just finished through trip 12/24 - 12/30

[Sarah Jane Smith]

My daughter & I just finished our first through trip & we had a blast.  Our route was somewhat designed by available sites, and also by necessary avoidances, like the nightmare or other tunnel/tangle areas.  My daughter is mildly arachnophobic, so we try to steer clear of areas where 8 legged beasts may drop on us from above.  I'm thrilled to have her with me, and so I'm quite willing to adjust our journeys so she's comfortable in the boat or on the trail.

We rented a tandem kayak from Glades Haven in Everglades City.  We put in at Gulf Coast, and had to paddle to Sweetwater the first night.  It was a long paddle, but we did it in less than 8 hours with the winds and tides on our side.

Put in at Gulf Coast

Sweetwater

Plate Creek

Highland Beach via Lostman's River

Harney River

Shark River

South Joe River

Flamingo - take out

Day 1 - we put in Glades Haven, which is across the highway from the Gulf Coast Visitors Center.  We got out around 8am and had a great paddle to Sweetwater Bay.  It was a long paddle, but we were fresh & the weather was gorgeous.  We had a couple of bottlenose dolphins join us in the Huston Bay.

Day 2 - We set off a little late this day b/c we knew we had a short, easy paddle to Plate Creek.  We really enjoyed the newly rebuilt chickee.  

Day 3 - Our journey to Highland Beach was long and arduous!  We battled a headwind all day long, so even though the tide was falling as we paddled Lostman's River, it didn't help us at all.  We arrived on the beach around 5:30, just in time for the no-see-ums dinner bell.  At least the tide hadn't fallen too far at this point and we were able to land at the beach instead of in the mud flats. 

Day 4 - the paddle to Harney River was dreamy.  The tide came in enough for us to launch by 10:15, and with the rising tide and a tailwind, we were essentially just steering our way to the Harney River rather than powering our way there.  The Harney chickee was nice, except the portalet was in desperate need of service, so the smell was rather overwhelming.  We didn't have much wind, but we were fortunate to choose the platform upwind from the portalet.  

Day 5 - the no-see-ums were ruthless this morning, and loading the kayak at low tide was quite an adventure.  My daughter was a rock star in this regard, climbing into the cockpits and then twisting and contorting herself to cram our gear into every nook and cranny in the hatches.  We enjoyed a lazy paddle to Shark River with excellent weather.

Day 6 - Our paddle to the South Joe River chickee was beautiful.  We set out early, so Oyster Bay was pretty calm, and we had a lovely, light tailwind.  The tide and wind in the Joe River carried us along, so the last half of the paddle was pretty easy.

Day 7 - We set out at 7:30am hoping this stretch of the trip would be calmer during the early morning hours.  Unfortunately that was not the case, and we quickly found ourselves fighting a wicked cross wind and some big waves.  We paddled hard to move east across the southern portion of the Joe River & Whitewater Bay.  When we turned south to the creek connecting Whitewater Bay to Coot Bay, the wind became a fierce tailwind.  The sizeable waves were pushing us about and washing over the deck of the kayak, but before long we were heading across the relatively smoother Coot Bay.  We landed at Flamingo by noon, and so ended our amazing journey.

I was a bit nervous about navigating the southeastern bays (Hell's, Lane, etc), and so took the western route instead.  The next time I go, I think I will reverse the trip and head into Hell's Bay on Day 1.

[yakmaster]

If'n your daughter dislikes spiders, the Hells Bay Route may not be the best choice. However if she wants to overcome her issues by challenge, it may be just what the Dr. ordered!

 

I did a very similar route with my 18 year old (then) daughter 4 years ago. It was a great bonding experience. We pulled out a day early bypassing south Joe on the last night to watch the BCS championship and sleep in a real bed!

[Amazon Bill]

Then you must be Gator ! Too bad they forgot to show up tonight for Louisville. I picked Hells Bay route for my son's first trip. We had a great time and were chillin in 38 degree cold front.

[Jay]

Sounds like a fun trip.  Glad you had your time with your daughter.

Wondering if you had a clear evening at Plate Creek?  I was looking to the east and noticed what I thought was a rising planet just above the tree line horizon....then I saw 2 and then three.  It was then that I realized that I was seeing airplanes descending on downwind for runway 9 at MIA - @55 miles away!  At least it was quiet!

[Sarah Jane Smith]

Yes, we had a beautiful evening at Plate Creek.  I think that was my daughter's favorite chickee.  The moon was so full we didn't need lamps, and we didn't have a lot of wind.  We heard a dolphin or manatee swimming about for quite a while that night.  That was our first visit to Plate Creek.  Seeing the old posts that remain from the original platform made us awfully glad they built a new platform.  The new one is farther from the mangroves and felt more open than we imagined the old one would feel.

[yakmaster]

Gator Born, Gator Bred & when I die, I'll be Gator Dead!

 

Unfortunately, they died before I did!

 

But wait till next Year!

[Sarah Jane Smith]

If you put in at Flamingo and enter Hells Bay from the southwest, is it still tunnelish or only if you put in at the Hell's Bay entrance?  I was trying to look at possible routes on Google Earth and it seemed like there were quite a few open creeks, but I haven't sat down with my maps and GE together to determine if it's doable.

 

My daughter is 16; I've been dragging her on various camping & road trips for about 10 years.  She has a great attitude about the backcountry.  Even when things don't go as planned, she'll just say, "it's all part of the adventure!" and make the best of it.  I think she actually enjoys the backcountry as much as I do, which I find amazing in a teenaged girl.  ;-)

[Amazon Bill]

Go Gators 'BSCE 87. Since you're an avid kayaker you would have gotten a kick out of our concrete canoe that was a striking orange and blue glossy epoxy paint with a foam gator head on the bow! In true Gator fashion we blew out the competition, with 285 pounds of shear grace at the waterline :)!

[yakmaster]

Feeling old, JD 86.

But I was there for the REAL Gator Years. When we were unrecognized National Champs. Barred from bowl play & TV, due to the Pell suspension. But we won every Saturday! 

 

Lived right across from the O-Dome, used to guide tours on the roof of the dome. That was where I developed my guide techniques... going where they say you can't go...squeezing into tight spaces to break into the open (in that case brace climbing the inside of the gutters to get on the top...).

 

That was also when the dream of an Okeechobee to the bay paddle was born!

 

The good old days...

[Gary M]

Y'all are just Gator pups!  BS Chem... 1979!  Those were the years that we paid our dues... plenty of talent but no coaching. Played Auburn and Georgia back to back each year -was the deal breaker usually. And Pell, though he won, was the biggest black eye on the program.

Now... back on thread.... congrats Sarah, and welcome. 

You can get into Hells Bay, from the marina or Coot Bay Pond, without doing any small creeks. HOWEVER... watch the wind forecasts as that stint across the bottom of Whitewater Bay can be horrible (or impossible) on a good wind from any N quadrant.