Summer camping in the Everglades anyone?

Summer months for me are day paddles (on the water no later than 6:30 am and off the water no later than 12 pm), occasional repairing of camping or boat equipment, traveling north for vacations, making sure my hurricane supplies are updated and lots and lots of AC. It's also the time of year when northerners are awakening from their winter hibernation and feeling the restless urge to go out into the great outdoors and do a little camping.

I peruse and sometimes participate on various forums and inevitably, someone from the midwest, northeast or even farther north Canada will get on the forum with some questions that are prefaced with the following "I want to camp in the Everglades this July...". Unbeknownst to this person is that he or she will soon be hit with a barrage of diatribes from many Floridians who will preface their statements with "What are you, nuts!". The poor northerner only wants to take a vacation, probably the only one they get and they really want to see the Everglades because they hear so many wonderful things about it. After all, that's all we Floridians talk about for 6 months out of the year how great our camping trips are!

And so it is that the Everglades is an inhospitable constant steam bath covered in bugs that is only interrupted by daily afternoon storms and an occasional tropical system that sometimes matures into a name. I'll make this short and sweet - DO NOT camp in the Everglades during the summer unless you don't mind spending your nights in a sauna, which may not be so bad because your arms will be exhausted from swatting at the bugs.

Below are graphs showing the average temperatures and precipitation in the Everglades. Most people doing any amount of research on the everglades has seen these. To help you interpret these graphs, I'll share some local knowledge with you. June, July, August and September obviously have the highest avg temperatures. But what you might not glean from this graph is that those 4 months are consistently hot. I mean consistently! You get no break, no way around it. These are also the highest precipitation months, which doesn't necessarily mean you get rain everyday, although it probably rains 9 out of 10 days on any given square mile area in south Florida. What gives these months such high rain levels are the frequent storms that can flood Miami during one afternoon.

OK, so forget those 4 months, what about the fringe months? May and October are a bit more hospitable. There are the "Are you feeling lucky?" months when you could get a break in there somewhere, especially in May. October is still within hurricane season and remember, Wilma came through in late October in 2005, wreaking major havoc in the Everglades. This year, a constant wind machine seemed to run through the entire month of May punctuated with some nice storms.

What about April and November? I end my camping season in early April and begin in late November. These two months are similar, both can be very hot and both can be very cold. During one early April trip, we began our trip in 70+ temp only to experience temps in the low 40s that evening. On a weekend before Thanksgiving, temps reached high 40s. On the other hand, I've experienced moderate temps and have had the most enjoyable camping experiences in both months. It's 50/50.

Which leaves us with December, January, February and March, your basic Everglades camping season. Hurricane season is over, no more high precipitation and temps are moderate. But always keep in mind, anything can happen. I've experienced non-stop heat to where I never got inside the sleeping bag on a coastal trip from Flamingo to Everglades City in Dec and Jan. But, I've also had to wear 3 layers of clothing while cooking dinner on Watson River chickee in December. I've camped on Picnic Key in March when the winds were so strong we set up our tents inside the grapetree forest while watching other kayakers paddle onto the beach with 4-ft surf. I suppose the biggest complaint during these winter months are the winds. This past season was particularly rough.

Do people actually camp in the summer? Yes they do, and I know some very respectable kayakers and canoeists who do. They always have great stories to tell too, while playing down the misery of the heat and bugs. I envy them in some ways because they do experience some beautiful things out there (listening to a sea turtle build a nest and lay eggs right next to your tent, for instance).

While I personally would not camp in the Everglades in the summer, I say that only because I can camp there anytime I want throughout the year. For you northerners, come on down this summer and if you don't want to put up with the camping, explore during the day and stay on Chokoloskee Island or Everglades City in AC'd accomodations.

Here's a recommendation, Chokoloskee Island Park, where you can still camp in a tent, but you can also park an RV or rent a fully equipped efficiency. The park contains a fully equipped marina, where you can launch your boat and enjoy a day of paddling, fishing and exploring the Everglades. Later, come back to the marina, clean up, cool down and enjoy a cocktail in the evening on the covered pavilion overlooking the water at sunset. Now that's experiencing the Everglades in the summer!

