Inland Route - Flamingo / Cape Sable

[Terry]

Inland Route - Flamingo / Cape Sable

Before Hurricane Andrew the preferred paddle route between Flamingo and
Cape Sable was the Homestead Canal. Avoiding the open bay provided a
wind protected route and separated paddle craft from power boats. It also
guaranteed solitude and remoteness by staying in the back country wilderness.
The 1992 hurricane damaged Homestead Canal with downed trees making passage
very difficult. As it became less traveled, foliage growth accelerated and
the 2005 storms made the canal impassable. After Hurricane Wilma a plan was
created to reopen the canal and a volunteer group headed by Tom Rahill and
Jim Brack took on the project. They cleared the canal to Bear Lake and
reopened the Bear Lake Trail which loops through Mud Lake and comes back
down Buttonwood Canal to the Bear Lake parking lot. The section of
Homestead Canal between Bear Lake and Gator Lake remained impassable,
cutting off the inland route to Cape Sable.

Sue Cocking, Bill Evans, Terry Helmers and Jay Thomas devised a plan to
survey the damage to the canal west of Bear Lake and search for an alternative
passage through a body of land between the waters of Bear Lake to the east
and open water to the west. Previous trips by Thomas had identified
the narrowest section of land between these two waters which was called 64M
but there was another slightly wider area of land that warranted
investigation. If a navigable route could be established through these two
bodies of water the entire stretch of Homestead Canal between West Lake and
Gator Lake could be abandoned. It would also establish a natural route from
Coot Bay Pond to Cape Sable - the ultimate trophy. The group also had heard
reports of a route that went into Bear Lake with a portage over the narrowest
piece of land between the canal and the lake.

On 18 January 2014 the four set out in 3 canoes from Bear Lake parking lot
and went directly to the narrow area between the lake and canal. The last
time Helmers had paddled the canal was 28 years ago when there was nothing
at this narrow spot. This time, the explorers found ruins of what appeared
to be a dock that could have been built to assist portaging. It's assumed
that shortly after Hurricane Andrew an attempt was made to keep the
Inland Route open by using as much of the lake as possible to shorten the
length traveled in the canal. Today there's a small break in the narrow spot,
making it easier to slide a canoe through this slot and back into the canal.
After doing this, the group continued west through near impassable
"jack straws" (a sawyer term for criss-cross piled trees) but after making
headway of only a couple hundred yards in an hour the effort was abandoned
and the canoe party returned to the lake to continue west in Bear Lake and
then across the lake to its' west. Since Thomas had already examined the
narrowest portion of land barrier between the east and west the decision was
made to continue directly to the other narrow spot just south of 64M. After
negotiating mud bars a small creek-like opening was spotted. Although there
was a 3 foot mat of pneumatophore roots to be portaged, the creek continued
west with a hard twist to the north then west again to the open water of the
"other side". After the search party spooked a spoonbill at the west mouth
of the creek it was quickly dubbed Spoonbill Pass. Knowing "this was it" all
agreed to ignore 64M and paddle the shallow but open water to Gator Lake.
How ironic that paddlers spent decades paddling back and forth in a straight
as an arrow canal, how ironic that a large dock was built to go over the
narrow spot between Bear Lake and the canal, how ironic spending the effort to
keep trying to push through the canal between Bear Lake and Gator Lake when
there was a beautiful natural creek waiting for paddlers at Spoonbill Pass.

On 20 January 2014 Terry Helmers launched at Coot Bay Pond to
specifically survey and map the Spoonbill Pass area. Although launching at the
pond meant it took 2 and a half hours to get to the pass, it reduced the
paddle distance in the canal to just 200 yards between Bear Lake Trail and
Bear Lake. Two additional non-portage creeks were mapped with the optimal
route going from 09.858'N and 59.397'W to 09.857'N and 59.447'W. After two
rewarding explorations, a natural route from Coot Bay Pond to Lake Ingraham,
Cape Sable has been established.

To use the Inland Route, study and printout or download maps of the area.
Carry a spare GPS unit. There's a lot of shallow water throughout the trip
but it's all open paddling.

[Esther Luft]

You know Bill, on a hot day, a drink with fruity umbrellas might be nice : )  Pick your poison, I'll pack a small cooler!

Amazon Bill said:

Naysayers, Read the Welcome Page....."This is also a place for those who, like myself (the website creator) have gone beyond the boundaries of the Park roads, trails and established campsites, and who have explored the Everglades backcountry as few others have since the creation of Everglades National Park more than 60 years ago. " This is not a tour with fruity umbrellas in your Mytie drink. 

