Paddling the Everglades Part 9: Photographing from your boat

When heading to the Everglades for a paddle trip, leaving the camera at home is as bad as leaving your paddle. You have to take photos while you are experiencing this place. If you don’t want to take photos, use your video camera instead. Either way, recording your trip with photos is the best way to re-live those moments. The article does not include camera reviews nor does it include photography techniques. Rather, I’ll give you my experiences and advice on how to care for and use your camera while paddling.

THE EQUIPMENT But you don’t have a waterproof camera, you say. That’s OK, you have lots of choices. And if you don’t own a camera right now, this is a good time to start looking into purchasing one. Buy a disposable camera if you like, but one way or the other, you need one. I have experience with three types of cameras, a small digital point and shoot waterproof (Pentax Optio), a larger digital point and shoot with teleconverter attachments (Canon Powershot S3) and my current DSLR cameras, the Sony A100 and A700. Each of these has been on a kayak or canoe trip with me at one time or another. My experiences should help you decide on which camera you want to use for this trip or put your mind at ease if you are not certain you want to bring a non-waterproof camera with you.

I love the waterproof Pentax Optio. The version I used was purchased in 2005 and came with a measly 5 megapixels. The advantages of a waterproof (not water resistant) camera are obvious. Because of the waterproof quality, I submerged this camera for some shots. I don’t recommend this in salt water though. I had to send it back for repairs to the sensor (probably fried by the salt), fortunately it was still under warranty. After that, I never submerged it again. If you do submerge it in salt water, on purpose or otherwise, I recommend you wash it off with fresh water immediately. The smallness of this camera was another advantage in that I would carry it in my chest pocket (with the strap still around my neck). This allowed easy access to the camera at all times and I never worried about it getting wet from water spray or rain. The newer versions of waterproof cameras are probably better than they were 3 years ago and I suspect there are more options available. For a low maintenance, never-have-to-worry-about-it camera, this would be your best bet. In addition, the camera does not require extra room. Just bring extra memory cards and batteries and keep them in a small pelican case for safe keeping. The disadvantage, don’t expect to take professional-level photos with it, but you will at least record your trip while on the water.

After a year of using the Pentax, I purchased a higher level point and shoot camera, the Canon Powershot S3. The reason for purchasing this camera was its image stabilization feature, so nice to have when shooting from a moving boat. The Powershot is considerably bigger than the tiny Pentax and could not fit in my pocket. Instead, I bought a 1200 Pelican case that was large enough for the camera and a couple teleconverters. The pelican case fit nicely inside the cockpit. I still had my Pentax with me and would use that while paddling to capture the moment. I only took the Powershot out while paddling if I wanted to get a closer wildlife shot or a particularly beautiful scene. Once at the campsite, the Pentax was put away and I shot only with the Powershot. On occasion, I brought a lightweight tripod and would use for sunset and sunrise shots.

If the only camera you bring is one like the Powershot, I highly recommend a pelican case. But, if you want access to it at all times during your paddle, you might consider getting a waterproof casing for it. I never went that direction because I don’t like the idea of having the lens covered by plastic. The alternative for me was to find some way of keeping the camera accessible, but safe from water. What I finally came up with was to place the camera inside a dry bag that sat right in front of me on the spray skirt. I kept the dry bag tethered to the boat as well. Doing this spared me the time of having to open the spray skirt to get to the pelican case in order to use the camera. I keep the camera inside the pelican case in the cockpit when I don’t need it for shooting (choppy conditions, poor lighting, etc). When I do want to have continuous access to it, I take it out of the case and place it inside a dry bag to cover up the camera and lens, while the strap comes out of the bag and goes around my neck. I don’t seal the dry bag, rather I just make sure the camera and lens are fully covered. I have a towel in the bag just in case I need to wipe off water drops. In case I get drops on the lens, I have my lens smudge stick in my pocket. I also carry a lens cloth in my pocket to clean off the LCD or view finder.

The worse case scenario of course is that I capsize with the camera left in an open dry bag. Obviously, the camera is going to be history real fast. But, unless I do something stupid, the chances of that happening are so slim that I would rather risk it than miss a photo opportunity. If the conditions get too rough (and YOU decide when that is), simply put the camera back in the pelican case for safe keeping. You can’t get decent shots with lots of rocking going on anyway, so why bother. On the other hand, if you are trying to video tape the action, I say go for it, to at least record the moment.

Once I jumped into SLR photography, I had to put more thought into how I was going to protect my cameras and more importantly, my lenses. I have only one full year of using SLR cameras while doing trips in the Everglades, so this is a learning process for me as well. My experience with bringing an SLR camera on board a kayak was on a 2-night trip out to Picnic and Rabbit Keys. For this trip, I brought the Sony A100, and the Sony 18-70mm and 75-300mm lenses. I kept the camera with one lens inside the 1200 pelican case in my cockpit and would pull it out and place inside the dry bag in front of me whenever I wanted. The other lens was stowed away. I wanted to have the telephoto lens attached while paddling in case I spotted wildlife. The wide angle lens would be good for campsite shots.

At night, I would bring all the equipment into the tent and clean off the camera and lenses. It is important that you have a lens brush because you will get sand on your lens and camera, no matter how careful you are. Memory cards and batteries are in zip lock bags inside a dry bag. A small pelican case works for these as well.

The second time I took my SLR out with me on a kayak trip was over new years when we were on the coast for 7 days. There was a great amount of sand and water. This time, I brought the Sony A700 and being a larger camera than the Sony A100, it did not fit into the 1200 pelican case. Instead of purchasing a larger pelican case, I decided to keep the camera attached to a lens inside a dry bag with some drierite. I get drierite from work and filled a prescription pill container with the stuff. I poked holes in the container to expose the drierite to the surrounding humidity. When not using the camera, I would keep the camera in a small dry bag placed inside a larger dry bag in my cockpit. When I was using it while paddling, I had it in the open smaller dry bag sitting in front of me. During this trip, the camera sat inside the dry bag in front of me or was being used almost the entire time I was paddling. In other words, it was exposed to the salt air during most of the trip.

The problem I encountered was that everything gets moist, if not downright wet out here. Multiply that by 7 days and it gets a bit precarious for electronic equipment. Keeping the camera in the dry bag in front of me for easy access was a great idea and I would do it again. But, I will never take my SLR camera on a trip like that without a pelican case. The dry bag, even with the drierite container was exposed to moisture all the time. I would take the dry bag and air it out in the tent every night before putting the camera back in it. Despite all that, I didn’t seem to encounter any problems with the camera or lens and everything to this day is working fine.

FROM A CANOE Hands down with out a doubt, photographing and bringing along camera equipment is so much easier in a canoe. I recently purchased a large 1500 pelican case that I can store 2 SLR cameras both with telephoto lenses attached. This case fits nicely between my legs while I am sitting or kneeling in the canoe. I first took that out on an overnight trip on Fisheating Creek (about 100 miles north of Miami). I had just purchased a 70-200mm zoom lens and wanted to test it out. I also had my 300 mm (f4) with a 1.4X teleconverter. At any given time, I had one camera and lens in my lap, and on occasion, I had both of them on my lap. Before purchasing this large pelican case, I had taken both cameras with me on overnight trips with the canoe and kept one in a dry bag and the other in the 1200 pelican case. For those trips, I brought my Minolta 300mm and teleconverter attached to the A700 (stored in a dry bag inside another dry bag) and the 18-70mm on the A100 (stored in pelican case). While spending a day on the Turner River, I paddled most of the way with both cameras in my lap. Once on an overnighter to Lopez River, I kept the Minolta lens and camera on my lap during the entire trip and pulled out the wide angle lens whenever the occasion called for it. I also brought my Manfrotti tripod and ballhead for campsite photos on all of these trips. I keep that inside a garbage bag when paddling.

PHOTO OPPORTUNITIES Murphy’s Law dictates that you will see lots of photo opportunities but will not have your camera ready because a) you chickened out and had put it back in the pelican case, b) you ran out of memory or batter power and left your spares inside the hatch, or c) whatever it was you saw happened so quickly that the only way you could have captured it is if you were looking through your viewfinder just at that moment. This happens a lot out here. I’ve seen spectacular jumps performed by sting rays flying out of the water within a hundred feet of my boat. I’ve seen dolphin jump 6 feet out of the water while flipping a 3-ft fish into the air before catching it and crashing back down into the water. I’ve seen osprey hovering overhead just before they make a head dive into the water feet away from my boat and pick out a large fish and fly off with it to a distant mangrove tree. Yes, I’ve seen all these things, but do I have a photo to prove it? Of course not! But, I do have a lot of great photos that illustrate the beauty of this place, including lots of close up wildlife shots. So, the moral of the story is, be ready for a shot whenever you can, because the opportunities are non-stop.

Wildlife shot opportunities are often fleeting and when you are paddling from point A to B, they are mostly captured by being in the right place at the right time. I spend endless hours paddling around this area just for the purpose of photographing and I can tell you that capturing a close up of an osprey eating a fish head or a yellowcrown nightheron swallowing a crab is something that doesn’t come with just luck. You have to spend time out here to really capture those great wildlife photos. But, if you are trying to record your journey, look for those wildlife photos of course, but capture your surroundings as much as possible. Your campsite will provide you many opportunities as well, so be prepared to shoot at dusk when the bugs are at their best.

