Spending new year's eve in the Everglades is the event I intently look forward to during the entire fall season. I begin the new
year with a revitalized spirit and another unique experience in the Everglades behind me. Now, one day after coming back
from our 7-day paddle, my body is in a peaceful, relaxed fatigued state, and my muscles and joints are tired but not sore. The
heat from the chronic sun exposure of the previous days is still radiating from my skin. I am in my house, clean, dry and feeling
quite content. Recovering from the trip, I desire to get back there. I don't want to miss the drama of the Everglades. I miss my
friends, the brown pelicans and the dolphins, those constant companions on my journey.
This trip would be new for me in many ways; the longest continuous trip I've made in the Everglades (7 days total), starting from
Flamingo marina, 4 campsites I've never camped on, and paddling 40 miles of coastline south of Lostmans River that I have
not seen from my kayak. Our journey would lead us north to Everglades City where our cars were parked. We would stay on
the coast the entire time, not venturing into the backcountry. This would be a total beach camping experience, sand and all. We
would paddle around Cape Sable, one of the most challenging paddling areas in the Everglades. It's not unusual to have 15-20
knot winds from the north as you paddle around the cape going from a west to north direction. It's also not unusual to get the
brunt of a strong tide when paddling across the mouth of one of the large rivers that cut the coastline between northwest cape
and Highland Beach. Shark River can suck you in or blow you out to the gulf if you time it just right.
We were prepared, my two paddling companions and I. And we were ecstatic to begin our journey with a very unusual weather
forecast, 5-10 knot winds mostly from the south and southeast, warm temperatures and no rain expected. These are perfect
paddling conditions, but not so perfect camping conditions. But who can complain? You have to be prepared for anything out
here. And as fate would have it, a very strong cold front would sweep over south Florida beginning only hours after we got off
the water on our seventh day, and the winds would reach 40 knots during 2 days of horrendous paddling conditions and cold
temperatures. After our journey, We heard reports of many rescues (stranded and hypothermic paddlers) after the cold front
blew in. We thought of our friends who were still out there paddling for 2 or 3 more days. They would be experiencing the full
extent of the winter days of the Everglades, from one end to the other. My companions and I were simply lucky, very lucky.
Trip itinerary (70 miles, mileage is rounded):
Dec 26; Flamingo to Clubhouse Beach (7 miles)
Dec 27; Clubhouse Beach to Northwest Cape (12.5 miles)
Dec 28; Northwest Cape to Graveyard Creek (12 miles)
Dec 29; Graveyard Creek to Highland Beach (8.5 miles)
Dec 30; Highland Beach to Turkey Key (12 miles)
Dec 31; Turkey Key to Rabbit Key (10.5 miles)
Jan 1; Rabbit Key to Everglades City (7 miles)
This itinerary was planned according to the predominant south by southeasterly winds expected and wanting 1 or 2 days of
relatively short distances. This provided us the option of staying on a campsite for an extra night if conditions called for it. Our
first day included the shuttle ride from Everglades City to Flamingo, which meant driving for about 4 1/2 hours in the morning.
We estimated our arrival at Flamingo to be noon, which only gives us 5 hrs of daylight. And an in-coming tide (almost full
moon) would be working against us. For these reasons, we planned a short paddle to Clubhouse Beach. We also like to have
a short day for the last day of the trip, which includes loading the car with boats and gear and making the 1 1/2 hr drive home.
When planning a one-way trip, you have to consider the direction you want to take and how you intend getting shuttled from one
end to the other. We chose the Flamingo to Everglades City direction mainly because of tides, but also because of the shuttle
situation (for out-of-towners, an advantage of paddling into Flamingo is that Flamingo has a campground with showers waiting
for you). Hiring a shuttle can be costly, but will spare you a great deal of trouble and time. We considered leaving one car in
Flamingo and one car in Everglades City, but that meant spending an entire day of driving and camping one night in Flamingo.
By hiring a shuttle service, we avoided all that and spent only the morning shuttling.
The following is a daily diary of the trip. In it, you'll find descriptions of photo opportunities (especially birds), the landscapes and
campsites, animal behavior, human behavior, camp and paddling experiences, and various tips and learning experiences.
December 26, Day 1: Shuttle from Everglades City to Flamingo; paddle from Flamingo to Clubhouse Beach (7 miles).
Leaving the marina at low tide, tarpon "attack", and searching for Clubhouse Beach
Fortunately, we were able to score our camping permits the day before (Christmas day). At this time of year, getting the
permits the day before helps ensure that we get the campsites we want. Case in point, the next day when we arrived at the
rangers station in Everglades City to catch our shuttle, 2 people were camped out at the edge of the steps leading to the permit
office and there were a few people that had just arrived and were already in line behind the sleeping campers at 7:30 am. The
doors open at 8 am.
From Miami, we had a 1 1/2 hr drive to Everglades City. The drive between Everglades City and Flamingo is about 3 hours.
Thus, it was almost noon before we arrived at the Flamingo marina. By 12:30 pm, we were on the water, loaded for 7 days. I
did a great job this time preparing my gear. Last year on a 6-day trip, I couldn't get all my gear in the hatches and even with a
few things in the cock pit, I still had to bungee a dry bag to the stern. This time, I think I prepared better and was more compact
with the food items.
It was a beautiful warm and sunny day (temperature in the low 80s). It would be this way the entire trip, a bit too warm for my
taste, but I'll take it. We headed out of the marina at low tide which meant we had to follow the channel for some distance as we
passed Bradley Key west of the Flamingo campground. You cannot make a straight line to the Bradley Key point at low tide,
rather you must continue out through the channel and allow yourself enough distance from the shoreline to clear the area. If I
was in my canoe for the day to photograph the hundreds of wading birds, it would not be a problem.
Paddling out of the marina at low tide is a photographer's dream. The bird count is in the hundreds, easily. You'll see the usual
herons (little blues, great blues, tricolors) and egrets (snowys, great whites, and reddish), cormorants, brown pelicans, white
pelicans, oystercatchers, royal terns, sanderlings and other small shore birds, laughing gulls and if I forgot to mention someone,
I apologize. The white pelicans cluster in groups and fish while swimming. The egrets and herons wade in the shallows. The
cormorants find a shallow area to rest in groups of large numbers and the brown pelicans are scattered about resting in the
shallows, swimming, diving or roosting in the mangroves. Terns and gulls can be seen everywhere. But, I would not capture
any close up bird photos today. I attached the wide angle lens instead of the telephoto lens and would try to capture the coastline
and surroundings as we headed toward Clubhouse Beach.
The sun was already directly over us, but there were numerous cumulus clouds in the sky. The wide angle scenery of a dark
green coastline separating the bluish-green water from the blue sky cluttered with boisterous clouds is a classic Florida Bay
scene if there ever was one. Frequently, I would spot a flocks of white birds (egrets, ibises or white pelicans) crossing the
horizon. They looked like strings of pearls in the sky.
The tarpon were everywhere and at low tide, hungry fish and marine mammals are feeding vigorously. The telltale sign that
large fish or mammals are feeding are the ripples in the water made by the bait fish (mullet usually) as they try to escape their
predators. The predator could be a tarpon or another large fish, could be a shark, could be a dolphin. You'll see the dolphins
easily; they are obliged to come up for air now and then. And you'll hear them too, with their loud bursts of air through the blow
holes. If it's a shark, you'll see the dorsal and pectoral fins skimming along the water. And the tarpon often jump out of the
water. While camping on Northwest Cape at sunset, one jumped out of the water and turned sideways which allowed us a
wide view of the fish. I swear that tarpon was the size of a billboard and the vision of it flying through the air with the sun setting
in the background has not left my mind. I only wish I had it recorded on my camera!
I also had a scary tarpon experience today, at least I believe it was a tarpon. As we were looking for a campsite along
Clubhouse Beach, I was leisurely paddling with my legs dangling over the edge of the boat and simply moving from one
shoreline point to another about 50 feet away. The water could not have been more than a foot and a half deep. My paddling
companion was behind me and then all of a sudden, I felt and heard a large crash on the back end of my boat. It was so
jarring, for a split second I thought I was in a car. And then I thought my friend had accidentally hit my boat with hers, but it
would have had to be at high speed, and neither of us was moving fast. I figured it was a large tarpon under my boat that had
spooked and simply moved in the wrong direction and hit my boat. I've been startled by large animals in the water that were
minding their own business until I interrupted their space. At that point, within inches of my boat, they thrash about to get away,
causing an incredible wake and a potential for tipping over into the drink. I know of kayakers who have been tipped over by
manatee that simply were surfacing at the wrong time. Once again, I am reminded that below the surface of the water at which
I am practically eye-level, is a fierce world of animals trying to survive. I'm only passing by.
Today would be a relatively easy paddle because of the short distance and the southeasterly mild winds helping us along in a
casual way. The coastline from Flamingo to Clubhouse Beach is primarily mangroves, but directly behind them is a salt
marsh. At times the marsh is revealed from the shoreline where there are few or no mangroves. The Flamingo area is
muddy, which is another reason why I enjoy the Ten Thousand Islands more. Up there, it is oyster flats you have to deal with, a
more solid ground for your feet to land on. Down here in Flamingo, you sink in mud with the consistency of wet cement. That's
why you must avoid getting stuck in a shallow flat. You can forget about getting out of your boat and towing yourself out. Rather,
you'll be sitting there waiting for the tide to roll in, which could be several hours.
It was almost 4:30 pm when we arrived at Clubhouse Beach campsite, where a lone tent was already set up. This would be a
combination of marsh and beach camping. The camp area is open allowing what wind there was to come in without hindrance
and there was plenty of high and dry areas for our tents. Perfect. We were set up and preparing dinner before the no-see-ums
appeared. Surprisingly, they were not so bad. With a head net, long sleeves, long pants and socks with sandals, I was
adequately protected. After a nice dinner, some conversation, a little brandy, I was in my tent by 7:30 am. I was exhausted
after having started my day at 4 am. There was a water pool behind us and the birds were active. I lay in the tent and listened
to various bird sounds through the evening. We set our alarm for 5:30 am with the intention of being on the water by 7:30 am.
As usual, we are early morning paddlers.