Planning a 10-day canoe trip in the Everglades: Part 5

For this entry, I'll provide information on packing the food and related items for the trip. I had planned out a menu weeks prior and over the course of the last few weeks, purchased the food items and began packing the meals. With the exception of a few cans, all the food items are either pre-packaged in paper or plastic and/or I've packaged them in ziplock freezer bags (quart or gallon size depending on the food items). Many of these bags will become garbage bags over the course of the trip, but most are brought back home, washed and dried and reused for another trip.

For packing, food items are basically separated into three categories; breakfast, paddling food and evening camp food. I first pack the breakfast foods which consist of either instant hot cereals or Instant Carnation breakfast. For the cereals I chose oatmeal and grits, alternating between the 2. I add nuts, dried fruit, brown sugar and dry milk to 2 packages, making one serving. One serving goes into a quart ziplock bag (freezer version) and I eat out of that. For the Carnation Instant breakfast, I add 1/3 cup of dry milk and a heaping teaspoon of instant expresso and store it in a small baggy that is sealed with a Seal a Meal. Along with the instant breakfast I eat a granola bar. All told, these breakfasts are about 400-500 calories each.

Packing the paddling food is easier since it consists almost entirely of energy bars and Gatorade powder. But I also bring "lunch" foods that consist of tortillas, peanut butter and honey, and packaged pre-made tuna salad (the kind that comes in its own sealed package). One tortilla serves as sandwich bread for the peanut butter or the tuna. I like Clif bars for paddling; they are very dense with calories, easy to chew even when cold, they have sufficient carbohydrate with protein and alittle fat, they hold up quite well and they come in wide variety of flavors. I also packaged some trail mix, extra dried fruit including dates and some energy bars I found in the bulk section of Whole Foods. I also carry turkey jerky for that salty taste I crave while paddling. All the breakfast and paddling foods are placed into one of the food buckets.

For the dinners, I package the foods according to each evening's meal and label the gallon bags containing the meals accordingly. Some of the dinners will consist of foods that are frozen or chilled and contained in a cooler. One of the meals will be pasta with spaghetti sauce made with Boca Burger grounds. The pasta will be precooked and kept chilled and the sauce will be frozen. These will be stored in freezer bags. Precooking the pasta will minimize water useage. Also in the cooler will be two veggie burgers, tomato, onion, cheese slices and frozen lentil soup stored in a gallon freezer bag. All the cooler foods will be consumed by the fourth night. The cooler will also serve as a storage place for water which will be frozen at the beginning of the trip. To keep critters out, the cooler is sealed with a bungee cord.

All the other dinner food items are packaged as one meal. For instance, for the first night's meal, we will have veggie burgers with cheese, tomato, onion and condiments and macaroni and cheese. For dessert, we have homemade biscottis. I placed the biscottis in a bag and sealed it with the Seal a Meal. Then, I placed the packaged macaroni and cheese, a bag of dry milk, burger condiments (restaurant packages), and biscottis all into one freezer bag. All meals are packaged so that every item needed can be located in one place. Odds and ends such as garlic or olive oil are always onhand inside the food bucket.

There are a few other food and beverage items packaged as well. We have several instant soups and hot chocolate packages, coffee and tea packages, extra dry milk, Emergenc C packages and some homemade oatmeal cookies.

We also have a few cans of veggies and a boxed soup coming along with us and I've wrapped them up in plastic bags inside a trash bag to avoid getting rusted and making a mess. For one meal, we will open up a can of black beans and a can of yuca to go with our cooked rice. For other meals, we add some mixed veggies and beets. Other than the cans and cooler foods, all food items are packaged in freezer bags and stored in two sealed buckets, as shown below. Each bucket is lined with a trash bag and I place a spare bag at the bottom. I seal the trash bag with a hair tie by twisting the top part of the bag several times, bending the twisted portion and then wrapping it with the hair tie until it is very tight. These buckets are not waterproof but they are air tight and light enough that they can float, even with the food items inside.

In addition to the cooler and two food buckets, we carry a collapsible cooler that we call the "food cube". It doesn't contain food or frozen water, but it contains all other matters related to eating and cooking and a few additional items as well. Below is a photo of the food cube and all the items that are stored inside it.

