Alligator Creek overnight

[Michael Palozzola]

I am looking to get my feet wet for camping by kayak. I was looking at possibly doing this site but the comments I read on Everglades Diaries about many gators and crocs present makes me hesitant. I was wondering possibly a stupid question. How do you keep the gators away from the site at night safely?

[Sarah Orman]

Hmm. Now I gotta think about the footwear thing. I was going to wear my Teva Hurricane sandals for paddling and either an old pair of running shoes or hiking boots in camp. I don't have dive booties. Are they expensive? Are there oysters on the shores that I may step on or am I going to be out on oyster bars? I am such a landlocked camper.

[Jay]

I brought an old pair of running shoes on my last trip and never wore them.  On some beaches, you would want to have them due to shells in the muck - at others you might not have that issue. If you are arriving or departing a beach site on a mid-low tide - they are good to have.  They are also nice to have in the event you are transiting somewhere at a low tide and get stuck...and you want to try and slog yourself out.  Tie them up tight and you will probably be OK.

[Jay]

I armor-up against the Noseeums. Long pants tucked into thick socks, long sleeved shirt tucked into gloves and my pants, a midge suit top with hood.  If they are bad, I stay inside the tent/hammock just prior to darkness and come out about an hour after sunset....reading time.

My wife and I went to a wedding in Scotland two summers ago.  We were on the Isle of Skye and I came across a midge suit top.  It is an extremely closely knit mesh. Fantastic suit. Very tough construction and has been holding up well.  The worse cases of Noseeums I had on my trip was at Shark River and Highland Beach.

[vivian]

Before I started using Crocs with wool socks at camp I used the Teva hurricane sandals with the wool socks. I like the crocs much better. As Kim mentioned, sandals leave your feet vulnerable to sharp shells, etc they are fine with socks at camp so bring them. If you still want to use them in the boat, wear them with the liner socks to avoid sunburned feet. For slogging through mud they are not recommended so bring your old running shoes if you can't find canvas lace ups or a water shoe that has a strap to keep shoe from coming off.

[rudderless]

Avon skin so soft bug guard can be had from any rep, but also much more cheaply on ebay. Did 12 days in Nov-Dec and nothing I've ever used worked as well. We just left the deet in the bag except once or twice for the ankles. Also it goes farther than deet. 2 of us just shared about half of a 4 oz can for 12 days. We needed to hang towels over our heads at Highland & Hog, but that was it. We had extremely good luck with it. Definitely my go to bug dope from now on.

[Kim Gass]

Vivian, you are bringing up memories of my digging for one Croc (not croc) in the mud at Hog Key for some half an hour while I watched the tide come in.  I love them for paddling but had to get out before making shore.

I loved them in camp till I stepped on sandburrs last year. I was so tropical grass ignorant.  Seems the South is full of things that stick and prick..The North is comparatively so soft.  I might still bring along my Crocs as we are mostly chickee/ground camping. If I drop them..they float.

[Flex Kayakfari.com]

On another note .. this thread made me speed up my post processing - so here's a birds-eye-view of the Alligator Creek campsite. Note all the footprints in the soft mud, but that one sorta-grassy spot on the right seems alright.There's bugs there all the time!

http://www.dermandar.com/p/bJWTHd/alligator-creek-kayakfari-florida...

(more)

http://kayakfari.wordpress.com/360-vr-panoramas/

[vivian]

That was great! Love your work, and thanks for sharing with us.

[daniel]

that's a great shot... how'd you get it???

[Flex Kayakfari.com]

Thanks! I got high .. literally 35ft high!  ;)

[Michael Palozzola]

I took the hiking boots solely as a throw on for dealing w the mud I didn't wear em constantly u don't need boots but just make sure it's something that ties tightly so it can be suctioned off your foot by the mud . And thermocell a work perfectly fine against noseeums at least in my limited experience. When i was on clubhouse beach there was a healthy noseeums population, w/ the thermocell set up in a wind sheltered spot I was fine in camp but when I ventured for fire wood I got bit pretty consistently.

[daniel]

yeah, i mean... not to give away a trade secret, but how did you get up there ? i wouldn't think those mangroves would support much...