December 27, Day 2: Clubhouse Beach to Northwest Cape (12.5 miles)
Our systematic camping routine (for anyone who cares), kestrels and hawks, sunset from a pristine Florida beach
It was another beautiful day to wake up to. My companion and I have a very good system in the morning. We prepare our
tents at night so that all my gear is on one side of the tent, hers on the other. We boil water before going to bed at night and
keep it in a thermos. The thermos, our breakfast, spoons and mugs all go in the tent with us at night. When we awake, we start
putting away our sleeping bags, pillows and cotton sheet (for this trip, I didn't need to get inside the sleeping bag; rather, I slept
on top of the bag and covered myself with the sheet). Next, we change into our paddling clothes and pack away our camp
clothes and other miscellaneous camp items that we keep in our tent. We eat our breakfast and when finished, roll up the
Thermarests and are ready to emerge from the tent. We have a 3 X 5 ft cloth that we lay on the ground and this is where we
pile our gear before loading the boat. We then take down our tent, move our boats to the edge of the water and begin loading.
If we don't stop to relax, this routine takes about 1 hour, but when camping with others, we take our time and allow 2 hours to
complete everything.
This morning, we had a special treat. Directly in front of our campsite was a large mud flat for a very active reddish egret. This
particular one was a white morph. I recognized it right away as I had spent some time photographing one of these birds at Fort
De Soto Beach near Tampa during a photography workshop. They're feeding behavior is fun to watch. They dance around
the water, pivoting from one direction to another and spreading their wings over the water just before making a strike. I would
have loved to have waded into the water with the sun to my back and hung out with this bird, but we had to get our boats in the
water. We watched the bird long enough to see a full act of dancing and wing-spreading, but as soon as we began moving the
boats, the bird was out of there.
Today, we would pass East Cape and Middle Cape before getting to our destination. There are 3 distinct landmarks along the
Cape Sable coastline and one can easily spot them on a map of Florida. From Flamingo, the coastline runs west to the first
point, which is East Cape. This is the point where the coastline makes a turn north. Continuing north from there, you'll see two
more points, the next one being Middle Cape, approximately 4 miles away. And from Middle Cape, about 4.5 miles away is
Northwest Cape. From there, the coastline changes and becomes more mangrove forest than salt marsh and tidal rivers cut
through the coast line one after the other.
Between East and Northwest Capes, the shoreline is lined with a sandy beach. Camping here is quite popular, especially
among powerboat fishermen who find the fishing from Middle Cape to be exceptional. Hammerhead sharks are caught off the
shoreline of Middle Cape and of course the tarpon are everywhere. We stop about 1/2 mile or so north of Middle Cape where
several campers were set up and take a lunch break. By now, it was about 11 am, it's been a casual paddle for us as we fish
and photograph along the way. The winds have been calm, around 5 knots.
Along the way, I heard an interesting bird and wondered what it was. I spotted it in a dead mangrove tree, high above. I got up
to the shoreline and took several shots of it. Having never seen a snail kite in person, I thought maybe that's what it was. It
looked as if it had something in its claws, but it was too far away for me to see. At home, I finally got a good look at the photo
and looked it up in my bird book. It wasn't a snail kite, but just as pleasing, it was a kestrel, my first photo of this bird.
Soon after the kestrel, we were at Northwest Cape. Here, the sandy beach is backed by a long line of royal palm trees within
the salt marsh. It's a fantastically beautiful campsite, one that seems to represent the Florida coastline before it was destroyed
by development. People lived here and planted the palm trees at one time. Fortunately for the palms, they survive hurricane
winds quite well. There was a water pool above the sand beach a short distance away from our tents and I thought there would
probably be birds feeding there later in the evening. I was also mesmerized by the beauty of the coastline and decided to attach
the wide angle lens for some evening photos. After dinner, around 5 pm, I walked the shore taking some photos when I spotted
a large bird perched on a branch in the open over the water pool. It was a red-shouldered hawk. I got excited and ran back to
my tent where I replaced the wide angle with the telephoto lens. I headed back to the bird and to my delight, it was still there.
There was an exceptional sunlight on the bird, casting a nice amber glow on his brown feathers. There were palm trees
behind him, but I could easily get into a position where there would be no background clutter. I took a few shots, then moved in
closer very slowly. I continued this until I was about 50 feet away. Amazing! After that, I left the bird alone and headed back to
the campsite.
By now, the sun was not far above the horizon and the sky was a beautiful pinkish orange color. The brown pelicans were now
busily diving from one spot to another, occasionally flying by. This is when I spotted the large tarpon that flew out of the water.
My companion fished on shore while the tarpon and pelicans busily demonstrated their fishing skills. It was a classic sunset
evening, on a pristine Florida beach. Soon, I would need to put the head net on as the no-see-ums descend. We also had
mosquitoes, something I rarely see on the Ten Thousand Island beaches. Here with the salt marsh, the mosquitoes are more
prominent. With my clothes and head net, the bugs were again not a problem and we started a campfire and relaxed with a
bottle of wine. Soon, we would be in our tents listening to the night sounds of Cape Sable.
December 28, Day 3: Northwest Cape to Graveyard Creek (12 miles)
The large footprint of Wilma, and as far as the no-see-ums go, "you can swing a cup through the air and catch a quart of
them".
We awoke at our usual time and carried on with our routine. A sprinkle of rain could be heard on the tent, but it lasted only
seconds. Once outside, I could see how the large cloud cover over the sunrise caused the sunlight to cast a yellowish hue
across the sky. It was a beautiful site and it gave the calm ocean water a brilliant golden color. As we loaded our boats, a
rainbow in the western sky appeared and seemed to drop down to our kayaks from the angle of my view. I took some photos
with the wide angle lens and captured a glorious morning on Northwest Cape. In the meantime, the bugs were relatively calm
and we were on the water without a hitch. As we headed north, pelicans were busily diving for breakfast and crossing the sky
almost like clockwork. An occasional royal tern would appear across the sky. My paddling companion trolled with her fishing
lure during most of our trip and on occasion, a tern would fly over her and circle around several times. I asked her what she
thought was provoking this bird behavior. She said it could be interested in the lure, although the bird never dived for it. I figure
the tern is smarter than we give it credit.
Off in the distance, probably about 1 1/2 miles north of the cape the shoreline became drastically different from what we have
been seeing the past 2 days. The tall trees were dead and gray looking. This would be the scene from this point on until
Highland Beach, approximately 20 miles north of here. Thanks to category 3 (125 mph winds) hurricane Wilma that blew
through on October 24 2005, this shoreline as well as the Flamingo area were devastated to no end. Mangroves as high as
4-story buildings were blown until only the trunk and some branches were left standing. Many were not left standing and the
shoreline would often be lined with blown over tree trunks and roots. I had visited this area, around Shark River over 3 years
ago from a powerboat and was impressed with the majestic height of the red mangroves here. I've seen other areas of the
Everglades that were hit by hurricane Andrew in 1992 and although the mangroves had come back to some extent, they were
very small in stature and the destruction was still evident 15 years later. Today, seeing these grand mangroves left for dead
was truly a sad experience.
I took several photos of the shoreline as we paddled north and passed Big Sable Creek which is actually several creeks fanning
out in all directions from the gulf. Further up the coast is the large Shark River. If it weren't for the outgoing tide, we would have
paddled into the river that would lead to a small creek running into Ponce De Leon Bay, right where we were heading. But
because of the outgoing tide, we stayed in the gulf and skirted around Shark River Island into the large Ponce De Leon Bay. By
now, the easterly winds had picked up and were steady at a stiff 15 knots. Our destination was on the other side of the bay, into
the east side of Graveyard Creek. We crossed the bay at such an angle that the we were getting a side wind. I'd much rather
have a headwind than a side wind, so I tacked back and forth, heading into the wind and then paddling with a back wind. It
seemed to take forever to cross that bay, which was over 3 miles, but finally we were at the mouth of Graveyard Creek.
My shoulders were screaming today and I began to worry that maybe the paddling was starting to wear on me. I've never
really had any pain from paddling, just the typical muscle soreness which goes away after a day or two. My paddling
companion has bursitis in one of her shoulders and brought ice packs for the trip. These are the packs that can be stored warm
but when broken become ice cold. Perfect for the trip (a bit bulky and heavy, however). I didn't want to use one of her packs, so
I planned to take 2 ibuprofens and apply Icy Hot to the area before going to bed. I hoped that the pain would miraculously
disappear for the rest of the trip.
From the bay, you can approach Graveyard Creek at high tide. The campsite actually sits on a corner (Shark Point) so you
have the gulf on one side and the creek on the other. Because of the low tide we would have to approach it from the creek
entrance. We headed further east into the creek, which would be a calm paddle after crossing the bay in strong winds. The
creek travels about a mile until it comes back out into the open gulf. As we paddled through the creek, we watched several
birds take off about 100 feet in front of us and fly further ahead. This is an event that repeats itself several times as we continue
to paddle (drift is more like it) along the creek. We came across a powerboat with a couple fishermen. They had come in to
stay at the campsite but could not find a place to set their boat close enough to get in. They were heading back out to the gulf to
try it from that side. So we continued paddling toward the site. Soon, we heard the engine of a powerboat and sure enough, it
was our two fishermen friends coming back. Apparently they had no luck from the other angle, so they decided to come in
through the creek and do whatever it took to get on the site.
The problem with Graveyard Creek campsite is that there is little space for tents and kayaks since the hurricane blew in much of
the beach area. Getting our kayaks up on high ground was not particularly easy either as there are several mangroves and
long roots jutting out of the mud in all directions. My companion and I chose a spot that gave us the benefit of the wind. Our
other paddling companion set his tent up further into the site and closer to our fishing friends. All was well, we had nice people
at the site and so far, no bugs. As usual we set up for an early dinner so that we could be finished eating before the bugs came
out in force. And we anticipated that they would since this site is thick with trees and brush. While fixing dinner, we watched two
kayakers paddle in from the middle of the bay. By now, the tide was high and they would have no problem approaching the
campsite. They were traveling very fast and before you know it, we were able to identify one of the kayakers, another
paddling/fishing buddy. This guy is an athlete and trains for very long distant kayaking. He and his buddy had just paddled in
from Flamingo in one day (30 miles), the same route we have been paddling for the past 3 days!
