For a few hours in the solitude of the river, they can forget about the rest of the world.
John Singletary has committed himself to making the river available to ordinary people, not just the rich and powerful plantation owners with property bordering much of the river in the Albany area. Since opening his Flint River Outpost two-and-a-half years ago, hundreds have flocked to his business for canoe and kayak trips lasting from two-and-a-half hours to two days.
``They have a great time,'' said Singletary, 52, a former bass angler who started the business to escape burnout from 30 years as a heating and air conditioning technician.
``They fish or swim,'' he said. ``They take their cameras and picnics and most will stop on a shoal or sandbar and have a picnic. Everybody leaves with a smile.''
The Flint, which stretches southwest about 260 miles from just below Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport to Lake Seminole, where Georgia, Alabama and Florida converge, is a historic river and a refuge for large catfish and bass, turtles, snakes, alligators and a multitude of aquatic plants.
It was a transportation route for American Indians and a major source of flint for arrowheads and tools. Later, paddle-wheelers steamed up and down the lower Flint, dropping off supplies to river towns such as Bainbridge and delivering bales of cotton to ports along the Gulf of Mexico.
``Before white men got here, thousands of canoes were going up and down the river,'' Singletary said. ``It was the I-75 of the Native Americans. It was a water source and a food source. We're following in their footsteps.''
Singletary runs a canoe livery service. He provides canoes and kayaks for people who don't have their own. He drives them to the boat ramps and then picks them up downstream. He also transports canoeists, kayakers and anglers who have their own boats.
His all-day trips start at public boat ramps near Lake Blackshear and end 14 miles downstream near Leesburg. His half-day trip starts at a ramp closer to Albany and ends 5 miles downstream at a private dock, sandwiched between two plantations.
David Jenkins, a spokesman for the American Canoe Association in Springfield, Va., said canoeing and kayaking are among the fastest growing outdoor activities.
``It has to do with people wanting more recreational activities that are thrilling and relaxing,'' he said. ``Canoeing and kayaking can be both. You're talking about being very close to the water. The only way you can get closer is by swimming. People like the fact that canoes and kayaks are human powered.''
Outdoor recreation in southwest Georgia has traditionally been geared around hunting, which doesn't appeal to some, said Tim Barker, a recreational coordinator at Darton College in Albany.
``I think with the variety of outdoor recreation, Georgia has more opportunities than Florida trails, white water, mountains, rivers, the ocean. We're just not telling people what's here,'' said Barker, who has used Singletary's livery service.
``I don't think John understands how much impact he's having as a pure recreation provider,'' Barker said.
But Singletary's vision seems to be catching on. There's a growing awareness of the importance of the Flint River and its tributaries.
Darton is considering a canoe course. An Albany revitalization project will include a river walk and an aquarium featuring native fish. The 800-acre Parks at Chehaw, an Albany nature center, plans a new focus on wetlands, streams and native species.
Allen Hedden, editor of the Georgia Canoeing Association's newsletter, said the Flint is popular with paddlers and the access service provided by Singletary is particularly valuable.
With plantations and hunting preserves stretching from the Albany area to Tallahassee, Fla., much of the land adjoining the Flint is off-limits to the public. CEOs, entertainers and sports figures even Vice President Dick Cheney slip in quietly for a few days of quail or dove hunting on the vast estates, which are ringed with no-trespassing signs and often patrolled by security guards.
There are about 700 boating access sites around the state, including 112 either owned or controlled by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, said Mike Spencer, an assistant fisheries chief. Still, there are only two DNR sites along the 70-mile stretch of the Flint in southwest Georgia from Lake Blackshear to Lake Seminole.
``We're always looking for new moneys and ways to increase the number of boating access sites,'' Spencer said. ``We realize that it's very important for fishermen, bird watchers and other boaters to have access to the state's rivers and lakes.''
http://accesswdun.com/article/2002/12/186807