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.