By the time the kayak athletes set up their tents, the no-see-ums began their attack. We were inside our tents before 7 pm. In
the middle of the night, around 2 pm, I decided I had to use the port-o-let, only 15 feet or so away. In my shorts and t-shirt, I
didn't worry about the bugs, they usually disappear after dusk. I headed outside with my headlamp on and immediately was
itching like crazy. I didn't waste any time and jumped back into the tent, quickly closing the door behind me. I couldn't believe
it. My skin was on fire from the itching. And even worse, the bugs got into the tent. Our worse nightmare has come true! I
couldn't stand it and had to take 2 children's Benadryl to relieve the itching. Immediately, my companion and I got to work on
the no-see-ums. We each wet a bandana and shined our head lamps on the tent wall. The bugs congregate where the light is
and with our wet bandanas, we swiped the tent wall, crushing the tiny little monsters until we could no longer see them flying
about.
Although the bugs made my evening a bit miserable, I found that I actually got a very good night's sleep. Pain free! This was a
mystery to me given the pain I was experiencing during the paddle today. So I figured after seeing the 2 kayakers come in from
6 hours of paddling 30 miles, I really had no reason to feel pain. Whatever it was, it never came back the entire trip as luck
would have it.
December 29, Day 4: Graveyard Creek to Highland Beach (8.5 miles)
Our last campsite before the Ten Thousand Islands, weather forecasts and the lone kayaker from Kentucky
We anticipated a very hasty morning on Graveyard Creek. We were scheduled on the water at 7:30 am but we were in our
boats by 7. There was no time to talk, the no-see-ums were ruthless. Our third paddling companion was slower and I would
wait for him from the water, where I was safe from the barrage of no-see-um attacks. This was fine with me because the sun
was beginning to rise and casting an orange glow over the sky. Pelicans were flying and diving and I was sitting in the middle
of it. At last, we are all on the water as we said goodbye to our kayaking friends.
Once again, this would be a beautiful paddling day as we continue in a northwesterly direction up the coast. The winds would
be coming in from the southeast, and would be a bit calmer this morning than yesterday. This would be a short day, so we took
our time. My fishing companion caught a few bluefish and trout along the way. The water was pleasantly calm and the warm
sun provided brilliant reflections in the water coming from my paddling companion's boats.
This portion of the coastline can be considered the central river area. From Shark Point to Highland Beach, the coastline is
continuously interrupted by rivers and creeks. We would pass three significant rivers; Harney, Broad and Rodgers, and their
many tributaries. For instance, the Harney River can be accessed from 9 different openings spanning a distance of about 4
miles. It can also be accessed from the backcountry via the southerly Shark River. From some of the openings, one would
have to paddle a considerable distance from the gulf to get to the Harney, but eventually you would get there. The creeks and
rivers in this area are so interwined and connected to the coast that one could reach a further point on the coastline by working
through the various creeks and rivers if the tide is high enough. In fact, the wilderness waterway trail runs through several of
these creeks, thus, they are conveniently marked. There are 2 campsites within this network of rivers, the Broad River ground
site, and the Harney River chickee. Apparently, the Broad River site is one of the buggiest. According to one of the park
rangers, he was out there in freezing temperatures and the no-see-ums were still thick as thieves!
We stopped at the opening of one of the creeks leading into The Nightmare (one of the creeks) where we found a nice sandbar
for sitting. Soon after stopping, we spotted a kayaker coming down the creek toward the opening. A lone kayaker from
Kentucky, he stopped and rested with us. He was about 3 days into a 10-day paddle trip which would take him through many
of the backcountry sites and out to the gulf a couple of times. He had just spent the night at the Broad River campsite, and told
us about a couple of young campers dressed in shorts and t-shirts who had to literally pick up their pitched tent in the middle of
the night and run for cover to their powerboat. They left the campsite in a hurry, it seems they had a tent without no-see-um
netting. You learn quickly out here! Such is the case with so many northerners who come here to get away from the cold
winter. They are rudely awakened sometimes and the weather down here can turn sour very quickly and make any northerner
wonder why he or she didn't stay home for the holiday.
We left our new kayaking friend (you meet so many interesting people out here) and continued toward Highland Beach, which
by now was only a few miles away. Highland Beach is very long and runs a few miles along the coast. It marks the end of the
central river area and borders the entrance of the Lostmans River. It was now close to low tide and we had to stay 1/2 mile out
from the coast as we paddled parallel to the beach. We continued further north until we saw an open beach area. We headed
towards it as closely as possible. Before long, I was towing my boat in 1/2 foot of mud. Once on the beach, we perused the
area for flat surface areas for the tents. This was not easy; once again, the hurricane left its mark and destroyed much of the
beach area. The storm tide line came up to an embankment of about 1 foot in height. On top of the embankment we found
enough horizontal surface to pitch our tents. All was well, we had several beautiful palm trees around us and a classic view of
the gulf.
By now, we were focusing on the weather forecast. We each carry a VHF radio for communication but also for marine weather
forecasts. There was a cold front that would be coming in around the last day of our journey. Apparently it was stalling over the
gulf. We continued to monitor the forecast with the contingency plan of getting off the water one day early. In the meantime, the
winds were calm and the temperatures were still above average. As usual, the winds pick up during late morning hours and
continue until just before dusk. Like clockwork, you can count on the winds dying down around 4-5 pm. And when the winds
die down, the bugs come out. If you are lucky, the winds will stay up and you'll have a bug-free evening. We always hope for
those conditions, but prepare for the other. In accordance with this, we eat dinner early and get all our gear prepared for the
night before the bugs take over the beach.
December 30, Day 5: Highland Beach to Turkey Key (12 miles)
Sanderlings and white pelicans
Hurray, we would be entering the Ten Thousand Islands today! My old stomping ground, my home away from home. The
Cape Sable and central areas of the Everglades are beautiful in many ways, but nothing compares to the Ten Thousand
Islands. For the past 4 days we have been following one long shoreline. Today, we would enter into the Ten Thousand Islands
and weave around islands and pass land masses on both our left and right sides. My playground, these islands.
Getting off of Highland Beach was much easier this morning given the high tide. It would be an out going tide all morning,
which meant that we would feel it push us out to the gulf as we passed the opening of Lostmans River. Fortunately, the moon
was only 40%, so the tide would not be strong and nothing to be concerned with. Along Highland Beach toward the Highland
Point the shoal was much larger and last evening I noticed several birds wading in the area. This morning, I watched a large
flock of white ibises fly from the south end to this northern point, where they would wait in the mangroves until the tide rolled
back out. There, they would feed en masse. As we paddled past the point, there were several brown pelicans, some diving,
some sitting on the branches. I decided that the brown pelicans own this place. Not one hour passed on this trip without seeing
them flying, diving, resting. They are everywhere and they are fun to watch and photograph. During this trip, I was able to study
their diving techniques, usually as I sat on a beach around dinner time. I noticed that they dive from various heights, anywhere
from 1-2 ft to 30 ft or so above the water. They have a corkscrew like maneuver and make 1 or 2 180-degree turns in mid air
before hitting the water. They torque their bodies in such a way that their heads and pouch are nearly parallel to the water just
before making contact. And when they hit the water, they make a big splash and appear very clumsy.
I would also say that the dolphins are co-owners of this area. They too are a common site. They were near us in Flamingo
during the first few minutes of our journey and they were with us as we paddled into the rangers station in Everglades City on
the last day. This morning as we passed Lostmans River, I watched two pods pass my paddling companion who was about
200 feet in front of me. The first pod was quite active and passed his boat within 5-10 feet. After passing his large yellow craft,
one of the dolphins popped its head out of the water, and turned to look back at this mysterious intruder. Right after that, a
second pod came by, but this time, they were more aware of the boat and went under and did not come back up until they were
way clear of it.
As we headed toward the opening of Lostmans, I took my time and photographed the pelicans. Although we had 12 miles
today, it would not take us long as the mild wind was to our backs and the outgoing tide would actually help us along. As we
headed toward the north end of the opening to Lostmans, I spotted a bright yellow sail coming towards us. As it got closer, I
could barely make it out but it looked like either a catamaran or a kayak with an outrigger. The boat eventually got within 100
feet or so of us and now we could see that it was a kayak. The sailor was a woman and the same person we spotted last year.
She told us she had sailed up to Everglades City from Flamingo and was now heading back. She looked very relaxed and
was having a great time. She did our trip and back using her sail and a folding kayak. It always amazes me the type of people
you meet out here. Many come out here alone and for long periods of time. I have to admit, I'm drawn to those kind of people!
Now, we are officially in the Ten Thousand Islands and within a couple miles of Lostmans we are passing a familiar campsite,
Hog Key. This was our campsite last year on this same date. Since we are surrounded by shallow waters, the shorebirds are
everywhere. Heading toward Buzzard Key, I watched several flocks of Sanderlings. Several dozen at a time fly parallel to the
water, usually no more than 10 feet above it. They make their turns in unison and for one second you see dark, brown spots in
the air, and in the next second they become sparkling white. They shimmer as they fly and go back and forth between dark and
white in a pattern that is difficult to describe. They only way I can describe it is that they look like bait fish. If you have ever seen
the animated movie, Finding Nemo, you'll remember a scene where a school of bait fish taunts Nemo's father by forming
pictures that made fun of him. The Sanderlings remind me of that scene.
As we approached the Plover Keys I could make out a cluster of white birds sitting on the edge of Plover Key. I continued to
paddle and by now the south winds were picking up and allowing my boat to surf across the water. We were very close to
Turkey Key, about 1/2 mile on the other side of Buzzard Key. I kept paddling north but my attention was on the birds to my left.
Finally, as I neared Buzzard Key and had already passed the birds, I couldn't stand it anymore. I paddled back against the wind
at an angle that brought me closer to the birds. It seemed to take forever to get there. I would paddle past them, get close, but
not too close to the island and then let the wind drift me back toward the birds. Sure enough, they were white pelicans, and
there must have been a couple hundred of them. As I started toward them, I spotted an osprey directly above me. It was in
hunting mode. Osprey are the only raptors that eat only fish and so it is not uncommon to find them hovering over the water
(like a kingfisher bird) looking for prey. That's what this one was doing; it would soar, then stop in mid-air flapping its wings as it
eyed the water. It flew further away and in a blink of an eye, it dived in for its prey, coming out with a good size fish. It promptly
flew into the mangroves to find a perch where it could kill and eat its meal.
In the meantime, the pelicans became aware of my boat drifting in very shallow water. One by one they entered the water and
a few flew away. I didn't allow my boat to come any closer. It's always a treat to find white pelicans out here. I've already been
photographing the Chokoloskee Bay group and this would be my second group. They are easy to spot from a distance, these
very large white birds. They are the largest white birds that congregate in groups and they are twice the size of the brown
pelican. So when you are paddling in the open gulf and you see a white wall in the distance, you are seeing white pelicans on
a sand or oyster bar (unless it starts moving, in which case, it is a boat).
