Off-trail Backcountry Exploration - Everglades Exploration Network2024-03-28T22:20:42Zhttp://gladesgodeep.ning.com/forum/categories/offtrail-backcountry/listForCategory?feed=yes&xn_auth=noShark Valley to Pay-hay-okee?tag:gladesgodeep.ning.com,2017-04-15:2541133:Topic:741462017-04-15T01:56:10.126Zshawn beightolhttp://gladesgodeep.ning.com/profile/shawnbeightol
<p>Shark Valley to Pay-hay-okee?</p>
<p></p>
<p>Bet water is low enough to do this hike before rains set in.<br/><br/>Last time I heard it was done was in the 70s.</p>
<p></p>
<p>Any interest?</p>
<p>Shark Valley to Pay-hay-okee?</p>
<p></p>
<p>Bet water is low enough to do this hike before rains set in.<br/><br/>Last time I heard it was done was in the 70s.</p>
<p></p>
<p>Any interest?</p> Thanks for the Information!tag:gladesgodeep.ning.com,2016-03-25:2541133:Topic:702602016-03-25T20:10:41.290ZChris Hhttp://gladesgodeep.ning.com/profile/ChrisH429
<p>Water and Campsite ID - I would like to thank Chris Meyers and Dallas for the information supplied.<br></br>It all makes sense now! LOL<br></br>Seriously, the information together with the sites provided will help me plan ahead in an informed manner.<br></br>My Big Cypress biking excursion objectives have been: getting away from all the "noise" in the neighborhood for a couple hours, experiencing the vastness of the Everglades, exploring in general and preparing me and my bicycle for a solo bicycle…</p>
<p>Water and Campsite ID - I would like to thank Chris Meyers and Dallas for the information supplied.<br/>It all makes sense now! LOL<br/>Seriously, the information together with the sites provided will help me plan ahead in an informed manner.<br/>My Big Cypress biking excursion objectives have been: getting away from all the "noise" in the neighborhood for a couple hours, experiencing the vastness of the Everglades, exploring in general and preparing me and my bicycle for a solo bicycle tour from northern tip of Lake Okeechobee (Okee-Tantie) to the city of Frostproof via the Florida National Scenic Trail.<br/>I'll post details on my setup and setbacks in future posts.</p>
<p>I have posted a couple picture for now.<br/>Thanks!</p> East Evergladestag:gladesgodeep.ning.com,2016-03-22:2541133:Topic:700902016-03-22T14:56:45.332ZTerryhttp://gladesgodeep.ning.com/profile/terry
<p></p>
<p>The New Bridge Loop was mapped in October 2013. It's a wonderful 5 mile loop</p>
<p>starting and ending at the public ramp at Coopertown or the public ramp on the north</p>
<p>side of the canal between Coopertown and the new bridge. Located the closest to Miami</p>
<p>to get into the Everglades, this little loop exposes the visitor to open canal paddling,</p>
<p>grass paddling and airboat trail paddling in only 5 miles.</p>
<p>Water Station G-3576, just south of the bridge, is…</p>
<p></p>
<p>The New Bridge Loop was mapped in October 2013. It's a wonderful 5 mile loop</p>
<p>starting and ending at the public ramp at Coopertown or the public ramp on the north</p>
<p>side of the canal between Coopertown and the new bridge. Located the closest to Miami</p>
<p>to get into the Everglades, this little loop exposes the visitor to open canal paddling,</p>
<p>grass paddling and airboat trail paddling in only 5 miles.</p>
<p>Water Station G-3576, just south of the bridge, is currently show</p>
<p>+7.8 NGVD29, that's about 7 inches more water than when this route was mapped.</p>
<p>Also, the grass in the canoe trail near the bridge has been freshly mowed</p>
<p>by airboats. Peak summer height water in March and</p>
<p>a 5 mile grass loop only 30 minutes out of Miami - Everybody, get out and paddle this</p>
<p>loop now.</p>
<p></p>
<p><a target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2866520520?profile=original"><img width="750" class="align-full" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2866520520?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="750"/></a></p>
<p></p>
<p></p> Potable Watertag:gladesgodeep.ning.com,2016-02-27:2541133:Topic:700552016-02-27T17:24:30.106ZChris Hhttp://gladesgodeep.ning.com/profile/ChrisH429
<p>I plan on biking to a campsite which I'm trying to identify before April this year. It's southwest of Gum Slough. I'll be biking from around Lucky's to Pace's Dike and from there to the campsite.</p>
