Travel – Richard Rathe's Reflections

BWCA Canoe Trip 2024

This year we decided to base our trip out of Ely. We spent the night in the bunkhouse on Snowbank Lake. The next day we took the short drive to the official entry point #27 to head out into the wilderness. Complete Photo Gallery

Route Map 2024, Click to Enlarge — *Route Map 2024 (Click to Enlarge*)

The weather forecast was windy with a dash of rain in the middle. This mostly came to pass with temps dropping near freezing on the final night.

Long First Day

The first portage was the longest at 140 rods (2310 ft, 0.44 mile). There were seven portages in all on the way to Ima Lake. Several of these are very short between small connector lakes.

The smaller lakes where part of extensive wetlands with lots of fall flowers, sphagnum moss, tamarack just starting to turn yellow, and even a few spent pitcher plants.

We got to Ima in the late afternoon and proceeded to the large campsite on the north end of the major island. This is fronted by an impressive dome of rock more than 100 yards wide.

I pitched my tent on the windward side and it was (no surprise) very windy. So much so I decided to move before the predicted rain storm rolled in. It was warm enough to sleep with the sleeping bag loosely draped around me. That would change also.

Settling In

The next day we started out with a hot breakfast of bagels an eggs. Most of our cooking took place behind a large rock to keep the stoves out of the wind.

In the afternoon we had nine Spruce Grouse wander through our camp. We think it was a hen with her nearly-grown brood.

The second hammock site was a bit of a challenge, but a real confirmation of how flexible hammock camping can be. I was pitched over a fallen log and a large rock! It turned out to be a perfect place to weather the storm that blew in overnight! (The rain fly is folded back in this photo. The brown fabric is an inexpensive underquilt I brought to help keep out the cold.)

The rain ended and the temperature started to drop as the wind shifted to the northeast. It was not a good day to go out in the canoes so we mostly hung out, read our books, and napped. In the evening we hunkered down in a sheltered spot and had an excellent taco dinner.

Side Trip

On the fourth day the wind dropped off and we went on a day trip south to Alworth Lake. There is a nice campsite just off the portage in a grove of large white pines. It faces south and has a nice view through the trees.

There is also a nice, but rarely used campsite on a small island. We stopped there for a snack and took this group photo.

*Group Photo on Alworth Island Campsite*

Starting Back

We decided to move camp for the last night to get some of the portaging out of the way. We retraced our path through this narrows (part of Lake Jordan) with several interesting cliffs.

Our initial goal was a campsite with a beach on Jordan, but it was occupied so we kept going. We ended up at a high, “compact” site on Lake Ahsub. It’s on the side of a rock outcrop with several unusual tree species, including this maple, cherry, and mountain ash.

For the first time on this trip the wind died down so we could have a fire. It was also clear and cold! We think it touched freezing by morning.

Complete Photo Gallery

Total Eclipse & Snake Road 2024

The Eclipse

Last week I traveled with my Sister Diana to Southern Illinois hoping to experience the Total Solar Eclipse. We were not disappointed! We had mostly blue skies that day with some high stratus clouds. Nothing can really prepare you for the moment of totality. We could suddenly see “stars” (actually the planets Venus and Jupiter) in the odd twilight. It got perceptively cooler and the wind changed direction.

Two things stand out in the photo above. The first is the Sun’s Corona, which is only visible to the naked eye during an eclipse. The second is the little bright spot near the bottom. This was a constant feature throughout and on higher resolution photos appears to be a Solar Prominence (a plume of hot gas streaming from the surface).

The Snake Road

I read about the “Snake Road” a year ago and intended to got there at some point. The Eclipse was over by 2:15pm so we had the time and decided to find it. The area is called the LaRue Pine Hills Natural Area and consists of a crumbling limestone cliff above a flat river valley. The cliffs face the afternoon sun and offer many nooks and crannies for snakes to hole-up for the winter. Hundreds of Snakes cross the road below the cliffs in the Spring and Fall, which is closed to traffic at those times. [Photo Gallery]

We were there at the right time of year, but the wrong time of day to see snakes. Luckily we did see a Green Tree Snake before we started to climb the cliff.