I landed on the southeasterly corner of Turkey Key shortly after my companions arrived and began scouting the camping area
with them. We chose to camp on this side because of the winds coming from the south. Whenever possible, choose a
campsite that is open and facing the wind, at least when it is not cold and gusty. We decided on the point that had the least
amount of shoal (we were heading into low tide by now); it was open and getting the south wind. The more popular camping
area on Turkey is on the west side facing the gulf and also facing New Turkey Key. I like that spot and have based camped
there before. But I found the south end to be quite beautiful, facing the mangrove coastline and the Plover Keys. We would also
see the sunrise from this point tomorrow morning.
After setting up the tent, we walked around the southwest end toward the other camp area, taking advantage of the low tide.
Around the south point is a large shoal made up mostly of clam shells, something you don't usually see here. Apparently at
one time there was a clam industry in the islands and on occasion you run across the remains. The island nearest to Turkey
Key is New Turkey Key and this is a very popular kayak fishing area. In fact, 3 years ago my paddling companion caught a
large red fish right at the shore of Turkey Key as we were coming in to our campsite. We cooked it up and had fresh fish
sandwiches for lunch. Now that's kayak fishing at its best!
Finally, we had a bugless evening! What a welcome change of pace. We relaxed on the beach after dinner and made a fire.
Another beautiful day behind us and once again, we were staying alert of the weather forecast. By now, they were calling for
thunderstorms during our last morning on the water. After that, a very strong cold front with high winds would sweep over the
islands by afternoon. We discussed the possibility of paddling out tomorrow instead of staying one more night. This would be a
18-mile paddle, but a much better alternative to being caught in a storm in the gulf. We would wait until the next day to make a
decision.
December 31, Day 5: Turkey Key to Rabbit Key (10.5 miles)
Decisions, decisions, new years eve in Miami is out of the question and a shark feeding frenzy in front of our tents
The storm is coming, I could tell from the sky. It was a mackerel sky, a sure sign that a front is close behind. There are other
signs too. The animals will behave differently when a cold front is eminent. Sharks, dolphin and large fish start feeding like
crazy in response to the dropping atmospheric pressure. This can be an exciting time to be out here, but I would not push my
luck. We got on the water this morning with a brilliant sunrise and lots of dark clouds in the westerly horizon around our usual
time, 7:30 am. The waters were still calm and the temperatures were above normal, also a common pre-storm phenomenon.
We rounded the island and headed toward the inside of New Turkey Key. By now the morning sun was uncovered and casting
a beautiful light as we passed by several cormorants and pelicans resting on old pilings, the remains of a dock that once was
used on New Turkey Key. Soon, we were passing another familiar campsite, Mormon Key, that sits on the south end of the
mouth of the Chatham River. While we paddled we discussed back and forth the options of staying our last night on Rabbit Key
as planned or heading back to Everglades City. I weighed the pros and cons. As far as heading back to EC today, the pros
were: avoid a storm tomorrow, get an extra day at home before my semester begins, take a hot shower this evening. That's all
I could come up with. The cons for heading into EC today were: spending new years eve in Miami and not in the Ten
Thousand Islands, a long day ahead of us ending with a drive through Miami during rush hour after paddling almost 20 miles,
we would be working against the tide, not getting home until night, and missing out on a new years eve on Rabbit Key. One of
my companions was intent on staying out one more night, regardless. My other companion, much more experienced with
Everglades storms, did not want to risk it. I was the tie-breaker. Helping to make my decision was the fact that we had a short
distance to paddle tomorrow with the tides helping us into EC and we could get off Rabbit Key way before sunrise and paddle
back in the dark before the storm had time to come in. With my decision made, we headed toward our new years eve party
destination, Rabbit Key.
Today, we arrived at Rabbit Key very early, around 11 am. That was fine with me, I love to explore this little island. At low tide,
you can easily walk around it. We had the entire island to ourselves, a perfect ending to a perfect journey. We set up camp
where the wind would be most advantageous, near the large sandbar where many birds reside. We rested in the shade in an
open area that overlooks the north end. Walking back to my tent, I noticed a raccoon out on the end of the sandbar. As soon as
it noticed me, it began scurrying back to the mangroves. I noticed something amiss. He was hobbling and it was because he
had an empty aluminum can stuck on his foot. Oh dear. He wandered off into the mangrove forest, and later I would see him
out again on the sandbar, but without the can. At least I hoped it was the same raccoon. Obviously, this is one more hazard of
leaving trash out here.
Where we are set up with our tents is next to a tidal stream that cuts into the sandbar toward the mangrove forest. Here, there
were a couple ibises, a snowy egret and a great white egret feeding until we came along and scared them off. On the other
side of the stream is the remainder of the sand point where a large opening framed by mangrove canopies allows you to sit
comfortably in the shade while overlooking the water and giving you the sense of being in a theatre. This time, instead of
watching a play or film, we are entertained by a live wildlife documentary with lots of main characters. From this vantage point
we enjoyed our lunch while watching several osprey and pelicans fly by, mullet jump out of the water every 10 seconds or so
and a large stingray fly out of the water.
After a bit of exploring on the island, it was getting to be bath and dinner time. As the sun began to decline behind us, the bird
and fish activity picked up. The tide was now coming back in and the sandbar near our campsite would slowly disappear
underwater. In the meantime, several royal terns and sanderlings began to congregate at the point of the bar. Then, several
oystercatchers arrived, about a dozen or so. None of the birds was feeding, they were simply resting and although I managed
to take a photograph of the group, most of the oystercatcher's bright red beaks were hidden under feather. The great white
egret appeared at some point, perched on a piece of driftwood. And around our dinner time, we began to see very active shark
activity in the shallow flats in front of our tents. Amazing! They would move like bullets through the water heading directly
toward the shoreline as we stood on the edge watching. I don't know how many there were, but they stayed in that area for
what sounded like the entire night. I later laid in my tent listening to their wake action and occasionally would wake up and still
hear them. They were hustling to feed before the cold front hit. Once the storm rolls in, the sharks and other marine animals
stop feeding, and little movement occurs underwater. Like people preparing for a hurricane, these sharks were not wasting
time getting their fill of bait fish before having to wait out the storm.
December 31, Day 5: Rabbit Key to Everglades City (7 miles)
Avoiding a storm, cold breakfast at the Roadkill Cafe and home to Miami
We were awake by 4 am, and on the water by 5:30 this morning. It would be dark for about an hour. They sky was overcast,
so it would take a bit longer this morning for the sun to shine enough for daylight. We could paddle this route with our eyes
closed anyway. This is a familiar route that would only take a couple hours today with an in-coming tide. And so with
headlamps, we paddled toward our final destination. In the distant horizon we could see the lights of Chokoloskee Island
straight ahead and the lights of Everglades City to the left. I figured if we made a wrong turn we could always follow the lights.
We were on Chokoloskee Bay by 6:30 am. I immediately noticed the white pelicans that I had photographed a couple months
ago from my canoe. The sun was barely giving light but I could make out the white wall of birds in the distance. It was
comforting to see them, my old familiar friends. By the time we rounded Chokoloskee Island and made the northerly turn
toward Everglades City, it was light out enough to turn the headlamps off. Off in a northwesterly direction we could see
lightening, the storm was approaching. Off the water by 7:45 am, we were greeted by 3 young men from Wisconsin who were
packing their rented kayaks to begin their 3-day trip into the backcountry. Unfortunately for them, they would be caught in the
storm that would bring 40 knot winds, would blow the water out of the backcountry, strand several boaters , and brings
temperatures almost to freezing levels. Being young men, they didn't seem to be too concerned and were simply happy to be
here in sunny Florida on their break from school. We wished them good luck as we loaded up our boats, relieved that we
would be avoiding a bad scene.
By the fourth day on the trip I begin craving certain foods, like chocolate shakes and pizza. This morning, a hearty breakfast of
eggs, grits and biscuits sounded good to me. I could also go for a nice hot cup of brewed coffee, a reprieve from the Maxwell
House coffee bags I've been using for the past 6 days. We stopped at the only game in town, the charming RoadKill Cafe. At
this point, I didn't care where we ate. While in the restaurant eating our cold eggs and grits we began discussing our plans for
the next adventure. Not having had a hot shower in 6 days, we are still ready to go back out to our beloved Everglades. I doubt
I will ever do a 7-day trip again (never say never) and I doubt I will do this route again too, but there is a lifetime of adventure out
here and I'm already planning the next one (adventure, that is).
year with a revitalized spirit and another unique experience in the Everglades behind me. Now, one day after coming back
from our 7-day paddle, my body is in a peaceful, relaxed fatigued state, and my muscles and joints are tired but not sore. The
heat from the chronic sun exposure of the previous days is still radiating from my skin. I am in my house, clean, dry and feeling
quite content. Recovering from the trip, I desire to get back there. I don't want to miss the drama of the Everglades. I miss my
friends, the brown pelicans and the dolphins, those constant companions on my journey.
This trip would be new for me in many ways; the longest continuous trip I've made in the Everglades (7 days total), starting from
Flamingo marina, 4 campsites I've never camped on, and paddling 40 miles of coastline south of Lostmans River that I have
not seen from my kayak. Our journey would lead us north to Everglades City where our cars were parked. We would stay on
the coast the entire time, not venturing into the backcountry. This would be a total beach camping experience, sand and all. We
would paddle around Cape Sable, one of the most challenging paddling areas in the Everglades. It's not unusual to have 15-20
knot winds from the north as you paddle around the cape going from a west to north direction. It's also not unusual to get the
brunt of a strong tide when paddling across the mouth of one of the large rivers that cut the coastline between northwest cape
and Highland Beach. Shark River can suck you in or blow you out to the gulf if you time it just right.
We were prepared, my two paddling companions and I. And we were ecstatic to begin our journey with a very unusual weather
forecast, 5-10 knot winds mostly from the south and southeast, warm temperatures and no rain expected. These are perfect
paddling conditions, but not so perfect camping conditions. But who can complain? You have to be prepared for anything out
here. And as fate would have it, a very strong cold front would sweep over south Florida beginning only hours after we got off
the water on our seventh day, and the winds would reach 40 knots during 2 days of horrendous paddling conditions and cold
temperatures. After our journey, We heard reports of many rescues (stranded and hypothermic paddlers) after the cold front
blew in. We thought of our friends who were still out there paddling for 2 or 3 more days. They would be experiencing the full
extent of the winter days of the Everglades, from one end to the other. My companions and I were simply lucky, very lucky.
