by Abbie Baggerly 

The Center for Outdoor Recreational Experiences, better known as CORE, will be hosting two river trips on Sept. 7-8.

One trip is canoeing on the Wakulla River in Wakulla County, Fla. The other trip is a two-day kayaking trip on the Chestatee River in north Georgia.

CORE will take students, faculty and guests to canoe the Wakulla River on Sept. 7 for a five-hour trek.

“It’s different every time because there are manatees in the river and they come right up to your boat so you can see them,” said Amber Mills, graduate assistant for the rental center and outdoor trips program.

Attendees will find on the second overnight trip that the Chestatee River has a somewhat different feel from local rivers.

“It has some fairly quick flow, something that a beginner could do, but it’s a little faster river than your south Georgia river would be,” said WT Taylor, assistant director of CORE outdoors.

On the overnight kayaking trip to the Chestatee, students will get a chance to camp and enjoy the outdoors.

“We have some brand new tents that have screens so you can be inside of your tent, but you can have your flap pulled back so you can see the stars,” Taylor said.

There are also a number of activities besides kayaking for the students.

“You can do hike in the park, play games and have that campfire experience,” Mills said.

Before both of the trips, students will have an opportunity to get familiar with kayaking or canoeing. The trips are geared to beginners, so no prior experience is needed.

“If you have never even seen a kayak, you can come on out,” Mills said.

“A lot of people are worried about sleeping on the ground, but with the equipment we have, it’s like sleeping in a bed,” Mills said.

CORE recommends anyone joining in on either trip to bring water, snacks and a change of clothes.

The Wakulla river canoeing day trip costs $30 for students and $35 for faculty, staff and guests.  The overnight, Chestatee River kayaking trip is $45 for students $50 for faculty, staff and guests.

The cost includes all equipment that you need, transportation and entrance fees.

CORE will have a meeting prior to both of the trips to get students, faculty and guests prepared.  They will cover everything attendees need to bring, as well as getting them acquainted with kayaking or canoeing.

The meeting time for the day trip is Aug. 28 at 6 p.m. The meeting for the overnight trip is Aug. 29 at 6 p.m. Both meetings will be held at the recreation center pool.

Departure times for both trips will be agreed upon during those meetings.

For more information on either trip, contact CORE at core@valdosta.edu.