Wilderness Waterway Questions
Hey everyone. I am planning on doing the wilderness waterway in March and I had a few questions for those who have done it. First of all, does anyone know of a good website for tides at flamingo? Salwatertides.com is not very accurate due to no close location. Next question is, does going flamingo to everglades city or vice versa matter? I was planning on going flamingo to everglades city. Last question is should I take deviations from the marked waterway? Perhaps to see some nicer areas or more wildlife or something. Thanks for all your help guys!
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by vivian on
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Think layers and quick dry. Extreme heat and cold conditions. I usually take clothing for paddling and another for camp Do not bother washing clothes as nothing ever dries out there. I do take a bath each night before putting on my camp clothes. Get yourself a product called No RInse. One capful in a quart of water gets you nice and clean Camp clothes is long sleeve nylon button up shirt and long nylon pants. This is what I wear out the last day of trip.
I have thermax or polypro long underwear that does not take up any space, a fleece vest that doubles as a pillow. Bring a fleece hat and gloves. A marmot rain jacket that I wear in cold weather over a coolmax short sleeve T shirt and long sleeve columbia nylon long sleeve shirt. In a SOT you will need dry pants and dry top. Unfortunately you will be exposed to daily wet and cold. That is the problem with SOT's on long trips the exposure to elements. My canoe has a spray deck with skirt. I do bring along waterproof rain pants just in case.
Socks: I take two pair of coolmax socks for paddling and one pair of wool socks for camp.
Shoes: Paddling shoe and camp shoes - Teva or crocs with wool socks.
Do not ditch the stove. A hot meal is very important at the end of a long cold and windy day on the water.
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Permalink Reply by Daniel Madrigal on
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Sounds about right, I was just thinking of taking more. I gotta look into that No Rinse. In March of this year we did a overnight to fakahatchee and it was 30 degrees at night so I got to experience the weather changes first hand!
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http://www.norinse.com/outdoorbodybath.htm
basspro and campmor sell this product. my friend use soap that can be used in saltwater but my skin can't take that. BTW you don't need a full quart unless you are rinsing your hair.
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Permalink Reply by yakmaster on
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Baby wipes, clean the "critical areas" and you don't have to carry extra water. When you get to Canepatch, a nice swim with Dr. Bonners, will make you a new man!
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Permalink Reply by Connie Mier on
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Pretty much what Vivian said. But we also are in canoes, not sitting in a puddle of water day in and day out. For our 9 day trip last year, I wrote about clothing and what I was taking for that trip. You can read it here:
http://evergladesexperience.blogspot.com/2009/12/planning-10-day-ca...
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Again, thanks to everyone helping out! Good thing I started planning early, I have a feeling this will be the post with the most replies ever on the EEN website. I will continue to plan, and narrow down my supplies and adapt my route. Eventually I will get to the point where I am happy with the preparation. Keep the info coming!
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Permalink Reply by Esther Luft on
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Don't try to dry your shoes or PFD over the fire. They melt! LOL!! Really, I did that once. I was wet and cold and it felt amazing, until my fried, who was sitting next to where I was standing, pointed out she smelled burning rubber. Yup! I singed the sole of my old Merrell hiking mocs. They still work though. Just the edges got a little crispy. The mesh on the PFD did not fare so well. I had to cut it out. It got crispy. Stohlquist/West Marine, exchanged it for a new one. I was shocked. I went in to buy another one and they insisted.
Instead of canned tuna, try the bags. They also sell chicken that way. We have fallen in love with House of India. They sell lentil, red beans and many other Indian dishes in heat and serve bags. Mix one with a bag of Uncle Ben's precooked rice, add in a pouch of chicken and you're having a very hearty meal in minutes - in one pot!
Uncle Ben's Three Cheese Rice, a pouch of tuna; you can through in a small can of peas and it too is a tasty hearty meal. It doesn't sound too delish, but it is. Even though I can't admit to enjoying it at home. Hmmmm.
The less you need to cook, the less fuel you need to carry. The less food you need to rehydrate (Ramen), the less water you will use.
I would replace some of the water with Gatorade or Powerade. A few beers don't hurt either. There is food in the beer and it's a quick way to replenish, really. I know many marathon runners who swear by it. It's step 1 in rehydrating before consuming heavier food.
Coffee, are you a coffee drinker? Instant espresso and the tiny cans of sweetened condensed milk recreate a very nice cafe con leche.
I didn't see a first aid kit on your gear list. What's up with that?
Take some Tecnu along. There's plenty of poison ivy out there. Washing with Tecnu as soon as possible after exposure is your best first defense against the painful effects.
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I thought I put one, thats a no brainer! I have to take a first aid kit, you never know.
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One more item that I have found indespensible is my Nissan thermos. This brand has kept water boiling hot even in really cold temps all night. After dinner I boil water and put it inside thermos and that goes into tent with me. I also bring a thermal cup with lid and some energy bars. In the morning while I am packing to move camp it is wonderful to have a hot cup of coffee or tea while munching on cliff bar or granola bar without having to go out of tent to cook. Remember, morning is when bugs are bad.
So you finish packing have already had breakfast and time to shove off for the next adventure. No pots to clean.
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You re paddling a Hobie with the Mirage drive? It's fine for short jaunts but I doubt you will have enough space for everything you are carrying. At 14', you will drop several inches when loaded. Load your boat and do a test run. Keep in mind that your drive will also cause you trouble in shallow water. It will tear up the bottom and become clogged with debris. Test it. This is a week long trip.
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Yes I am aware, in extreme shallows I just take the drive out and lift the rudder as it adds a few inches to the bottom.
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Just out of curiosity what kind of kayaks does everyone have?
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