Trip itinerary (70 miles, mileage is rounded):
Dec 26; Flamingo to Clubhouse Beach (7 miles)
Dec 27; Clubhouse Beach to Northwest Cape (12.5 miles)
Dec 28; Northwest Cape to Graveyard Creek (12 miles)
Dec 29; Graveyard Creek to Highland Beach (8.5 miles)
Dec 30; Highland Beach to Turkey Key (12 miles)
Dec 31; Turkey Key to Rabbit Key (10.5 miles)
Jan 1; Rabbit Key to Everglades City (7 miles)
This itinerary was planned according to the predominant south by southeasterly winds expected and wanting 1 or 2 days of
relatively short distances. This provided us the option of staying on a campsite for an extra night if conditions called for it. Our
first day included the shuttle ride from Everglades City to Flamingo, which meant driving for about 4 1/2 hours in the morning.
We estimated our arrival at Flamingo to be noon, which only gives us 5 hrs of daylight. And an in-coming tide (almost full
moon) would be working against us. For these reasons, we planned a short paddle to Clubhouse Beach. We also like to have
a short day for the last day of the trip, which includes loading the car with boats and gear and making the 1 1/2 hr drive home.
When planning a one-way trip, you have to consider the direction you want to take and how you intend getting shuttled from one
end to the other. We chose the Flamingo to Everglades City direction mainly because of tides, but also because of the shuttle
situation (for out-of-towners, an advantage of paddling into Flamingo is that Flamingo has a campground with showers waiting
for you). Hiring a shuttle can be costly, but will spare you a great deal of trouble and time. We considered leaving one car in
Flamingo and one car in Everglades City, but that meant spending an entire day of driving and camping one night in Flamingo.
By hiring a shuttle service, we avoided all that and spent only the morning shuttling.
The following is a daily diary of the trip. In it, you'll find descriptions of photo opportunities (especially birds), the landscapes and
campsites, animal behavior, human behavior, camp and paddling experiences, and various tips and learning experiences.
December 26, Day 1: Shuttle from Everglades City to Flamingo; paddle from Flamingo to Clubhouse Beach (7 miles).
Leaving the marina at low tide, tarpon "attack", and searching for Clubhouse Beach
Fortunately, we were able to score our camping permits the day before (Christmas day). At this time of year, getting the
permits the day before helps ensure that we get the campsites we want. Case in point, the next day when we arrived at the
rangers station in Everglades City to catch our shuttle, 2 people were camped out at the edge of the steps leading to the permit
office and there were a few people that had just arrived and were already in line behind the sleeping campers at 7:30 am. The
doors open at 8 am.
From Miami, we had a 1 1/2 hr drive to Everglades City. The drive between Everglades City and Flamingo is about 3 hours.
Thus, it was almost noon before we arrived at the Flamingo marina. By 12:30 pm, we were on the water, loaded for 7 days. I
did a great job this time preparing my gear. Last year on a 6-day trip, I couldn't get all my gear in the hatches and even with a
few things in the cock pit, I still had to bungee a dry bag to the stern. This time, I think I prepared better and was more compact
with the food items.
It was a beautiful warm and sunny day (temperature in the low 80s). It would be this way the entire trip, a bit too warm for my
taste, but I'll take it. We headed out of the marina at low tide which meant we had to follow the channel for some distance as we
passed Bradley Key west of the Flamingo campground. You cannot make a straight line to the Bradley Key point at low tide,
rather you must continue out through the channel and allow yourself enough distance from the shoreline to clear the area. If I
was in my canoe for the day to photograph the hundreds of wading birds, it would not be a problem.
Paddling out of the marina at low tide is a photographer's dream. The bird count is in the hundreds, easily. You'll see the usual
herons (little blues, great blues, tricolors) and egrets (snowys, great whites, and reddish), cormorants, brown pelicans, white
pelicans, oystercatchers, royal terns, sanderlings and other small shore birds, laughing gulls and if I forgot to mention someone,
I apologize. The white pelicans cluster in groups and fish while swimming. The egrets and herons wade in the shallows. The
cormorants find a shallow area to rest in groups of large numbers and the brown pelicans are scattered about resting in the
shallows, swimming, diving or roosting in the mangroves. Terns and gulls can be seen everywhere. But, I would not capture
any close up bird photos today. I attached the wide angle lens instead of the telephoto lens and would try to capture the coastline
and surroundings as we headed toward Clubhouse Beach.
The sun was already directly over us, but there were numerous cumulus clouds in the sky. The wide angle scenery of a dark
green coastline separating the bluish-green water from the blue sky cluttered with boisterous clouds is a classic Florida Bay
scene if there ever was one. Frequently, I would spot a flocks of white birds (egrets, ibises or white pelicans) crossing the
horizon. They looked like strings of pearls in the sky.
The tarpon were everywhere and at low tide, hungry fish and marine mammals are feeding vigorously. The telltale sign that
large fish or mammals are feeding are the ripples in the water made by the bait fish (mullet usually) as they try to escape their
predators. The predator could be a tarpon or another large fish, could be a shark, could be a dolphin. You'll see the dolphins
easily; they are obliged to come up for air now and then. And you'll hear them too, with their loud bursts of air through the blow
holes. If it's a shark, you'll see the dorsal and pectoral fins skimming along the water. And the tarpon often jump out of the
water. While camping on Northwest Cape at sunset, one jumped out of the water and turned sideways which allowed us a
wide view of the fish. I swear that tarpon was the size of a billboard and the vision of it flying through the air with the sun setting
in the background has not left my mind. I only wish I had it recorded on my camera!
I also had a scary tarpon experience today, at least I believe it was a tarpon. As we were looking for a campsite along
Clubhouse Beach, I was leisurely paddling with my legs dangling over the edge of the boat and simply moving from one
shoreline point to another about 50 feet away. The water could not have been more than a foot and a half deep. My paddling
companion was behind me and then all of a sudden, I felt and heard a large crash on the back end of my boat. It was so
jarring, for a split second I thought I was in a car. And then I thought my friend had accidentally hit my boat with hers, but it
would have had to be at high speed, and neither of us was moving fast. I figured it was a large tarpon under my boat that had
spooked and simply moved in the wrong direction and hit my boat. I've been startled by large animals in the water that were
minding their own business until I interrupted their space. At that point, within inches of my boat, they thrash about to get away,
causing an incredible wake and a potential for tipping over into the drink. I know of kayakers who have been tipped over by
manatee that simply were surfacing at the wrong time. Once again, I am reminded that below the surface of the water at which
I am practically eye-level, is a fierce world of animals trying to survive. I'm only passing by.
Today would be a relatively easy paddle because of the short distance and the southeasterly mild winds helping us along in a
casual way. The coastline from Flamingo to Clubhouse Beach is primarily mangroves, but directly behind them is a salt
marsh. At times the marsh is revealed from the shoreline where there are few or no mangroves. The Flamingo area is
muddy, which is another reason why I enjoy the Ten Thousand Islands more. Up there, it is oyster flats you have to deal with, a
more solid ground for your feet to land on. Down here in Flamingo, you sink in mud with the consistency of wet cement. That's
why you must avoid getting stuck in a shallow flat. You can forget about getting out of your boat and towing yourself out. Rather,
you'll be sitting there waiting for the tide to roll in, which could be several hours.
It was almost 4:30 pm when we arrived at Clubhouse Beach campsite, where a lone tent was already set up. This would be a
combination of marsh and beach camping. The camp area is open allowing what wind there was to come in without hindrance
and there was plenty of high and dry areas for our tents. Perfect. We were set up and preparing dinner before the no-see-ums
appeared. Surprisingly, they were not so bad. With a head net, long sleeves, long pants and socks with sandals, I was
adequately protected. After a nice dinner, some conversation, a little brandy, I was in my tent by 7:30 am. I was exhausted
after having started my day at 4 am. There was a water pool behind us and the birds were active. I lay in the tent and listened
to various bird sounds through the evening. We set our alarm for 5:30 am with the intention of being on the water by 7:30 am.
As usual, we are early morning paddlers.
December 27, Day 2: Clubhouse Beach to Northwest Cape (12.5 miles)
Our systematic camping routine (for anyone who cares), kestrels and hawks, sunset from a pristine Florida beach
It was another beautiful day to wake up to. My companion and I have a very good system in the morning. We prepare our
tents at night so that all my gear is on one side of the tent, hers on the other. We boil water before going to bed at night and
keep it in a thermos. The thermos, our breakfast, spoons and mugs all go in the tent with us at night. When we awake, we start
putting away our sleeping bags, pillows and cotton sheet (for this trip, I didn't need to get inside the sleeping bag; rather, I slept
on top of the bag and covered myself with the sheet). Next, we change into our paddling clothes and pack away our camp
clothes and other miscellaneous camp items that we keep in our tent. We eat our breakfast and when finished, roll up the
Thermarests and are ready to emerge from the tent. We have a 3 X 5 ft cloth that we lay on the ground and this is where we
pile our gear before loading the boat. We then take down our tent, move our boats to the edge of the water and begin loading.
If we don't stop to relax, this routine takes about 1 hour, but when camping with others, we take our time and allow 2 hours to
complete everything.
This morning, we had a special treat. Directly in front of our campsite was a large mud flat for a very active reddish egret. This
particular one was a white morph. I recognized it right away as I had spent some time photographing one of these birds at Fort
De Soto Beach near Tampa during a photography workshop. They're feeding behavior is fun to watch. They dance around
the water, pivoting from one direction to another and spreading their wings over the water just before making a strike. I would
have loved to have waded into the water with the sun to my back and hung out with this bird, but we had to get our boats in the
water. We watched the bird long enough to see a full act of dancing and wing-spreading, but as soon as we began moving the
boats, the bird was out of there.
Today, we would pass East Cape and Middle Cape before getting to our destination. There are 3 distinct landmarks along the
Cape Sable coastline and one can easily spot them on a map of Florida. From Flamingo, the coastline runs west to the first
point, which is East Cape. This is the point where the coastline makes a turn north. Continuing north from there, you'll see two
more points, the next one being Middle Cape, approximately 4 miles away. And from Middle Cape, about 4.5 miles away is
Northwest Cape. From there, the coastline changes and becomes more mangrove forest than salt marsh and tidal rivers cut
through the coast line one after the other.