We left the road on a side trail where we saw several different types of wildflowers in bloom as we ascended to the ridge line.

Somewhere near the “top” we paused to take in this spectacular view! The blue flowers in the foreground are Cleft Phlox.

A small bird in the dense undergrowth caught my eye. This turned out to be a Ruby-Crowned Kinglet which allowed me several minutes to take pictures. First time I’ve seen its “crown” in the wild!

We then descended into a long ravine behind the cliffs bedecked with wildflowers and ferns.

While not yet in bloom, the distinctive leaves of Bloodroot were everywhere, including this hollow log.

These emerging Jack-in-the-Pulpit reminded us of tube worms on a coral reef.

Finally we came down to the frontage road and had a pleasant walk back to the car.

Okefenokee Canoe Trip 2024

After doing the Green Trail to Bluff Lake and Round Top three years ago—this year we set out to retrace My First Trip in 2004 on the Red Trail and cut back via Floyds Island. My old friend Peter from Minnesota and youngest brother Bruce from Wisconsin joined me. [Gallery]

*Okefenokee Route Map 2024 [source:fws.gov]*

Paddling Video with Music

Day 1 – Maul Hammock (12 Miles)

We parked at the Suwannee Canal Entrance and got shuttled up to Kingfisher Landing. Since there were three of us I used my Inflatable Kayak for the first time on an overnight trip.

We got started in the late AM knowing there would be weather blowing in by nightfall. It rained lightly in the afternoon and then poured for about an hour. We got to the Maul Hammock Chickee an hour before dark.

It became very windy but fortunately most of the rain was over. We had a raucous night with the rainflies flapping in the gusts over 25mph! Amazingly, nothing broke and nothing blew away that we couldn’t retrieve!

Day 2 – Big Water (~10 Miles)

The second day was much easier—shorter by about two miles and paddling with the current. (This is the actual start of the Suwannee River that flows to the Gulf of Mexico.) The trail narrows as it crosses one or more “sills” that divide up the wetlands.

We made it to the Big Water Chickee without much difficulty and had a leisurely dinner of beans, rice, and beer!

It was a cold night (38°) but much less windy.

Day 3 – Floyds Island (~9 Miles)

The next day was new territory for all of us. Just below Big Water we passed through an area that burned in the early 2000s—acres and acres of standing dead cypress trees. While this was sad to see, the swamp does go through periodic droughts and fire is a part of the ecology. [Fire Map]

Golden Club - Orontium aquaticum — *Golden Club – Orontium aquaticum*

We turned onto the Green Trail and paddled against a slight current up a narrow (but very pleasant) trail through the cypress. This ended at an embankment and higher ground covered with large pines, oaks, and magnolia trees.

The campsite sits in front of a three-room cabin built about a hundred years ago. It is flanked by two huge oak trees, one of which is encroaching on the porch. There are several moldering documents on the wall (one of which is reproduced here). There is also a fascinating registry book dating back to 2021 completely filled with stories, poems, and drawings.

This article on the Human History of the Okefenokee Swamp makes interesting reading!

Day 4 – Back to the Suwannee Canal (15 Miles)

Our last day began with portaging boats and equipment to the opposite side of the island (0.2 mile). (There is a convenient cart at the site to assist with this!)

I’ll mention that we saw numerous Pitcher Plants on this trip, most of which were dried and left over from last season.

This was a long day but worth it given the time we had. We pulled into the take-out about an hour after dark. The Suwannee Canal facility is setup for after hours arrivals with an on-demand street light over the boat ramp and an automatic gate to let us out.

Trail's End After Dark — *Trail’s End After Dark*

More Photos…