Sweetwater to Sunday North Route

[Terry]

It's off the NOAA Nautical Chart, which is probably why I've never taken this route, but
it shows clearly on the aerials: At the Chatham River/Deer Island Creek/Sweetwater
intersection, staying on the north side of Huston Bay and entering the north passage
at 25 degrees 44 minutes 57 seconds north and 81 degrees 13 minutes 49 seconds
west. Following the passage north of Huston Bay to what appears to be the narrowest
along this route at 25 degrees 46 minutes 13 seconds north and 81 degrees 15 miutes
6 seconds west. Continue following the creeks north of Oyster Bay turning into the
creek running north that eventually ends in Sunday Bay at 25 degrees 47 minutes
37 seconds north and 81 degrees 16 minutes 1 second west.
Exploring is difficult on 8 day solo through trips, in a fully loaded open canoe.
Mandatory permitted site destinations do not allow for much backtracking so I
prefer to stick to routes that I know I can get through.
Is this route open and, what the aerials don't show, has it got paddleable water?

[vivian]

I was planning that trip route last night. Should be passable I spoke to some friends that guide out of Chokoloskee and one of their guides did it last year. I did a portion of it from Last Huston to almost Oyster Bay. There was plenty of water at the time.

[Terry]

I just got a note from Alan and he also did the part from Last Huston to Oyster Bay but not from
Oyster Bay to Sunday Bay.
If I do a through trip this year, I'll take that route and stay as much as I can out of the bays and
in the backcountry. In fact I'll make that the objective of a trip, maybe even go north of Darwins
in Cannon Bay up toward the Southwater area then skirt the north side of Chevlier Bay and
around the back side of Deer Island.

[vivian]

Terry, I am doing this route T Giving weekend from Sweetwater to either Sunday or Lopez. I know you will be trying to get through the Lost Portage so I will report back with success or failure. Send me the route you were thinking about doing and I will compare to what I was looking at.

North of Darwins has been difficult for me to do these past two winters. The NE winds keep blowing water out of the area each time I have attempted it. That is one nasty bay to cross in high winds!

[Terry]

There really isn't many variations to this north route, unless you want to get out of the canoe
and go overland. I won't do that on a through trip, in fact on my last 3 through trips I've been
able to do it less than 50 percent on the WW and by not getting my feet wet for the whole
trip. Looking at the aerials there's only one deepest backcountry route that's open. Connect
my plots from my first post and you'll see the route I had in mind. The only part that goes
off the 11430 Nautical Chart is NE of Oyster Bay, that creek going NE then North dumps
into the SE side of Sunday Bay making a short trip across the bay to the chickee.

The other alternative route south of Sweetwater starts NE of WW "85" on the NE side of
Cannon Bay. The chart shows it open twisting back and forth skirting the eastern side
of Chevelier Bay and going east of Deer Island then west in Deer Island Creek to the
Sweetwater/ Chatham River intersection. For that matter, the aerials even show the
Southwater Lakes open. Both routes look plenty open, the question
is just if there's enough water. All of this Cannon Bay - Deer Island Creek route is
colored shallow and labeled "Oyster Bars". The one good thing is both routes,
north and south of Sweetwater are easy to bail out of if they're not passable.

If these routes have paddleable water they could provide good alternatives to the
same old, same old, open water bays in that area.

[vivian]

I would never assume you guys could not find a creek I can't see on my charts, LOL! Here is my route plan. I did not go into the creek that takes you to Sunday Bay but did do the route to where the creek empties into Oyster Bay. I looked at mileage and it's only .7 miles longer than going via the WWW route.

As I wrote in my last post, the NE winds and low water later in season could muck up the trip with either route.

[Terry]

Ya, that's the same route I have planned, It looks pretty simple and I'll be anxious
to read you status report. I guess this is the route that John has been trying to
get the park to mark for paddlers - to me I see no need wasting time and money
marking it, it's obvious. Trail maintenance is a lot more important than more
markers, I don't even care if the existing WW markers are there.
How come you're showing two camp spots up there in Sunday Bay, what's the
eastern one?
Ann, you've been quiet on this and this is your kind of area, have you taken this
route? How about around Deer Island?

[vivian]

Terry those campsites are on the google maps I brought up not my markers. I just did a quick "save as" to make the route a JPEG. Yes, the route seems so simple it should not be marked. Those needing a marked route can keep to the WWW markers.