SPANISH FORT, Ala. — Wild Native Inc. has partnered with Fresh Air Family to provide outdoor enthusiasts—not to mention, families looking for a little quality time—an old-fashioned canoe and campout along the Mobile-Tensaw delta.

The event, slated for April 10-11, offers patrons a chance to immerse themselves in the area’s rich history and foliage while paddling, camping, hiking and exploring the Bottle Creek Indian Mound.

“It combines all the things we enjoy,” said Fresh Air Family founder Verna Gates.

The five-year-old Birmingham-based nonprofit stresses the importance of outdoor activities in a variety of family-friendly settings with an educational component.

“Not only are we going to get to paddle around and hike and camp, but the ecology surrounding the marshes is just incredible, and the area is so rich in history.

“It’s just a great event,” Gates said.

Although the program boasts almost 10,000 members statewide, Baldwin County interest is relatively new, and Gates said the organization has found an energetic partner in Capt. Michael Dorie, chief financial officer of Wild Native Inc., which operates both Hov Pod Hovercraft and Five Rivers Delta Safaris.

The delta, she said, is providing repeated opportunities for the chapter’s more than 1,000 members to reconnect with their families and enjoy a little outdoor recreation.

The two-day trek to the historic shell mounds begins with the journey, itself, Dorie said.

Experienced delta safari guides will lead paddlers west with beginner to intermediate-level paddlers following creeks, lakes and sloughs.

The seven-mile trip will traverse bottomland swamps, flowing creeks and side-channel sloughs, he said, before campers move ashore and settle in under the stars.

On the second day, campers will head south into Bottle Creek to Mound Island, home to centuries-old Native American Indian mound remnants, for a thorough hike.

Dorie said the $75 per person cost includes canoe rental, safety equipment and guide service, and reservations will be accepted until April 5 by calling 1-800-508-ADVENTURE.

He did remind paddlers, however, that any gear carried along must fit into the canoe.

Gates said she is most excited by the prospect hosting an old-fashioned campout.

“There’s nothing like sitting around a campfire with nothing to do but tell stories and roast marshmallows, and it’s rare in today’s rushed way for people to really have the time and the silence to sit and talk to each other,” she said.

In fact, members of Fresh Air Family’s Youth Ambassador program have been working for weeks to write original ghost stories that will be shared with the group during the campout.

“It’s a chance to take back your family history and your family values in a relaxed atmosphere, and at the same time it’s a chance to lie under the stars and be part of something larger than yourself,” Gates said.