A long rope is attached to the collapsible bucket so that we can more easily gather up water from the chickee. The repair-tools container is a quart-size Nalgene bottle. It contains things such as patch kit, epoxy, super glue, various nuts and screws, pliers, duct tape (wrapped around the outside of the bottle) and a few other assorted items.

The camp stove is a Trangia alcohol stove. The fuel is denatured alcohol and for this trip we are carrying about 1 1/2 quarts of it. One of the containers we use for the fuel is a hydrogen peroxide bottle with a water bottle cap attached. The other container is an old Gatorade bottle. Below are photos showing the stove and all the pieces (including 2 pots and 2 bowls) that come with it and how it is put together for easy storage. The blue cup is a measuring cup.

After the food and clothes are packed, I get the water containers filled. In my boat, I will be carrying a 7-gal hard-sided container. Additional water will be in my 2 water bottles that I access during paddling. I'll have close to 8 gallons on board at the start of the trip. I'll talk more about water and will describe how the items are stored in the boat for the next entry.

Planning a 10-day canoe trip in the Everglades: Part 4

We are exactly one week away from our trip. Our original itinerary has been slightly changed for a couple reasons. We have decided to begin and end at the head of the Hells Bay Trail because there will be only 2 of us (and one car). We reduced our trip from 10 days to 9 days to decrease the amount of water required. That one extra day seemed to take us over the top on weight. The planned trip is as follows:

Day 1 - Hells Bay Trail to Hells Bay chickee
Day 2 - Hells Bay chickee to South Joe chickee
Day 3 - South Joe chickee to Oyster bay chickee
Day 4 - Oyster Bay chickee to Canepatch
Day 5 - stay on Canepatch, explore the area (Rookery branch)
Day 6 - Canepatch to Watson River chickee
Day 7 - Watson River chickee to Roberts River chickee
Day 8 - Robert River chickee to Lane Bay chickee
Day 9 - return to head of Hells Bay Trail

We are now looking closely at the weather. As of right now, we are expecting warm temperatures during day 1 and 2. We expect this to precede a front that could bring cooler temperatures and high winds, and possibly rain. By that time, we will be out of the openness of Whitewater Bay and heading toward Canepatch. From there, we will remain in relatively protected waters for the remainder of our trip. But, as is always the case with Florida weather, you never really know for sure until its upon you.

I do have a feeling that our long streak of good luck will run out at some point and as this is predicted to be a wet and windy winter (ala El Nino), we are preparing for the worse. My feeling is that we will encounter rain and cooler temperatures on this adventure, compared to all our previous holiday trips, which have been relatively dry and mostly warmer than usual. Whichever way it goes, we are prepared for anything, but mostly for cold and wet.

For this entry, I have included a list of clothing that I plan to bring. I'm paddling for 9 days so I do prefer to have a change of pants and shirt after day 4 or 5. Constant exposure to salt water mixed with a healthy dose of sweat makes your clothes disgusting. I suppose I can live with it for 9 days, but why bother when a couple added ounces of clothes is all it takes. Besides, clothes can rip from a mangrove encounter, so be prepared at the very least.

My camp clothes do not get so dirty, so one pair of nylon pants for camp is sufficient. Since I am expecting cold weather, I don't want to take chances, so I will bring extra socks, some for paddling, some for camp. If my wool socks get wet, I'll have an extra dry pair handy. If I don't need the wool socks, I'll have the ligher nylon version. And if it gets cold enough, I have fleece socks for sleeping. I also wear socks with my paddling shoes; the polypro or Cool Max type that keep your feet feeling dry and serve as good insulators.

For shirts, I always wear long sleeve at camp, so I will have two and one can also serve as a layer for paddling in cold temps. I will also have a short sleeve that I can sleep in or wear as a layer. I bring a camp hat (baseball cap) that I can spray bug repellant on if needed (rather than spraying directly on my head) and a pair of knit gloves that also serve as bug defense. In case of cold weather, I have thermal gloves and hat which I can wear paddling or in camp. Also for cold weather, I will have polypro long underwear (for paddling and camp), silk long underwear (for sleeping) and a fleece vest. I always bring a few bandanas worn while paddling and at camp, mainly for sun and bug protection.

