In May of 2013, my oldest son Will and I drove early one Saturday morning to the Cahaba River National Wildlife Refuge. We were joining the Cahaba River Society for one of its guided trips to Hargrove Shoals to see the world’s largest collection of Shoal (Cahaba) Lilies. Going down early allowed us to do some fishing prior to meeting the rest of the group. As we were getting on the river we met a Boy Scout troop from Huntsville who were putting in at the Refuge and canoeing down to Pratt’s Ferry (the location of the next road crossing). We talked a bit with their leaders before shoving off.

My son and I had seen the lilies before with the CRS. In fact, this trip to see the lilies has become a family tradition. On different occasions my wife and all three children have made the float. Highlights have included seeing a bald eagle fly down to catch a fish from the river and getting to sip (“suck” sounded too undignified) nectar from a lily as you might from a honeysuckle flower- thanks Dr. Haddock!. As our children married, their new spouses were figuratively baptized into the family by canoeing to Hargrove Shoals. On each of our previous trips we got out at the shoals, and after a time for eating lunch and investigating the lilies, snails and other fauna, the group canoed back upstream to our starting point. The trip back is always a challenge. In the deeper areas, paddling against the slow flow is not difficult. However, you must work to get by the rocky shoals which are shallow and the current fast. Here at least one canoer must get out, walk against the flow while pulling the canoe behind, while trying not to fall on the uneven and slippery rocks. This is a full-body challenge- testing balance, strength and stamina.
Our reason for coming this day was because the water levels were high enough to make possible a float on downstream. This was significant to me because canoeing all of the sections of the Cahaba- from Trussville to the Alabama River- is something I want to accomplish (see “My Cahaba Quest” story) and I had only done the first two miles of this six mile section.

Once on the river, I was encouraged the water level allowed us to navigate the shoals easily. During our stop for lunch I realized, however, that the group was not going to be able to go further. This is where the Boy Scouts re-enter the story. I knew their plan was what I wanted to do. As I saw their group round the bend up-river I told our trip leader what I was thinking- half asking for his okay, and half telling him what we were going to do. With his assent my son and I got into our red OldTown, St Charles River canoe and paddled to intercept the scout leader. In my thinking the main obstacle (other than the Scout leader’s potential concerns about two random guys joining the group of kids for whom he was responsible) was whether they had a spot in their vehicle to shuttle me back to my truck. After a moments hesitation and consideration, he decided to allow us in as part of his flotilla. As we prepared to navigate Hargrove Shoals, I gave an “OK, we are changing groups” wave to the CRS.
We had a great float down this picturesque part of the Cahaba. The trip included a rest stop during which we practiced fly fishing. No fish were harmed (that’s right, we caught nothing). The most memorable part of the trip occurred as we went down a section of shoals which dropped a couple feet over a few yards. In front of us was a canoe with 2 or 3 middle-school aged scouts. We watched them jostle through the run successfully and chose to follow their line. Somehow we didn’t fare as well. Things went bad quickly and we were in the water. Unfortunately, I had failed to secure my binoculars and they were tossed in when the canoe capsized. Surprisingly, I felt its strap around my leg. This allowed me to grab them before they were lost in the river. (The purchase of these binoculars was made carefully. I wanted a pair which was strong, yet not too big or heavy to prevent me from bringing it on my outdoor adventures. They also needed to be rugged and waterproof. My choice was the Nikon Action EX 8x40. They cost over one hundred dollars, but have worked well many times and this trip proved their worth. Despite going down a shoal and being three feet deep in the Cahaba, they continue to work like new.) Well, we were the only ones of this young group that fell out. Wet and bruised- mentally and physically-we regrouped and continued to the take-out without further humiliation.

Thanks to hitchhiking with the Huntsville scouts this was another adventure with great memories.