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Biscayne National Park
March 2007
Greg Bailey
March 2007
After an early morning start, we arrived
in Homestead, Florida close to 11:30 am. Plenty of time to grab a
sandwich before heading to Convoy Point, from where we would begin our
paddling adventure across the southern end of Biscayne Bay out to
Elliott, Adams and Boca Chita Keys. These Keys are the northern
most keys associated with the Florida Keys. Convoy Point
had a prime view of the waters into which we’d paddle, with just a
faint, far distant blur thought to be Elliott Key. Elliott Key
was approximately 8-9 miles off the coast, almost due east, and the
winds were forecasted to be near 20 mph today. With the winds in
our face we’d have to work hard to get out, yet that wind direction was
also favorable in terms of boat stability.
A lot of activity was focused there at
the Visitors Center; windsurfers, power boaters, sun seekers and
even a small group of Catholic Nuns.
They were amused at the sight of us
loading our gear into the little bitty boats, and seemed to have a
constant smile on their faces. The wind surfers were quite
delighted with the windy conditions, and with the lack of waves, due no
doubt to the shallow waters surrounding the point. We later
discovered that Convoy Point is one of South Florida’s favorite wind
surfing locations.
After filing our float plan with the
Park Staff inside the Visitors Center, we were finally in the water
around 1pm. Paddling straight into the streaming, foam filled
waters, we soon approached deeper water with larger waves making it a
wet ride, but the water was warm and very clear. Franklin and I
were paddling his Aleut Sea II, a performance tandem sea kayak loaded
with lots of gear, and practically every other wave was breaching the
bow and hitting me! Some of the 2 footers were hitting me in the
chest with such regularity, that I was thankful for a dry fitting spray
skirt and baseball cap. The long bib on the cap kept the waters
out of my face for the most part. Everyone else was doing okay in
spite of the winds, but we all realized that eventually as we neared
the Keys we’d move into the lee and find diminished waves and winds,
hopefully. Biscayne National Park’s waters were very clear and
green, with the bottom visible the entire time as we slugged our way
out.
It
was around 4:30 or 5 pm when we
finally arrived at Elliott Key, having traveled 10.7 miles in almost 4
hours! The lengthy duration was due partly to the fact that we
had one paddler with us who was unable to make adequate headway and was
falling way behind everyone else. Franklin and I circled around
several times, while holding up everyone else, to see how he was
doing. At his current pace it would have taken him 7-8 hours to
make the distance, and he finally turned around after one fast moving
rain quall and headed back to shore. I suspect we added another
hour to our outgoing duration due to those backward sweeps, but
everyone else was strong, eager and patiently waiting when we caught up
with them each time. At Elliott Key, we found a circular concrete
boat harbor, Ranger station and a short supplies pier waiting for
us. A
nice sandy beach was located on the north end of the boat harbor, with
rocks and coral on the south end, which unfortunately is where we
landed. Except for us kayakers, two sailboats and two Park
Rangers, the place seemed to be deserted. But then again, it was
Thursday, March 22, and most people had other places to be.
Elliott Key was to be our base camp for the next three nights and days,
and we had a very nice grassy area to set up the
tents.
In addition, the showers were close at hand, underneath the two-story
Educational Center complex that the Rangers operate for youth groups of
the area. After a long day and difficult paddle out, we retired
for the night, looking forward to seeing more of the beautiful waters
and blue skies.
Our planned route for Friday was to venture south, towards Adams
Key. That was ground zero for Hurricane Andrew, back in 1992, and
we expected to see signs even today of the damage to the mangroves and
broken coral scattered about. As we pulled away from the
beach we finally had the winds to our back. I reminded everyone
to enjoy the trip as we paddled parallel to Elliott Key south, since
we’d have to reverse course later in the day and paddle back against
the wind! So we took it quite easy, enjoying the super clear and
beautiful waters.
Mabel’s red Epic 18 boat really
contrasted well with John in his
blue Legend spotted a large ray and a sea
the blue skies and green
waters.
turtle as we cruised easily along.
Elliott Key didn’t have any beaches, just rocky points occasionally
jutting out from the mangroves, yet it was very remote feeling as we
paddled along the shore, easily pushed along by the 15 mph winds.
We didn’t see many other boaters until the weekend, and
that was quite surprising, with us being only 30 miles south of
Miami.
Arriving at Adams Key, we felt the outgoing tidal pull through the cut
leading out to the Atlantic, so we pulled out on a grassy point and had
lunch at the Adams Key day park. The waters swirling through the
pass was lime green and very clear.
