Best route from Lane River / Bay toward Mahogany Hammock?

[Gary M]

Terry's reports of traveling down from Mahogany Hammock really re-lit an old curiosity of mine.  I have poked around above Lane Bay and Lane River years ago.  Its a cool area and complex.  Now that GPS and sat photos can be combined in a hand held (but expensive) device, I've got an itch to try again.

Unfortunately, water levels seem to be dropping too low to head south from Mahogany Hammock, but why not work up?

Does anyone have any suggestions as to which tributaries or trails would be best to work up from the Lane area? 

[Terry]

I usually do day trips so I don't get the chance to explore the Maze much but that

would be the way to do it.   A word of caution, the Maze [the area between Lane Bay

Chickee and Roberts River Chickee] is not like the Labyrinth.

In the Labyrinth it seems many passages connect so if you just head southeast or

northwest you'll eventually come out.  The Maze branches to many passages that

dead end and there are few through routes.   The weather is great, get out and explore.

[Amazon Bill]

Gary, I've been working some routes on google earth, since Terry put the bug in my ear.  I've almost got some 'punched' thru the web of mangroves and coves. Major note, I have never been through this area. :) But ya gotta start some where. I'd like to see some ground shot camera photos to relate the vegatation density to the aerial photo color and plant densities. I am presuming light brown is spike rush and marl.

[Flex Kayakfari.com]

A group of us did this trip last month & we spent HOURS finding ALL those dead ends..most of us never did reach Roberts River..  lol

We did end up on Lane Bay in the end (13 hours later!) by backtracking through the one gps unit that had been tracking all along and hadn't eaten it's batteries.

This is what it looked like: http://www.meetup.com/miami-kayak-club/events/39606342/

From Mahogany it's good going (with enough water) following the marker ribbons, but once you're in that maze that all changes. Your best bet is to have multiple mapping gps & google print outs -and/or go with somebody who's a lot more familiar with the area!!

It's a pretty area, day or night, but I wouldn't count on "punching through" anywhere .. it's THICK !