Between East and Northwest Capes, the shoreline is lined with a sandy beach. Camping here is quite popular, especially
among powerboat fishermen who find the fishing from Middle Cape to be exceptional. Hammerhead sharks are caught off the
shoreline of Middle Cape and of course the tarpon are everywhere. We stop about 1/2 mile or so north of Middle Cape where
several campers were set up and take a lunch break. By now, it was about 11 am, it's been a casual paddle for us as we fish
and photograph along the way. The winds have been calm, around 5 knots.
Along the way, I heard an interesting bird and wondered what it was. I spotted it in a dead mangrove tree, high above. I got up
to the shoreline and took several shots of it. Having never seen a snail kite in person, I thought maybe that's what it was. It
looked as if it had something in its claws, but it was too far away for me to see. At home, I finally got a good look at the photo
and looked it up in my bird book. It wasn't a snail kite, but just as pleasing, it was a kestrel, my first photo of this bird.
Soon after the kestrel, we were at Northwest Cape. Here, the sandy beach is backed by a long line of royal palm trees within
the salt marsh. It's a fantastically beautiful campsite, one that seems to represent the Florida coastline before it was destroyed
by development. People lived here and planted the palm trees at one time. Fortunately for the palms, they survive hurricane
winds quite well. There was a water pool above the sand beach a short distance away from our tents and I thought there would
probably be birds feeding there later in the evening. I was also mesmerized by the beauty of the coastline and decided to attach
the wide angle lens for some evening photos. After dinner, around 5 pm, I walked the shore taking some photos when I spotted
a large bird perched on a branch in the open over the water pool. It was a red-shouldered hawk. I got excited and ran back to
my tent where I replaced the wide angle with the telephoto lens. I headed back to the bird and to my delight, it was still there.
There was an exceptional sunlight on the bird, casting a nice amber glow on his brown feathers. There were palm trees
behind him, but I could easily get into a position where there would be no background clutter. I took a few shots, then moved in
closer very slowly. I continued this until I was about 50 feet away. Amazing! After that, I left the bird alone and headed back to
the campsite.
By now, the sun was not far above the horizon and the sky was a beautiful pinkish orange color. The brown pelicans were now
busily diving from one spot to another, occasionally flying by. This is when I spotted the large tarpon that flew out of the water.
My companion fished on shore while the tarpon and pelicans busily demonstrated their fishing skills. It was a classic sunset
evening, on a pristine Florida beach. Soon, I would need to put the head net on as the no-see-ums descend. We also had
mosquitoes, something I rarely see on the Ten Thousand Island beaches. Here with the salt marsh, the mosquitoes are more
prominent. With my clothes and head net, the bugs were again not a problem and we started a campfire and relaxed with a
bottle of wine. Soon, we would be in our tents listening to the night sounds of Cape Sable.
December 28, Day 3: Northwest Cape to Graveyard Creek (12 miles)
The large footprint of Wilma, and as far as the no-see-ums go, "you can swing a cup through the air and catch a quart of
them".
We awoke at our usual time and carried on with our routine. A sprinkle of rain could be heard on the tent, but it lasted only
seconds. Once outside, I could see how the large cloud cover over the sunrise caused the sunlight to cast a yellowish hue
across the sky. It was a beautiful site and it gave the calm ocean water a brilliant golden color. As we loaded our boats, a
rainbow in the western sky appeared and seemed to drop down to our kayaks from the angle of my view. I took some photos
with the wide angle lens and captured a glorious morning on Northwest Cape. In the meantime, the bugs were relatively calm
and we were on the water without a hitch. As we headed north, pelicans were busily diving for breakfast and crossing the sky
almost like clockwork. An occasional royal tern would appear across the sky. My paddling companion trolled with her fishing
lure during most of our trip and on occasion, a tern would fly over her and circle around several times. I asked her what she
thought was provoking this bird behavior. She said it could be interested in the lure, although the bird never dived for it. I figure
the tern is smarter than we give it credit.
Off in the distance, probably about 1 1/2 miles north of the cape the shoreline became drastically different from what we have
been seeing the past 2 days. The tall trees were dead and gray looking. This would be the scene from this point on until
Highland Beach, approximately 20 miles north of here. Thanks to category 3 (125 mph winds) hurricane Wilma that blew
through on October 24 2005, this shoreline as well as the Flamingo area were devastated to no end. Mangroves as high as
4-story buildings were blown until only the trunk and some branches were left standing. Many were not left standing and the
shoreline would often be lined with blown over tree trunks and roots. I had visited this area, around Shark River over 3 years
ago from a powerboat and was impressed with the majestic height of the red mangroves here. I've seen other areas of the
Everglades that were hit by hurricane Andrew in 1992 and although the mangroves had come back to some extent, they were
very small in stature and the destruction was still evident 15 years later. Today, seeing these grand mangroves left for dead
was truly a sad experience.
I took several photos of the shoreline as we paddled north and passed Big Sable Creek which is actually several creeks fanning
out in all directions from the gulf. Further up the coast is the large Shark River. If it weren't for the outgoing tide, we would have
paddled into the river that would lead to a small creek running into Ponce De Leon Bay, right where we were heading. But
because of the outgoing tide, we stayed in the gulf and skirted around Shark River Island into the large Ponce De Leon Bay. By
now, the easterly winds had picked up and were steady at a stiff 15 knots. Our destination was on the other side of the bay, into
the east side of Graveyard Creek. We crossed the bay at such an angle that the we were getting a side wind. I'd much rather
have a headwind than a side wind, so I tacked back and forth, heading into the wind and then paddling with a back wind. It
seemed to take forever to cross that bay, which was over 3 miles, but finally we were at the mouth of Graveyard Creek.
My shoulders were screaming today and I began to worry that maybe the paddling was starting to wear on me. I've never
really had any pain from paddling, just the typical muscle soreness which goes away after a day or two. My paddling
companion has bursitis in one of her shoulders and brought ice packs for the trip. These are the packs that can be stored warm
but when broken become ice cold. Perfect for the trip (a bit bulky and heavy, however). I didn't want to use one of her packs, so
I planned to take 2 ibuprofens and apply Icy Hot to the area before going to bed. I hoped that the pain would miraculously
disappear for the rest of the trip.
From the bay, you can approach Graveyard Creek at high tide. The campsite actually sits on a corner (Shark Point) so you
have the gulf on one side and the creek on the other. Because of the low tide we would have to approach it from the creek
entrance. We headed further east into the creek, which would be a calm paddle after crossing the bay in strong winds. The
creek travels about a mile until it comes back out into the open gulf. As we paddled through the creek, we watched several
birds take off about 100 feet in front of us and fly further ahead. This is an event that repeats itself several times as we continue
to paddle (drift is more like it) along the creek. We came across a powerboat with a couple fishermen. They had come in to
stay at the campsite but could not find a place to set their boat close enough to get in. They were heading back out to the gulf to
try it from that side. So we continued paddling toward the site. Soon, we heard the engine of a powerboat and sure enough, it
was our two fishermen friends coming back. Apparently they had no luck from the other angle, so they decided to come in
through the creek and do whatever it took to get on the site.
The problem with Graveyard Creek campsite is that there is little space for tents and kayaks since the hurricane blew in much of
the beach area. Getting our kayaks up on high ground was not particularly easy either as there are several mangroves and
long roots jutting out of the mud in all directions. My companion and I chose a spot that gave us the benefit of the wind. Our
other paddling companion set his tent up further into the site and closer to our fishing friends. All was well, we had nice people
at the site and so far, no bugs. As usual we set up for an early dinner so that we could be finished eating before the bugs came
out in force. And we anticipated that they would since this site is thick with trees and brush. While fixing dinner, we watched two
kayakers paddle in from the middle of the bay. By now, the tide was high and they would have no problem approaching the
campsite. They were traveling very fast and before you know it, we were able to identify one of the kayakers, another
paddling/fishing buddy. This guy is an athlete and trains for very long distant kayaking. He and his buddy had just paddled in
from Flamingo in one day (30 miles), the same route we have been paddling for the past 3 days!
By the time the kayak athletes set up their tents, the no-see-ums began their attack. We were inside our tents before 7 pm. In
the middle of the night, around 2 pm, I decided I had to use the port-o-let, only 15 feet or so away. In my shorts and t-shirt, I
didn't worry about the bugs, they usually disappear after dusk. I headed outside with my headlamp on and immediately was
itching like crazy. I didn't waste any time and jumped back into the tent, quickly closing the door behind me. I couldn't believe
it. My skin was on fire from the itching. And even worse, the bugs got into the tent. Our worse nightmare has come true! I
couldn't stand it and had to take 2 children's Benadryl to relieve the itching. Immediately, my companion and I got to work on
the no-see-ums. We each wet a bandana and shined our head lamps on the tent wall. The bugs congregate where the light is
and with our wet bandanas, we swiped the tent wall, crushing the tiny little monsters until we could no longer see them flying
about.
Although the bugs made my evening a bit miserable, I found that I actually got a very good night's sleep. Pain free! This was a
mystery to me given the pain I was experiencing during the paddle today. So I figured after seeing the 2 kayakers come in from
6 hours of paddling 30 miles, I really had no reason to feel pain. Whatever it was, it never came back the entire trip as luck
would have it.
December 29, Day 4: Graveyard Creek to Highland Beach (8.5 miles)
Our last campsite before the Ten Thousand Islands, weather forecasts and the lone kayaker from Kentucky
We anticipated a very hasty morning on Graveyard Creek. We were scheduled on the water at 7:30 am but we were in our
boats by 7. There was no time to talk, the no-see-ums were ruthless. Our third paddling companion was slower and I would
wait for him from the water, where I was safe from the barrage of no-see-um attacks. This was fine with me because the sun
was beginning to rise and casting an orange glow over the sky. Pelicans were flying and diving and I was sitting in the middle
of it. At last, we are all on the water as we said goodbye to our kayaking friends.
Once again, this would be a beautiful paddling day as we continue in a northwesterly direction up the coast. The winds would
be coming in from the southeast, and would be a bit calmer this morning than yesterday. This would be a short day, so we took
our time. My fishing companion caught a few bluefish and trout along the way. The water was pleasantly calm and the warm
sun provided brilliant reflections in the water coming from my paddling companion's boats.