A few folks were attempting to fish from the dock but the swift waters
made it a bit difficult. After lunch and a lazy break on the
green grasses of the park, we were back into our cockpits and paddling
through a maze of smaller keys, marveling at the water colors.
Realizing we still had a two hour + paddle back to base camp, we came
around a mangrove point and aimed our bows directly into the
wind. Looking north the sight was impressive (or depressive –
depending on one’s perspective): white caps and green
waters as far as we could see! No really big waves were expected
though, since we were still somewhat in the lee from the prevailing
east, northeast winds. Franklin pointed the tandem’s bow toward a
point directly ahead, probably 3-4 miles in a straight shot, while John
and Mabel cut closer to shore to avoid some of the direct wind.
Gus followed behind me and Franklin. After a steady hour of
paddling we made it back to Billy’s Point, where we all re-grouped and
stretched our legs. There was no beach around so we just waded
into the shallow waters on the point, not far from a dive boat that had
come close to shore to snorkel among the coral and grasses. In
the shallow waters was lots of broken brain coral, no doubt a lasting
reminder of the wrath of hurricane Andrew, which came ashore here in
1992 with 165 mph winds and gusts to 212 mph. (At 0440 EDT on
August 24, Andrew struck Elliott Key with sustained winds of
165 mph and a pressure of 926 mbar. The hurricane
continued to strengthen up to and slightly after landfall, and
25 minutes after its first Florida landfall Andrew hit near
Homestead with a slightly lower pressure and the same winds.
Hurricane Andrew weakened as the eye continued further inland, and
after crossing southern Florida in four hours, the eye emerged into the
Gulf of Mexico with winds of 135 mph). The red and black
mangroves are still recovering, with scattered bare and gray areas
throughout the shoreline. It is still quite beautiful and unless
one was aware of the path of Hurricane Andrew, or knew the area prior
to impact, you would never notice the remaining signs, now almost 15
years into its recovery.
With another 4 miles to go we started up again and rounded Billy’s
point to face the winds once again, although this time we had a true
distant mark to sight. A large American flag was seen in the
distance, lit by the bright sunshine and held straight by the
winds. The shoreline between the two points was irregular and
made for interesting paddling, with the constant possibility of sea
turtles and rays keeping everyone’s eyes focused on the waters.
Once we arrived back at Elliott’s Key, some
of us decided to pull ashore by the pier, but I think the soft beach on
the northern end was the best place to come in.
Either place
required a short walk to get back to the tents, but we could safely
leave the boats by the beach for the night and make for easier future
launches. Having spent most of the day on the water, we
were quite hungry, so dinner plans were executed quickly and
efficiently. With a few passing rain showers and more
threatening, we moved our stoves and chairs underneath the Ranger’s
Educational Center and continued one of our most important evening
rituals – dinner (sometimes referred to as supper). We met a few
locals also trying to stay dry and John kept them entertained by
reviewing some of his best photos for the trip thus far. Wanting
to see the ocean side of the key, after dinner we made the short walk,
½ mile or so, and could see the stronger winds and white caps
offshore. Franklin stood atop a picnic table to take wind speed
readings, with the highest gust near 30 and sustained winds around 17
mph. The gusts were so strong that at times his shorts would fall
nearly to his knees!
Arriving back at the camp, we met some
other locals, this time the four legged type, with long tails and rings
around their eyes. The raccoons were to be the main event, story
line for the night. According to Gus, at one time during the
night, a raccoon was discovered pulling food (loaf of bread actually),
through a hole in his new tent! It had torn the small hole in one
corner and extended one of its hands through to grab a fist-full of
plastic, and commenced to playing tug-o-war with Gus! Gus
came out running full speed for the villain to be, but was unable to
catch him. Running across the grass like a Jaguar linebacker and
towards the woods where the ‘coon scampered, Gus was throwing
everything he could get his hands on. That was one lucky raccoon,
based on the look of Gus’s face and his high-spirited language that
filled the late evening air. Upon returning back to the tent
site, Gus began to gather more ammunition, selecting a variety of stone
and stick sizes, preparing for the certain-to-be, return
engagement. Once peace was restored we attempted to build a small
fire in one of the elevated grill boxes, but the winds were too strong
and ashes blew too far and too often. After putting out the fire
and sitting down to reflect on our first full day of paddling, for the
first time we looked up to realize the sky was now clear and full of
stars. With no city or camp lights to interfere with the
darkness, it was a great way to end the evening and get some rest for
another day on the water.
