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.