We changed this page in 2012 from a list of virtually every name who got us started—and thank you all—to the people and organizations without whom we would simply not be here. We also added a roster of everyone who has accomplished all of the original 631 miles of the Alabama Scenic River Trail. Some have done much more.

The people and organizations who make us possible

Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs' Rob Grant for funding so many of our improvements
Alabama Bureau of Tourism and Travel for too much to mention
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District, with special thanks to Ike Lyon and Jason Haynes (official fish fryer of the Alabama Scenic River Trail).
Cosby Company for funding
Senator Jeff Sessions and the entire Alabama Congressional Delegation for fighting back against closures of our locks to recreational boaters
Coosa Alabama River Improvement Association's Jerry Sailors for assistance and support
Alabama Association of Resource and Conservation Districts for funding our projects
Alabama Power Company for their assistance in developing portages around their dams
Richard Thompson, citizen boater who transported us on our first forays on the Coosa

We thank the following people who paddled the entirity of the 631-mile core Alabama Scenic River Trail, traversing the state from Georgia to Ft Morgan in the Gulf of Mexico

Ardie Olsen finished in 12 days 2 hours 9 minutes, a record time
 
Richard Grove - Georgia, started in north Georgia, did 850 miles. His blog is here
 
Warren Johnson - so far our only round trip paddler. 636 miles down, 631 back up from Ft Morgan, then 150 to Riverside = 1,417 miles
 
Sam Lentz from Mississippi  and John Hayes from Alabama have together paddled the Tallapoosa (260 miles) in 2010; the ASRT "core" trail (660 miles) in 2011; and the Black Warrior / Tombigbee  (439 miles) in 2012
 
J. Harold Banks —has completed the core Alabama Scenic River Trail plus the Tallapoosa River. A PDF book of his journey is here
 
Kevin Hand—and he never stopped paddling after Ft Morgan
 
Doug Wicklund - after paddling, then went back and installed 47 camp signs for us, now doing 25 more
and has re-done portage trail signs at 4 dams and adding 48 more portage signs
 
David Cutchin - Florida
 
Patrick Schmidt - Florida
 
David Haynes- with two Golder Retrievers in hand-made cedar canoe. His blog is here.
 
Jamie Bailey - with one dog in a flat bottom boat, went on down into middle Florida
 
Randall Lackey
 
Sam Brown

The following are the names of powerboaters who love the river and who have assisted with our journeys on the rivers
 
Bobby and Dot Wright
 
Babs Bender and Mitzi Rollins
 
Cheyenne and Cathy Bradford
 
Chet Bally and his dog Casey
 
William and Pat Steadham

Laura (first woman to finish the trail) and Nate Paulk. Laura's blog with her river adventures is here.




Bobby and Dot Wright, residents of the paradise at Lower Twenty Estates on the Alabama River, extraordinary helpers and friends of all paddlers on the Alabama between Elm Bluff and Millers Ferry.