<p>I'll be carrying everything I need (hopefully) on the bicycle including water. To help calculate the amount of water I'll be carrying I need to know if it's possible to find water easily during this time of year at this location (my previous post is about trying to identify this campsite…</p>
<p>I plan on biking to a campsite which I'm trying to identify before April this year. It's southwest of Gum Slough. I'll be biking from around Lucky's to Pace's Dike and from there to the campsite.</p>
<p>I'll be carrying everything I need (hopefully) on the bicycle including water. To help calculate the amount of water I'll be carrying I need to know if it's possible to find water easily during this time of year at this location (my previous post is about trying to identify this campsite and get some info on it).</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>Chris</p> Help Identifying Primitive Campsitetag:gladesgodeep.ning.com,2016-02-27:2541133:Topic:701672016-02-27T17:12:42.618ZChris Hhttp://gladesgodeep.ning.com/profile/ChrisH429
<p>I plan on bicycling from around Lucky's on Loop Road to Pace's Dike and from there to a primitive campsite which I would like to identify and get some info on.</p>
<p>On the National Park Service website (Big Cypress) there is a map which shows the various campsites, the majority of which don't have names.</p>
<p></p>
<p>There is a list of campsites on the site with information on each one but by name and I don't know what this one's name is.</p>
<p></p>
<p>The one I plan on biking to is…</p>
<p>I plan on bicycling from around Lucky's on Loop Road to Pace's Dike and from there to a primitive campsite which I would like to identify and get some info on.</p>
<p>On the National Park Service website (Big Cypress) there is a map which shows the various campsites, the majority of which don't have names.</p>
<p></p>
<p>There is a list of campsites on the site with information on each one but by name and I don't know what this one's name is.</p>
<p></p>
<p>The one I plan on biking to is southwest of Gum Slough (inside Big Cypress).</p>
<p></p>
<p>Any information on this campsite would be helpful in my planning.</p>
<p></p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p></p>
<p>Chris</p> Moving Water South to Shark River Slough and Beyondtag:gladesgodeep.ning.com,2016-02-16:2541133:Topic:701592016-02-16T16:19:21.664ZJoseph Schmidthttp://gladesgodeep.ning.com/profile/JosephSchmidt
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><a href="http://www.sfwmd.gov/portal/page/portal/xrepository/sfwmd_repository_pdf/ops_update_2016_0215.pdf"><font color="#0563C1" face="Calibri" size="3">http://www.sfwmd.gov/portal/page/portal/xrepository/sfwmd_repository_pdf/ops_update_2016_0215.pdf</font></a></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font face="Calibri" size="3"> …</font></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><a href="http://www.sfwmd.gov/portal/page/portal/xrepository/sfwmd_repository_pdf/ops_update_2016_0215.pdf"><font color="#0563C1" face="Calibri" size="3">http://www.sfwmd.gov/portal/page/portal/xrepository/sfwmd_repository_pdf/ops_update_2016_0215.pdf</font></a></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font face="Calibri" size="3"> </font></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><a href="http://www.naplesnews.com/news/environment/corps-of-engineers-approves-request-to-divert-lake-okeechobee-water-south-to-the-everglades-2bd4af1d-368882091.html"><font color="#0563C1" face="Calibri" size="3">http://www.naplesnews.com/news/environment/corps-of-engineers-approves-request-to-divert-lake-okeechobee-water-south-to-the-everglades-2bd4af1d-368882091.html</font></a></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font face="Calibri" size="3"> </font></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font face="Calibri" size="3">The stage in WCA-3 is at record levels. So much so that the Army Corps of Engineers and South Florida Water Management District have agreed to move water into the Shark River Slough without regard to water quality and control elevation concerns. Approximately 2500 CFS (1,122,000 GPM) is currently flowing from WCA-3 via S12C and S12D into the Slough where the tailwater stage is about 10.7 feet NGVD. The closest station downstream of S12C and S12D (NP-201) is currently at 8.6 feet NGVD and rising. I’ve checked the historical record for this station, and the highest stage recorded here in the past 10 years is about 9.3 feet NGVD, which occurred in October 2008. Given the high probability that discharges will continue, it seems that a once in a lifetime opportunity to experience the Slough at wet season water levels with dry season temperatures is occurring right now.