May trip - Gator Hook to Roberts Lakes Strand
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Permalink Reply by Bill Riley on
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Sorry I have been away so long work has been crazy for me. I missed my outting on the 30th as I was in Atlanta. Did anyone go out on the 30th ? Dale when did you get those shots of that gator as I'm planning to go out this weekend if work permits.
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Permalink Reply by Swamp Hunter on
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I decided last minute to go out this past weekend and that is when I took the pictures.
Here is the logjam at the large washout. You can almost walk across the logs when the water is high.
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Another photo of the Gauntlet.
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MISSING TRAIL SECTION ACROSS the CENTER of the "W" at HOLEY ROCK
We need to find a path across Holey Rock as shown on the NPS kiosk. We originally were forced to walk south into the pond apple sloughs because it was easier during the dry season. This path will be in deep water and should be eliminated (red X's). Besides, we would save several hundred feet by simply cutting across Holey Rock (orange dots as shown at arrow) . There is only a 50-60 foot section missing that would eliminate hundreds of feet of slogging through deep water (red X's).
After my Gator encounter, I headed west trying to find a path across Holey Rock and made some progress. I found myself inside a Brazilian Pepper thicket (see Hollys). This usually means the area was at one time cleared. I believe the loggers cleared this area of the center W for some reason, maybe for log storage or an equipment staging area.
All vegetation is protected within in the Preserve but Brazilian Peppers can be cleared because they are considered a nuisance exotic. I see no reason why we can't push through a Pepper thicket. We only need to go 50-60 more feet west across swiss cheese like rock and Brazilian Pepper to connect with waypoint marked 150 on my map. This would be a great improvement IMO and would be "on trail" and "on tram" as the NPS intended. To me, its a no brainer.
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Dale marker 150 was the north ribbon of the orignal last ribbons correct ? Before we walked all over south then back up. If so I'll start from that point and work on it some, most likely this weekend. That will def take some crawling :)
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Permalink Reply by Chris H on
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I'll certainly give it a shot next time I'm out too. If I remember correctly it was somewhere between Hollys and Holey Rock where the ribbons become a bit more scattered around? I'm guessing the Brazilian Peppers are pretty easy to find now?
That's a neat picture of the gator walking on all fours by the way!
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No its way past the original last ribbon. That would be waypoint148 or 097. I have been working and my guess is that the FTA also may have been working to find a path across high ground, as you will see they did pretty good, and there is only a 50-60 foot section left. The Hollys are kinda hard to find. The only way I have been able to find the Hollys is to follow the ribbons south through the pond apple slough mud and then back up to the section with the gator. You will see the old elevated tram, a pond on each side and a cypress knee bench. Also a Dingy orchid. Work backwards in a straight line across Holey Rock and hope to connect back to my waypoint 150. Its kinda hard to get any orientation but the MapSource I posted may help. The Hollys are practically growing right on solid rock in the holes mixed with Cocoplums. . Holey Rock area looks like swiss cheese with very little soil.
Bill Riley said:
Dale marker 150 was the north ribbon of the orignal last ribbons correct ? Before we walked all over south then back up. If so I'll start from that point and work on it some, most likely this weekend. That will def take some crawling :)
That gator actually looked comical coming out of the swamp. I wish I had a better camera but I didnt want to hang around to see what his intentions were anyway. Maybe he was just defending his territory. He wasnt that large. If he was larger, I would have been scared. This is were I left him... look in the center of picture...he's lying in the ditch, in the center of the trail staring at me with one eye.
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Permalink Reply by Zoltan Torok on
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Just a quick question, maybe somebody knows the answer and I don't have to google it.
What are the GPS coordinates of Robert's Lake Strand? We plan a flight actually this afternoon to check some places in the Glades and I thought that flying over the the Lakes too would be good to see the situation.
Thanks.
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Hello Zoltan. The trail should be dry but its a very long, long walk to Roberts Lakes. http://www.mappingsupport.com/p/gmap4.php?ll=25.962979,-81.049355&a... Place your cursor on the lake of choice and right click for coordinates. Coordinates also bottom right but I dont know what datum you are using. Zoom on left and change maps on right.
I have the middle lake at N 25.82197
W081.03007
I talked to my friends who own Tippy's on the Miccosuki Reservation and Molly said she will call me when she sees large groupings of pink birds because its hit or miss they dont stay long. I told her about your work with Nat Geo and she said to stop in anytime to chat. She is also a photographer and she has some great photos and video and has lived in the Everglades/Big Cypress area for years and still does.. She has 2 gators that like to fight in the back canal and she was recently able to obtain some video of the encounter.
If you are in the area, stop by Tippys BarBQ and store on the Tamiami Trail just east of Forty Mile Bend. They also have an airboat. Tell them Dale sent you.
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