High Water Opportunities
This year's historic high water created some unique opportunities for off the mapped trail travel. Besides wandering far & wide east of nine mile, The South Florida Bushpaddlers Association paddled some of our favorite hiking trails, including a VERY short (about 300 yards) but VERY satisfying paddle out to the Movie Dome (the hammock SW of the Pahayokee turnoff). We had hiked it only a few months before and hadn't even wet our boots...now we were in kayaks paddling into the gatorhole.
I had a brainchild to cross from Pahayokee to the Shark Valley VC, without having to drag boats through the mud, but it was stillborn. It will have to wait for the next deep season.
The coolest unconventional trip of the season, that was done, not just talked about, was a trip from Halfway creek to the Turner, through the grass, nothing too heavy, just a good day trip.
We tried this one @ the end of last season & got just past the mangrove tunnels below Dona Dr. Deterred but not dejected, we got a report of zero buggage in mid September & decided to give it another run.
We put in on the ramp @ Seagrape & turned east on the 1st cut in the levee & followed the airboat trails. The first 85% of the crossing was so beautiful & easy, that I should have known we had trouble ahead. I had no sooner assured some new Bushpaddlers that not all our trips were so easy than the water ran out & the grass closed in (note to future paddlers on this route for the last km before the turner take the southern route along the mangroves, not the straight across the grass route…there may be water there).
Finally broke through the sawgrass after a couple of swims & trudges & broke for lunch on the Turner Canal Plug. The crew was beat…then came the fun part. We’ve all done the upper tunnels of the Turner…now raise the water level 18” & give yourself an 18” clearance haircut & you can visualize the problem. To be fair, the ranger @ the Oasis had said the tunnels were impassable, and she was almost right. But we weren’t going back though that wall of sawgrass. Besides, never turn back if you can squeeze forward.
The guys on the SOT’s could lay down & slide under. The sit inside types had to do ½ rolls under the branches & come up on the other side. By the time we got through, I’m sure my mother’s reputation had taken almost as much of a beating as we had…then came the fun part.
There was a hydrilla mat…it was only about 40 yards long, but we nicknamed it “the booger” cause it was sticky & sucked in boats. Once you were in it, paddling was futile. You’d stroke & stroke & stroke & there was clear water, just in front of you…right where it was before you beat the hell out of yourself. Sooner or later some of us broke trough & towed the rest across from the clear water. Then we had to make it under the bridge with full body insertion into cockpit for the crossing.
I’m just sorry we didn’t use this historic season to more often go where no man had gone before…at least not recently… So many trips, so few weekends…
Where did the other deep explorers go exploring? This is an excellent resource to discuss options & ideas for next high water season & hope it isn't too far away!
I had a brainchild to cross from Pahayokee to the Shark Valley VC, without having to drag boats through the mud, but it was stillborn. It will have to wait for the next deep season.
The coolest unconventional trip of the season, that was done, not just talked about, was a trip from Halfway creek to the Turner, through the grass, nothing too heavy, just a good day trip.
We tried this one @ the end of last season & got just past the mangrove tunnels below Dona Dr. Deterred but not dejected, we got a report of zero buggage in mid September & decided to give it another run.
We put in on the ramp @ Seagrape & turned east on the 1st cut in the levee & followed the airboat trails. The first 85% of the crossing was so beautiful & easy, that I should have known we had trouble ahead. I had no sooner assured some new Bushpaddlers that not all our trips were so easy than the water ran out & the grass closed in (note to future paddlers on this route for the last km before the turner take the southern route along the mangroves, not the straight across the grass route…there may be water there).
Finally broke through the sawgrass after a couple of swims & trudges & broke for lunch on the Turner Canal Plug. The crew was beat…then came the fun part. We’ve all done the upper tunnels of the Turner…now raise the water level 18” & give yourself an 18” clearance haircut & you can visualize the problem. To be fair, the ranger @ the Oasis had said the tunnels were impassable, and she was almost right. But we weren’t going back though that wall of sawgrass. Besides, never turn back if you can squeeze forward.
The guys on the SOT’s could lay down & slide under. The sit inside types had to do ½ rolls under the branches & come up on the other side. By the time we got through, I’m sure my mother’s reputation had taken almost as much of a beating as we had…then came the fun part.
