Getting Our Sea Legs (ECT Day 8)

• Paddled Today: 10 miles
• Total paddled: 21 miles
• Total Hiked: 165.7 miles 

South Joe River Chickee to Oyster Bay Chickee (Everglades 99-mile Wilderness Waterway – Part 2)

Ever since I can remember, my family has gone to my grandma’s house on Sundays. Most of my family is religious, so it was always “after church” for whoever could make it. It’s a tradition I’ve really come to appreciate. Nowadays, the family has expanded, expanded some more, people have moved, and folks are busy, so understandably it’s not like it used to be. There’s still a regular crew that keeps it going though!

When I was in town prepping for my journey, I got the chance to visit at granny’s. We were chatting about the Everglades trip and most everyone thought we were a bit delusional. This wasn’t the first time folks had laughingly questioned my schemes for South Florida. Hanging around alligators and snakes seems to be the main subject for such befuddlement.

Some of the fam, the aunties in particularly, thought the idea of my dad, uncle, and I hanging in the “swamp” was so silly, they thought we should get team shirts. Team Al-Li-Gator, they said it should say. I don’t know, but it was all in good spirits and really I think we were all just excited for the upcoming trip.

Once our trip started, I was thinking about this. Early on, it became clear that Uncle Don was our primary navigator… “Gator.” Boom. He had his GPS map and was constantly telling us directions and what to look for ahead. 

Dad is Al. This one was tough to figure out until I said something boastful or what not and he replied, “Yeah… I don’t think so.” He says this often to me, actually. I doubt he even knows this, but his delivery matches exactly that of the character Al Borland from the 90’s sitcom, Home Improvement. We used to watch every episode when I was growing up and Al’s catchphrase was “I don’t think so Tim.” 

Li. It’s a bit of a stretch here, but in my kayak I cut through the waves softly. Yeah, maybe I’ll have to work on that.

Getting Going on Day 2 of the Waterway

Sumi peers out upon the water, imagining the joys of the day ahead

I think we were moving around 6:30am again. This seems to be our natural wake up time. Dad got the coffee going right away and soon the pot was percolating. With cups filled, he commenced to bacon and eggs. I’m telling you, it’s always great meals traveling with Dave H.

Another genius of my father’s were these copper wires he brought along to help tie down our tents. Stakes don’t exactly work on the chickee, you see.

The noticeable change this morning was the cold. We all had felt it overnight and were quite bundled up for Florida. I’m talking long underwear, fleece, puffy and rain jacket. Dad’s little thermometer read 48 degrees Fahrenheit and the wind chill added to it. Being Michiganders, you’d think we were prepared for this (we’d later find out it was about a high of 19 degrees all week back home). Around 7:30 am the sun popped above a cloud which warmed the body and soul.

We left our chickee at 8:37 am. Then, floating still nearby, we had a little chat looking at the maps. Our first stretch was along the Joe River and it seemed pretty calm today! I had bought a pair of walkie-talkies, so we each got those out and turned on/made sure we were on the same channel. This way, we could be separate from each other a bit and still communicate.

All set to go, I started up ahead and maintained a course close to the mangroves. As I made my way around the first. bend, I see a dorsal fin coming right at me. A dolphin! It sensed me and maneuvered around, but its wave and its underwater current were visible. Pretty neat. We’d see a lot more dolphins throughout the day.

So Many Things to See 

I had a great time cruising this stretch. With morning coffee in my cup holder, the sun out, and the wind at bay for the time being, I felt calmness and awe at the setting I found myself in.

All three of us had a similar feeling that when out on the big water parts, we might have been on some big lake in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula or in Canada. Especially when a cloud would come over and the line of trees surrounding the water darkened, it surprised us by seeming familiar. The reality of this place, that’s a different story… it’s a whole new world down here.

I was truly enjoying myself. Mostly, I did my thing and the boat did there’s, but every now and then we’d connect and check in.

We saw a lot more birds today too. The Kingfisher was the one that stood out to me. It had a kind of tufted head that I liked. And we saw a tree full of white birds with super long bills. Dad and Don were steadfast that they were some kind of Egrets, whereas I thought Ibis.

We all caught some fish today, although it took some effort and none were of much size to keep for eating.

Here’s a dolphin…

It worked out well to have lunch at another chickee, the Joe River Chickee. We got out and sat in chairs and had sandwiches and snacks. Then, it was back for another round on the water. Things opened up during this second stretch as we got into Oyster Bay. I had some decent sized waves to deal with again, but had more confidence having dealt with similar yesterday.

Another Day Another Chickee 

I had the Oyster Bay Chickee, our home for the evening, in sight at 3:23 pm. We didn’t congregate and get over there til 4:00 pm. Upon arriving, a little mental break after being on the water for so long was needed. Some setting up was done, but mainly just moseying about.

Eventually, I went for another fish attempt just in view of our spot. As I was out there two canoes came around the bend heading our way. Turns out this group of four was also staying at the chickee. So this would be the test, could we fit on just the one!?

You never know how things are going to go camping nearby others. We got lucky with these folks, they were super friendly and respectful. One guy came over and showed us his map. They’d come from the north, where we’re heading, so it was great to get some info. about what’s up ahead.

Dad made brats tonight and we had a tiny little fire in the form of a “Sterno” can. Both camps were quieted down with folks in the tents at 8:30 pm.

We made it work just fine on our one platform. Dad’s tent and Don’s tent each took one corner with their doors facing inward and I ended up cowboy camping along another side. Thankfully, not many bugs tonight, although I wore my head net to sleep in case they tried to sneak attack at night!