</font></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font face="Calibri" size="3">Where is the best place to launch from Tamiami Trail? Based on the aerials there is thick vegetation, probably willows, along the southern burrow canal between S12C and S12D, that looks impenetrable with a 17-foot Grumman canoe. Additionally, it looks like there is better or easier entry into the Slough from L-67 about a mile south of S333. Has anyone ground-truthed or verified this point of entry?</font></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font face="Calibri" size="3">Cheers!</font></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font face="Calibri" size="3">Joe</font></p> Searching for a "New" Old Passage from Big Cypress Down to Everglades National Park Wilderness Waterwaytag:gladesgodeep.ning.com,2015-08-20:2541133:Topic:664602015-08-20T18:44:58.178Zshawn beightolhttp://gladesgodeep.ning.com/profile/shawnbeightol
<p>I have crossed south from the Big Cypress to the Wilderness Waterway 3 different routes in the past: Turner River, New River and Shark Valley/River. A post on this site (Everglades Exploration Network) by Terry Helmers (I believe) about finding old routes from north to south has whet my appetite. I have become increasingly interested in the historic passages that lead similarly from north to south. Last summer and this summer I have tried to connect Sweetwater Bay (along several creeks) to…</p>
<p>I have crossed south from the Big Cypress to the Wilderness Waterway 3 different routes in the past: Turner River, New River and Shark Valley/River. A post on this site (Everglades Exploration Network) by Terry Helmers (I believe) about finding old routes from north to south has whet my appetite. I have become increasingly interested in the historic passages that lead similarly from north to south. Last summer and this summer I have tried to connect Sweetwater Bay (along several creeks) to the Sig Walker airboat trail up to Loop Road. I believe I am within 2 miles of connecting the middle ends.<br/><br/>This is a short video update on the progress as of 8/17/15 (my last 3 day solo effort): <br/><a href="https://youtu.be/BLXyNzspVMs" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/BLXyNzspVMs</a><br/><iframe width="420" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BLXyNzspVMs?wmode=opaque" frameborder="0"></iframe>
</p> Paces Dike to Lostman's Pine Exploration During Memorial Day Weekend 2015 - Dry Seasontag:gladesgodeep.ning.com,2015-05-26:2541133:Topic:659092015-05-26T10:22:49.999Zshawn beightolhttp://gladesgodeep.ning.com/profile/shawnbeightol
<p>First of all, if you are going out into the woods this time of year, you need to plan on 1 gallon water per person minimum. Do NOT count on finding water in the sloughs or cypress domes for filtering. This has been a very dry season. The rains are beginning to return, but depending on where you are, you may not find water for filtering.<br></br><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2866521151?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-center" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2866521151?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="750"></img></a></p>
<p>Mini-trip report from…</p>
<p>First of all, if you are going out into the woods this time of year, you need to plan on 1 gallon water per person minimum. Do NOT count on finding water in the sloughs or cypress domes for filtering. This has been a very dry season. The rains are beginning to return, but depending on where you are, you may not find water for filtering.<br/><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2866521151?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="750" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2866521151?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="750" class="align-center"/></a></p>
<p>Mini-trip report from Memorial Day 3 day weekend excursion to Lostman Pines via Paces Dike (Interactive GPS tracks: <a href="https://goo.gl/6PBI66">https://goo.gl/6PBI66</a> ):</p>