The next morning, Saturday, started out
bright and sunny with perfect temperatures in the mid to low 70s.
Not bad for early March, particularly with two-thirds of the country
experiencing a winter storm. Our plans were to paddle north
toward Boca Chita Key, where we hoped to find an illegally built
lighthouse and another series of cuts and passes through some of the
smaller keys. Along the way we passed Sands Key and its cut to
the ocean, and it was quite large and beautiful. PIC
A lot of sand and shallow water was present, and it took us 30 minutes
or so to get past it. Several boats had rafted together with
flowing. loud music and drink, with one boater planting their charcoal
grill out into the very shallow water (atop a small rack, just above
the water). Just before arriving at Boca Chita Key, the Miami
skyline appeared closer than ever, however it was still approximately
25 miles to the north. It was a bit hard to believe how close we
really were to that densely populated metro-plex, yet we were able to
enjoy the incredible sea kayaking, sharing the waters with a very
limited number of people this time of year.
Arriving at Boca Chita Key, after a 6-7 mile paddle, the first thing
that caught my eye was the lighthouse.
It stood guard at the western point of the key, and a large,
round and protected boat basin was the center of activity.
We pulled our kayaks out onto a soft grassy shore on the north side and
after securing them well, went for a stroll to check out the
scene. It was obvious that this place was a power and sail boat
paradise, much like an oasis in the desert. No reservations
required, no rush to leave, with electrical hookups and washrooms
nearby, I could see why it is highly rated by the transient boater
crowd. Most everyone we talked to was friendly, particularly the
sailing couple from Canada. They appeared to be enjoying every
minute of the day and they tend to repeat the experience this time
every year to avoid the Canadian winter. The lighthouse was
indeed built illegally, by a private individual, and was forced to be
extinguished by the Federal Government. It was built without
permission from the government and was constructed with local coral,
which also was a no-no. Nevertheless, it has to be one of the
most beautiful lighthouses I have every seen, not the typical black and
white candy striped pattern seen along the eastern seaboard, but with a
coral and stone finish that looked incredibly strong, perfectly matched
for the type of weather conditions common here during the tropical
season. It was a bit disappointing to find that the entrance to
the interior and stairs was now closed. During my research for
the trip, I had read that we could in fact enter and climb to the 65
foot high panoramic overlook, which supposedly holds an incredible view
of both the bay and ocean sides of Biscayne National
Park.
On our way back Mabel and I switched
boats, with me paddling her Epic 18 while she and Franklin held down
both ends of the Aleut Sea II. With a comfortable following wind
we enjoyed the trip back even more, realizing that we were probably
seeing out last evening from offshore.
Sunday morning’s sunrise was the last
for us on the Key, and after a leisure breakfast we slowly began the
process of camp breakdown. Carting our gear across the
grass for the last time, we loaded our boats again, this time on the
sandy beach with a few weekenders curiously standing by. Pushing
off from the beach we took one last look at Elliott Key before setting
the GPS coordinates and visual sights on the mainland. Rear,
quartering seas and moderate winds made for an easy trip back.
Again the waters were never more than 6-8 feet deep and clear to the
bottom at most times. Not having to break through headwinds this
time we were able to see more of the ocean grasses along the way, with
most of the bottom covered.
Two hours and 9.3 miles later, we were
finished, and landed once again at Convoy Point on the mainland, amid
the weekend crowd of windsurfers.
Several of the windsurfers in fact were there 4 days earlier
when we first departed and it was nice to see them again, as they were
glad to hear we had a good trip (I suspect that some of them had spent
most of the past 4 days at Convoy, enjoying the winds while they
could).
In summary, Biscayne National Park is a
great place to sea kayak. The waters are very clear and shallow,
yet open waters mean you’ll probably have winds to contend with on most
trips.
We’ll be back here again, soon!
Participants and boats used:
Franklin Dickinson Valley Aleut Sea II (tandem)
Greg Bailey ditto
Mabel Magarinos Epic 18
John McNeil Legend
Gus Bianchi Prijon Kodiak
The
Ten Thousands Islands
(Everglades National Park)
February 2007
By the time the sun rose over central Florida, the four of us
(Franklin, John, A.J. and I) had been traveling over 2 hours. We
finally caught up with Gus and Jerry and stopped for breakfast, but
really didn’t have a clue as to where we were. Just south bound –
destination: Everglades City.
Franklin’s boat hauler – looks about 14 feet wide doesn’t it?
