Everglades Kayak Trip 2024

This year we planned an aggressive trip—going down the Gulf Coast to access the narrow Wood River and then loop back through the various inland bays. Yet again we were thwarted by adverse winds… [More Photos…]

Route Map 2024
Route Map 2024

Day 1 (Rabbit Key)

We set out from Everglades City on a rising tide. There was a small craft warning that day with wind gusts to 25 knots. It was a mostly offshore so the waves were a modest one foot. Once out in the Gulf, we hopped from small island to small island. We had no problem making it to Rabbit Key.

The best campsite is now on the north end just above the large sand spit. [The passage between Rabbit and Lumber Keys appeared to be gone BTW.] When we got there the tide was going out, so after unloading our boats we went for a walk around the island (always a fun thing to do!). The only unexpected change was a thick mat of red seaweed (or algae?) on the side facing the Gulf.

Red Seaweed or Algae
Red Seaweed or Algae
Horseshoe Crab and Snail Egg Case
Horseshoe Crab and Snail Egg Case

Our tent this year was new and came with thin wire stakes. I bought some large, flat sand/snow stakes and they worked exceedingly well. The only issue is they required a mallet or rock to drive them into the compacted shell debris under the sand.

Rabbit Key Campsite
Rabbit Key Campsite

Day 2 (Lopez River)

The next morning started calm, with the tide went out. This gave us plenty of time to get up, walk around, have breakfast, and get things packed. As the tide rose the wind came back with a vengeance (it was predicted to decrease each day?). We checked our radio and the forecast had changed to increased winds for the next two days. We were going to be more and more exposed on the coast so we decided to divert inland (just like last year.).

Sunrise on Rabbit Key
Sunrise on Rabbit Key

We headed back to Rabbit Key Pass to get into the Lopez River. We must have been taking lots of waves from behind because my boat began to fill up with water. At first I thought this must be a leak below the waterline, but it turned out to be the waves over the stern (a relief actually). Only baseline leakage for the rest of the trip. No big deal!

Near Chokoloskee I had cell service so I called to amend our permit. It was very odd. The person I talked to could tell me the Lopez River Campsite was open, but could not actually change the permit. I think this is a real problem with the conversion to recreation.gov, there is no flexibility or local control anymore. [They also no longer handle “walk-up permits” at the Visitor Center.] This is NOT an improvement IMO!

Bugs at Lopez River Campsite
Bugs at Lopez River Campsite

The campsite was indeed unoccupied, but out of the wind, so it was buggy. We got my boat out of the water to check for leaks (there were none). We had an early dinner and went to bed at dusk.

Day 3 (Darwin’s Place)

The next day was basically a long crawl across several large bays against the wind (and sometimes the tide!). Other than a few fishing boats ducking behind islands, we did not see anyone else. Our target was the ground site at Darwin’s Place, thinking it would be unoccupied. So we were surprised to meet a husband and wife from Tennessee who had come that day from Sweetwater in a canoe!

They were very nice and had no problem with our unexpected arrival. Fewer bugs because there was a breeze into the evening. We were pretty much exhausted so it was a quick dinner and into the tent. We both slept very well!

Leaving Darwin's Place
Leaving Darwin’s Place

Days 4 & 5 (Willy Willy)

At this point it was a bit too far to Camp Lonesome (to get back on our original itinerary) so we decided to go directly to Willy Willy, stay two days, explore, and see what that area had to offer.

On the way we had to traverse two long creeks. As we were about to enter Alligator Creek, two dolphins came out and made big wakes right under my kayak. Along Plate Creek we encountered a medium-sized hawk with nearly all black plumage. I later keyed this out as a Zone-Tailed Hawk, which is normally found in the Southwest!

Zone-Tailed Hawk Along Plate Creek
Zone-Tailed Hawk Along Plate Creek

The wind was still there, but a bit less. The high overcast abated and the sun came out. Midday we rafted together and ate lunch on the float. (Up until this point we were just chugging along eating energy food all day.) I should mention how well avocados work as trail food!