Lighting is an issue while photographing. While on a paddling trip, you don’t have the luxury of adjusting your route according to the light. Sometimes you get lucky. For instance, while paddling the coast from Flamingo to Everglades City, the early morning sunrise offered me the best lighting for the direction I was going because it was often behind me and to my right. Paddling toward the sun is not a good lighting situation, but sometimes, you have to take what you get. But, whenever you can, turn your boat in the direction that will offer you the best light (sun behind you). Late morning and afternoon sun light can be very harsh, especially on the water, so I usually forego the photos at that time and wait for late afternoon when I can explore the camp area with the camera.

LOCAL KNOWLEDGE Some of my favorite photo areas are the following:
Picnic Key beach. Here you will find it littered with many dead tree trunks and driftwood that have been shaped by the tidal waters over the past few years. At sunset, you can capture beautiful silhouetted figures with the sun approaching the horizon over the water. Look for fanciful shapes and arrangements on the beach to photograph. For macro photos, you’ll find snails wandering on some of the trunks.
Rabbit Key beach, west side. If you are camping on the side with the port-o-john, you won’t see a sunset from there. But, at low enough tide, you can walk around the island to the northwest side where you will find a large tidal-swept mangrove tree sticking out from a sandbar away from the shoreline. For the past couple of years, I have watched an active osprey nest that sits in this tree. At sunset and at the right time of year, you’ll capture a beautiful sunset scene with this tree and the osprey family silhouetted against a red glow. It’s exquisite.
Watsons Place. If you are lucky, you might be able to get some photographs of the old farm equipment on the campsite without people’s camping gear and tents in the scene. The sunset from the dock on the Chatham River is always a sure bet.
The Turner River. The mangrove tunnels and the open sawgrass scenes are exquisite. If you are a serious photographer, set up your tripod in the water and capture the essence of the swamp.
Chokoloskee Bay. If you are heading out through Chokoloskee or Rabbit Key pass, you will pass an area of oyster bars readily exposed during low tides on your right before you leave the bay. In the winter, a large group of white pelicans reside there. In the summer, you will see the bright pink, roseate spoonbills.

A list of camera gear essentials
Extra memory cards
Extra batteries
Two lens cloths (keep one in a safe place and use it as a back up if the other gets salt water on it)
A lens smudge stick and brush
Pelican case and/or dry bags
Towel
Tripod (for campsite sunsets)
Tight fitting gardening gloves (for those evenings when you want to shoot and the bugs are biting. The gloves will protect your hands while you shoot)

Paddling the Everglades Part 8: Food, water and critters

It only seems fitting to talk about critters in the same context as food and water. When you carry food and water with you, you are a potential food source for various animals living in the Everglades.

FOOD You can’t get around it, you will need calories and other nutrients while paddling through the Everglades. My knowledge of nutrition while paddling is partially from Everglades experience and partially from my profession, exercise physiology. If you are interested in the nutritional aspects of performance and want a deeper insight into the role of nutrition during exercise, please check out my website where you can find out how to calculate your calorie expenditure, learn about caloric intake requirements for paddling, meal planning with meal examples and information on diet supplements. Please go to: http://www.cmierphotoandfitness.net/fitness.html.

What I will discuss here concerns how to pack your food and some tips on preparing it. It should be no surprise to you that frozen items will not stay frozen long in the Everglades. For the first couple of nights, I can plan my evening meals with more flexibility because I can bring along a small cooler and keep whatever is inside it cold enough to last for a couple days. Beyond a couple days, there is no guarantee that meat and dairy products will remain safe to eat. Some may disagree and in fact, one of my paddling partners eats nothing but pre-made deli sandwiches for dinner on multi-day trips. I’ve seen him consume a turkey breast sandwich (without mayo) on the fifth night of a trip and he never got sick. To be safe, I use a cooler only for foods I will consume within a 2-3-day period. In those cases, I’ll bring homemade items like lentil soup or refried beans, or veggie burgers with condiments. The lentil soup (or any homemade soup) is great because it can be frozen in a plastic container or bag and will help keep other items cold. I also pack the cooler with plastic containers (like old Gatorade bottles) filled with water and freeze them at home. This is water that can be used for drinking and cooking after it thaws, so it doesn’t take up additional room in your boat. I’ve also found that frozen cans of Heineken beer taste quite good after a thaw. If you have a hankering for a cold beer, it will stay that way for a couple days for sure.

For the non-cooler foods, I like to pack foods for the kayak in an organized way so that I keep the breakfast items together and separate from the lunch and dinner items. That way, I don’t have to waste time searching around for food. I use nylon stuff bags for organizing meals and snacks. For instance, in one bag I may have 2 dinner meals that include pasta, crackers, bread, bag of dried veggies and nuts, tuna pouch and desserts. Another bag might include lunch items such as a plastic container with peanut butter, bagels, honey, jerky, and tuna lunch kits. And yet another bag might include several power bars and other snack items like jerky, dried fruit or trail mix. I plan my meals with one other person so we split up the camp items in such a way that one of us has all the food in one boat (with the exception of that day’s allotment of snacks). In the morning when I pack the boat, I place the snack and lunch items close to the hatch opening so I can more easily get to them when we stop for a lunch break. I also take out my daily snack allotment and put that in my deck bag.

In addition to using the nylon bags, I use zip lock bags for just about everything, with the exception of canned or pre-sealed items. In one gallon-size zip lock bag, I will put all the items needed for a dinner meal. Another gallon bag will house all the oatmeal, coffee and tea used for breakfast. So once again, items are bagged in an organized way. Another nice thing about the zip lock bags is that you can use the empty bags for trash. They also work quite well keeping your foods moist-free. For foods that come in cardboard boxes, I remove them from the boxes to get rid of bulk and debris. I place the loose food items into zip lock bags and if cooking instructions come with it, I cut them out of the box and place it inside the bag with the food.

Another convenient thing about the zip lock bags is you can pre-mix your meals and place everything in one container. For instance, I eat instant oatmeal for breakfast but I like to add dry milk, dry fruit and nuts to the oatmeal. I pre-mix all of it at home and place it in a zip lock bag. Another great breakfast meal is a package of Instant Carnation mixed with a 1/3 cup dry milk and a heaping teaspoon of instant expresso. Add hot water to that and eat a power bar with it, and you have yourself a 500-600 calorie meal bursting with caffeine, protein, carbs, vitamins and minerals. And yet another advantage of the zip lock bag (make sure you use the freezer bags) is you can eat out of them. They are sturdy enough to withstand hot water and will relieve you of dirty dishes.

WATER I bring about 1 gallon per day, but can get by with ¾ gallon. The weather may dictate the amount you actually use, and I found myself using extra water during an unseasonally hot trip we took over new year’s eve. One of my paddling companions uses very little water and before he dumped out his extra, he offered it to me and I willingly took it and used it. The point is, you need to carry in what you will need; there is no fresh water where you will be going. For the kayak, I have Stearns water bags that hold about 2 ½ gallons each and have a spout for pouring and can be hung from a tree. The bad news is they no longer make these water containers. There are other versions, like Dromedary bags, which I have no experience with. But, if you are in a kayak, water bags are easier to pack than hard plastic containers. In a canoe, you don’t have that issue and when I travel in my canoe, I use a large plastic container, either 4, 5 or 7 gallons or some combination of the 3.

CRITTERS There are two critters in particular that I will talk about. The first one is the raccoon. You will likely have a raccoon encounter and the chances of that happening largely depends on where you camp. Some sites are more notorious for raccoon raids than others; Pavilion Key once had the dubious distinction of being a raccoon-infested island. For good or bad, these little critters do not have a lot of fresh water available to them and will try their hardest to find it. To their credit, they are extremely clever and have left many paddlers distraught after waking up to find their boats empty of water containers, punctured water bags and food wrappers scattered about. So a big word of caution, protect your food and water as if your life depended on it, because it does.

If you are traveling in a kayak, all your food and water must be stored in your sealed hatches overnight or when you are not at the campsite. DO NOT leave food, water or food trash in your cockpit. If you think your nylon cockpit cover will keep the raccoons out, you are sadly mistaken. Do not leave your cooler out unless it is locked. If you are traveling in a canoe, all food and water must go inside hard containers (plastic or otherwise) that are sealed. For food, I use the large animal food containers that you can purchase at a pet store. The top screws on and is quite tight. Feel free to bring food items into your tent; you do not have bear issues down here. In fact, I bring my breakfast in with me at night and eat it inside my tent in the morning.

About those gators; the chances of you seeing an alligator on your trip is about as high as the chances of you not seeing an alligator on your trip. Whether or not you see one depends on where you paddle. On the coastline and the gulf islands, you will not encounter alligators, they are freshwater creatures. But, in the backcountry where the water is brackish, you will likely see alligators in a creek or possibly at a campsite. Some campsites have a resident alligator that lurks about in the water and sometimes comes up on land, blocking the boat entrance area. Sites that you are more likely to see an alligator include Willy Willy, Watsons Place, Camp Lonesome and Canepatch. Some of the chickees also have a resident gator that will circle the platform around dinner time.