We arrived around noon, with enough time to grab a sub sandwich and
stretch a bit after the nearly 7 hour drive. By 12:30 pm we had
pulled into the grassy parking lot that services the Everglades
National Park canoe and kayak launches and noticed the many vehicles
with kayak racks and trailers. My first thought was I hoped they
all weren’t headed in our direction. Franklin effortlessly backed
the 4 boat trailer toward the sloped ramp and we piled out to greet
Mabel and start the kayak packing exercise. Stuffing 4 days worth
of food, water and clothes wasn’t too difficult, particularly since
everyone had planned and practiced it previously (right Jerry?).
Our only problem was that it was expected to be cold at least one
night, so we had to pack heavier clothes in case the forecast was
accurate. Mabel, much to her credit, made no effort to bring
along any firewood this time, since the tropical season of two years
ago really whacked this part of the coastline, leaving plenty available
for our favored nighttime activity – fireside chats and
ponderings.
Picking up the loaded kayaks was very painful, with many groans shared
among the group. Fortunately, no one pulled any muscles, tripped
nor forgot anything of importance, and we were off at 1:30, entering
Chokoloskee Bay with only light and variable winds. We set our
sights across the Bay, to the channel markers identifying Indian Key
Pass, and on everyone’s face I could see a grin or smile. Good to
be on the water today, finally, after nearly 3 months of talking about
this trip.
(Note: credit for these great photos go to John, Franklin and
Gus. Easy to write a story with such visual aids)
Paddling thru the pass, we encountered a few fishing boats, along with
several long pontoon style sightseeing boats. Many of them were
taking photos and videos of us, waving and pointing as if we were
“something odd to see”. A couple of commercial boats came by and
slowed just enough to push along some sizable waves, moving us along
our route. One particular boat was headed in and undoubtedly had
a great catch, since its hull was riding very low and its bow digging
deep. It left some great big waves, but our loaded boats and
skilled paddlers had no problem handling them. Heading SW, we
expected to follow the channel for 4-5 miles, then turn toward the NW
just north of Indian Key. However, our first (and possibly only)
navigation mistake occurred when we turned too quickly and headed into
Russell Bay, instead of Gaskin Bay. It was my fault for not
checking the navigational beacon #s on the way down, but fortunately,
we didn’t travel in error long before we all huddled together and
agreed that we didn’t want to continue in that direction.
Although the good natured ribbing continued for days, we only wasted
about 20 or 30 minutes and were soon back into the swiftly moving
currents of Indian Key Pass.
An hour or so later we were making the correct turn NW and coming into
view ahead of us were the sandy beaches of Picnic Key, where the SWFLPC
was permitted to setup camp. Picnic Key was pretty cool, with
lots of sandy areas to spread out and explore. A lone port-o-let
was stationed on the far end of the beach and a line was already
forming (just kidding, about the line – the port-o-let was real).
After saying our hellos and goodbyes to those friendly folks, we moved
on to paddle through the narrow cut between Picnic and Tiger Key.
After passing to the north of Tiger, we moved again back out into the
currents, this time the lower portion of West Pass. Again, we
could see white sandy beaches ahead, this time a crescent moon shaped
beach which we suspected was to be our home for the next three nights –
Camp LuLu Key. We pulled in around 4 pm, with plenty of time to
scope out the beachfront and select our favorite spots. Our beach
was pointing toward the open Gulf of Mexico, however more toward the
southeast than west. That would take a bit of getting used to,
reminding me of how the gulf coastal town of Cedar Key seems
mis-aligned. On the west coast, facing the Gulf, we should be
looking west!
Our first night was to be the coldest night, so we gathered a bit of
firewood and got a warming fire started. The forecast was calling
for a low near 40, but with the warm surrounding waters we didn’t think
it could be too bad. The waters felt warm to stand in, and with
the winds blowing from the NW, our campsite was situated perfectly for
the assaulting cold front. The sky was dark and cloudy and we
were all showing signs of the long day so we soon turned in for the
night, an expected to be cold night in the Florida Everglades.
Our tents are scattered about the creeping vines, with Franklin’s Kelty
shelter in foreground
The next morning we awoke to a little sunlight and not so cold
temps. The waters had receded due to the late morning low tide,
and we had expected that, so we had no reason to hurry to start the
day. The low waters has exposed the coral, with much of it
“popping” as it dried. Various wading birds walked thru the small
trapped pools of water, looking to select its morning meal just as were
doing earlier.
Camp LuLu at low tide! Coral yes, mud no, paddling no.