Here is my list of clothes which I will pack into 3 10-liter dry bags:

1 turtleneck polypro shirt
1 polypro long underwear
1 short sleeve t shirt
2 long sleeve t-shirts
1 pair shorts for sleeping
rain jacket
rain pants
Tilley hat for paddling
baseball hat for camp
thermal Hat
thermal gloves
3 bandanas or buffs
fleece vest (for pillow also, pack with sleeping bag)
3 paddling nylon pants (1 for camp)
2 nylon shirts for paddling
1 silk long underwear and shirt for camp
2 pair liner socks for paddling
paddling shoes
2 pair nylon socks for camp
1 pair fleece socks for camp
2 pair wool socks for camp
Croc sandals for camp
8 pair underwear

Planning a 10-day canoe trip in the Everglades: Part 3

It's about 6 weeks away from our start date, Dec 24th and the excitement is increasing as we continue to prepare. A 4-day trip over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend will be an excellent warm up for the main event. Much of the preparation we are doing now is for that trip as well.

Due to a very hectic schedule, I do not see myself having any real days off just before the 24th. Usually, I am out of the semester a good week prior to the trip, but this year we had a late start which means a late ending. And I will spend some time with my mother who lives about 4 hrs north of Miami. Typically I spend 2 full days during the few days before the trip preparing and packaging all the food. This year, I will have to do most of the preparing much sooner than that. So, for the next couple weekends, I am not going out of town and the time will be partly devoted to getting our food ready for both trips.

Before getting into the food part of the preparation, we had some other things to work on, namely the first aid kit. I use a 1250 pelican case for all the first aid supplies. Each year, I go through the leftover supplies from the previous year and replace anything that has expired. Medications typically have a 2-3 yr shelf life, so if none get used, I still replace expired drugs. Some things do get used more regularly, such as ibuprofen or even benadryl, for instance. I even take the benadryl on day trips because of the regular encounter with mosquitoes and no-see-ums. Other drugs are rarely used, but I take them with me anyway. If I am out there for 10 days, anything can happen; a bad case of the flu or diarrhea, allergic reaction, or an accident. So, like a girl scout, I am always prepared.

Here is a list of my first aid supplies:

• one small tube triple antibiotic cream
• one small tube hydrocortisone cream
• children's benadryl
• Cortaid poison ivy care cloths
• small bottle ibuprofen
• anti-diarrheal pills
• alka-seltzer tablets
• roll of tums
• daytime flu tablets
• nighttime flu powder for mixing
• coughdrops
• tooth filling
• eye drops
• Tiger balm
• gauze
• blister relief pads
• assorted bandaids
• ace bandage
• tape
• a couple latex gloves
• tweezers
• eye glass repair
• small scissors
• mirror
• notes with directions for use of medications

A quick trip to Walgreen's and I'm good to go. The next entry will be all about the food preparation.

Planning a 10-day canoe trip in the Everglades: Part 2

One of my favorite things to do when preparing for a trip is meal planning. Although our 10-day trip is 2 months away, I've planned out the meals already in order to begin organizing the cargo between my solo canoe and Vivian's solo canoe. She and I share some of the gear, such as the tent and cooking equipment and fuel. There are other odds and ends that we share, but in the end, it works out that I carry most of the food in my boat. What we intend to do is carry about 3 days worth of frozen food and water in a large cooler that Vivian will carry in her canoe. The frozen food will include the first 3 dinners of the trip, none of which include meat. By bringing some frozen foods, it offers more of a variety of dinners, something to consider if you plan to eat 9 dinners out here. I'll write about food packaging later but for now, here's what I have planned:

First night - Spaghetti and tomato sauce with boca "meat" filler. The sauce will be prepared at home and frozen in a baggy. It includes a few vegetables and the Boca Burger meatless ground crumbles. I'll include a small package of parmesan cheese and some flat bread or crackers. We always have dessert that includes biscotti, pudding or some kind of cookie.

