Albany, Georgia has a lot of really fun outdoor pursuits.  When I heard our girls’ getaway weekend was going to include a Flint River kayaking excursion, I had mixed feelings.  I like kayaking…but I don’t love it.

“Will we have to struggle against the current?” I asked, recalling most of my previous excursions in a two-person kayak where my fiancee did all the muscle work while I took the selfies.

“No, the current will be with us,” said Raschelle, our trip leader.

We put in with our rentals from Kayak Attack outfitters. The access/launch point was near one of several bridges on the river.  In southwestern Georgia, the Flint River flows through downtown Albany, the largest city on the river.  It’s one of only 40 rivers in the U.S. that flows more than 200 miles unimpeded by dams or other synthetic systems, adding to its natural significance.

But perhaps the river is best known for its mention in Gone with the Wind, where author Margaret Mitchell refers to the Flint River as bordering Scarlett O’Hara’s “Tara” plantation.

It was a typical sunny Georgia day….the sky was blue, the river was calm, my gear safely secured in my bubblegum pink wetbag, and all was right with the world.

I floated on the still river with little effort, amicably chatting with Kimberly who was in a kayak next to me.

“Now this is how I like to kayak,” I said to her, thinking maybe my previous judgment of the sport had been too harsh.

And so it went for a couple of hours until we hit a patch where the water level was quite low and rapids (okay, currents) were visible.

“Cross over to this side,” shouted Raschelle, as she and Shelby paddled across the technical passage, i.e. a route through a rock garden in which considerable maneuvering is required for safe transit. “It’s too shallow where you are.” [read more]

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About the Author

Patti Morrow is a freelance travel writer and founder of the award-winning international blog Luggage and Lipstick and the southern travel blog Gone to Carolinas. TripAdvisor called her one of the “20 Baby Boomer Travel Bloggers Having More Fun Than Millennials” and she was named one of the “Top 35 Travel Blogs” in the world.

She is also the star of the upcoming TV series “Destination Takeover” which is scheduled to premiere in the next few months.

Patti is the author of the book “Girls Go Solo: Tips for Women Traveling Alone,” and has over 150 bylines in 40 print and online publications, including The Huffington Post, International Living Magazine, Washington Post Sunday Travel, Travel Girl, Travel Play Live Magazine, and Ladies Home Journal. She has traveled extensively through six continents looking for fabulous destinations, exotic beaches, and adventure activities for her Baby Boomer tribe.