This portion of the coastline can be considered the central river area. From Shark Point to Highland Beach, the coastline is
continuously interrupted by rivers and creeks. We would pass three significant rivers; Harney, Broad and Rodgers, and their
many tributaries. For instance, the Harney River can be accessed from 9 different openings spanning a distance of about 4
miles. It can also be accessed from the backcountry via the southerly Shark River. From some of the openings, one would
have to paddle a considerable distance from the gulf to get to the Harney, but eventually you would get there. The creeks and
rivers in this area are so interwined and connected to the coast that one could reach a further point on the coastline by working
through the various creeks and rivers if the tide is high enough. In fact, the wilderness waterway trail runs through several of
these creeks, thus, they are conveniently marked. There are 2 campsites within this network of rivers, the Broad River ground
site, and the Harney River chickee. Apparently, the Broad River site is one of the buggiest. According to one of the park
rangers, he was out there in freezing temperatures and the no-see-ums were still thick as thieves!
We stopped at the opening of one of the creeks leading into The Nightmare (one of the creeks) where we found a nice sandbar
for sitting. Soon after stopping, we spotted a kayaker coming down the creek toward the opening. A lone kayaker from
Kentucky, he stopped and rested with us. He was about 3 days into a 10-day paddle trip which would take him through many
of the backcountry sites and out to the gulf a couple of times. He had just spent the night at the Broad River campsite, and told
us about a couple of young campers dressed in shorts and t-shirts who had to literally pick up their pitched tent in the middle of
the night and run for cover to their powerboat. They left the campsite in a hurry, it seems they had a tent without no-see-um
netting. You learn quickly out here! Such is the case with so many northerners who come here to get away from the cold
winter. They are rudely awakened sometimes and the weather down here can turn sour very quickly and make any northerner
wonder why he or she didn't stay home for the holiday.
We left our new kayaking friend (you meet so many interesting people out here) and continued toward Highland Beach, which
by now was only a few miles away. Highland Beach is very long and runs a few miles along the coast. It marks the end of the
central river area and borders the entrance of the Lostmans River. It was now close to low tide and we had to stay 1/2 mile out
from the coast as we paddled parallel to the beach. We continued further north until we saw an open beach area. We headed
towards it as closely as possible. Before long, I was towing my boat in 1/2 foot of mud. Once on the beach, we perused the
area for flat surface areas for the tents. This was not easy; once again, the hurricane left its mark and destroyed much of the
beach area. The storm tide line came up to an embankment of about 1 foot in height. On top of the embankment we found
enough horizontal surface to pitch our tents. All was well, we had several beautiful palm trees around us and a classic view of
the gulf.
By now, we were focusing on the weather forecast. We each carry a VHF radio for communication but also for marine weather
forecasts. There was a cold front that would be coming in around the last day of our journey. Apparently it was stalling over the
gulf. We continued to monitor the forecast with the contingency plan of getting off the water one day early. In the meantime, the
winds were calm and the temperatures were still above average. As usual, the winds pick up during late morning hours and
continue until just before dusk. Like clockwork, you can count on the winds dying down around 4-5 pm. And when the winds
die down, the bugs come out. If you are lucky, the winds will stay up and you'll have a bug-free evening. We always hope for
those conditions, but prepare for the other. In accordance with this, we eat dinner early and get all our gear prepared for the
night before the bugs take over the beach.
December 30, Day 5: Highland Beach to Turkey Key (12 miles)
Sanderlings and white pelicans
Hurray, we would be entering the Ten Thousand Islands today! My old stomping ground, my home away from home. The
Cape Sable and central areas of the Everglades are beautiful in many ways, but nothing compares to the Ten Thousand
Islands. For the past 4 days we have been following one long shoreline. Today, we would enter into the Ten Thousand Islands
and weave around islands and pass land masses on both our left and right sides. My playground, these islands.
Getting off of Highland Beach was much easier this morning given the high tide. It would be an out going tide all morning,
which meant that we would feel it push us out to the gulf as we passed the opening of Lostmans River. Fortunately, the moon
was only 40%, so the tide would not be strong and nothing to be concerned with. Along Highland Beach toward the Highland
Point the shoal was much larger and last evening I noticed several birds wading in the area. This morning, I watched a large
flock of white ibises fly from the south end to this northern point, where they would wait in the mangroves until the tide rolled
back out. There, they would feed en masse. As we paddled past the point, there were several brown pelicans, some diving,
some sitting on the branches. I decided that the brown pelicans own this place. Not one hour passed on this trip without seeing
them flying, diving, resting. They are everywhere and they are fun to watch and photograph. During this trip, I was able to study
their diving techniques, usually as I sat on a beach around dinner time. I noticed that they dive from various heights, anywhere
from 1-2 ft to 30 ft or so above the water. They have a corkscrew like maneuver and make 1 or 2 180-degree turns in mid air
before hitting the water. They torque their bodies in such a way that their heads and pouch are nearly parallel to the water just
before making contact. And when they hit the water, they make a big splash and appear very clumsy.
I would also say that the dolphins are co-owners of this area. They too are a common site. They were near us in Flamingo
during the first few minutes of our journey and they were with us as we paddled into the rangers station in Everglades City on
the last day. This morning as we passed Lostmans River, I watched two pods pass my paddling companion who was about
200 feet in front of me. The first pod was quite active and passed his boat within 5-10 feet. After passing his large yellow craft,
one of the dolphins popped its head out of the water, and turned to look back at this mysterious intruder. Right after that, a
second pod came by, but this time, they were more aware of the boat and went under and did not come back up until they were
way clear of it.
As we headed toward the opening of Lostmans, I took my time and photographed the pelicans. Although we had 12 miles
today, it would not take us long as the mild wind was to our backs and the outgoing tide would actually help us along. As we
headed toward the north end of the opening to Lostmans, I spotted a bright yellow sail coming towards us. As it got closer, I
could barely make it out but it looked like either a catamaran or a kayak with an outrigger. The boat eventually got within 100
feet or so of us and now we could see that it was a kayak. The sailor was a woman and the same person we spotted last year.
She told us she had sailed up to Everglades City from Flamingo and was now heading back. She looked very relaxed and
was having a great time. She did our trip and back using her sail and a folding kayak. It always amazes me the type of people
you meet out here. Many come out here alone and for long periods of time. I have to admit, I'm drawn to those kind of people!
Now, we are officially in the Ten Thousand Islands and within a couple miles of Lostmans we are passing a familiar campsite,
Hog Key. This was our campsite last year on this same date. Since we are surrounded by shallow waters, the shorebirds are
everywhere. Heading toward Buzzard Key, I watched several flocks of Sanderlings. Several dozen at a time fly parallel to the
water, usually no more than 10 feet above it. They make their turns in unison and for one second you see dark, brown spots in
the air, and in the next second they become sparkling white. They shimmer as they fly and go back and forth between dark and
white in a pattern that is difficult to describe. They only way I can describe it is that they look like bait fish. If you have ever seen
the animated movie, Finding Nemo, you'll remember a scene where a school of bait fish taunts Nemo's father by forming
pictures that made fun of him. The Sanderlings remind me of that scene.
As we approached the Plover Keys I could make out a cluster of white birds sitting on the edge of Plover Key. I continued to
paddle and by now the south winds were picking up and allowing my boat to surf across the water. We were very close to
Turkey Key, about 1/2 mile on the other side of Buzzard Key. I kept paddling north but my attention was on the birds to my left.
Finally, as I neared Buzzard Key and had already passed the birds, I couldn't stand it anymore. I paddled back against the wind
at an angle that brought me closer to the birds. It seemed to take forever to get there. I would paddle past them, get close, but
not too close to the island and then let the wind drift me back toward the birds. Sure enough, they were white pelicans, and
there must have been a couple hundred of them. As I started toward them, I spotted an osprey directly above me. It was in
hunting mode. Osprey are the only raptors that eat only fish and so it is not uncommon to find them hovering over the water
(like a kingfisher bird) looking for prey. That's what this one was doing; it would soar, then stop in mid-air flapping its wings as it
eyed the water. It flew further away and in a blink of an eye, it dived in for its prey, coming out with a good size fish. It promptly
flew into the mangroves to find a perch where it could kill and eat its meal.
In the meantime, the pelicans became aware of my boat drifting in very shallow water. One by one they entered the water and
a few flew away. I didn't allow my boat to come any closer. It's always a treat to find white pelicans out here. I've already been
photographing the Chokoloskee Bay group and this would be my second group. They are easy to spot from a distance, these
very large white birds. They are the largest white birds that congregate in groups and they are twice the size of the brown
pelican. So when you are paddling in the open gulf and you see a white wall in the distance, you are seeing white pelicans on
a sand or oyster bar (unless it starts moving, in which case, it is a boat).
I landed on the southeasterly corner of Turkey Key shortly after my companions arrived and began scouting the camping area
with them. We chose to camp on this side because of the winds coming from the south. Whenever possible, choose a
campsite that is open and facing the wind, at least when it is not cold and gusty. We decided on the point that had the least
amount of shoal (we were heading into low tide by now); it was open and getting the south wind. The more popular camping
area on Turkey is on the west side facing the gulf and also facing New Turkey Key. I like that spot and have based camped
there before. But I found the south end to be quite beautiful, facing the mangrove coastline and the Plover Keys. We would also
see the sunrise from this point tomorrow morning.
After setting up the tent, we walked around the southwest end toward the other camp area, taking advantage of the low tide.
Around the south point is a large shoal made up mostly of clam shells, something you don't usually see here. Apparently at
one time there was a clam industry in the islands and on occasion you run across the remains. The island nearest to Turkey
Key is New Turkey Key and this is a very popular kayak fishing area. In fact, 3 years ago my paddling companion caught a
large red fish right at the shore of Turkey Key as we were coming in to our campsite. We cooked it up and had fresh fish
sandwiches for lunch. Now that's kayak fishing at its best!
Finally, we had a bugless evening! What a welcome change of pace. We relaxed on the beach after dinner and made a fire.
Another beautiful day behind us and once again, we were staying alert of the weather forecast. By now, they were calling for
thunderstorms during our last morning on the water. After that, a very strong cold front with high winds would sweep over the
islands by afternoon. We discussed the possibility of paddling out tomorrow instead of staying one more night. This would be a
18-mile paddle, but a much better alternative to being caught in a storm in the gulf. We would wait until the next day to make a
decision.