So what do you do if you see an alligator? Not much, take a picture and maybe stare at it for awhile. On the creeks while paddling, give the animal some distance. What often happens is you come up on a sunning gator and it gets spooked by your boat. It will head back into the water quickly, making a splash and some noise which can give you the impression that it is on the attack. I assure you, it is not. It’s simply hiding and trying to stay away from you, so respect it and stay away from it as well. At the campsite, DO NOT feed the gator under any circumstance. If you can, clean your fish somewhere else, but if not, throw it as far away from the dock as possible. If you paddle up to a campsite and there sits a gator in your way, find another place to get out and stay clear of the animal. The gator is not going to go on the attack, rather it will lay there not moving for hours until its time to go back into the water. Simply let it be and it will not be a threat.

You may encounter other animals on your trip. Some lucky individuals have spotted bobcats in the mangroves. You may see wild pigs or deer on some sites, like Highland Beach or Tiger Key. If you don’t see them, you’ll find their hoof prints in the sand. I believe I have seen rabbits out there as well. And of course, you will see dolphin, probably lots of dolphin in the gulf, in the large tidal rivers and the back bays. You’ll spot a manatees as well and hopefully not by awakening it under your boat. Very large loggerhead turtles will show their large loggerheads above water on occasion. And of course, there are the fish and the birds. I’ve seen large tarpon fly out of the water, especially during sunsets off the cape. I have seen large sting rays shoot out of the water on several occasions as well. I’ll discuss the birds in another chapter when I talk about photography, but you will certainly see lots of them.

SOME TIPS ON FOOD PREPARATION
1. This really isn’t a food preparation item, but if you like wine, bring it. A 750 ml bottle fits perfectly in the stern or bow of a kayak. I’ve also found certain boxed wines to be very nice and they store well in the boat. You can also chill your bottled wine in the water before dinner.
2. Bring a thermos and heat water for breakfast and morning coffee the night before to avoid cooking in the morning. Bring it as well as your breakfast foods inside the tent with you at night. Wake up and have breakfast in the tent while the no-see-ums go on the attack outside. I use the Nissan thermos and the water stays unbelievably hot over a 12 hr period.
3. A nice hearty soup made at home makes a wonderful first or second night’s meal. I’m partial to lentils and will add barley or rice for a nice combination of carbohydrate and protein. It’s a good meal for those nights when you are very hungry and don’t feel like cooking. I freeze it in a gallon size (or quart size for single serving) zip-lock freezer bag.
4. I do all my cooking with a Trangia alcohol stove. It’s clean, it takes up little room and the stove is so low maintenance, nothing can go wrong (no clogs, no leak, etc). And unlike the popular Whisper Lite stove that sounds like a whispering jet taking off, it makes no noise. I use denatured alcohol and store it in old hydrogen peroxide bottles. I replace the bottle cap with a water bottle drinking spout for easy use. I carry a long lighter and waterproof matches as back ups.
5. Bring an extra meal for that small possibility you may be stuck an extra night. It’s always better to err on the side of bringing too much food than not enough. Of course, you can survive without the food, so adhere to this rule firmly when it comes to water.
6. Certain breads will get moldy fast. I find Lenders bagels and white flour tortillas to work well against that. Whole wheat breads, especially pita, do no last long and will turn green and fuzzy within a day.
7. You can use salt water for boiling pasta or rice, but know that you will likely get sand in there too. I do use the ocean water to wash my pots and pans after a meal. The shells and sand help remove the hardened food.
8. When I boil water for the next meal, I place my used eating utensils in the water for sterilization and will also pour the water into my eating bowls and then dump the water back into the pot for cooking. I don’t do this every night, but every couple of days.
9. Especially for beach camping where there are no picnic tables but lots of sand, I bring a large nylon tarp and spread it on the ground. Here, I set myself up with my Thermarest chair and all my cooking gear and food for a meal. This is our kitchen and dining area.
10. Use your food storage zip lock bags for garbage after you’ve eaten the contents of the bag.

Paddling the Everglades Part 7: Bug control, hygiene, & clothing

BUG CONTROL I’ve already given you an earful about the bugs. Now, some information about how you can make your stay in the Everglades as bug-free and painless as possible. About insect repellant; I don’t care what anyone says, 100% (give or take a couple points) DEET is the only thing worth bringing. It works on no-see-ums, biting flies and mosquitoes. Here’s the catch, DEET is a poison and despite what the deet.com website tells you, I will not put the stuff directly on my skin. I had an experience after spraying DEET directly on my legs and feet due to the fact that I was wearing shorts and getting bit all over by no-see-ums. I recklessly applied the DEET on my skin because I was itching like crazy and couldn’t stand it. I risked the poison exposure for the relief it would surely bring. Within a few minutes I began feeling very faint and somewhat nauseous. I could feel my blood pressure dropping rapidly. I got to the car and turned on the A.C and laid back (we were at the Outdoor Resorts marina in Chokoloskee). My partner brought me children’s benadryl and within 5 minutes or so, I was fine again. My blood pressure normalized and the itching stopped. I am not sure if this reaction was from the bugs or from the DEET, but nevertheless, one of the symptoms of DEET toxicity is hypotension. The moral of the story, do not apply the repellant directly to your skin if possible.

This brings us to the topic of clothing. At the campsite in the evening, I keep myself covered with long pants, socks, long sleeved shirt, bandana around my neck and a brimmed hat. I apply the DEET to my clothing rather than my skin. A good trick is to apply it on the underside of your hat brim, the bandana, and the socks. This seems to work 90% of the time. For the other 10%, I wear a mosquito net that covers my head and neck and cotton knit gloves. The clothing I wear at the campsite includes the following: polyster or wool socks, nylon pants, cotton or polyester shirt and cotton bandana. I dress to stay cool when it’s hot and warm when it’s cold.

The only other time bugs can be a problem is at the initial launch site (Flamingo, Chokoloskee Island or Everglades City). While loading the boats, I wear my paddling clothes, nylon long pants, nylon long-sleeved shirt, water shoes, a bandana or buff, and a Tilley hat (wide brimmed all around). Because of this, I always have the DEET handy by keeping a bottle in my deck bag so I have access to it at all times. I keep a second bottle in my cook kit for the campsite.

The bugs are always worse around dusk and dawn. The severity of the bug situation will depend primarily on temperature and wind velocity. I find that if the winds are a good 5-10 knots or more, the bugs are not much of a problem. 5 knots or less, the bugs will dominate the campsite. Some people are more tolerant to no-see-ums and mosquitoes than others. But I have seen the most tolerant person cry in despair while camping at Graveyard Creek. The moral of the story is, be prepared. Get into your no-see-um netted tent during the period when the bugs are worse and wait them out. I find that on beach campsites, if the bugs get bad at dusk, I can go hide in the tent for awhile, watch the sunset from there with a glass of wine and some cheese and crackers. By the time the sun disappears, so will the bugs. This is not always the case, however. I find certain campsites to be notoriously buggy even in the dark, like Graveyard Creek.

Do not leave your tent door open at any time after you’ve set up camp. This is a sure invitation for bugs and you will regret it when it comes time to hit the sack. Sometimes, you can’t help get no-see-ums in the tent, simply getting in and out will give them that opportunity. Here are three tips to relieve some of the problem. Tip #1: try to use the door that will get the most breeze, the bugs have less opportunity to get in that way. Tip #2: if they do get into your tent, you can get rid of the no-see-ums by wiping them off the tent walls with a wet bandana. Shine a light on the tent and they will congregate there. Tip#3: carry some children’s benadryl. I take 2 pills (one adult pill is equivalent to 2 children’s pills) when needed. This also works with ant bites that make me swell up and itch. The children’s benadryl does not make me too drowsy to paddle. Another quick remedy is rubbing alcohol (or hand sanitizer), which calms the itching.

One good thing about the no-see-ums and mosquitoes, once you are on the water, they are not a problem. I also find that the itching from the no-see-ums is temporary and once I am in my boat safely away, the itching has already stopped. A word of caution; if you want to get out of your boat or seek shelter while paddling, beware of the bugs swarming in the mangroves, especially during summer months.

One last thought on bugs, my camping experience in the Everglades begins in November and ends in early April. I spend time paddling during the day in the summer, but never camp during those dog day summer months. Thus, my bug experience does not include the insane bugfest that takes place in the heat of summer. Camper beware, I do not recommend camping in the glades anytime between May and October. Not only do you have the bugs, but you have daily summer storms, peak hurricane season, and the heat. If the bugs don’t get you, the heat will. I’m just saying…

MORE ON CLOTHING I’ve already described the importance of clothing for bug protection but there are other things to protect your body from, the sun being the first on that list. If you are from the north, I can certainly understand your desire to expose your skin to the sun, which you have not seen or felt in months. But please, use sun-screen. I really don’t pay too much attention to the brand of sunscreen I buy, but I do use spf 30 or higher. I also have lip balm with spf 15. The lip balm and sun screen are kept close by so I can apply as needed while paddling.

