We're Off!!
The outfitter left our canoes out behind the ranger station so we could get an early start. Fine in theory, we actually left about 8am. We were fully loaded with 30 gallons of water and almost 100 pounds of food.
Here we see Peter and Ross pulling away from the shore. Such enthusiasm!
Sandfly Pass and the Gulf
The tide was against us as we entered Sandfly Pass. We had to paddle "upstream" against a 2-3 MPH current for about an hour. From there we headed into the open Gulf. It was warm, sunny and calm (lucky for us!). We needed lots of sunscreen and water to drink.
Pavilion Key
We reached our first campsite by about 3pm after paddling 12 miles. Pavilion Key has a long spit of beach with several good places to camp.
Camp #1. The wind came up late in the day. This made pitching the tent in sand interesting. We used our water jugs to anchor the windward side.
The nocturnal visitors were the biggest problem. The raccoons were all around us. One even poked his head into the tent. We stored all of our food in a cooler and plastic tub, tied up with rope, and placed under an overturned canoe. That seemed to foil the little blighters.
It's always wise to read the fine print! ->
"The bar is open," was Ross's call to order - gin and tonics on the beach - not bad after a long day paddling.
Ross was also the chef for most of the trip. Our first dinner was a tempeh and veggie stir fry.
Sunset over the Gulf of Mexico as seen from our campsite.
Amazingly the Outward Bound group next to us was heading out about this time. They have an interesting way to deal with camping in the Everglades: lash the canoes together and pull out two foot wide pieces of plywood to sleep on. With this system they can anchor anywhere without needing a traditional campsite.