Second night - macaroni and cheese and veggie burgers. This meal will also include burger buns, slices of cheese, a tomato and 1/2 onion and condiment packages.

Third night - homemade lentil soup and bread. The soup is prepared and frozen at home. It contains Bragg's amino acid liquid for added protein, and also slices of carrots and onions. On this night, we can also include some instant rice to add to the soup for added carbohydrate to the meal.

One thing I'll mention now about the frozen foods is that I freeze the sauce or soup in freezer bags and lay them flat to freeze. This makes the package thin and easier to load into the cooler which also contains large gallon or quart size bottles of water.

Fourth night - black beans, rice and yuca, a classic Cuban-style dinner. The beans and yuca both come in a can and are quite tasty. With some olive oil and garlic, I'll sautee up some onion and add it to the yuca. The rice will be boiled in a bag and added to the mix. We could also add a small can of veggies.

Fifth night - Instant mashed potatoes and Teriyaki tuna. The mashed potatoes come in a bag that provides for 2 people. the tuna comes in a sealed package. I simply heat up the tuna slightly and then spoon the potatoes over it. I like to add some garlic, olive oil and some onion to the mashed potatoes as well. This is one of my favorite meals!

Sixth night - Packaged tortellini with parmesan cheese. And of course, there is garlic and olive oil. I'll also include some bread on the side and dehydrated veggies added to the pasta.

Seventh night - Noodle soup (sold in a cup), dehydrated veggies, Bragg's amino acid, and roasted almonds, and crackers to go with it. Might add some smoked salmon to this as well.

Eighth night - Box of couscous with almonds, olive oil and dehydrated veggies added. A box of red pepper soup on the side.

Ninth night - black bean, rice and yuca, again!

Planning a 10-day canoe trip in the Everglades: Part 1

Each year over the holidays I take a very long paddle trip with friends into the Everglades. I am in my solo Wenonah Vagabond, while my friends are in various paddle boats including solo canoe and kayaks. Last year, 4 of us took 9 days and paddled from Chokoloskee Island to Camp Lonesome and back. This year, we'll be out there 10 days. It may only be me and Vivian (she in her solo canoe) or we may have one other person. Since most of our campsites for this trip are chickees, space for additional paddlers in our party is very limited.

I thought it would be interesting to blog my planning process as we prepare for our trip as early as August (4 months prior). Our camping season begins in November, thus some of the preparation includes preparing for the camping season in general, including a 3-day trip over the Thanksgiving holiday. Planning a 10-day trip through the Everglades takes time, even when you already have all the gear and previous experience paddling the Everglades. A person who has never been or may not have all the camping equipment for such a trip will have more to do before embarking, so I will try to think of that person as I write these blog entries over the next couple months and provide information that may be helpful for them.

Around the month of August, we begin to think of our trip route. Why so early? This is more out of anticipation for our camping season than necessity. But, knowing our route early will give us time to think about it and make the necessary preparations ahead of time (i.e., replacing certain gear and supplies). In August, I start to close the chapter on summer and begin thinking of the explorations we will take during the winter months. In actuality, we had been thinking of this trip for a couple years, but now it was time to think about the daily routes, campsites and mileage. Because we could afford 10 days, we factored in a 2-day stay at one of the campsites, right about half way through the trip. This is a nice way to segueway into the final portion of a long trip and gives us time to relax and explore a backcountry area that we would not otherwise have time to do.

At this point, you need a map that will show you the entire route you wish to take. I recommend without reservation a marine chart (waterproof charts are easy to find on line) along with your GPS map sources. Google Earth map is also very good, especially for the more remote backcountry areas of the Everglades. Some of the map source software allows you to create the route and then convert the map to Google Earth, which is what you see in the photos below.

If you use GPS for planning your route and devising way points, you should also relinquish to the fact that you must have a marine chart as well as a compass with you on your trip. In addition to the routes for the GPS, I write the compass bearings on my marine chart for several sections of the route. If you plan to do a trip along the entire Wilderness Waterway, you'll need 2 marine charts to cover the entire area. Do not think you can go without maps and/or GPS when on the marked Wilderness Waterway. This is for 2 important reasons; one is that the markers can be as much as a mile apart when crossing a very large bay (such as Sunday Bay) and unless you have binoculars and know the approximate location of the next marker, you may find yourself way off course, wasting precious time and energy; and two, campsites are not specifically located on the waterway and you must often take a detour to get to one.

