A CANOEING ADVENTURE IN THE FLORIDA EVERGLADES
By Rich Henke

THE APPROACH
The idea for this trip came several years ago, when I read a magazine article about paddling in the Florida Everglades. I was surprised to learn that in addition to day trips, it is possible to do a 100 mile self-contained kayak or canoe trip on a north-south route named the Wilderness Waterway that traverses much of Everglades National Park. Camping is available at designated sites of three different types: beaches, shell mounds, and 'chickees." The latter are wooden platforms built on stilts out over the water. In January 2004, four of us - Bob Caplan, Armando Menocal, Andy Stump, and I - met in Miami to do a ten-day canoe trip.

Upon arrival, we took a rental car to Florida City, about 30 miles SW of the Miami airport. We stayed at a terrific hostel where we were able to rent canoes and arrange transport for the following morning to the start of our canoe route. We also turned in our rental car since it would not be needed while we were on the water.

The following day, we registered at the National Park Visitors Center at Everglades City, about a two-hour drive from the hostel. Backcountry campsites must be reserved in person and not more then 24 hours in advance. Because of this, you cannot complete your itinerary until you arrive. Fortunately, we managed to get the campsites we wanted, although the weather forecast of 15-20 mph winds along the coast caused us to change our itinerary at the last minute: we decided to remain inland in more protected waterways for the entire trip. But we planned on utilizing smaller side routes as much as possible, where we would see no motorboats. Although paddlers can do the route in seven days, we planned on ten days to have extra time to explore and relax and for Andy to fish.

We loaded up our canoes at the Visitors Center and paddled three miles to Chokoloskee Island, where we had made reservations to stay at a private campground. We visited the very interesting Smallwood Museum, a restored general store that dates back to 1906. After stocking up on all the fresh water we would need for the entire trip, we were ready to start our excursion.

THE PADDLING
Everglades National Park is an amazing place to paddle. There is very little dry ground and the water depth is seldom more than a couple of feet. Mangrove trees are everywhere. Often when you start out in the morning, you are not able to step out of your canoe until you reach the evening campsite. Wind and tides have significant influence and must be monitored. We spent our days watching the fabulous birdlife, which included ospreys, kingfishers, herons, egrets, ibis, and storks. It is often difficult to spot the alligators that frequent the shores. They pose little threat to paddlers, but swimming is not recommended! We occasionally encountered mosquitoes and no-see-ums, but they were not much of a problem in the winter season.

Along the path of the Wilderness Waterway, there are markers (noted on the nautical charts) that you can follow to keep track of where you are. In the North, the route links together big bays several miles across. There are few natural features that can be used as landmarks. We found that the most interesting paddling was on some of the side routes that paralleled the main route. Highlights are described below.

- Woods River
On day five, we followed a small overgrown stream called Woods River for ten miles. Although route finding was never a problem, we were constantly dodging branches, maneuvering around logs, and wondering whether this route would really go through! It was here that we saw our first four alligators. Huge mangrove trees provided a canopy for the entire day, and we seldom saw the sun.

- The Nightmare
Midway between the northern and southern sections of the waterway, there are only two possible routes. The most commonly used path is to head west into the ocean for several miles and then return to the inland route. The alternative is to try the overgrown shallow Nightmare route. We read various descriptions of this route before we came but the descriptions were not very consistent. The 'nightmare' occurs if you are caught on this route at low tide since the water levels will drop to the point where it is not passable. The major problem is determining tide schedules since the tide charts are very imprecise in this part of the Everglades. You need to apply time corrections, and account for the wind along with other factors. We found the best approach was to monitor the tides the night before and then plan the next day departure accordingly. On day six, we left Broad River Campsite early on a falling high tide, hoping to get through before a lack of water stranded us. We paddled through an overgrown channel where very little light was able to penetrate the canopy. The black mangrove trunks and shoots created a strange landscape almost like in the Lord of the Rings. In some places the still water was dyed a deep russet red by the mangrove roots. We ended up having to push the canoes over several protruding logs early on the route, and we also worried as we paddled through a very shallow section, hoping that we would finish it before the tide dropped further. Fortunately, two hours after we left our camp, we were through the critical section. For the remainder of the day, the paddle through narrow, overgrown Broad Creek was also a highlight.

- The Labyrinth
The guidebook touted this route as one of the most challenging in the Everglades, so of course, we put it on our 'must do' list. The Labyrinth gets its name because it is a 4-mile stretch of hundreds of channels and tightly packed islands. On day eight, we took out our GPS for the only time on the trip. In the end, it turned out that map and compass were sufficient. We stopped at every intersection to carefully look at our collection of maps, and an hour and a half later, we were through it. It was great fun.

- Life on the Chickees
Our first five nights were spent on ground campsites which are 'small islands' usually formed by an accumulation of shells deposited here by the early Everglades inhabitants over hundreds of years. These sites typically accommodate two or three groups, and have both a picnic table and a toilet. In the later part of the trip, we used the chickees. They are typically 12' x 12' in size and are connected to a toilet by a four-foot wide walkway. Fortunately, they are built high enough out of the water that alligators do not adopt them as resting places. Some times two platforms share a common toilet.