After touring the island a bit, we found hermit Mike’s place. It
was steadfastly built, with 8x8 posts sunk into the ground, 5 inch
floor joists, all hoisting the 20 ft. by 20 ft. hideout 6 feet about
the sand. The story we heard later was that Mike lived out in the
rough for many years until finally some of the locals pitched in and
built him a sturdy, semi-permanent structure to finish out his last
years. I believe he lived until the early 1990s, and now several
entities are negotiating the building’s rightful ownership, and decide
what to do with it, since it sits on a National Estuary protected site.
We decided to push our now empty and light boats into the water around
noon, since the incoming tide had completely covered most of the
exposed coral. Our paddling plans were to head southeast toward
Indian Key, Kingston Key and possibly Jack Daniels Key, with no intent
to push hard, but rather to enjoy the sights and sounds. We had
mild following winds and a light chop as we headed toward SE, looking
at the expansive beaches on the west side of Tiger Key. We
noticed one orange tent along the beach so Franklin, John and I
diverted off-course to see if we knew who it was, while the others made
a beeline for outside tip of Tiger Key. Not seeing anyone
associated with the tent, we moved on to catch the others. Soon
we had Indian Key in sight and we passed just north of it.
Wanting to paddle through the mangroves, we changed course to pass just
north of Kingston Key just as the winds began to stiffen. Looking
for a place in the sun to stop for lunch and to warm a little, we
continued around almost to the bottom end of Kingston, where we found a
flooding lagoon. A 4 foot gash allowed water to enter and escape,
as dictated by the ebb and flow of the Gulf’s sea swells, and a very
nice deposit of crushed shell seemed to be an ideal place to
stop. After lunch and snacks we walked around our little sandy
spot and soon discovered we were surrounded by water, so we couldn’t go
far, nor get lost.
John and I did locate this strange seed pod arrangement, protected by a
vast array of spines. Still unidentified to this day (at least it
wasn’t flying).
After a nice lunch and long break, we re-assembled and launched our
boats back into the waters. Having noticed the increased wind
velocity just before lunch, we kind of expected to paddle back into the
winds, but to our surprise the winds began to subside on our way back
to Camp LuLu Key. Just after rounding the eastern tip of
Picnic Key, A. J. noticed someone paddling alone in a green sea kayak
coming in our direction. After speaking to her he realized that
she was headed to Picnic Key, but was unsure as to where it was located
exactly. She appeared quite happy to have seen us come
along. This paddler had made the trip out from Everglades City
solo and also made the same wrong turn into Russell Key, but in her
case she was approaching almost 5 hours for her trip! She was in
good spirits though and was happy to see her friends when we all pulled
alongside the beach where the SWFLPC had established their camp.
Having been on the water for a while already we were kind of anxious to
get back to our campsite, so we didn’t stay long. The sun was
still a few hours away from setting but the gray skies were holding
firm, and it appeared that we’d have another dark night with little or
no stars.
Saturday morning brought forth calm winds and lots of Florida
sunshine. When the incoming tide had arrived, we were again back
on the water and headed NW (up the coast) toward where we thought some
other kayakers from our club might be staying. We never located
them but had a beautiful day to paddle. Saw two sea turtles and
some dolphins, along with a large spotted ray. We first headed
toward Round Key then Gomez Point, but decided to divert through the
mangroves. A.J. stayed on the outside in the calm Gulf waters
while we disappeared into a maze of green waters, blue skies and red mangroves.
The beautiful green waters swept us through many turns until we
reentered open waters looking at Round Key from the inside. With
A.J. back with the group, we cut through a narrow path in the center of
Panther Key. It was so narrow at one point that we only had five
feet of clearance around a large sand berm. Several camping
families had camped on that pristine, protected piece of sand. We
stayed north of Hog Key then headed SW, looking straight at White horse
Key. The north winds were getting stronger now so we stayed in
the protect area and never rounded Whitehorse, where the larger camping
areas are located. It appeared that the other side of Whitehorse
was exposed to the strong N and NW winds – not a place to kayak camp on
this day and weekend. We spoke to a couple of Boy Scout
Expedition leaders walking among the numerous felled trees caused by
the previous tropical storms. To test their wit and sense of
humor, John asked them if they had any trouble finding fire wood.
They smiled and laughed out loud, passing the test with ease.
Most of their youngsters seemed to be asleep, with one sitting upright
yet huddled under a large blanket. We found another little beach
head to break for lunch, and then were soon back on the water to make
the 4 mile paddle back to our camp.