If you are not familiar with the Everglades, purchasing Johnny Molloy's book, A Paddler's Guide to the Everglades is an excellent first step. During the early stages of planning, learning about the Everglades is an important component of preparation. Molloy's book gives detailed descriptions of routes and campsites and provides significant information requiring essential gear and equipment. Basically, his book provides all the information you need with the exception of maps to paddle the Everglades. He does include GPS waypoints for each campsite.

For our trip, we planned our routes accordingly (mileages are approximations):

• Day 1: Leave from Coot Bay Pond to South Joe River chickee, 9 miles
• Day 2: South Joe River to Oyster Bay chickee, 10 miles
• Day 3: Oyster Bay chickee to Graveyard Creek campsite, 8 miles
• Day 4: Graveyard Creek to Harney River chickee, 6.5 miles
• Day 5: Harney River chickee to Canepatch, 10 miles
• Day 6: Canepatch, explore the area
• Day 7: Canepatch to Watson River chickee (through the labryinth route), 15 miles
• Day 8: Watson River chickee to Roberts River chickee (through the cutoff route), 7.5 miles
• Day 9: Roberts River chickee to Hells Bay chickee, 7. 5 miles
• Day 10: Hells Bay chickee to Coot Bay Pond, 8 miles or Hells Bay Trail, 5 miles

Give or take a few miles and also depending on our mileage during day 6, the total is about 80 miles. For us, this is not a strenuous trip, in fact, only one day of paddling exceeds 10 miles. In comparison, our trip last year included 2 days with 18 miles and most days were between 10-15 miles.

We always consider contingency routes or campsites. Because this is the busiest time of year, I always purchase the camping permits one day prior to launching. I make a special trip to the rangers station to do this. There are some sites that are quite popular and it is always possible that some will be filled when trying to get permitted. Thus, another advantage to having some short paddle days planned is that you may have to change it up and paddle longer distances if a particular campsite is not available. For instance, if we cannot get South Joe River chickee, our contingency campsite is Joe River, another 5-6 miles. Another advantage of taking care of the permits the day before is that we can launch as early as possible. The ranger station does not open for permits until 8 am. In our world, we like to be on the water not much later than that.

If you are coming in from out of town and are renting kayaks or canoes from one of the outfitters, plan an extra day to get your bearings, maybe purchase supplies, etc. Unless you are planning a loop trip, shuttling must be figured into the equation and part of your early planning. For instance, if you plan to paddle the entire Wilderness Waterway, you have one day of driving either before or after your trip. In a car, the two ends are about 150 miles apart.

For this trip, we do not need to consider shuttling, with one exception. If we leave Hells Bay chickee on the last day and take the more protected Hells Bay Trail route, we will need to get back to our car located at the Coot Bay Pond launch site. With another car, we can park one car at Coot Bay and shuttle the other to Hells Bay Trail on our first day. But if we only have one car, we will have to hitchhike from Hells Bay Trail to get back to our car on the last day. This is the worse case scenario and would only happen if the weather is so bad that crossing Whitewater and Coot Bays is risky. Hells Bay Trail route is very protected and shorter. But, we'll worry about that when and if we get there.

Below are a few of our routes for this trip, created in Google Earth.

Rigging a yakima rack for two canoes

I drive a Toyota Matrix, excellent car for transporting canoes or kayaks. I have a 48" bar on the roof, not quite wide enough for two canoes. My partner and I each own a canoe and we both sold the kayaks last year. To accomodate both canoes, I would have needed longer bars, which I was not happy with. To compromise, we built extensions onto the bars, which can be removed at a moments notice.

We used galvanized pipes, each about 24" in length. Electrical tape is used to tighten up the fit inside the rack bars. A piece of rubber tubing was placed on the ends where the gunwale brackets attach to make a tighter fit for them. Holes were drilled into each pipe as well as the rack bars and a screw with lug nut are used to fasten the pipes in place. The photos do the explaining.