[Roger Hammer]

I've paddled from either Coot Bay Pond or along the Bear Lake Trail to Gator Lake four times over the past three years. I'll be very interested in knowing if Cape Sable can be reached because the two times I've attempted it in recent years have ended with having to turn back because it was beginning to feel like I was paddling in soupy cream cheese that smelled really bad. The bummer is that if you get that far and realize you can't make it through, it's a VERY long and lonely paddle back. Ask me how I know.

I'm certain that everyone here is aware, but just to set the record straight, except for the Little Madeira Bay-Joe Bay area, anyone can go anywhere they want in Everglades National Park, whether there's a trail or not.

[vivian]

Roger! Hey, why don't you join us this weekend to find the route all the way to east cape if you don't have another speaking engagement planned.  There are two groups heading out early Saturday morning.  One group will be doing the entire route to east cape and camping overnight. Next day we are heading back via florida bay.  The other group will return after exploring gator lake area that same day.  Jay and I will be leading the overnight group and Terry will lead the day paddle.

I will send you more info if interested.

[Dennis McDonald]

Cuthbert is also closed

[Swamp Hunter]

Why not just post your information for all to see?

Yes Carlos, because we cannot see the expressions on your face, emails and posting online is so often misunderstood. Thats why smileys are a good idea but even then, a smiling face may look like sarcasm.

Have you been out to Gator Hook? The original probe, around the bend at 2.4 miles, winds through like a snake and the ribbons are falling off. Yes it needs much work. After the break-out, its like Deep Texas (wink)

Miami101 said:

Folks once again sorry for coming down on people, or sounding upset. I guess it not a good idea to write on you talk some times, or try to be funny. For those that know I take lots of people out to the Glades almost twice a month on Hikes, Yaking etc. I help everyone I know do it safe, and always share information.

I did send my information over to Yakmaster, and Vivian Oliva. Hey Dale you best go mark those trails again at the turn of Gator Hook! lol

[Flex Kayakfari.com]

"Why can't we all just paddle along?"

[Roger Hammer]

Viv, I'm still not convinced that you can make it to Cape Sable via the Bear Lake route and I don't want to paddle all that way only to be sitting in gray ooze and then have to paddle back...AGAIN! I'll let you crazy people be the guinea pigs.

Dennis, I forgot about Cuthbert Lake but that might partially be because I have special permission to monitor rare orchids back in there twice yearly. I also monitor orchids around Seven Palm Lake but that's an all day round-trip paddle. The last time I went I left Flamingo at 0430 and didn't get back until well after dark. Luckily I had rum.

[Jay]

Roger - off topic - but I would be interested in the species you are monitoring.  From a former Secretary of the Plantation Orchid Society.  You can PM me if you would like.

[vivian]

Hmmm.....sitting in gray ooze does not sound like fun.  We could take the canal which would defeat the proposed purpose of this trip.  Winds will not be northerlie, tides are new moon incoming until 3 pm, weather has been very wet this winter so seasonal rainfall might/might not have an impact.  We already know that we can get to the area marked "Lunch Spot" so the prairie is the ooze part from RP 7 - RP11.

Here is what I routed through there, if anyone has any info to help us out we would appreciate all intel.

[Roger Hammer]

I'm checking populations of very weird-colored butterfly orchids that are scattered all around that area. They range from pure albinos to solid pinkish-purple lips. I wrote an article about them in the Florida Native Plant Society's magazine called Palmetto. It appears to be a hybrid swarm of sorts and I can't seem to make any sense of it. I'm convinced it's just an unstable gene pool. The problem is that they flower in late May to mid June so you have to throw a rock through the mosquitoes and take pictures through the hole!

Jay said:

Roger - off topic - but I would be interested in the species you are monitoring.  From a former Secretary of the Plantation Orchid Society.  You can PM me if you would like.

[Dennis McDonald]

After reading about Cuthbert and the birds found in the area in The Gladesmen I wanted to go see the area and was very disappointed to find it is closed. I have made a few trips out to Alligator Creek and love that area it is just so far to drive or I would spend more time in the area. If ever you need another set of eyes I would be very willing to make the trip. I can throw the rock while you get ready to snap the pictures.

[Terry]

I think you'll find the route from Gator Lake to the Cape as easy as the first half from Coot Bay Pond to

Gator Lake.   Everyone who has been using the Inland Route has indicated the second half is just paddling.

There were thick spots in the canal in the 1970's but it was better out in the prairie and that

was before all the openings at East Cape Canal.

If time permits, the Saturday folks are going to go up to Fox Lakes.  Lets don't waste time at Coot Bay Pond

and get paddling as soon as possible.