For paddling, I always wear long sleeve shirt and always wear nylon or polyester for quick drying. Forget cotton clothing for paddling, it will never dry. If it’s chilly, I’ll put on my Marmot rain jacket over the shirt and that is usually sufficient. Most of the time, I wear the nylon shirt that is popular with fishermen, it has pockets and vents. I always wear a bandana or a buff. The buff is hot in warmer temperatures, but is great for covering your face if you are getting too much sun exposure. I wear a Tilley hat, wide brimmed and it seems to not ever feel too hot or cumbersome. On my feet, I wear Teva water shoes with socks. Yes, your heard correctly, with socks. I use the Coolmax anklets and they feel wonderful even when wet. The socks give you the feeling of dryness despite being totally wet. Why wear shoes out here? Mostly to avoid stepping on a sharp oyster shell in the Ten Thousand Islands. Also, the Teva shoes do not get sucked off in knee-deep mud. They are comfortable when paddling, well ventilated, and they keep the sand and rocks out.

I already mentioned what I wear at the campsite, but for inside the tent, there are two types of sleep wear out here. One is for those 60+ temperatures, when cotton shorts and a short sleeve nylon or cotton shirt works well. Otherwise, I have long silk or polyester underwear for those cooler evenings. For those long trips, I prepare for cold weather and bring gloves, wool hat and nylon turtleneck.

HYGIENE And now for the topic that no one wants to talk about. But I will, because I’m a girl. And unlike boys, girls do not like to get dirty. I’m being a bit sarcastic, but in many ways, its true and we all know it. Guys do not put much thought into hygiene while camping; so if you are a guy, maybe this next section is of mild interest to you. But guys, if you are going out here with a female, you might want to read on. And of course, male or female, we all need to deal with human waste, so read on.

The one thing I will not compromise and will bring in quantities beyond necessity is toilet paper. I will not, under any circumstances, be without toilet paper. Remember, some of the beach sitess do not have port-o-lets (which is not necessarily a bad thing). If you are lucky, all your campsites port-o-lets will be clean, fully stocked with toilet paper and low on waste volume. But this will never happen, I guarantee it. You may have port-o-lets, but A), toilet paper is not guaranteed, and B), there is no guarantee the port-o-lets are fit for use. This past camping season was the worse I have ever seen in terms of port-o-let service. The park service has a few “honey barges” that go up and down the park to service the campsite pottys. During the busiest times of the year, a port-o-let can fill up quickly on the largest campsites, like Watsons Place. This past year, we camped at two different campsites each where the port-o-let was too full to use. And many times, the pottys have been without TP. The problem this year was that one of the honey barges was broken and the park service, which runs on a shoe string budget anyway, could not keep up with the demand. It also seemed to be one of the busiest seasons I’ve ever experienced. The moral of the story is, be prepared to go primitive.

Some of the beach campsites do not have port-o-lets, so there is no choice but to go primitive. If you find yourself at a backcountry ground site that has an out-of-service port-o-let, you’ll need to find an area in the woods to use and that is not easy to do, especially if you are sharing the site with several other people. This happened to me on Lopez River. Get as far away from the campsite as possible and dig a hole. Remember, the deeper you go into the brush, the more likely you’ll encounter bugs, so be prepared. There is a rule that you must dig at least 6 inches and that you must pack your toilet paper out. A large shell or rock works well enough for digging. To urinate only, you should go directly in the water when possible (especially easy to do on beach campsites).

For hygiene purposes, I carry small bottles of instant hand sanitizer, one in my cook kit so I can apply before handling food and another in a plastic zip lock bag with the toilet paper. I also carry a package of wet wipes in the plastic bag. To make the toilet paper more hygienic, at home I remove the cardboard roll from the middle. Then I take the end of the toilet paper from the middle and pull it out from the top a few inches. When I use the toilet paper, I pull the middle end, thus using only the untouched end of the toilet paper. I keep the toilet paper, hand sanitizer and wet wipes in a gallon-size zip-lock bag. I have another bag for paper waste. I keep all this handy when paddling.

When camping on a beach site, you can make a campfire and this is great for getting rid of paper waste. In fact, I’ve sometimes started a campfire for the sole purpose of burning the waste. Ladies, this is a great thing when you are camping during that time of the month. If you cannot take care of waste through burning, DO NOT bury the items, take them out with you.

The last thing I want is to get sick while out here, so staying clean is important to me. Disinfecting my hands before I cook or eat and after using the toilet is essential. Some may scuff at this and think I am overzealous with germ phobia; but so be it. I have not been sick once in the past 5 years and have never been sick while camping. The hand sanitizer may not be the reason for that, but it at least makes my hands smell clean!

What about bathing? I have a great tip for you! Campmor sells a product called No Rinse body wash that comes in a bottle. I’ve also found No Rinse wipes on-line as well. No Rinse products also include shampoo, hair conditioner and body bath, but the body wash version works just fine for both skin and hair. No Rinse is a wonderful NASA invention that allows you to clean your body without having to rinse off the soap. It smells great, it feels refreshing and it does not leave a soapy feeling or make your skin itch. I carry a small bottle of the stuff and I have a collapsible bucket that I fill with about a ½ liter of water. I add a capful of No Rinse to the water. Inside the tent, I lay out a 3 X 3 ft plastic sheet on the floor and use that as my bathing area. I have a bandana for bathing and a small microfiber tower for drying. After a bath, I put on my clean camp clothes and it feels so delicious. Now, I am ready for dinner and wine! Every other night, I take some extra water with No Rinse and run it through my hair. The No Rinse works well on skin and hair, I swear it’s the greatest thing since sliced bread. It feels incredible to wash off the salt and sweat from the skin, and you’ll sleep better. And more importantly, if you share a tent, you won’t offend your tent mate. There is no excuse for being dirty out here! I also have a net bag that I use to put all my hygiene items such as deoderant, toothbrush, floss, toothpaste, comb, soap and lotion. I also carry a small bottle of Dr. Bronners soap, for washing my hands. And last, I have a small spray bottle for cleaning my eye glasses. I use a lens brush to brush off sand before washing them to avoid scratching the lens.

LOCAL KNOWLEDGE Getting out of your tent at night may not be easy because of bugs, lack of privacy, rain, or you simply don’t like the discomfort of leaving your refuge. So what do you do when you have the urge to urinate? Bring a quart-size, wide mouthed, screw-capped bottle and pee in it. A plastic quart-sized Nalgene bottle works perfectly. In the morning, dump it in the drink and wash out your bottle with salt water to rid it of smells and you are good to go. Be sure to immediately screw on the cap after urinating before setting it down in your tent. Being clumsy, I can imagine a knocked over open bottle in my tent.

Paddling the Everglades Part 6: What to bring

By now you have your route planned including the mileage and the logistics that go into getting to and from your starting and end points. Now you are ready to evaluate your current camping and kayak/canoe equipment and make decisions on purchases and organizing your gear. For our purposes here, I'll give you some information that is more specific to your Everglades trip, with the assumption that you are knowledgeable in kayaking or canoeing and are at least a little experienced in camping. If you are experienced with rivers or camping in the North Country, your experience in the Everglades will be remarkably different. That’s where a little information goes a long way.

When considering gear, I categorize it as 'camping' and 'boat'. I’m going to address food and water separately in an upcoming blog and will include a blog on hygiene, bug control and clothing, all of which concerns gear in one way or another.

BOAT GEAR I am assuming you are knowledgeable in the ways of paddling, at least for day trips. In which case, you already know about emergency equipment. Let me remind you again (especially you northerners), while the Everglades is located in a sub-tropical region of south Florida, the weather can turn very bad and it can happen within minutes. Never underestimate the wind potential on the gulf coast or the large bays. I’ve paddled in 30 knot winds which are strong enough to blow the paddles out of your hands. I’ve skirted across Chevelier Bay in the backcountry with a 20 knot side wind and could have filled a swimming pool with the amount of water that crashed over the kayak hull. It’s no fun to be dressed for 70 degree weather and find yourself in 45 degrees with a hard rain and 20-30 knot winds coming at you. You think you can make an emergency landing easily. Not so easy when all there is around you are mangrove shorelines seeped in 2 feet of mud. The bottom line is to first stay up on the weather forecast, before you leave home and during your entire trip. A weather radio should be at the top of your gear list if you intending to spend more than a couple days out here. And second, be prepared for what might happen. Here are some suggestions for boat gear. This is not a complete list; rather, I am pointing out a few items that can make your Everglades trip more comfortable. Of course, there are several other items quite necessary for your trip, like a compass and map (or GPS).

1. At the top of your boat gear list is a weather radio, preferably a VHF marine radio for emergencies as well. Know the weather forecast before you leave home and during the entire trip. Don’t forget to bring extra batteries. I also carry my VHF in a waterproof casing.

2. A tow line. You may have to drag your boat to get to a beach shoreline at low tide. But also, you may have an emergency when you may need to hitch your boat to a mangrove tree or to another boat. 'For chickee camping, a line on both bow and stern are essential when tying off your boat.