There was a hydrilla mat…it was only about 40 yards long, but we nicknamed it “the booger” cause it was sticky & sucked in boats. Once you were in it, paddling was futile. You’d stroke & stroke & stroke & there was clear water, just in front of you…right where it was before you beat the hell out of yourself. Sooner or later some of us broke trough & towed the rest across from the clear water. Then we had to make it under the bridge with full body insertion into cockpit for the crossing.
I’m just sorry we didn’t use this historic season to more often go where no man had gone before…at least not recently… So many trips, so few weekends…
Where did the other deep explorers go exploring? This is an excellent resource to discuss options & ideas for next high water season & hope it isn't too far away!
Views: 156
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by yakmaster on
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Need to rename this Extreme Water Opportunities!
After the wettest wet season last year, we're having one of the driest dry seasons this year! And extreme conditions make for extreme opportunities. When the water's high, we paddle hiking trails & when the water's low, we hike paddle trails.
Wayne Rassner told me he'd been out last week & that the Upper Turner was bone dry & hikeable.
The boy wasn't exaggerating. Went to the cypress hole off Turner River Road this Sunday, got in on the east side & walked through the culverts without even wetting my boots! Then we hiked down the kayak trail and all was good through the cypress. When we got to the grass, the mud was deep & grippy, but we still made it to the lake(or should I say, the mud pit where the lake is supposed to be). We doubled back inland & hiked around a bit before we found the creekbed in the cypress again & walked out. This only got us going for the day.
From there we went to the Turner put in on 41. It was so dry we were able to hike up towards the lake & then double back & go under the bridge, once again, without wetting our boots. We also hiked some of the grasslands that we paddled at highwater between 1/2 way creek & the Turner.
On the way home we took the Loop & we hiked Gator Strand Trail almost to the bend and as dessert, we hiked the Sweetwater Sough. Whenever I pass by there I always say "that looks really nice to paddle", but I never put my boat in. Today I didn't need my boat, just hiked right in. Once again did the culverts & then went as far south as you could paddle, not too far, but a nice walk on that wideopen creekbed until it narrowed down & was blocked by deadfalls. We weren't able to get too far, so I'm glad I was on foot instead of having to reload my boat after a 300 yard paddle.
We only have a couple of weeks before the rain begins. I can tell you the hiking is high & dry…and there were no skeets at all. There were some horse & deer flys, but I think the dryness has the skeeters tamed (at least by day). Keith if you're still planning your Gator Hook trip. I'd say stop waiting & start hiking, 'cause if it's like it was today, you're talking trip of a lifetime!
It's glorious out there folks, get out & enjoy. & post your extreme water adventures on this forum!
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Permalink Reply by Keith W on
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The Gator Hook-to-Oasis trip is still on and will happen next weekend. The last time I went down the Gator Hook Trail about six-weeks ago it was so overgrown down toward the bend it was easier to walk off-trail through the cypress. I went about 1,000 yards past the bend where you can still follow the remnants of the old double-track road with cypress growing tall down the middle. There was trail tape marking access through the old overgrown tram line at one point. I made up a map of Google Earth aerials that have waypoints marked every 500 yards down the line of the old tram which I'll try to follow, and if it works out I'll post that map after my trip. I don't know what the BCNP policy is regarding opening new trails (or re-opening an old one in this case), but this one just screams to be blazed and made into an east-west spur of the FST.
I did the same walk down Sweetwater slough two weekends ago after Clyde Butcher's photo workshop. I also walked back to the big pond behind the slough on the north side and there was still some water but it's getting skinny.
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Permalink Reply by Terry on
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26 November 2013
I hope everyone is noting the water stations, the stations around Shark Slough, the new bridge,
Ficus Pond and Taylor Slough are up about an inch from the rains last week. We got a shot-in-the-arm
last week with the rain making Taylor Slough, Shark Slough and even the Coopertown Loop
do-able for just a little longer. This is also a long weekend with cooler weather, everyone should have
some upland paddling planned.
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Ficus Pond Station, 02290820, or just P38, is reporting +0.63 on 26 November.
We can't waste this water:
Saturday 30 November, Mahogany Hammock, 07:00
Lane Creek to Bat Trail to Whiskey Creek
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When the water gets high...everybody has to float not walk...
Came across this one on the way home from the jungles... about a mile west of Mahogany Hammock
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Permalink Reply by Flex Kayakfari.com on
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hope you guyz were floating too!
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