Everglades Canoe Trip January 2002

Harney River Chickee to Canepatch

This was our hardest day of paddling. We had a steady 1.5 mph current coming at us most of the day (no luck with the tides this time!). The North Harney River becomes a single line on the map, but retains a significant flowage throughout. This route kept us off the powerboat trail and we did not see anybody else all day.

The Canepatch site is interesting but buggy and somewhat overused. We spent a significant amount of time picking up litter. There are bannna and other fruit trees all around. The water is nearly fresh. It was nice to walk around and not be confined to a 10x12 platform. Near sunset Al and I took a short paddle upstream to avoid the bugs. We could hear at least one bird rookery, but we never saw it. My theory is that Canepatch was once a significant area for plume hunters.