Paddling along the outside now with building winds and waves directly
on our stern, we enjoyed the best paddling conditions thus far on our
trip. Winds were 12-15 and waves about 2 feet, so the surfing
boats (Franklin, Mabel and John) were leading the pack as the others
were making it look easy and effortless. Within no time we came
up to a thin sand bar, stretching out 100 feet or so inward from Round
Key. We worked around it and beached on the leeward side of the
key and got out to explore. Round Key has several piles of blocks
and bricks as if something semi-permanent was once located there.
This little key was not very big, with approximately 4 feet above high
tide, so it wasn’t a place to be when a storm approaches.
With a short downwind leg of another 1.5 miles back to Camp LuLu, we
were back on the water and picking up the wind push again. Within
30 minutes we passed around another point and into the calm waters
facing the beachside community which had been our home for the past
three days. Beautiful blue skies and clear waters had made for a
great day on the water.
You know who’s favorite hangout.
After re-starting the fire and having dinner, we started to relax amid
the last spark of sunlight, when we noticed two kayaks approaching, one
a tandem and the other a single. Right behind was another single
kayak, and we watched them pass us by and land a hundred yards down the
beach. After a few moments we decided it was time to say hello
and great our beach buddies. It turned out to be a guided trip,
with Tim the guide in the tandem along with a guest and a couple from
San Diego in the single kayaks. They were paddling some very nice
Seward composite kayaks, 18 ft. singles and a very, very heavy 22 ft.
tandem. They must eat and drink well, we thought, as we all six
grabbed a piece of the tandem and pried it up and away from the
water. They arrived with about an hour of sunlight to spare, so
we said hello but soon departed to allow them time to get situated,
inviting them down to enjoy our campfire later if they wished.
Back at our site sitting around the fire and toasting our knickers
(paddling shoes), along came another set of adventurers. These
folks were in a canoe and appeared to be two adults and one small
child. They made it right at sundown and proceeded further down
the beach than the previous late arrivals. Due to their late
arrival, we decided to wait and visit them the next day, particularly
since they’d possibly have to setup camp in the dark. That is
never easy, especially when guests arrive to chat and use up the last
amount of sunlight.
I believe it was around 8 pm when it first appeared. We were
still stroking the fire’s coals and searching the skies for shooting
stars, when an incredible sight appeared in the skies. It was
quite large and odd shaped, a lighted object appearing over the water
toward the southeast. I hardly had a chance to finish my “what
the heck is that …” statement when we all jumped up from our fireside
seats and quickly walked to the water’s edge for a better unobstructed
view. It looked very much like a large airplane or the
Space Shuttle, floating down belly first, but lit faintly, and shaped
somewhat in triangular fashion. It grew larger, but somewhat
fainter and then totally disappeared in 2-3 minutes. Franklin
said the image was too faint for his camera to recognize (all UFOs are,
right?) so no photos were taken. Fortunately, to our dismay, none
of us were taken either, so we probably missed out on our 15 minutes of
FOX / CNN fame. It was interesting to listen to the other
kayakers down the beach, expressing the same excited phrases with the
same tones as we did. (Note: it was determined by Gus three
days later that NASA launched a Delta rocket with 5 separately boosted
satellites around the same time as our UFO appeared. The delta or
cone shape must have appeared when those five satellites separated from
the rocket and were boosted into different flights to obtain their
proper orbit). Pretty cool and something we’ll always
associate with this trip. All except for John, who after sitting
down with the rest of us after the object faded, said “What UFO, I
didn’t see a Dam thing”.
Our last surprise for the night arrived soon thereafter, when Tim and
his guests walked up and presented to us a gift for helping with their
heavy boats. Strawberry shortcake with whip cream topping!
After a little prompting he spewed forth their dinner menu and it
sounded something like one would hear at Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, with
lots of extras for dessert. No wonder their boats were so
heavy! They must have packed a mini-fridge and generator to keep
it all chilled as the chef desired. Tim’s guests were from San
Diego and seemed to have really enjoyed their trip out from the
mainland and along the edge of the Gulf of Mexico. They were to
stay only one night, and would be paddling back to Everglades City in a
little different path than our group, but we hoped to see them again in
the morning.
The weather forecast called for another front to pass through during
the night with increasing winds to 25 or 30 mph on Sunday, from the
NW. We secured the boats and gear for the night in anticipation
of the front, then hit the sack for our last night on LuLu.
Around 4-5 am the winds started howling and intermittent rains passed
through. Fortunately again, our campsite was situated in an ideal
location to protect us from those strong winds. The air
temperature began to rise quickly just ahead of the front, maybe by 10
degrees or so, then cooled down a bit by early morning, when the rains
stopped and blue skies appeared again. We had a few wet things to
dry and pack for our return trip, but since we had to wait for the
incoming tide we again were not rushed. The warm sun was enough
to dry the tents and rain-flys, and that is always nice when unpacking
things at home the next day. No one wants to unpack a wet, sandy
tent, if possible.