3. Stake-out pole. This is optional but highly recommended. I use it for several reasons; 1) if I am loading my boat during an out going tide, I will stake it out in about ½ to 1 foot water knowing that within minutes, it will be on solid ground as the water line recedes, 2) if I want to take a break in an area where oyster shells are abound, I will stake out in a foot of water to avoid the shallower water where the hull is likely to get scratched, 3) I simply need to anchor my boat, and 4) when landing on an island at low tide, I will stake out the boat a distance from shoreline in the water knowing that the water will get closer. This way, I don’t have to drag the boat; rather, I can let the water carry it for me. FYI, I use PVC piping to make the stake out pole that has a T-handle at the top (one of the photos above shows 2 boats with stake-out poles at the shoreline of Tiger Key). I attach it to the front hull with a carabiner and rope. At the bottom of the PVC pipe is an old hiking pole stake that I attached with epoxy.

4. A camelback (for the kayaker). This is also optional but I find that if I have access to the mouthpiece of a camelback, I tend to drink more water. I place the bag behind my seat and bring the hose through my spray skirt and out through the front where the mouthpiece is close to me. Having water readily accessible on hot, sunny days can be a lifesaver. Don’t underestimate the effects of dehydration, it can zap your energy and make you sick.

5. #41 and/or #39 marine charts with important compass bearings written in (see photo above). I place my map in a waterproof casing and place a pencil, tide charts and a small compass inside it. I attach the casing to my spray skirt when in the kayak or have it in front of me attached to the canoe. The point is, you should be able to look at it whenever you need to (at least if you are not using a GPS).

CAMPING GEAR Again, I will assume you have camping experience, so the information here is specific to camping in the Everglades. First topic, your tent. It must have no-see-um netting. I repeat, it must have no-see-um netting. Listen, you ask anyone who has camped in the Everglades if they had a bad experience and almost always the answer includes a description of bugs. Concerning the no-see-ums (call them what you want, sand fleas, midges, swamp angels), “You can swing a cup and catch a quart”. You get the point.

Not sure if your tent has no-see-um netting? Search your tent name on-line and do the research. In the specifications, it should say ‘no-see-um netting’ somewhere. If it doesn’t, call the company to be sure, but likely, you will be buying a new tent. Don’t take this lightly; the tent is your only refuge from bad weather and the bugs when camping.

To go with your tent, carry four plastic grocery bags and extra guy rope. The bags can be filled with sand or rocks and can be used as anchors if you find yourself camping in very strong winds. On an exposed beach campsite (like Pavilion Key), this method of anchoring your tent may be the only thing keeping it secured. Simply fill the bags, bury them to securely guy out your tent. I’ve also taken a guy rope and wrapped it around a large heavy rock that I buried. Either way, you have a secured tent if a storm decides to blow your way.

Bring a tarp and long ropes to attach it to tree trunks, branches, etc. We use a 8 X 4 ft tarp and can easily shade 4 to 5 people sitting under it. The tarp is great for sun and rain protection and takes so little room in the boat. There are several lightweight tarps available through camping gear stores. I also have a smaller tarp that I use to lay out on the sand when piling my gear for loading the boats. This way, I can avoid getting sand on everything. It’s also good to sit on while cooking or relaxing on the beach.

And speaking of comfort, sometimes packing a kayak requires a minimalist way of thinking. I don’t want to compromise comfort and having a chair with back support is essential for my comfort. I use a Thermarest chair that when packed in the boat is less than the size of a folded umbrella. In the canoe, I’ll bring a foldable camp chair that takes up considerably more room. If I’m going to have a nice meal and glass of wine with friends while watching a sunset on Picnic Key, I want a comfortable chair to sit in (see photo above).

And last, your sleeping bag or otherwise. First of all, if you use a Hennessy Hammock, you may find it difficult on many campsites to set up. If you are camping on a beach, you will have to sleep in the mangrove thicket and good luck with the bugs. I love the Hennessy Hammock and use it when backpacking in the Big Cypress, but have never taken it out on a kayak or canoe trip. In the backcountry, the ground sites can be cramped and again, you will find yourself trekking through thick foliage to get to and from your Hammock. On the other hand, it may work on a chickee, but chickees are often exposed so be prepared for cool nights.

For the rest of you who will be sleeping in a tent, I find my 40-degree sleeping bag to be sufficient some of the time, but not always. On many occasions I felt it was not warm enough and on other occasions, it was too warm. For instance, we took a 7-day trip over New Years Eve 2007 and not once did I get inside my sleeping bag. On those nights when it does not get below 60 degrees, I like to have a cotton sheet, sleep sack or fleece blanket. Most of the time, you start in the cotton sheet and eventually have to climb into the sleeping bag. On the other side of it, a 40-degree sleeping bag is not warm enough. Having a 20-degree down bag is very comfortable and that’s the sleeping bag I use the most. As an example, we were camping on Rabbit Key in April 2007, well into the normally very warm spring months. We paddled in strong winds, but reasonable temperatures during the day. Later than evening, we got caught off guard by a very storm that was not in the weather predictions for some reason. The temperature quickly dropped into the 40s. My tent partner brought only her fleece blanket and spent the entire night in a very cold way. This was totally unexpected and from that day on, I never leave home without the sleeping bag. I can sleep comfortably in the down bag at temps below 60 degrees. So for sleeping, I bring the down bag and a cotton sheet for those warmer nights. You may think a down sleeping bag is too much for the Everglades, but I find it to work perfectly. Personally, I would rather err on the side of being too warm than too cold. Being prepared for both situations is best.

LOCAL KNOWLEDGE When you know a storm is brewing and you are setting up camp, use the trees for protection. I find sea grape trees (large round leaves) to be the best, they are very strong and the branches do not break off easily. On Picnic Key, a very exposed beach site, there are some fairly large areas behind the trees that provide a perfect camp area for protection against high winds. Tiger Key and Rabbit Key are also quite good in this regard. I find Pavilion Key to be the most difficult to get away from high winds, but the good thing about Pavilion Key is that you have a choice on which side of the island you can camp.

On the other hand, having winds 0-5 knots can make a miserable camping experience because of the bugs. While camping, you want to have some wind, preferably 10 knots, give or take. Not too strong, but strong enough to keep the bugs at bay. When you are not expecting a storm or very high winds, select a camp site that will allow you to reap the benefits of those winds. This is especially important when it is going to be quite warm at night.

For the next blog, I’ll talk about clothing, hygiene and bug control.

Paddling the Everglades Part 5: Routes for multi-day trips in the Ten Thousand Islands

I cannot stress this enough, Johnny Molloy’s book, A Paddlers’ Guide to Everglades National Park is essential to any kayaker or canoeist who plans to spend more than a day in the Everglades. The book will provide you excellent and detailed descriptions of all the possible routes available to you as a paddler. The routes are illustrated and details on mileage, level of difficulty and scenic appeal are all there.

If you don’t have Johnny’s book handy, I can give you a good start on planning your routes for a 2-day or more trip, you just need a marine chart of the area. On my website, I have several 2-day, 3-day and 5-day trips described; all of them loop trips beginning and ending at either Everglades City or Chokoloskee Island. Visit the site at: http://www.cmierphotoandfitness.net/everglades.html.

GULF SIDE: With marine chart in hand, you can now plan your paddle route in detail. Within the park, there are 5 channels or passes that connect the gulf and Chokoloskee Bay. These are West Pass, Indian Key Pass, Sandfly Pass, Chokoloskee Pass and Rabbit Key Pass. Indian Key Pass is the largest channel and also the closest to Everglades City. This is the most popular route (but not necessarily the best) to get to Picnic or Tiger Key. It has more motorboat traffic in it compared to the other passes mainly because of the park tour boats (some quite large) that run back and forth throughout the day. The channel is well marked and there are a few convenient sandy locations to get out and take a break. The other passes have markers but not as well identified as the Indian River Pass.

If you are heading to Picnic or Tiger Key and want to get away from the channel and get into a more secluded area of the park, there is a route that deviates from the channel and leads into Gaskin Bay. On your map, notice where the channel gets wider at the point where Russell Pass connects with Indian Key Pass. At that land point is red marker 7. From that marker head in a westerly direction to an opening that separates a small island from a very large land mass. Continue following the right shoreline and go through a narrow creek. This opens up into a small bay and then into another creek. Once out of that creek, you come into the open again and continue into Gaskin Bay. If you are heading to Picnic Key, you can go due southwest toward the Stop Keys and get to the gulf side of Picnic Key. Or you can cross Gaskin Bay and make a left toward Tiger Key where you can continue between Tiger and Picnic Keys.

Another off-the-beaten-path route is to take West Pass from West Pass Bay. From Chokoloskee Bay, head west into Lane Cove and continue past the mouth of the Ferguson River. A westerly direction will lead you to the small opening into West Pass Bay. Make sure you have a compass bearing or GPS waypoint to help you find the opening. This is a good route to take if you have an incoming tide during the initial part of your paddle. Staying in Chokoloskee Bay and Lane Cove spares you from the harsh current of the incoming.

