Most people know many rivers flow right to the ocean. However, one Tallapoosa County local figured it out himself.
Harold Banks took a journey of the Tallapoosa River to the Gulf of America — a dream he wanted to fulfill his whole life.
Now, his travels are honored in his home county with the Harold Banks Canoe Trail. Located throughout Tallapoosa County, Banks’ name is located along various portions of the Tallapoosa River. With five public access points, people can ride the stream Banks did on his journey to the gulf.
There are entry points at Jay Bird Creek in Jackson’s Gap, Peters Island in Daviston, Horseshoe Bend in Dadeville, Germany’s Ferry Road in Daviston and Bibby’s Ferry Access in Wadley. According to the Tallapoosa County Extension Office website, the canoe trail is divided into three sections and manageable float trips.
The first section, beginning at Bibby’s Ferry, is 8.25 miles and is roughly a five hour float. Section 2 is 9.75 miles, and it lasts about six hours starting at Germany’s Ferry Bridge and ending at Horseshoe Bend Bridge. Section 3 starts at Horseshoe Bend Bridge and ends at Jay Bird Creek covering about 6 miles, making it a 4 hour float.
The Tallapoosa River falls under the same classifications as the state’s highest-quality waterways, including those in state parks, wildlife refuges or areas of exceptional recreational or ecological value, according to the Tallapoosa County Extension Office. These are classified as Outstanding Alabama Waters. It is also rich in history, with remnants of fish weirs made by Native Americans who traveled the area years ago.
The entirety of the Tallapoosa River is 258 miles long, all of which Banks endured on his journey south.
When he was a young boy playing in a creek, he noticed a stick following the flow of the stream. Many might take a brief moment to ponder on the stick’s final destination, but Banks couldn’t seem to shake his curiosity. From that point on, he was determined to find out where that stick might end up. Eventually, he did — and he was the first person to do it.
“My lifelong dream was to paddle from the headwaters of the Tallapoosa River to the Gulf of Mexico,” Banks said.
The idea that no one had ever completed the descent before excited him. Many people believed a descent of the Tallapoosa River by canoe would be nearly impossible; beaver dams, shallow waters and other obstacles would make the trip difficult. But none of that changed Banks’ mind about the trip.
In 2008, Banks’ wife Amy took him to North Georgia where he began his solo journey. His goal was to be the first person to complete a solo descent on the Tallapoosa River by canoe. The 258 mile trip took him 11 days to complete.
His initial trip was a success, but he wasn’t ready to stop there. A year later, he floated 400 miles of the Alabama River to the Gulf of America.
Throughout the trip, he encountered many hindrances; storms that took him slightly off his path, hydroelectric dams he illegally walked around, people he met along the way and more. Every notable instance of the trip was recorded in Banks’ travel journal, along with his thoughts, feelings and emotions. After his first trip, Banks shared his travel journal with friends and family on Facebook including Tallapoosa Publishers chairman Kenneth Boone.
“He saw my journal,” Banks said. “He said, ‘Harold, I’m going to make you famous.’”
Boone created a series highlighting Banks’ journey in The Outlook. Banks said it became wildly popular.
Banks has always enjoyed documenting his life through writing. When it came to the final steps of his book, however, he found that the publishing process was the most tedious part. He spent time learning how to design the aspects he wanted in his book, and eventually compiled them to create “By Pack and Paddle: Headwaters of the Tallapoosa.”
His book, however, is not a rendition of his travel journal. Instead, it’s a narrative of Alabama’s indulgent history and prosperous nature told through the eyes of Banks’ on his adventure.
“It is for Alabamians to appreciate and protect Alabama’s magnificent waterways,” Banks said. “To have an understanding of the history that occurred along those waterways thinly disguised as an epic solo canoe journey. My goal is to make people feel like they’re in the canoe with me — seeing what I see as I see it, and feeling what I feel.”