<p>FTA's Esther Muram and I followed Paces Dike down to gum slough pulling our back packs in a bike trailer. After Gum slough, there was too much cap rock then marl to bike, so we pushed our bikes/trailer another 2 miles to a pine hammock and set up camp. We realized that Sawmill trail we were following branched not to buggy trails but airboat trails which we had intended to use to get to Lostmans. So it couldn't be done with bike/trailer.</p>
<p>Aside from 1 turkey near gum slough coming in, we saw NO (0) sign of ANY game down in the pines. No game trails, no scat/poop. No tracks (the morning we left we saw the track of a single red fox). No rubs or scratches from deer, bear or panther.</p>
<p>Aside from song birds, there weren't even herons, owls, whippoorwills...NOTHING. There were lubber grasshoppers, anoles on trees and tadpoles in the shallow puddles we found occasionally, but no bird tracks around the puddles.</p>
<p>We found it eerily quiet at night. No howls or hoots. I thought recent rumors of coyotes might explain the apparent loss of game...but we heard no yips, howls or barks.</p>
<p>Something is seriously wrong down there.</p>
<p></p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2866524136?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="750" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2866524136?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="750" class="align-center"/></a></p> Pedal and Paddle in Shark Valley: The kayak and the wheel, a symbiotic relationship.tag:gladesgodeep.ning.com,2015-05-18:2541133:Topic:659012015-05-18T23:23:32.140ZFlex Kayakfari.comhttp://gladesgodeep.ning.com/profile/029
<h1 style="text-align: center;"><span class="font-size-6" style="color: #000000;">A short adventure that took all day..</span></h1>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span>kayaking to Seagrape Hammock, aka Willoughby Key in the Everglades!</span></h2>
<p></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">click pic for story…</p>
<p><a href="https://kayakfari.wordpress.com/2015/05/18/pedal-and-paddle-in-shark-valley-the-kayak-and-the-wheel-a-symbiotic-relationship/" target="_blank"><img class="align-center" src="https://kayakfari.files.wordpress.com/2015/03/kayakfari-shark-valley-everglades-kayak-hammock-sawgrass-49.jpg"></img></a></p>
<h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #000000;" class="font-size-6">A short adventure that took all day..</span></h1>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span>kayaking to Seagrape Hammock, aka Willoughby Key in the Everglades!</span></h2>
<p></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">click pic for story</p>
<p><a href="https://kayakfari.wordpress.com/2015/05/18/pedal-and-paddle-in-shark-valley-the-kayak-and-the-wheel-a-symbiotic-relationship/" target="_blank"><img src="https://kayakfari.files.wordpress.com/2015/03/kayakfari-shark-valley-everglades-kayak-hammock-sawgrass-49.jpg" class="align-center"/></a></p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://kayakfari.wordpress.com/2015/05/18/pedal-and-paddle-in-shark-valley-the-kayak-and-the-wheel-a-symbiotic-relationship/">https://kayakfari.wordpress.com/2015/05/18/pedal-and-paddle-in-shark-valley-the-kayak-and-the-wheel-a-symbiotic-relationship/</a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"></p> 2 Night Suggestiontag:gladesgodeep.ning.com,2015-02-10:2541133:Topic:646752015-02-10T17:05:30.990ZLauren Mhttp://gladesgodeep.ning.com/profile/LaurenM
<p><span class="font-size-3" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Hello All, </span></p>
<p></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">We are two newbies headed to the Everglades next week. Wanted to know if anyone had a 2 night, 3 day recommendation either leaving from Flamingo or Everglades City areas. We will be renting canoes and are intermediate paddlers with expert backcountry experience. …</span></p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" class="font-size-3">Hello All, </span></p>
<p></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" class="font-size-3">We are two newbies headed to the Everglades next week. Wanted to know if anyone had a 2 night, 3 day recommendation either leaving from Flamingo or Everglades City areas. We will be renting canoes and are intermediate paddlers with expert backcountry experience. </span></p>
<p></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" class="font-size-3">Thanks in advance for your recommendations! </span></p>