Our Floating Lunch
Our Floating Lunch
Mmmm… Avocado Sandwiches
Mmmm… Avocado Sandwiches

Willy Willy was not what we expected: reasonably open, enough breeze to keep the bugs off, perfectly clear (and fresh) water! As we were unloading a 6-8 foot gator approached and then submerged just below the dock. It was like watching him in an aquarium exhibit! I thought it could be a problem but he got bored when we didn’t engage, backed off, and we didn’t see him again after a few hours.

Willy Willy Campsite
Willy Willy Campsite
Willy Willy Dinner
Willy Willy Dinner

We had a beautiful counter-sunset and it was the full moon.

Willy Willy Sunset
Willy Willy Sunset

Day 6 (Plate Creek Chickee)

By the third day were finally back on our permit and headed north. The wind had diminished but not changed direction so for the first and only time we got to sail most of the day!

Our One Day of Sailing
Our One Day of Sailing

We got to the Plate Creek Chickee easily and early. The light breeze continued so there were no bugs. There were two gators cruising around but neither approached us in an aggressive manner.

Just at sunset we started to see small flocks of Roseate Spoonbills all headed in the same direction to rooker-up for the night. Then they just kept on coming!! In one formation we counted thirty five. We estimate we saw about eighty of these rare birds before darkness fell.

Flocks of Roseate Spoonbills
Flocks of Roseate Spoonbills

The tent (without fly) fit the chickee well. (My old tent was more hexagonal, so effectively occupied more floor space.) The breeze fell just at dusk and the bugs moved in so we were more than ready to get inside and close the doors! We woke to a thick fog in the morning.

Foggy Morning on Plate Creek Chickee
Foggy Morning on Plate Creek Chickee

Day 7 (Lopez River)

Again we listened to the marine forecast on our radio. A cold front was coming and sometime that day the wind would shift from SE to NW and might be a steady 25 knots! We decided to make haste through as many large bays as we could before the change and camp at either Crooked Creek or Lopez River.

Lopez River Campsite
Lopez River Campsite

This was a good decision. After a very long, but not unpleasant day we pulled into the Lopez River Campsite (for the second time) just at dusk. We made camp and had a deluxe dinner of Pad Thai and Mango Sticky Rice. No bugs this time and much cooler. We slept well.

Trail's End
Trail’s End

The next day there was indeed a 20 knot plus wind from the NW. We elected to take the Chokoloskee Canal to avoid wind on the bayside, and had some problems with mud at low tide. It was a good thing we’d gotten so far the day before! We were out by 2pm and met two large groups of high school students about to go out on their first canoe trips…

Our trip this year was challenging and highlights the capabilities of peddle kayaks. We logged three 18+ mile days AGAINST 10-20 knot winds without too much trouble. There is no question in my mind that we’re seeing the results of Climate Change with ever increasing energy in the atmosphere. Future trips will have to take this into consideration.

Epilogue

Desert Solitaire Book
Desert Solitaire Book

I had the good fortune to pick up this paperback copy of “Desert Solitaire” by Edward Abbey for reading material on the trip. It is an excellent book both for both the stories and the perspective on our National Park System (of which the Everglades is a part). With all the tent time I read most of it by the end of the trip.

[More Photos…]

Everglades Kayak Trip 2023

map source: nps.gov (click to enlarge)

This year we returned to the northern part of the park. The original plan had been a “grand tour” loop with two beach sites and two chickees. However, the forecast was calling for high winds on the last two days where we would be exposed out on the Gulf of Mexico. On the drive down I called and amended our permit to camp at Lopez River on the last night. [Photo Gallery]

Day 1 (Rabbit Key)

We left a day after the new moon (the beginning of the lunar Year of the Rabbit) so the tide was especially low. We had to motor through the mud with our legs to get out to where there was enough water to float. We would later have to fight an incoming tide going through Sandfly Pass.

