Conecuh County's 'Three River Adventurers' |
Many of you probably read in last week’s edition of The
Courant about the awesome and historic trip recently completed by a group of
eight local paddlers.
The group departed Travis Bridge on the Sepulga River in canoes
and kayaks on April 23 and arrived at Swamp House Landing near Pensacola, Fla.
on April 28.
During the trip, the group traveled a total of 139 miles
down the Sepulga, Conecuh, Delaney and Escambia rivers, and it’s believed that
this trip is the first documented time that the course has been navigated by
canoe or kayak all at one time. Research also indicates that it’s been well
over 100 years since any commercial boats have traveled the route.
The group, which calls itself the “Three River Adventurers,”
included Dalton Campbell of Owassa, Frank Murphy of Herbert, Sam Peacock of
Repton, John Potts of Flat Rock, Ed Salter of Repton, Joel Williams of
Evergreen, Marc Williams of Evergreen and Evergreen native Larry Yeargan, who
now lives in Coosada.
This trip from Conecuh County to Pensacola has to be one of
the most remarkable outdoor, sports-related feats ever pulled off by any group
of Conecuh Countians. This trip took a lot of planning, a wide variety of
outdoor skills and was potentially hazardous. Also, in addition to the fact
that they had to paddle or float all the way through the wilds of Southwest
Alabama and the Florida Panhandle, they also had to take into account
approaching bad weather early last week. The only thing comparable to this trip
that comes to my mind is Jeff Daniels’ 2,181-mile thru hike of the Appalachian
Trail in September 2011.
Last week’s story mentioned that there’s an outside
possibility that other groups or individuals have made the trip by river from
Conecuh County to Pensacola in the past, and the story asked readers to contact
The Courant with any information about any such trips. If anyone has ever made
the trip, the members of the “Three River Adventurers” want to know as does The
Courant.
Last Thursday afternoon, not long after the paper had been
out, one of our readers stopped by the office to say that he recalled that
Moreno White Jr. made the trip with two or three others in the late 1960s.
Others say that White, who graduated from Evergreen High School in 1967 and now
lives in California, may have made the trip in the 1980s.
As it turns out, members of the “Three River Adventurers”
actually know White and they called him up to get more information about his
trip. Murphy spoke with White over the phone, and White said he had done a long
paddle trip in the past, but he never traveled south of McGowin Bridge. McGowin
Bridge is a well-known landmark and is located on the Conecuh River in Escambia
County, Ala., well short of Pensacola.
In the end, members of the “Three River Adventurers” and The
Courant are still seeking information about any past trips from Travis Bridge
to Pensacola, Fla., so if you know of any such trips, contact The Courant at
578-1492 or at courantsports@earthlink.net.
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