If you are heading to Rabbit or Pavilion Key, leaving from Chokoloskee Island makes the trip 3 miles shorter. But if that is not an issue for you, you’ll leave Everglades City and head over to Chokoloskee Island where you will head into Rabbit Key Pass. You can take Sandfly Pass which is a short distance from Everglades City and get out to the gulf sooner. I like Rabbit Key Pass, but at low tide, Chokoloskee Bay leading into the pass is full of shoals. The good side of this is that you will pass a very large colony of white pelicans living on a shoal in the bay from November through March. A good rest stop along the way is Turtle Key, just before the open gulf. It has a beautiful sandy beach that is quite nice for a break. From there, you are only a short 2 miles to Rabbit Key and I recommend that you approach it from the south end of Lumber Key if the winds in the gulf are against you. Also, at low tide you may not get through the shoal located at the eastern point of Rabbit Key and extends to a nearby mangrove island. To avoid that and westerly winds, go around Lumber Key and head toward Rabbit from the east side. For Pavilion Key, take the same route, paddle between Rock Hole and Lumber Key and continue in a south by southeast direction, staying close to the mangrove islands on your left. For about 1 ½ mile, you have an open gulf paddle to get to Pavilion Key and hopefully the winds are in your favor.

A beautiful route is between Picnic and Rabbit Keys. The wildlife display never disappoints. You’ll see dolphin, manatee, brown pelicans and a group of white pelicans or two. From Picnic Key, head over to Stop Keys and you should be able to paddle between the two small islands. Before the hurricanes of 2005, this was impassable most of the time, but now it seems to be more open. Continue across Indian Key Pass past the northeast tip of Indian Key toward Kingston Key. From there head toward what use to be Comer Key but is now nothing more than a spit of sand and oyster shells. Stop at Jewel Key (which was recently made into a campsite) for a break before crossing Chokoloskee and Rabbit Key Passes.

If you are up for a longer paddle on your first day, Mormon Key is a good destination. Basically, take the same route as you would to get to Pavilion Key, staying close to the land masses near Duck Rock Cove. Continue in a straight route across Chatham Bend to the northwest side of Mormon Key. If you are planning several days and are including backcountry routes as well, Mormon Key and Hog Key are perfect stops for the first 2 nights before heading up Lostmans River into the backcountry. These would be the first nights of a 4- or 5- night paddle trip. Another good combination would be Rabbit or Pavilion Key and then Turkey or New Turkey Key before heading up the Chatham River. Getting from one gulf site to another is straightforward, but extremely wind prone. It’s difficult, if not impossible to hide from the winds when you are on a gulf route. You have only a few opportunities to duck behind an island but you must be mindful of the shoals that can keep you from doing so. As an example, with enough water, you could paddle between Buzzard and North Plover Keys when paddling from New Turkey Key to Hog Key. But notice the large shoals that surround these islands. You may only have one choice and that is to go around the Plover Keys on the gulf side.

BACKCOUNTRY: As I mentioned in a previous blog, heading into the backcountry from Chokoloskee Island is so much more convenient than from Everglades City. To get to Sunday Bay chickee or Lopez River site, I enjoy paddling up the Turner River and heading across the Cross Bays into Sunday Bay or Lopez River. This is a gorgeous route and if you leave from Chokoloskee Island (Outdoor Resorts), it is only about 8 miles to either campsite. A word of caution about this route, from Chokoloskee Bay, you may not have an opportunity to get out of your boat for a break.

To get to Watsons Place, you’ll cross several large bays. Please note; these bays look relatively small on the marine chart compared to the wide open gulf. But in reality, they are very large bodies of water and can be quite wicked with 15+ knot winds. Unlike the deep waters of the gulf, these bays are relatively shallow which causes the waves to break rather than swell. The breaking waves, especially with a side wind, can make paddling quite challenging. Basically, you are following the wilderness waterway all the way from Chokoloskee Bay to Huston Bay. Once in Huston Bay, head in a southerly direction from marker 108 and stay to the right of the island where marker 107 is located. You’ll see an old rickety building with a dock on the island; it’s an old homestead that has survived several hurricanes. You can paddle over there and check it out if you want. Some people have actually used it for emergency stops or to wait out a storm. Stay to the right of the island, veering away from the wilderness waterway, and head into the mouth of a large river that will lead you into the Chatham River. You’ll reach the Chatham approximately ½ mile northeast of Watsons Place.

If you are paddling 5 days or more in the Ten Thousand Islands, make sure to include the Lostmans River in your itinerary. You can include the campsite Willy Willy, but it does not appear on the #41 marine chart, you need #39 to show you the way to Willy Willy from marker 46 near Third Bay. Including the Chatham or the Lostmans River in your trip route means that you will have both backcountry and beach camping experiences. This is the best way to see the Ten Thousand Islands. I have a couple routes on my website as examples.

LOCAL KNOWLEDGE: This is more or less aesthetic information, but I highly recommend that if you are planning a 3-day or more loop trip in the Ten Thousand Islands that you include both backcountry and gulf routes (connecting on the Chatham or Lostman River). It’s always a wonderful feeling to come out of the backcountry into the lightness and openness of the gulf; kind of a Dorothy-in-the-land-of-oz experience. It isn’t that the backcountry is dark and cramped; on the contrary, it is quite open with so many large bays to cross. But you can paddle some long narrow creeks, you are always surrounded by land masses, and you may not see a full sunrise or sunset from many of your campsites. Coming into the gulf through the mouth of the Chatham or Lostmans River is always breathtaking with the vastness of the gulf waters. On a calm day, the water and sky blend and are often indistinguishable. I recommend (tides cooperating) that you consider heading first into the backcountry and come out to the gulf islands to finish your trip.

Paddling the Everglades Part 4: Some information on the campsites

In the Everglades National Park, there are 3 different camping sites; beach, backcountry ground sites, and chickees. Chickees are free standing wooden platforms that span about 14 by 12 feet. Some are double platforms connected by a walkway where a port-a-let sits off from the center of the walkway. The Pearl Bay chickee is a bit larger (15 X 15 ft) than the others and is handicapped accessible, making this chickee a bit more comfortable in terms of space allotment. Most of the chickees are double and each platform is limited to one party and no more than 6 people. I’ve stayed on a chickee platform with 2 tents and four people. If you include chickee camping, make sure you are comfortable in confined quarters with other people. Chickee camping can be quite fun and allows you to stay in some beautiful backcountry bays and rivers. But a word of warning to kayakers, loading and unloading from a chickee can be difficult especially with low water levels. You can have a > 4-ft distance between the water line and the chickee platform and this makes getting in and out of the kayak challenging. No doubt, chickees are more canoe friendly.

Among my favorite chickee sites, primarily for the view, are:
Lane Bay: It's a single chickee overlooking Lane Bay and gives you the ultimate peaceful experience in the glades
Hells Bay: At sunset, the view can't be topped
Rodgers River: It's actually on a bay and offers one the best open views in the middle river area of the park

The backcountry ground sites can be the most interesting, the most remote and the most lively, all depending on the site and the time of year. Getting on and off the backcountry sites with your boat can be easier than a beach site that is highly influenced by the tides. Most of them have docks, so these sites are accessible to and quite popular with powerboaters. Some of the backcountry sites are quite small, like Lopez River or Willy Willy, and you may have to share it with several other people from 2 other parties. One last point, Camp Lonesome and Willy Willy can be very difficult to get on and off from a kayak or double canoe if the dock is being occupied by powerboats. Little ground space is left around the docks for a kayak or canoe to access the land directly from the water. We had to cut several low lying branches and clear some brush at Camp Lonesome where we were 2 kayaks and 2 canoes sharing the space with 2 powerboats.

Although the backcountry campsites can get cramped, they can also offer you the best camping experiences. If you are interested in the human history of the Everglades, there are several campsites that help tell the story. Most of these sites sit on a shell mound, built by Calusa Indians. Later, these sites were inhabited by European and American homesteaders 100 years ago or so. Perhaps the most famous site is The Watsons Place, previous home to Ed Watson, a notorious character in the Everglades a hundred years ago. Outlaw that he was, Watson was also a shrewd businessman, landowner and farmer who became quite successful. However, it is also believed that he killed several people, which led to his murder. What ever the story is, staying at the Watsons Place is interesting and it's located on the beautiful Chatham River. Several old pieces of farm equipment are still scattered about. This site as with a few others has a cement structure that once served as a cistern or foundation for a home.

Probably the biggest issue with the backcountry sites is the presence of mosquitoes and no-see-um bugs. Some sites are buggier than others, Broad River being the worst of them. Don’t let this deter you especially during the winter months when the bugs are as bad (between Dec and April) and with a nice breeze, you can generally have a bug-free evening.

Among my favorite backcountry ground sites are:
Lopez River: the river is magical; it’s not unusual to hear the tell-tale sound of the dolphins as they blow through their air holes while passing through with the tide in the evenings.
Watsons Place: for nostalgic reasons (I always have fun there), but also because the Chatham River is awesome.
Darwin’s Place: because it is near Gopher Creek, one of the most remote and beautiful areas in the Everglades.

The beach campsites are the essence of camping experience in the Everglades. These are what people primarily come here for; to sit on a beach at sunset, get a campfire going, and listen to the waves coming on shore; a classic Florida scene.