Sandfly Island & Pass

We did a bit of walking around the old homestead and saw what was left of the old cistern and artesian well. Also saw our first dolphin fishing along the shore there.

Carl At The Well

Soon afterward my drive failed (while fighting the current of course!). Specifically one of the “flippers” delaminated and pulled away from the steel rod that supports it. Thus started a series of field repairs (outlined below) as we continued to limp along out to Rabbit Key.

Rabbit Key at Sunset

The best campsites have moved around over the years as hurricanes have remodeled the island. Our usual site in front of the sand spit (left point above) was taken so we explored a site further down near the high tide line. The only problem was the central tree was broken and stunted so we were hanging pretty low with ground cloths under our butts. The breeze blew all night so there were no bugs.

Rabbit Key Campsite (click to enlarge)

The next day when the tide was out we took a walk around our little isle. Because of the recent new moon the Horseshoe Crabs (Limulus polyphemus) were about.

Ring of Horseshoe Crab Shells
One Tough Mangrove!

Field Repairs

I used duct tape for my first attempt to repair my drive. This lasted about an hour. The adhesive would not stand up to submersion in salt water. Next I tried a mummy wrap with paracord. This worked better, but the bottom knot kept falling off. On the second day I cut out strips of plastic water bottle and attached these with rope using scaffold knots. [Click for Example] This did the trick and I was able to complete the trip — peddling all the way!

Selected Video Clips

Day 2 (Crooked Creek Chickee)

We waited for the tide to turn and start rising before we left Rabbit Key. This lead to an easy passage through Rabbit Key Pass and up the Lopez River to Crooked Creek Chickee. We had a nice swim, started cooking dinner, and hung our hammocks before the wind died and it got buggy.

Crooked Creek Chickee

Day 3 (Sweetwater Chickee)

The next day was mostly spent crossing four large bays. We had a bit of a cross/tailwind but no real problems. When we got to the chickee however we had a bit of unwelcome attention from an eight foot alligator that was acting like it expected to be fed. Normally gators will be curious but generally do not hang around and get progressively closer!

Sweetwater Chickee with Gator

The evening was nice with a bit of breeze and only a few bugs. We had a comfortable night except for the heavy breathing! I woke upseveral times in the night and could hear wet, sonorous breathing a few feet away from the chickee. It was not a dolphin. Every ten minutes or so there would be 2-3 breaths in exactly the same place! I thought “Gee, is that gator stalking us?!” I looked several times with a flashlight and never saw a thing. If a gator was there on the surface I should have seen its eyes reflecting orange. Very strange! In the morning the breathing was occuring and the mystery was solved. A small manatee had come to sleep next to us overnight! Very cool!!

Well-Pitched Hammocks
Sweetwater Chickee

Day 4 (Lopez River)

Apparently the Park Service has a new rule that you can’t stay on the same chickee twice in one trip, so we camped at the Lopez River ground site on our last night. I had stopped there for lunch before but never stayed overnight. There was a party already on the primary site, so we took the secondary next to the large ruin of the cistern. Both sites have nice deep shell mound approaches, and we sat down by the water while we ate our dinner and finished our box of wine. There was a breeze and it was about ten degrees cooler so bugs were few.

Lopez River Campsite Shell Mound Landing

The site itself is small and set within mangroves, with a compacted mud surface and a picnic table. The hammocks were perfect in this setting!

Hanging in the Mangrove

Day 5 (Return to Civilization)

We got up before dawn the next day to beat the incoming tide. We circled around Chokoloskee Island rather than take the narrow canal behind the causeway. As predicted the wind rose and was probably every bit of 12-15 mph with gusts. We were glad not to be out on the Gulf!

Chokoloskee Island

Even after all these years this was the first time I’d gone this way, giving us a chance to see the Smallwood Store from the water. This is where, in 1910 the alleged murderer Edgar J. Watson (see “The Watson Place” campsite within the Park) met his end at the hands of a local posse who had gathered to arrest him. The excellent historical novel “Killing Mister Watson” is based on these events.