December 31, Day 5: Turkey Key to Rabbit Key (10.5 miles)
Decisions, decisions, new years eve in Miami is out of the question and a shark feeding frenzy in front of our tents
The storm is coming, I could tell from the sky. It was a mackerel sky, a sure sign that a front is close behind. There are other
signs too. The animals will behave differently when a cold front is eminent. Sharks, dolphin and large fish start feeding like
crazy in response to the dropping atmospheric pressure. This can be an exciting time to be out here, but I would not push my
luck. We got on the water this morning with a brilliant sunrise and lots of dark clouds in the westerly horizon around our usual
time, 7:30 am. The waters were still calm and the temperatures were above normal, also a common pre-storm phenomenon.
We rounded the island and headed toward the inside of New Turkey Key. By now the morning sun was uncovered and casting
a beautiful light as we passed by several cormorants and pelicans resting on old pilings, the remains of a dock that once was
used on New Turkey Key. Soon, we were passing another familiar campsite, Mormon Key, that sits on the south end of the
mouth of the Chatham River. While we paddled we discussed back and forth the options of staying our last night on Rabbit Key
as planned or heading back to Everglades City. I weighed the pros and cons. As far as heading back to EC today, the pros
were: avoid a storm tomorrow, get an extra day at home before my semester begins, take a hot shower this evening. That's all
I could come up with. The cons for heading into EC today were: spending new years eve in Miami and not in the Ten
Thousand Islands, a long day ahead of us ending with a drive through Miami during rush hour after paddling almost 20 miles,
we would be working against the tide, not getting home until night, and missing out on a new years eve on Rabbit Key. One of
my companions was intent on staying out one more night, regardless. My other companion, much more experienced with
Everglades storms, did not want to risk it. I was the tie-breaker. Helping to make my decision was the fact that we had a short
distance to paddle tomorrow with the tides helping us into EC and we could get off Rabbit Key way before sunrise and paddle
back in the dark before the storm had time to come in. With my decision made, we headed toward our new years eve party
destination, Rabbit Key.
Today, we arrived at Rabbit Key very early, around 11 am. That was fine with me, I love to explore this little island. At low tide,
you can easily walk around it. We had the entire island to ourselves, a perfect ending to a perfect journey. We set up camp
where the wind would be most advantageous, near the large sandbar where many birds reside. We rested in the shade in an
open area that overlooks the north end. Walking back to my tent, I noticed a raccoon out on the end of the sandbar. As soon as
it noticed me, it began scurrying back to the mangroves. I noticed something amiss. He was hobbling and it was because he
had an empty aluminum can stuck on his foot. Oh dear. He wandered off into the mangrove forest, and later I would see him
out again on the sandbar, but without the can. At least I hoped it was the same raccoon. Obviously, this is one more hazard of
leaving trash out here.
Where we are set up with our tents is next to a tidal stream that cuts into the sandbar toward the mangrove forest. Here, there
were a couple ibises, a snowy egret and a great white egret feeding until we came along and scared them off. On the other
side of the stream is the remainder of the sand point where a large opening framed by mangrove canopies allows you to sit
comfortably in the shade while overlooking the water and giving you the sense of being in a theatre. This time, instead of
watching a play or film, we are entertained by a live wildlife documentary with lots of main characters. From this vantage point
we enjoyed our lunch while watching several osprey and pelicans fly by, mullet jump out of the water every 10 seconds or so
and a large stingray fly out of the water.
After a bit of exploring on the island, it was getting to be bath and dinner time. As the sun began to decline behind us, the bird
and fish activity picked up. The tide was now coming back in and the sandbar near our campsite would slowly disappear
underwater. In the meantime, several royal terns and sanderlings began to congregate at the point of the bar. Then, several
oystercatchers arrived, about a dozen or so. None of the birds was feeding, they were simply resting and although I managed
to take a photograph of the group, most of the oystercatcher's bright red beaks were hidden under feather. The great white
egret appeared at some point, perched on a piece of driftwood. And around our dinner time, we began to see very active shark
activity in the shallow flats in front of our tents. Amazing! They would move like bullets through the water heading directly
toward the shoreline as we stood on the edge watching. I don't know how many there were, but they stayed in that area for
what sounded like the entire night. I later laid in my tent listening to their wake action and occasionally would wake up and still
hear them. They were hustling to feed before the cold front hit. Once the storm rolls in, the sharks and other marine animals
stop feeding, and little movement occurs underwater. Like people preparing for a hurricane, these sharks were not wasting
time getting their fill of bait fish before having to wait out the storm.
December 31, Day 5: Rabbit Key to Everglades City (7 miles)
Avoiding a storm, cold breakfast at the Roadkill Cafe and home to Miami
We were awake by 4 am, and on the water by 5:30 this morning. It would be dark for about an hour. They sky was overcast,
so it would take a bit longer this morning for the sun to shine enough for daylight. We could paddle this route with our eyes
closed anyway. This is a familiar route that would only take a couple hours today with an in-coming tide. And so with
headlamps, we paddled toward our final destination. In the distant horizon we could see the lights of Chokoloskee Island
straight ahead and the lights of Everglades City to the left. I figured if we made a wrong turn we could always follow the lights.
We were on Chokoloskee Bay by 6:30 am. I immediately noticed the white pelicans that I had photographed a couple months
ago from my canoe. The sun was barely giving light but I could make out the white wall of birds in the distance. It was
comforting to see them, my old familiar friends. By the time we rounded Chokoloskee Island and made the northerly turn
toward Everglades City, it was light out enough to turn the headlamps off. Off in a northwesterly direction we could see
lightening, the storm was approaching. Off the water by 7:45 am, we were greeted by 3 young men from Wisconsin who were
packing their rented kayaks to begin their 3-day trip into the backcountry. Unfortunately for them, they would be caught in the
storm that would bring 40 knot winds, would blow the water out of the backcountry, strand several boaters , and brings
temperatures almost to freezing levels. Being young men, they didn't seem to be too concerned and were simply happy to be
here in sunny Florida on their break from school. We wished them good luck as we loaded up our boats, relieved that we
would be avoiding a bad scene.
By the fourth day on the trip I begin craving certain foods, like chocolate shakes and pizza. This morning, a hearty breakfast of
eggs, grits and biscuits sounded good to me. I could also go for a nice hot cup of brewed coffee, a reprieve from the Maxwell
House coffee bags I've been using for the past 6 days. We stopped at the only game in town, the charming RoadKill Cafe. At
this point, I didn't care where we ate. While in the restaurant eating our cold eggs and grits we began discussing our plans for
the next adventure. Not having had a hot shower in 6 days, we are still ready to go back out to our beloved Everglades. I doubt
I will ever do a 7-day trip again (never say never) and I doubt I will do this route again too, but there is a lifetime of adventure out
here and I'm already planning the next one (adventure, that is).
| Click on thumbnails to see photo |
The campsite locations
| All Rights Reserved. Copyright Constance Mier, 2007-2010 |
New Years Eve Everglades adventure, 2007: the
coastline from Flamingo to Everglades City
coastline from Flamingo to Everglades City
At the Flamingo marina, we are
almost ready to embark on our journey
almost ready to embark on our journey
We head out through the channel
accompanied by one of our familiar
dolphin friends.
accompanied by one of our familiar
dolphin friends.
There were plenty of fishing
opportunties on this trip.
opportunties on this trip.
Hurricane damage along the coast is
evident on the entire route.
evident on the entire route.
Our first night's camp, Clubhouse
Beach.
Beach.
Our second day takes us around East
Cape Sable.
Cape Sable.
A large sandbar at the mouth of the
Middle Cape canal is perfect for birds.
Middle Cape canal is perfect for birds.
Young herring gull in flight.
Our 2nd night's campsite on
Northwest Cape, near the point.
Northwest Cape, near the point.
A young red-shouldered hawk near
our campsite as the sun began to set.
our campsite as the sun began to set.
At sunset on the cape, the pelicans
were busily diving and flying by.
were busily diving and flying by.
Morning on Northwest Cape, before
beginning our third day.
beginning our third day.
Two views of the hurricane destruction
along the coast about 1 mile north of
Northwest Cape.
along the coast about 1 mile north of
Northwest Cape.
A view of Graveyard Creek and the
campsite.
campsite.
Heading north toward Highland Beach.
Our campsite on Highland Beach.
A familiar site..
An osprey in hunting position.
The white pelicans of Plover Key.
Our 5th night's campsite on Turkey
Key.
Key.
Cormorant near New Turkey Key
Another familiar site.
Bald Eagle near Duck Rock cove.
Birds on Rabbit Key.
Another common site.
Meal Plan for this trip
Breakfast (alternating the 2 choices):
Lunch (alternating between the 2):
Snacks:
Dinners:
One
Three
Four
Five
Six
Breakfast (alternating the 2 choices):
- Carnation Instant Breakfast with Tbl
expresso, 1/3 cup non-fat dry milk and
an energy bar
2 pck instant oatmeal with 2 Tbl dry
milk and handful of walnuts added
Lunch (alternating between the 2):
- Starkist Tuna kits with extra crackers
Peanut butter, pita bread and honey
(note: whole grain pita bread does not
last and will have mold within one day)
Snacks:
- Clif bars
TLC granola bars
Turkey Jerky
Dried mangoes
Dinners:
One
- Large cup of soup with 1/4 cp textured
vegetable protein, 1/4 cp dried
veggies, Smoked salmon package,
and 1/4 cp of Bragg's liquid amino acid.
8-10 ginger snap cookies for dessert
- Two
Red pepper soup (box, pre-made),
couscous with almonds, dried veggies
and liquid amino acids added. 2 biscotti
cookies for dessert.
Three
- Large minestrone cup-of-soup with
almonds and liquid amino acid added,
crackers, and ginger snaps for dessert.
Four
- Teriyaki noodles with teriyaki tuna
added, biscotti cookies for dessert
Five
- Black bean soup with rice added,
crackers, ginger snaps for dessert
Six
- Tortellini noodles with garlic, olive oil
and smoked salmon added, crackers.
Chocolate biscotti for dessert.
| It's all about the bugs Favorite quote of the trip: "Wow, you can actually see the no-see-ums". Most frequent quote of the trip: "Quick, close the door!" Scariest moment: getting out of my tent on Graveyard Creek. Happiest moment: the effects of the benadryl kicking in after getting back into my tent on Graveyard Creek. Second happiest moment: realizing that our evening on Turkey Key would be bug-free. Most incredible wildlife display: A hundred no-see-ums on the tent wall. Most incredible human behavior display: Getting off of the bug-infested Graveyard Creek in record time. |
| Back to HOME |