Around 12 noon we took on a few snacks and energy food for the expected
difficult return trip. Although we would be returning via West
Pass, a somewhat narrow passageway back to the mainland, we still had
several small crossings to make, where the NW winds would have a fetch
of ½ mile or so to build up steam and come at us on our beam
side. I told everyone to hang onto their hats and paddles and
stay together during those crossings in case anyone had problems.
Tim and his group would be leaving a short while later and returning
via Russell Pass, just east of our route.
Within a few minutes we had to make the first short crossing and the
wind gusts were powerful, maybe 20-25 mph, but you could see them
coming across the smooth waters and brace accordingly. Soon we
were back within confined, mangrove protected waters and enjoying the
strong push of the incoming tide. The largest open water yet was
to come just west of Gaskin Bay, and we braced well and often, staying
as close to the shoreline as possible. Finally, we were at a
point where we had to choose our route (and hope it was West
Pass). Grouped closely together and checking our maps and GPS, we
were looking at either four or five possible paths ahead, and they all
appeared to be about the same size passageways. Only one would be
the correct choice though, with the others either ending in dead end
bays or looping back around to the open Gulf. After a short
discussion and debate we chose the 2nd door from the left and
proceeded. It seemed to be the right choice as we continued along
a path that somewhat closely matched the map’s contours for West
Pass.
Again, with the strong incoming tide pushing us along and the wind to
our back occasionally, we didn’t want to move along too fast and outrun
the tide. We still had shallow waters ahead of us in Chokoloskee
Bay and we definitely had no interest in finding shallow shell bars in
these windy conditions. With no sandy beaches or bars to stop at,
we floated along, grabbing snacks during the lull before the
anticipated rough open bay waters ahead.
So as we neared Chokoloskee Bay we could see how the winds had muddied
the waters and was blowing white caps off the wave tops.
Fortunately for us, once we made one 60 degree turn we’d have the winds
to our back for the rest of the trip, a segment almost 4 miles long,
with occasional twists and turns all the way to Everglades
City. Even with the following winds, the gusts required
constant attention to not only brace properly, but to hold onto the
paddle! One factor in our favor though was that the water was
only 2-4 feet deep for the most part along the bay. So even with
the strong winds, the waves never reached above two feet, so everyone
could relax a bit. Regardless of how strong the winds became that
day, in waters that shallow, theoretically the wave heights could never
reach above the dept of the water.
By 2:30 we had reached Everglades City again, but we still had
approximately 200 yards to reach the takeout point. And that may
have been the most difficult short stretch we faced, since we had
paddled out of the wind behind a spoils island, only to have to reenter
the windy bay again to reach the takeout. Along that stretch we
had to turn further south and the winds were hitting us from a rear
quartering position, not the ideal direction but we had no alternative
but to slosh through it.
Pulling into the takeout was a gingerly process, with visible rocks
ashore and just beneath the surface. Teamwork allowed us to
pickup each boat quickly and safely move it to the grassy unloading
zone and soon we were all out of the water. The cars were brought
around and gear packed at the end of anther very satisfying trip.
The takeout was a busy place with people coming and going, but mostly
NOT going. One guided group had to return because the winds were
too difficult for them to maneuver out and cross the bay. In fact
one tandem was unable to turn into the wind and so was blown downwind,
down the channel a mile or so where their escorts had to retrieve them
by vehicle! That was quite surprising, since several of us own
big tandems and the thought of not being to handle those conditions
didn’t seem possible. I suspect that lack of experience was the
major factor in their set-back. Our return route allowed us to
use the strongest winds to push us along, keeping them on our stern,
and made for a quick and safe return, in spite of the windy
conditions.
Can’t wait to return here again, since as Robert Keeler said recently,
we’ve only seen about 25 or 30 of these 10,000 Islands.
Note AJ’s safety equipment on display (strobe light and machete)
Everglades 10,000 Islands December
2006
Robert Keeler
Gus planned this perfect adventure to
paradise. On a chilly day after Christmas, Robert and Gus arrived
at the Ranger Station in Everglades City to file a wilderness camping
permit. We picked Picnic Key for three of our four nights of
camping the barrier islands that border the Gulf of Mexico along the
northern edge of Everglades National Park. After spending Tuesday
night at Collier-Seminole State Park we loaded up on breakfast and
coffee and headed back to the Everglades City Rangers Station to load
up our boats and head outbound to Picnic Key.