Getting on and off the beach with your boat makes beachcamping more interesting. Unlike the backcountry sites, tidal influences are significant. Leaving or pproaching a campsite at low tide can mean dragging or carrying your boat for dozens of feet. On the other hand, coming into a gulf side beach, like Picnic Key, with 20-25 knot westerly winds can be precarious as the crashing waves push you violently toward the beach. But, this is not as nerve wrecking as getting into the water under the same conditions or having to do so in a canoe.

Once you are safely on shore, finding a camp site above the high tide line is necessary. You also want to make sure your boat is safely above that line as well. Choosing the best campsite location depends on several factors including wind direction, storm predictions, location of other campers, and shoal length. Wind direction should be considered when deciding on which side of an island to camp and also which island to camp on, when choices are available. Why is wind direction such an important consideration? One word: bugs. Winds above 5 knots are ideal for camping because they help keep the no-see-ums at bay and if you know your wind directions, you can choose a location that will provide you the best breeze action. The flip side of that is when you know there is a storm coming. In which case, wind protection should be considered. Carry a weather radio with you and check it at least daily; the weather can change dramatically in the Everglades and you want to be prepared for anything.

The shoals along the shoreline should also be considered. At low tide, try to avoid areas where you have the longest shoal in front of you, this means you will be carrying your boat quite a distance before you have enough water to paddle in.

In the Ten Thousand Islands, my favorite beach sites are:
Picnic Key – for the location, sunsets, and beauty
Tiger Key – for the location, sunsets, and beauty
Rabbit Key – for the full moon rise, sunsets with osprey nest, and ability to walk around the island
Turkey Key – especially on the south side which has a beautiful sunrise view

In the middle and southern regions, Highland Beach has been a popular site, but it has changed since the 2005 hurricanes. The ideal spots for pitching a tent have disappeared, but there is still enough coastline for lots of choices. Highland Beach is notorious for very large shoals at low tide. Graveyard Creek is another example of a beach site that has been dramatically altered as a result of the hurricanes. This site was once a beautiful beach site, seated along the creek as well as the gulf. The hurricanes pushed the beach up into the mangrove forest and now, the campsite is confined to the dense area of the mangroves. It still beautiful, but it is buggy and cramped.

About 10 miles south of Shark River is the cape, beginning with Northwest cape and continuing on to Middle and East Capes. Basically, it’s 10 miles of continuous beach. Northwest cape has got to be the most beautiful of all the sites. You’ll see so many tarpon, dolphin and pelican action from your campsite, the entertainment never stops.

LOCAL KNOWLEDGE: If you are planning a multi-day trip with 4 or more night stays, consider base camping at one of the sites. My favorite base camp is Darwins Place from which I can head into Gopher Creek. The creek begins about ½ mile from Darwins in Cannon Bay and leads you eventually to Rookery Bay, a great area for fishing but also for wildlife photography. This is a spectacular area to explore and you can easily spend more than one day here. Any campsite where you have several areas close by for exploring is an opportunity for base camping. Consider base camping at Middle Cape and exploring Lake Ingraham, or at Cape Lonesome and exploring the nearby creeks and bays. The choices are many, but remember, you cannot base camp on a chickee; there is a 1-night stay maximum rule for those sites.

Stayed tuned for part 5, I'll provide some recommended routes for multi-day trips.

Paddling the Everglades Part 3: More about tides and choosing the area to paddle

I cannot emphasize the tides enough so I’m going to talk about them again. If you are young and blissfully full of life and want an adventure that you can talk about for years, go ahead and ignore the tides. But if you are young and blissfully full of life and want an adventure that you can talk about for years AND want an enjoyable and pain-free paddling trip, listen to what I have to say.

First, when deciding on campsites and routes, it is useful to understand how the Everglades National Park is divided (not literally) into areas. For trip planning purposes, it can be divided into three sections: The Ten Thousand Islands (northern end), the middle rivers section and the most southern portion, the Cape and Whitewater Bay area. The Ten Thousand Islands area is the most northern portion of the park and begins at the Lostmans River and extends just north of Picnic Key. It is in this portion where you will find Everglades City and the rangers station. The campsites in the Ten Thousand Islands include 3 chickee sites in the backcountry, 4 ground backcountry sites and 9 beach sites. On the gulf side, the beach campsites are primarily located on keys or islands scattered throughout the area.

Navigating through the Ten Thousand Islands to your campsite does not have to be difficult if you stick with the marked channels (i.e., Indian Key Pass, Rabbit key Pass). But most of the time, the best part of paddling through the Ten Thousand Islands is when you get off the marked routes and do some exploring. For this, you need to have a marine chart and compass (or GPS) on hand, otherwise you can get terribly lost in no time.

South of the Lostmans River begins the middle river area of the park that takes you as far south as Shark River. Here you will find a convoluted maze of rivers that take you out to the gulf or get you into the deepest backcountry in the park. Unlike the Ten Thousand Islands area, the gulf side of this area is one long continuous coastline interrupted by several rivers; rather than the maze of islands that characterize the northern end of the park. Within the middle river area are 2 beach campsites, 4 ground backcountry sites (among the most beautiful and remote in the park) and 3 chickee backcountry sites.

South of the Shark River begins the cape and Whitewater Bay area, which includes the Hells Bay trail and Coot Bay. The coastline continues south and veers east as you pass 3 distinct points before it begins an easterly direction to Flamingo (where another ranger station is located). The three distinct points are Northwest Cape, Middle Cape and East Cape, all beach campsites. The very large Whitewater Bay comprises the largest portion of this area and can only be accessed from its northern and southern ends from the gulf. No where along the cape region between Shark River and Flamingo can it be accessed. Shark River, Whitewater Bay and Hells Bay Trail can lead you into the deeper backcountry area through North River, Roberts River, Lane Bay, Pearl Bay, and Hells Bay. There are 4 beach campsites along the coastline, (which is for the most part one long continuous beach), 2 ground backcountry sites including Alligator Creek, and 10 chickee backcountry sites.

Recently, the park built a couple chickee platforms in Florida Bay. These stand about 8 feet above the water line and are very difficult to access for camping. There are also 2 ground sites on the bay.

As you decide on your trip route, you’ll also decide on whether or not it will be a one-way trip (i.e., doing the entire length of the Wilderness Waterway or the coastline) or a loop trip that begins and ends at the same point. Loop trips are much easier to plan and execute for obvious reasons, you just have to decide where the beginning and end point will be. For loop routes, there are several locations to choose from; Flamingo area which includes Coot Bay Pond and Hells Bay Trail for the southern end, and Everglades City and Chokoloskee Island for the northern end. Coot Bay Pond launch site is located approximately 3 miles from Flamingo on Ingraham Highway. Hells Bay Trailhead is located another 4 miles from there, also on the highway. Both launch sites have adequate parking space. At Flamingo, you have a marina (see photo above) from which you can launch, but you can also launch from the campground.

To get to the cape, Flamingo is your launch site. To access the backcountry such as Lane Bay or Watson River, Flamingo is an option, but launching from Coot Bay Pond cuts off the Buttonwood Canal section of the paddle. Hells Bay Trail will get you into Hells Bay and Lane Bay without going through Whitewater Bay. Although the Wilderness Waterway officially comes into and out of Flamingo, launching from either of the other two sites will get you to the waterway, one way or another.

Everglades City and Chokoloskee Island are located in the Ten Thousand Islands. It is from one of these locations that you will launch for a loop trip in the Ten Thousand Islands or a one-way trip to Flamingo. On Chokoloskee Island, your launch site is Outdoor Resorts, where you can access the gulf side from one side of the road or the backcountry side from the other side of the road. Beware, it costs $10 to launch (per car) and $10 to park each day. To save money when you have more than one car, do a quick shuttle and park all but one car at the rangers station in Everglades City. There is no charge at the rangers station in Everglades City for launching or parking.

Unless your first destination is Picnic or Tiger Key, Chokoloskee launch site is the most convenient. It cuts off 3 miles, which can make a difference when you are trying to cover some long distances.

Now, about those tides. When you are planning a loop trip that include both gulf and backcountry, you can avoid paddling against the tide with a little planning and some flexibility. Because you will be paddling in a circle, you have two directions to choose from. For instance, say you are planning a 4-day paddle that includes the following campsites: Sunday Bay chickee, Watsons Place and Pavilion Key. In what order should you go? From Chokoloskee Island, let’s say you plan to get on the water by 11 am. According to your tide charts, you have low tide at 9:30 am at Chokoloskee and 97% moon visibility. This means you will have an in coming tide the rest of the morning, and by 11 am, it will be rushing in with the full moon effect. You could paddle out against the tide and be miserable, or you could head into the backcountry and let the tide take you up the Turner or Lopez Rivers into Sunday Bay. You wisely choose to spend your first night on Sunday Bay. On your last day from Pavilion Key back to Chokoloskee, you have a high tide at Chokoloskee at 2 pm. If you can get off the island 3 or 4 hours before high tide at Chokoloskee, you’ll have plenty of time to ride it back into Chokoloskee Bay and you’ll probably avoid a very low tide at Pavilion Key.

