson, raffle and live music around the bonfire.
The location and dates for next year’s 2013 Paddler’s Rendezvous was announced and will be held at Jonathan Dickson State Park in Hobe Sound, Florida on October 24-27th. The 2013 event will be sponsored by Palm Beach Pack and Paddle Club and co-hosted by the 27-80 Paddlers. For more information check in with Club Kayak as the dates approach.
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