Everglades Exploration Network

Mid June 2014 Paddle from Chokoloskee to Crooked Creek Chickee for Exploration up into New River

I am interested in putting together an investigative paddle mid-June based out of the Crooked Creek Chickee at the lower end of Sunday Bay to explore up into New River and to explore a few of the clearings/reported mounds on the south banks of New River.

Its probably about 5 miles from Chokoloskee to Crooked Creek (2-3 hours paddling).

I'm not sure how many can sleep on the chickee.

The idea is to leave early in the week (I'm a school teacher starting summer break), set up camp on the chickee the 1st day, then do an exploratory paddle up New River to beyond the park boundary into the preserve to identify the possibility of a dry and bug free (yeah, right!) campsite just inside the preserve.  

If found, possibly move the gear to this campsite.  If not, either way, begin the investigation of the mounds/clearings of interest that may be associated with Ft Harrell.

Let me know if you are interested.

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2 Tarps (1 blocking east, 1 blocking south) stopped the rain and wind, which allowed the combination of thermocell, coleman coils (same chemical as thermocell, aletherin, but fraction of cost and many hours per coil), and citronella candle to linger and chase them away.  Pavel side of the chickee was rough with skeeters.  We chilled on my side which had the tarps and armaments to fight the bugs.  We could hear the skeeters buzzing at night in the mangroves, but they stayed away from the chickee.

Let me be clear.  We were bug free with those precautions.  

Note:  Crooked Creek has a long East/West fetch that allowed the prevailing east wind to sweep it out too.

On the water nothing was needed.  

In the mangrove tunnels, mosquito netting and mild DEET did the trick.  When we landed at one of the possible Ft Harrell locations (hint: hmmmmmm...interesting findings here....wait for full report), a cloud of ravenous mosquitoes descended on us and ignored the off-the-shelf mild repellent.  We broke out the 100% DEET and they disappeard.

100% DEET is the final word in bug repulsion.

The permetherin sprayed clothing might work on city bugs, but on these skeeters that drill through deer hides, they could care less.

More later, but we did identify 2 VERY promising "mounds," one of which still had a squared railroad tie shaped beam that was 20 feet long sticking out of the mound horizontally.

Its really hard to say with 150 years of hunters camping on the few dry mounds available, especially some who repeatedly use the same mounds.

Pavel, checking out what appear to be fairly old dock pilings.  These are the pilings that started my questions when I came through here 10 years ago.  An old timer at a recent Big Cypress ORVAC meeting told me there was a fish camp near the boundary of ENP and Big Cypress that they made them remove.  These may be those pilings...but certainly research needs to be done.  OK, as I said, a full report later 

What a great trip!   We had a wonderful time regardless of the weather conditions.  Like Shawn say we eliminated the bug problems with the combination of multiple mosquito coils, citronella candle, two thermacell units and deep.  Plentiful water and food(more than our needs).  We had such a memorable exploration along the mangroves... I'll let the pics do the talking.

Yeah, I forgot to mention, Pavel is an excellent fisherman (we had fresh trout 1st night), a thorough photographer, a solid orienteer. Once again, this network proves its value in doing that - networking, providing info and contacts. A true pleasure to be out with people who want to go and know the score (do it without whining). Our 2nd day was ~18 miles through buggy, confusing backwaters and, like I said, good to be out with a solid outdoorsman. Report to follow. Cat woke me and saw pavel's post

Looks like a great trip.

OK, More Pictures.  By the way, the upraised mast/paddle combo was how I got text messages out to my wife that I was ok.  I also, ala Flex, turned a video recorder on for some interesting views from up there.  You'll have to wait for the edited video.

Also, the full written report is to follow (still).

Here, solar charging the backup phone batteries (12 Ah, good for 2 full charges of the phone. X 2 batteries = 4 days).

Attempted homemade saltwater distiller.  It made 1 teaspoon of fresh water after 6 hours.  I believe if I spray painted it flat black and used a black garbage bag, it would have been much more efficient.  Certainly worth experimenting with.

Day 1: Sailing from Chokoloskee to Crooked Creek Chickee.

Pavel, patiently waiting for my winds to be favorable.  He is a very patient paddling partner.  My canoe was loaded down for a comfortable base camp and winds were not favorable.  When they were, she sailed at 3-4 kts, but mostly I paddle sailed at 2 kts.

Close of Day 1:

Pavel, catching trout.  Dude is a fish machine.  We ate fried trout, fried sweet bananas (not plantains, bananas!), fried onions, rice and black beans night 1.  Boy Howdy!

Day 2: 18 mile round trip up and back down New River.