A very disciplined approach was required to fit two dome tents on a platform, and still have room to cook and store all our gear. And boy, did we have lots of gear! One of the real advantages of canoes over kayaks is that they have much greater capacity, in addition to being much quicker to load and unload. But we adjusted quickly and were soon able to set up our chickee campsites efficiently. No problems with the tent sites being bumpy or slanted. You could walk around barefoot, there are fewer bugs, and the views were spectacular. The most memorable view was the silhouette of an alligator's head in the setting sun's reflection on the water. It is a very unique experience and I am not aware of any other camping experience like it.

THE FINISH
On our last day, we paddled eleven miles to Flamingo, the end of the Wilderness Waterway route. This spot is connected by road to Miami and gets tons of visitors and boaters. We had made a prior reservation in the Flamingo Campground and spent an extra night there before being transported back to the hostel. We were surprised and disappointed to find out that we could not paddle directly to the campground. Instead we had to do our only portage, a 20-foot carry around a dam at the end of the channel leading to the Gulf. After setting up camp, we had our only rain of the trip, a 30-minute deluge of several inches. After reaching the hostel the following day, we rented a car again for a day to explore some sights in Big Cypress Preserve to the north, where we got close-up photos of the alligators lounging around the canals and great white egrets posing a few feet away. After a last night at the hostel, we said goodbye to the steamy swamps and flew home.

LOGISTICS
Before paddling the Wilderness Waterway, you must decide what type of craft to use and the logistics of getting your gear to Florida. Canoes are more suitable for the inside passages while kayaks are better for the outer coast. However, many people do use canoes on the coast during stretches of good weather. We found it was simple and inexpensive to rent the canoes upon arrival and to bring our camping equipment and food from home. We bought hard plastic water containers on arrival. There is no fresh water available during the paddle, and the water containers you carry must be raccoon proof! Although canoe rentals are available at a number of places, the Everglades Hostel in Florida City offers by far the best deal in town. This is especially true if you arrive by air. They will transport your group and canoes to the start and pick you up at the finish ($100 each way), so you need to rent a car for only two days, one for when you arrive and one for when you depart. We rented Old Town Discovery 174 Canoes for $20 per day. We also stayed at the friendly hostel for a night at each end of our trip. It is important to leave yourself some time at the beginning and end of the trip: don't expect to fly in to Miami and be on the water the following morning. You can reach the hostel at 305-248-1122.

REFERENCES
Johnny Malloy's book "A Paddlers Guide to Everglades National Park" is an excellent reference and describes dozens of paddling routes in the park. It lists every campsite, provides basic information about the equipment you will need, and also contains a complete set of maps. If you are doing the trip on your own, you will want this book. To aid with planning, we copied and taped together Malloy's maps from the appendix so we had a single view of the Everglades and the route options. Once on the water, the single pages in the book were more efficient for viewing. Waterproof nautical maps are also very useful, as is the Trails Illustrated map " Everglades National Park."

ADDENDUM

BOX WINE
By fellow canoeist, Bob Caplan

A 100-mile canoe trip through Everglades National Park requires planning. Part of the planning is what to take on the plane and what to buy once in Florida. It is easy enough to bring tents, clothing, and most food for 10 days. Dragging along the 40 gallons of drinking water we would need to carry in our canoes is another matter. For sure, the airlines would charge us dearly for the 320 pounds of water and the numerous containers it would require. And that's not even counting the 12 liters of wine that was also on our packing list (just after the listing for "flashlight" and "sleeping bag").

So when Rich and I arrived at Miami International from Redondo Beach, Armando, from Jackson Hole, and Andy from Elkins, West Virginia, the first order of business was to purchase containers for drinking water and some fine wine to go with dinner. We piled into our rental van and headed for a Walmart Superstore. Some of us wandered up aisles towards stacks of tortillas. Others headed towards the water container section. To make the most important purchasing decision, we converged on the wine section.

Box wine packs well in a canoe. The pullout spout stores out of the way when in the canoe. We had two choices, a $16 and a $7 brand. The jury deliberated little, and we settled on Franzia's $7 line, buying two boxes of something called "Chillable Red," one with a forgettable name like "No Rush Blush," and one, which for lack of a better name and after careful taste tests, we christened "Almost Chablis."

During our dinners over the next ten days, often to the song of an occasional mosquito or to the splash of an unseen fish or alligator, we frequently found ourselves remarking on the qualities of these wines as we rolled them on our tongues (we suppose gargling would also have worked). We conceded that Chillable Red had definite fruity notes with none of distracting dryness of a fine Sirah or the bouquet of a Cabernet Sauvignon. "Almost Chablis" received the highest marks, edging out No Rush Blush, but we it had one drawback. We thought the label should have read, "Beware of Expensive Imitations."