Remember, the tides are strongest with a full or new moon, the full effects are most evident when in the tidal rivers leading to and from the gulf, and the closer to the time of high or low tide the lower is the effect as you approach slack tide.

LOCAL KNOWLEDGE: The paddle between Everglades City into the backcountry is probably the least aesthetic, its mostly in open bay waters that can get quite choppy, and it can be downright frustrating if you are working against the tides. To me, launching from Chokoloskee Island is so much better; I can be at the mouth of the Turner River within minutes. If you can take the cost, launching from Outdoor Resorts for backcountry trips is the best way to go.

These are just some general ideas and tips on planning a paddle route through the Everglades National Park. Part 4 will provide specific information on certain campsites and routes.

Paddling the Everglades Part 2: Marine charts and tides

Addendum: since writing this 2 years ago, I have been using a GPS, but I still carry the waterproof chart and compass.

You’ve started to plan the logistics of your Everglades kayak or canoe trip, you’ve already decided on the dates and number of days you will be paddling, and you are now ready to map out a paddling route. By now, you should have researched the Everglades National Park’s website (http://www.nps.gov/ever). As I mentioned in my previous entry, reading Johnny Molloy’s book, A Paddler’s Guide to the Everglades National Park is a good idea at this point, essential if you are planning anything beyond a couple days of paddling.

You may have decided on a route based on the Wilderness Trip Planner brochure from the ENP website. This shows you the approximate distances between campsites, but it does not give you any other information that is important to know when planning a route. This is where you need a marine chart. Irrespetive of a GPS, I recommend you get a waterproof chart. There are waterproof charts available from the following website, http://waterproofcharts.com/florida.html. You’ll find two area maps that apply to the ENP: #41 Everglades and Ten Thousand Islands, and #39 Lostmans River to Whitewater Bay and Flamingo. The #41 chart includes the entire Ten Thousand Islands area as far south as the Lostmans River. #39 includes Lostmans River and the southern end of the park including Flamingo and northern Florida Bay area. The cost is $25 for each map, not expensive considering their importance. One word of caution, neither map includes the short route off the wilderness waterway into the campsites Willy Willy or Sunday Bay, but you can get those supplemental maps when you purchase your permits at the visitor center.

The marine chart provides you the locations of shoals, nice to know when paddling or getting on or off an island at low tide (if you use a GPS, make sure it has up-to-date mapping software). The last thing you want to happen is to run your boat over a sharp bed of oyster shells in the Ten Thousand Islands or to find yourself in the middle of a very large mudflat in Florida Bay. These can be easily avoided if you know where the shoals to avoid exist.

You may think a chart is unnecessary if you are planning to paddle only on The Wilderness Waterway, a marked 99-mile water route that runs through the entire ENP. But two adjacent markers can be as much as a mile apart. If you don’t know where to look for the next marker, you may find yourself severely off course. Having a chart that shows you the marker locations will help you avoid losing your route.

Once you have your marine chart, you can visualize your route. One of the most important factors to consider when you plan your route is the tide schedule. To make your trip as pleasurable as possible, plan your routes to avoid paddling a river against the tide. Most of the water you will be paddling is tide-influenced. The greatest effect will occur on those rivers that connect the backcountry with the gulf, such as the Lopez, Lostmans, and Shark rivers. To get your tide information, go to the saltwater tides website: http://saltwatertides.com and search under the list of Florida Gulf Coast sites. For Flamingo, look under the list of Florida Keys sites.

You can choose to ignore the tides, but if, for instance, you find yourself paddling from Highland Beach on the Lostmans River during a full or new moon outgoing tide, you’re going to curse your decision to come here the entire way. This can be easily avoided by simply knowing the tide schedule for the entrance of the Lostmans River. For instance, say the low tide on the day you want to head up the river is at 7:05 am and the high tide is at 12:31 pm; this tells you that you would have a much nicer paddle if you head up the river before 12:31 pm. The closer the time is to the low or high, the less tidal effect there is; this is called “slack tide”. In this case, you have some window of opportunity for about 1 hour after the high tide before the outgoing tide becomes strong. Another tidal factor is the percent visibility of the moon. If you have a full or new moon, the change in water height is much more dramatic and the current is much stronger; thus, at least avoid paddling against a full or new moon tide.

With tide schedule and marine chart in hand, you can now plan an extraordinary trip into the Everglades. If you are acquiring your permit the first day of your paddle, account for the amount of time you’ll need that day before you can get on the water. Plan your first day’s route accordingly, especially important if you will not get on the water until noon or later.

LOCAL KNOWLEDGE: Although the marine chart is waterproof, I keep it in a waterproof map case, which you can purchase at this website: http://www.thecompassstore.com/mapcase.html. I do this for several reasons; it helps maintain the longevity of the map, I write on my maps, I carry a compass and pencil in case I need to make compass bearings on the fly, and I have my tide schedule print-outs inside the case. Along with my compass I keep in front of me on my boat, everything I need to navigate through the ENP is in that case which sits in front of me the entire time, attached to the spray skirt or the boat. I refer to it frequently while paddling in order to orient myself with my surroundings. In the horizon, 3 mangrove islands can look like one big land mass and distinguishing features to use as orientation points are difficult to find. Thus, you must be comfortable with using maps and a compass while paddling through the Everglades.

Next blog; Part 3: more about the tides (don’t ignore them!) and some info on the campsites.

Paddling the Everglades Part 1: Getting oriented with the park

Everglades National Park is the largest subtropical wilderness in the United States. I suppose the attraction to the Everglades for many northerners is the climate and warm temperatures during the winter months. Whatever the attraction is, your paddling vacation in the Everglades can be an incredibly wonderful and pain-free or it can be completely miserable. The difference is how well you plan your trip, as well as your tolerance level for certain inconveniences and annoyances).

Planning your trip begins here: research the Everglades National Park’s website (http://www.nps.gov/ever). Starting with ‘Directions’, you’ll find that the park has 4 visitor centers. While all four are worth a visit, only two of these provide you camping permits, Flamingo and Gulf Coast visitor centers. Now, click on 'view map' and find those visitor centers. Flamingo (on the southern end of the park) is your gateway to Florida Bay, Whitewater Bay and Hells Bay, and the beginning or end point of the wilderness waterway. On the northern end is the Gulf Coast visitor center in Everglades City, your entrance to the Ten Thousand Islands and the beginning or end point of the wilderness waterway.

Your planned paddling route, rental needs, and shuttle needs will dictate which of these two visitor centers will be your camping permit venue. If you are planning a one-way trip, it may be useful to know that Flamingo has a campground near its visitor center. While there are hotels in Everglades City, there is no tent camping. However, there are nearby campgrounds, Seminole-Collier State Park and Chokoloskee Island Park.

To get to Flamingo, you must pay to come into the park, $10 per car and $3 per boat. There is no entrance fee to the Gulf Coast visitor center in Everglades City. I believe it is $16 to camp at the Flamingo campground. Your backcountry permits will cost $10 plus $2 per person ($1 for seniors) per night (14 days maximum). Permitting only takes place from mid-November to the end of April.

From the website, you can download maps and brochures (http://www.nps.gov/ever/planyourvisit/maps.htm). Two of them are very important

• The Everglades National Park map is useful for planning the beginning and end of your trip and helping you decide on where you want to begin and end your trip.
• The Wilderness Trip Planner is also a useful brochure. The brochure contains a list of all the backcountry campsites and a map to orient you to the campsite locations and distances. DO NOT USE THIS MAP for navigating! You’ll need a marine map for that (more on that later). From this brochure, you can at least get an idea on distances so you can begin planning your route. But it isn’t until you study a marine chart that you will begin to get a full understanding of the trip you are about to take.

It would also be a good idea to begin learning more about the Everglades and the ecosystem that you will be visiting. Do some research on typical weather patterns (temperatures, wind velocities and directions) for the time of year you intend to visit. If you intend to fish, you will need to read up on fishing regulations and get your Florida saltwater fishing permit. The best money you can spend when planning your trip is Johnny Molloy’s book: A Paddler’s Guide to the Everglades National Park. He has a new edition includes areas north of the national park in the 10,000 Islands Wildlife Preserve. This book is essential to good planning and regardless, it’s a great read. He includes much information on the history of the area and invaluable insider information on campsites and paddling routes.

LOCAL KNOWLEDGE: at this stage in your planning, you are perusing the ENP website, but there are some things you cannot glean from the website where a little local knowledge may be beneficial.

Depending on when you are planning to come here, acquiring a backcountry camping permit can be very difficult. The busiest times are around the holidays, weekends and in March (spring break). You must purchase your permit in person at either Flamingo or Gulf Coast visitor centers and it is first-come-first-serve. The earliest you can purchase your permit is 24 hrs prior to your trip. Several parties can be vying for backcountry permits at the same time. At the busiest times, you will find people camped out on the doorsteps of the visitor center waiting for the doors to open at 8 am. So here is an important tip, have a contingency plan in case you do not get the campsite you want. Arrive at the visitor center well before 8 am and get in line. Welcome to sunny Florida!

Next blog; Part 2: acquiring a marine map, the tides and planning your route.

For more information, go to my website: http://www.cmierphotoandfitness.net