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.

[Roger Hammer]

Difficult to say with certainty Viv but I'd wager that it was between RP7 and RP8. It was a very open area that could best be described as a place where water had been and it looked like that situation continued for as far as I could see. Homestead Canal wasn't passable at the time either, so hopefully things have changed for the better. There shouldn't be much, if any, tidal fluctuation back in there so I don't think I can blame it on low tide.

[Terry]

Unfortunately we'll always have to use 200 yards of the canal, from Mud Lake to

Bear Lake, unless a hurricane fixes it for us.   As you'll see Saturday there is absolutely

no reason for the canal from Bear Lake to Gator Lake, Spoonbill Pass not only has water

but it's a beautiful natural waterway.

We used to hit ketchup spots in the canal between Gator Lake and the 90 degree turn to

East Cape Canal back in the 1970's.   The last time I went across the open prairie was in

1986, we came in House Ditch, went to Slagle's development island, then straight to Gator Lake,

we did not hit any ketchup spots.  But that was all before the '92 storm and the whole area has

completely changed.   Both those major openings in East Cape Canal between the dam and mouth

were not there.   I can only guess those openings have allowed more water in the prairie.

But we're just guessing, this is the thrill of ground-truthing.

[Roger Hammer]

After Wilma.

Where would the tides come into that area? It's been quite awhile since I've been out there but I thought they plugged openings off of East Cape Canal and I can't imagine House or Slagle ditches affecting tidal flow way back in there.

[vivian]

Terry in the last image I posted I show the canal that Jay wanted to use with the connection to the HC. I agree with you, I think a lot of water comes into that area at least in that portion of the route. The tides should be a factor in area of the third picture I posted. At R7-R8 I am not convinced we can get through there based on input from Esther and Roger but if the HC can get us to C3 and out the creeks, I would be very happy with that solution and prefer it to the dam portage.

Here is the canals zoom in on GE they are huge openings

[Terry]

I've heard powerboats even go up those new creeks on the east side of East Cape Canal between the

dam and mouth.  I'm betting the brand new dam complex is completely useless with those cuts

between the dam and mouth.   Useless for hydrology and useless for paddlers.

Esther, I think you said you always went over the dam or before the dam, the plug.   I always use to go over

the plug but that was before the new creeks.   How come you didn't try those creeks?

[Terry]

Vivian, use Esther's reconnaissance, Roger and I are too old and our data are just as out

of date.   We may be throwing you off.   Your preparation looks good,

ya gotta just go for it, don't get discouraged and plow forward.

The route looks good.   Trust Jay he's got good backcountry instincts.

[Roger Hammer]

"Roger and I are too old..."   HEY!!! I RESEMBLE THAT STATEMENT!!!!!

I'm thinking about setting up a stand at the creek in Mud Lake and wait for them to come paddling back. Just look for the sign that says ICE COLD BEER $50 A BOTTLE!!

[Terry]

"Roger and I are too old..." - But we keep on paddlin' !

[Esther Luft]

Yeah, it's a long boring 6 mile paddle.  Most excitement was a freshly tagged croc we encountered on the canal.  Hopefully there is enough water to make it, we've had a lot of rain this dry season.  Good luck everyone. 

Flex 029 Kayakfari said:

I was under the impression that the canal (and many others) was dug to also make the adjacent roadbed. They were farming there, there was the Club House, there was even talk of running Flagler's railroad down to the Cape before that among other development plans .. 

I hope we don't have to use it, I hate canals! Anybody have snowshoes??

[Esther Luft]

Your greatest obstacle is the connection.  When they dug the canal the material had to go somewhere.  It went to what would be roads.  Now they're just mud banks.  If you hit thick soup south of the bend, be weary.  We have had a lot of rain though.  Hopefully enough to let you float.  There's only one way to confirm. 

vivian said:

Esther here is the C3 with creek connection.

[yakmaster]

I remember coming into Flamingo after the 2005 season The bay marl covered everything up to the road at the bridge. the inside of the motel rooms was 4' deep.

 

I imagine the same thing happened on the prairie. Flowed over the ridge & just got dumped there...

 

Hopefully 9 years of tidal scouring has made some inroads into the muck & marl...

 

Be ready to sleep aboard boys & girls!

 

If it don't kill you it just makes for better drinking stories!

Roger Hammer said:

Esther, I got stuck in the canal not the mud flats. It was all silted in at the time. I'm not certain if Hurricane Wilma helped clear it or made it even worse but the second time I tried taking the route I attempted to cross the mud flats, which I dubbed the Cream Cheese Highway. I didn't make it very far and turned back. When was the last time someone made it all the way to the Cape using the HC?

[Esther Luft]

Tom Rahill will you please chime in?  I know you're out there.  Somewhere.