Smallwood Store

We peddled across the lagoon and back to the ranger station without difficulty. And thus ended an eventful but enjoyable trip!

Home Again!

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Everglades Kayak Trip 2022

The plan for this year was a clockwise tour around Whitewater Bay, with options to go out to the Gulf and explore the Watson River. My cousin David Rathe and nephew Theron Pray decided to join me. [Full Gallery]

map:nps.gov (Click to Enlarge)

I drove down to Florida City (Homestead) the day before the others arrived. The three Hobie Kayaks fit nicely in the bed of my F-150 with an extender.

Three Kayaks On Board

I booked two nights at the same motel I’ve used several times in the past. The next day I picked up the boys at the Miami airport and we purchased food and other supplies for the trip.

Day 1

We drove into the park, pulled the permit, and were on the water just after 10am. The Buttonwood Canal and Coot Bay were nominal. We saw a large American Crocodile sunning on the bank within a mile of the put-in.

American Crocodile

Lower Whitewater Bay was windy at first, but the wind eased and we sailed for a few miles west to enter the Joe River.

Lower Whitewater Bay

We saw dolphins along the way and arrived at the Joe River Chickee just as the sun was setting.

Joe River Chickee

Total time on the water ~8hrs. It was an exceptionally good evening for star gazing.

Day 2

Fairly cold overnight, on the water by 9am. Very sunny with a southerly breeze. Tide was outgoing so we headed down the Little Shark River to the Gulf of Mexico.

Little Shark River & Gulf of Mexico Beyond

With a light wind behind us we rafted together and put up one sail to eat lunch and cross Ponce de Leon Bay to the beaches on the north shore.

Sailing Lunch Raft on the Gulf
Northern Beach on Ponce de Leon Bay

We explored the shore for 30min until it was obvious the tide was coming in and then headed inland on a northern channel of the Shark. We got to the Shark River Chickee about an hour before dark.

Shark River

We had a less than optimal stay due to bugs since it was hot, muggy, and calm. We all had head nets and got through it reasonably well. It rained during the night, but straight down so there was no need to batten down.

Day 3

Theron guided us through The Labyrinth with no problem and we arrived at the Watson River Chickee midday.

Watson River Chickee

Theron and David had time for some recreational sailing and exploration around the bay.

Upper Whitewater Bay Regatta
Theron in the Mangroves
Theron Swimming

The breeze kept most of the bugs away and we sat around chewing the fat until sun went down.

Watson River Chickee

Our sleeping setup was a bit eclectic on the 10×12 foot chickee platforms. I brought two lightweight cots and a 2-person tent for the boys, and a hammock for myself. Theron decided to sleep with just a net bivy bag on one of the cots (with the option to hit the tent during rain). We were all mostly comfortable.

Cots, Bivy Bag, 2p Tent, & Hammock on a Chickee!

Day 4

We headed up the Watson River to explore the next day. This was typical low mangrove and not as varied as the upper North River I explored on an earlier trip. Theron had a close encounter with a lone dolphin as we were heading back down river. We then took a back way over to the North River and sailed up to our Chickee.

View from North River Chickee

We setup and immediately went for a swim. There was just enough of a breeze to keep the bugs off and just a bit colder, which was welcome. We had a great dinner and finished off the box of red wine we brought along. In the morning we saw rosette spoonbill fly close overhead.

Happy Hour on North River!

Day 5

We knew from the weather radio that the wind would rise all day out of the west. We started north to The Cutoff to Robert’s River and then south from there. Once we hit the first bay we put up the sails and headed for the entrance to Coot Bay. The wind and waves on Whitewater Bay were increasing the entire time so it got a little hairy. At some point a wave stripped my paddle right off and I didn’t even notice! We did some downwind tacking to avoid dangerous gibes and all made it safely to Tarpon Creek and on into Coot Bay. We were off the water by 3pm. There was a Gale Warning the next day!

Windy Sail on Whitewater Bay
The Day After We Came Off the Water!

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