We had a heavy tide pushing us
outbound, so much so that we wondered if we could have paddled against
the tide flow through some of the narrow channels if Gus had not
scheduled our departure to take full advantage of the outbound
tide. As we paddled out into the cloudy sky, the sun suddenly
appeared and separated the sky in hemispheres – a cloudless and cloudy
division with the cloud line retreating as we paddled out the six or so
miles to Picnic Key and to set up our campsite. We explored a bit
by kayak after setup, found lots of firewood when we returned and built
a fire Mabel would have been proud of. That night was a bit
chilly with no bugs at all.
We all enjoyed camping on Picnic Key
and Camp Lulu Island. On Picnic Key each evening the
pelicans would come in to feed at the shoreline just a few feet from
where we camped. What a show these Pelicans put on! They
seldom flew more than just a few feet before diving and catching
another fish to swallow.
The bugs and raccoons must have been
on vacation! We were hardly bothered with noseums except a
few minutes around sunrise and sunset and I don’t think we even saw a
mosquito. This was the perfect time of year to make the trip.
As a group, we visited the following
keys: Whitehorse, Indian, Round, Panther, Tiger, Camp Lulu and some
islands that didn’t seem to have names. Overall we all thought
that the best way to see the islands was to camp in one location and do
outbound day trips. Our visit to Round Key was interesting
as on the tip of the island we counted seven different species of birds
crowding each other in distinctive and segregated groups on the sand
spit that ran east from the end of the island.
Indian Key was especially nice as a
long sand spit extended out from the island almost a quarter of a
mile. We met some very nice people from Charleston, SC who had
come down to canoe around the park for a few days and had similar
experiences as we did the night before. We bonded with them.
This paddling trip was
extraordinary. The weather could not have been
better. The water was clean and clear. We spotted schools
of fish and pods of dolphins everywhere. The variety of birds had
us checking Gus’ Audubon guide daily to see if we could put a name to
some of the more rare birds we had not seen often enough before to
recognize.
Did I mention that Gus cooked
incredible meals that made our mouths water?
Gus did a lot of fishing and covered
some distance searching for the perfect fishing spot. Watching
Gus retuning just before sunset was a common site from his fishing
expeditions.
On our last night as a group camping,
our neighbors (that we had coincidently met at Indian Island earlier in
the day) shared some interesting refreshments with us. We were
grateful! Since the hurricanes of 2005, there is an
abundance of firewood everywhere, so we enjoyed fires each night.
Some places to not miss: The
tiny channel a few feet wide along the high and dry sand spit between
Four Brothers and Hog Island (one of many Hog Islands in the chain), or
the mangrove waterway pass across Panther Key that’s about midway along
the length of the island, or the pass through the island that lies
lengthwise between Panther Key and Camp Lulu Key. Gullivan Key
was also special as was Whitehorse Key. It all left us
amazed at the expansive beauty of the region. We saw at
least two hundred islands on the trip. That left us with about
9800 islands to explore in the future.
As we had paddled Indian Pass out from
the Ranger Station initially we returned to the launch by taking West
Pass back to Everglades City. Although there was plenty of
water in West Pass during high tide (during low tide the pass looked
problematic) the stiff east wind made the trip back more strenuous than
the trip out.
We all enjoyed this trip so much we
hope it will turn into an annual trip.
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A good number of alligators were spotted along the way, as well as a flock of
ibis. .jpg)
Fortified by lunch, we made the return trip. The current was now against us,
and quite strong in some parts; and the twists, turns, stumps, limbs, etc. were
still there. Even more of a challenge! Some of us stopped to reconnoiter
Mixon’s Hammock, one of the overnight camping spots in the swamp. When we
reached the canal to the boat ramp only 5 hardy souls were interested in
continuing to Billy’s Island. I thought it would take one hour and perhaps
this dissuaded some. It actually took only ½ hr. We checked out the small
cemetery, saw a softshell turtle who had apparently been attempting to lay eggs,
and walked the 10 minute hiking trail there. The fox that I said lived there
did not appear. I guess it knew we had already finished our food. Paddlers
were Mark Adams and his brother, Paul Ellis, Tom Neiswonger, David Bauman,
Martien and Susan Bergman, Linda Rackley, Andy Mitchell, Greg Bailey, John and
Gloria McNeil, Dan Makley – Sr. and Jr , and myself. – Ruth Marwitz 