GE shot of track.  Note: GE route planned with waypoints estimated distance = 13 miles.  Actual roundtrip track which includes exploratory circumnavigation of lakes, forays into prairies and up dead end creeks = 17.25 miles.  The little "jukes" and turns add up:

Creeping up the New River in search of Ft. Harrell.

Its good to have a partner back in there.  At one point, an otter or python (I didn't get a good look) popped its head up next to my kayak and I "squeeled like a pig."  It's nice to have backup, both ways.

Day 2, continued:

A foray into glades prairie when the mangrove tunnel allowed an opening.  We found the skeletal remains of a large gator, minus the head.  Just curiosity here, trying to see if we could spot raised ground/mounds.

Day 2 Lunch on "2 Canoe Camp" - we find 2 canoes stashed in the mangroves.  Doesn't look like a camp since there really was no room for tents or moving around.  Someone had started clearing a trail along the New River bank from the canoes south about 50 yards, but it appeared to dead end.  Looking at GE, I notice there is an old airboat trail NW of this location. Lunch?  Peanut Butter/Jelly Goober on Garlic Bread.  Hey, its whats for dinner.

Day 2: 2nd possible Fort Harrell location.  This is an old dock, probably from a fish camp.  1994 GE images show a sizable "harbor" here accessible by airboat trail.  My theory is that the fort was logically built on the only high, strategic ground around, an old indian mound.  Subsequent hunter/fisher usage would be certain for the same reason.  As Pavel noted, they would have torn boards down and repurposed them (dock materials, firewood, dry platform, etc), so 150 years of use would likely leave little of the fort standing.

End of Day 2: Pavel cleaning and prepping his kayak for morning departure.

Day 3, Morning.  Pavel departing for the world of work...

Day 3, Solo Exploration of Barnes Creek (now believed to be historic "Barnes River" as I will explain in full report).  9 miles round trip.

No still pictures, took video and will edit and place on youtube then post links here.

Day 4, Morning, Shawn loaded up and ready to leave.  Waiting for slack tide.

Day 4: return to chokoloskee:

Unloading canoe, check the ice in the cooler after 4 days in the summer Everglades.  Trick?  1 slab Dry Ice wrapped in brown paper bags (2), 1 gallon jug of ice/water (frozen solid).  Beverages, then covered with chipped ice.  Note.  Coleman cheap cooler is still FROZEN solid today in my garage (2 slabs dry ice, 2 gallon jugs frozen solid, gatorades now frozen solid locked into solid block of ice).  We chipped them out and transferred them to the other cooler which was in direct sunlight half the day to thaw to 0 °C.  Of course, we used the ice chips to make our margaritas and cuba libres for happy hour... ; )

Shawn Sailing the Wilderness Waterway(Marker 127). 

Lopez River Campsite.

Shawn showing off his culinary skills!

Shawn checking the path in the GPS.

SPOT Messenger(just in case!

Shawn exploring the area.

The enigmatic pilings...seemingly an possible Indian Village, Old fishing Camp or maybe the remains of the lost Harrel Fort. 

Does it really matter in this place?

Shawn getting signal for the cell phone!  His invention could be patentable?

Spare Power Supply!  I don't know how Shawn manage to keep from sinking his canoe with all that gear!

At the end of day 3 (Barnes Creek/River solo exploration) while fishing along a branch of the Lopez River that leads into Cross Bay, I observed 2-3 sharks frolicking (probably mating).  Researching the topic, I've concluded that they were 2-3 Nurse Sharks mating (mating season June-July, floppy dorsal toward caudal fin, long floppy caudal fin, preferred red mangrove root environment for hatched sharks to mature in).  Here is the video:http://youtu.be/-5JeNrFQMSg

Nice! Looks like ya'll had some fun!! :)

OK, so you boys went out into the deep woods to shoot yourself some shark porn...

I've heard of specialty fetishes, but is there a market?!?!?

You have to be careful posting this stuff on this site, there could be rapid degeneration of conversation given the degenerates that frequent the site. 

But then again, I ain't gonna say another thing on this topic and Flex already looked and seems to have taken a pass...

you may be OK...

Amazing vid & excellent pics, ya done better than I expected!

See, you can play in the summer heat! 

BTW  saw the El Ebro can...what blend did you go with? They're the only guys with real meat. The competitors with meat buy it from them. They have a special license that the competitors don't have. Easy hearty  meal @ the end of a beating day...They're the goods!  

Looks like a fun trip guys! I wonder what the history is behind the pilings?  Someone went through some trouble putting those in.

Did the river become impassable at the Northern most point where you turned around?

Time and energy had run out. We'd done 10 miles up river and it was adternoon and we could find no way into the last clearing to check. The creek is passable up to the airboat crossing, perhaps further into the jungle we'd explored

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