'Source to sea': 2 men are traveling the entire length of the Chattahoochee River

Caption

Jarod Horne and Stephen Burden are paddling the entire 500-mile length of the Chattahoochee River to raise money and awareness for the Chattahoochee River Conservancy.

Credit: Jarod Horne

TRANSCRIPT:

Orlando Montoya: Two men are paddling the entire length of the Chattahoochee River to raise money and awareness for a river advocacy group. Jarod Horne and Stephen Burden began their 500-mile journey on March 1 in the North Georgia mountain town of Helen. Their rafting adventure is expected to take a month. I caught up with them last night, just after they set up camp outside Cuseta, south of Columbus, on the banks of the river. 

All right, Jarod, why did you decide to paddle the river from start to end? 

Jarod Horne: Oh, that's a loaded question. So I grew up on the river down here in Phenix City, Ala., and this has been part of my life ever since I was born. And so I always had the idea of, like, "Where does this thing really take you?" So I always have this idea of doing it. And I did it once right after college. And it didn't really go to plan. We didn't make it as far as we wanted. We made it to Roswell from Helen. I met Stephen kayaking in Columbus, Ga., and we both had this crazy idea. And we were both like, "Yeah!" We're both stoked on doing it and yeah, ended up doing it. 

Orlando Montoya: What kind of challenges have you guys faced along the way so far? 

Jarod Horne: Honestly, eating enough food because you're using a lot of calories. That's a big — that's a big challenge because you can only pack so much in your boat. And you're kind of busy all day. Another challenge for me has been just like, I guess, back muscles. Like, sitting in a kayak all day, it's kind of hard on your back, believe it or not. 

Orlando Montoya: And Stephen, what's been the most difficult section of the river to raft? 

Stephen Burden: Normally, it would be Columbus, Ga., right there on what most people know as the fall line. Those are the biggest rapids on the river. But it really, it really depends. So if you're, for example, like Lake West Point, we had 20 mile an hour headwinds at one point. And that means you're struggling to gain any ground at all. And sometimes you move backwards. So if you're talking about, like, the difficulty rating, it's definitely Columbus, Ga. But if you're talking about endurance and just making it through the day, it just depends on the wind and the weather. 

Orlando Montoya: Up in the mountain towns, did you guys have enough water underneath you? 

Stephen Burden: Oh, well, for the first 14 miles we actually had to hike, feet in the riverbed, because there's not enough water to kayak down it. 

Orlando Montoya: So you guys were really, I'm just gonna say, really strict about you were gonna be in the water no matter what. 

Jarod Horne: Yes sir, it is a true source to sea: from the baby springs that it pops out of the mountain all the way to when it's a monster pouring into the sea. 

Caption

Jarod Horne and Stephen Burden are paddling the entire 500-mile length of the Chattahoochee River to raise money and awareness for the Chattahoochee River Conservancy. Horne is shown on the Lake Lanier stage of the trip in March 2026.

Credit: Stephen Burden via Instagram

Orlando Montoya: Stephen, tell me about the kind of help that you guys have had from people along the way, providing you food, providing you places to rest, getting you around other logistics. 

Stephen Burden: We've had tons of support. We could not do this without all the people helping us get around the dams, for one. We've got kind people drop us off food. My friends in Atlanta — since I grew up there, I know some people — and there's no legal, really legal, places to camp in Atlanta. So we had friends pick us up and give us a place to stay, warm beds, showers. Jared's family has been really helpful here. 

Jarod Horne: Man, I'll tell you what. 

Stephen Burden: Down on the fall line. They picked us up around every single dam with their truck and trailer. And we made connections for people who own land that allowed us to walk on their property that saved us like an hour per day almost. 

Orlando Montoya: Jared, along with the challenges, I imagine such an adventure also has moments of beauty and wonder that most of us don't get a chance to experience. Can you share any of those stories? 

Jarod Horne: Yes, oh man, where do I start? This — this section of it? Like just the pure beauty of it. I never really explored any of the Chattahoochee upper south or north and, um, this trip has opened my eyes. Man, like, there are stretches within Atlanta, right after Atlanta, that are just absolutely drop-dead gorgeous. Like, shoals, exposed rocks, massive trees. And then every now and again, man, you'll — you'll just happen upon a like a waterfall on the side of the river it's just like a little stream that's just pouring in to the Chattahoochee and just like you know it could be anywhere from we've seen them like 60 feet all the way to like 10 or 5 feet. And this just like the beauty, honestly, of the water just how clear you can see. In some of these sections, I have been just in shock, because I mean, everyone says like, you know, "It's nasty, you got much muddy waters, it's disgusting, you don't get to get in that water." And I've found some stretches, like, in there, that's like Gulf Coast clear water, if not clearer water. 

Orlando Montoya: Stephen, what have you learned that you wish other Georgians knew about the significance of the state's rivers? 

Stephen Burden: Well, I would — I would say that I didn't know just how much we rely on this river from a couple of different perspectives. One, you paddle down this and you start to realize, "Wow, within the first 30 miles, it already has a dam on it." And as you go down, you see water intakes every few miles. Everyone's drinking the water from this river. So we have a heavy, heavy reliance on it. And from another perspective, almost half of the Chattahoochee is stillwater because of the reservoirs. So it's almost, if you want to think of it as like, if it's 51% calm, not moving you, could say it's not even a river anymore with how much we use it. Not — not quite tragic, but it's, we are definitely taking a heavy toll on it. I wish people could get out and see just how much that their lives depend on this resource.

Orlando Montoya: And you guys are doing this for a cause. Tell me about what you're raising money and awareness for. 

Stephen Burden: So we're raising awareness for just the river in general, just getting people engaged with it, excited to go out and see it, and the money-raising aspect is going toward water quality testing, trash cleanups, beautification, advocacy, and. I mean, also the protection of some of our really important native species. So it's going to the Chattahoochee River Conservancy, and they're a nonprofit that does all sorts of stuff like that. 

Orlando Montoya: I understand you guys did this once before. How rare is it for someone to raft, canoe, or kayak the entire Chattahoochee? 

Jarod Horne: Honestly, I have no idea. You hear stories of people doing it all the way, but you don't really know how far they may have gone, so —

Stephen Burden: I don't know of anyone else that's really done this recently. I know one person that helped write the map on the Chattahoochee, his name's Joe Cook. I know he did a fundraiser similar to ours in the '90s, especially if you're considering the fashion we're doing it in, one month long for a somewhat large fundraiser. I don't think anyone's done this in at least the past 10, 15 years. 

Orlando Montoya: And how can people follow you on your journey? 

Stephen Burden: Oh, well, our favorite way is for, uh 

Jarod Horne: Hop in a boat and come with us! 

Stephen Burden:Yeah. Yes. To get on the river and come see us. So we have a map online of everywhere we're going to be and — but if you — if you want to follow along from a more cozy position, because I know it's cold in March, we have a TikTok called Down_the_Hooch (with underscores between each word) or chattriver2026 on Instagram is how we're letting everyone know where we are and what we've seen. 

Orlando Montoya: All right, Jared Horne, Stephen Burden, thanks for joining me and good luck. 

Jarod Horne and Stephen Burden: Yes, sir. Thank you so much.