For many reasons this would be our most ambitious float on the Cahaba River. First, for us, it was an unseen area of the river. The closest I had been was to end a previous day-trip at the point this one would begin- the US 80 crossing of the Cahaba, west of Selma. Technology somewhat minimized this handicap. I was able to view the river by looking at an online map. This was especially useful in planning a potential overnight camping spot- potential being the key word.
Second, was that we had not canoed this far before- 21+ miles. Most of our trips had been limited to single days. The exception being a two day trip from Heiberger to Sprott which my boys and I made more than once with the Cahaba River Society.
In addition to these factors, this was the largest group for which I had planned- a total of nine people and five canoes. Family members comprised the majority- a son, son-in-law, brother, and two nephews. Rounding out the flotilla were a friend’s son, and a neighbor and his son.

We headed south from Birmingham early one Saturday morning in May of 2016 in four vehicles (with canoes atop all- my truck with two). After a brief stop in Selma for last minute supplies, we arrived and unloaded our gear at US 80. The next step was to get vehicles to our destination- the Alabama River at Old Cahawba, our state’s first Capital. The staff of the Old Cahawba Archaeological Park were extremely helpful, volunteering to transport us the 25 land-miles back to our starting point.

There is a lot of work that goes into a float trip, and questions of “Is it worth all of this?” sometimes pop into my head. Whenever I am finally on the river, the answer is never in question. This morning was no different.

After paddling for a few hours, we needed to stop for lunch. This part of the river had no bank on which to get out. We ate alongside an eight foot high rock wall, with all the canoes tied together, and our then anchored to some plants that were growing out of the wall. The first day’s paddling was easier than the last because water flowing into the Cahaba from the Alabama River negated the current which had gently pushed us along.

By mid-afternoon we had reached the preselected area to look for a campsite. Everyone had hammocks, so we needed multiple trees and little undergrowth. On map images I saw a power line cut and thought we might able to get into the woods next to this. Unfortunately, the vegetation was too thick in the cut and the adjacent woods. I canoed another hundred yards to where I remembered seeing a sandbar on the inside edge of a ninety degree right hand turn. The sandbar was there, but the wooded area was not open enough. During this time, by brother found a level spot that was perfect for our site.

After a dinner of grilled hamburgers, someone canoed down to the big bend in the river. The conversation went something like this, “Doesn’t that log on the sandbar look like an alligator? Yes, it sure does. IT IS AN ALLIGATOR!”

When they reported back, four more of us canoed down for a look. When we finally got too close, “he” slowly lumbered into and below the river’s surface. He later popped his snout up between our canoes like a bottlenose porpoise would at the gulf, and then swam beside us for a few seconds. Suddenly he was gone. As we quietly waited for another appearance which never came, I heard/felt a vibration in the bottom of the canoe. I checked my bag which was at my feet to see if my phone was the source. When I didn’t find a phone, I asked my son in the other canoe if the sound was coming from the river bank on the other side of them. “No…, it is coming from under us!” The realization that this was originating from alligators beneath the water was astounding and unnerving. It was a deep, continuous rumble which we felt as much as heard. This was an unexpected thrill to experience- especially from a canoe.

It also wasn’t the last gator we would see. The next day the lead paddlers rounded a bend and four or five small ones scrambled into the river. As we got closer to the Alabama River there were two times that a gator swam ahead of us for several minutes. One of these was over 6 feet long.
Alligators in the Cahaba- another surprise the river has for those who seek them.

VB