hammock – Page 3 – Richard Rathe's Reflections

Kayak Trip to Hall Creek 2021

I went for a quick solo kayak trip to Hall Creek near Cedar Key (putting in at the #4 Bridge off of Highway 24. I last visited this area in 2012 with a friend.

The first mile or so is very shallow and I made a few mistakes on my way to Live Oak Key, where there is a narrow channel through the oyster beds. Surprisingly the old oak tree on the point is still alive! [compare with 2012]

The next “bay” is deeper until you approach the creek entrance. I saw lots of birds including a molting Loon and White Pelicans.

Crystal River Nuke Plant in the Distance

I hit the creek near low tide so it was hard to follow. I made several minor wrong turns.

The campsite sits on an eroded ridge of limestone that provides just enough support for several small hammocks of hardy trees. Since I last visited all the non-palm trees have died (due to hurricanes?).

I saw no evidence of recent use by humans and had to break a trail through the scrub to get to the campsite, which was surprisingly nice considering much of the remaining area has been taken over by prickly pear cactus!

There were a few noseeums in the late afternoon/morning, and a few mosquitos just after sunset. My Bug Shirt handled these with no problem. Two Rosette Spoonbills flew over just as the sun was setting.

I took several walks and saw several birds at a distance. There are small rock outcrops, tidal ponds, more hammocks, and a whole forest of dead trees as you move inland. There were surprisingly few flowers for April, but there was a lot of this ground cover I named gummy-worm plant or gummywort.

Finally there was new evidence of global warming — lots of small Red Mangrove pioneers. There were NONE in 2012 as far as I can remember. This means their range is moving north. The place would be much different if all the islands grew full mangrove ecosystems!

Everglades Kayak Trip (2021 Season)

It started out so well… then the wind and waves shut us down–again. I haven’t had a “normal” Everglades trip since 2017! [Gallery]

I decided to try December to see if conditions would be better than the usual time in January. It did not make any difference in the end. On the plus side there were no bugs!

The first day was low-key peddling the five miles out to Jewel Key. The day started warm and calm but by the time we arrived the wind was rising and the temperature was falling fast. We found a nice little place out the wind for our kitchen and I slept out in the open under the stars.

Rick slept in a small tent which we had to tie down to keep it from blowing away. We both used small cots to keep things comfortable. We saw over a hundred White Pelicans while we were there.

The next day began sunny and cold. We decided to make an attempt to sail downwind. We didn’t get very far because, even with reefed sails, there was so much wind we could not steer the boats!

We originally planned to do a big loop up the Lostman’s River. But we decided to bail out at Rabbit Key after being pushed around by the following seas. The problem is you can’t really see what’s coming. When a big wave strikes you are forced off course or nearly pitched out of the boat!

What had been the main campsite was in bad shape due to recent storms and perhaps lack of maintenance (?), so we took what used to be the secondary site on the point. I’ve camped here several times over the years and it’s only gotten better with powdered-sugar sand and healthy mangroves for cover.

Fortunately for us Rick brought a box of Cabernet to fortify our bivouac. We even had time for a driftwood fire on the beach.

Rick stayed in his tent while I went back in the woods to hang my hammock.

We walked the entire shore at low tide and met the local Ospreys nesting there.

After two nights the wind calmed and we headed back to the take-out. We finally had a chance to sail and there was enough wind for Rick to flip over. He self-rescued quickly but we had to stop to pump water out of his boat. We got back to the car just as the sun was setting.

Mountain Bike Trip to The Maze 2019

It would be hard to top our 4WD/bike trip to the White Rim in Canyonlands National Park last year, but entering the isolated subunit called The Maze was a strong contender! [Gallery]

This was not a loop trail, but a very challenging, out-and-back trek to the edge of the Colorado River Canyon. We spent most of the first day just getting to the trailhead on the extreme western edge of the park and establishing our first camp at Happy Canyon. I pitched my hammock between a juniper and a pinyon pine and was rocked to sleep by the wind all night.

The riding got serious the next day going down the face of the Orange Cliffs on the Flint Trail.

It was very steep and difficult even for the vehicles. I did a lot of walking. Things only got worse the rest of the day with loose rocks, sand and drop-offs. We met a county employee with a huge 6WD Grader who was actually maintaining the road (“every seven years whether it needs it our not”). When we told him where we were headed he laughed and said “We haven’t been back there in thirty years!”

The area around Teapot Rock was especially challenging, requiring spotters and backing up around impossible corners. Late in the day we finally made it to the Land of Standing Rocks, a windswept plain punctuated by fantastic rock formations receding into the distance. It was magical!

We camped about an hour before dusk at Chimney Rock. It was cold and windy but we made the best of it with G&Ts and hot food prepared in a Dutch Oven by Glen.

The next day we went for a long, meandering hike following the canyon rim.

We saw many strange and beautiful things including odd box-work erosion patterns in the stone. They looked like apartment complexes for tiny people!

On our return to camp we relaxed with a caprese salad, beer, & G&Ts before a multi-course dinner. Hard to beat! That night it got down in the 20s but fortunately the wind died down.

The next day we headed down the relatively easy road to The Doll House. Along the way we met at pair of hikers who had crossed the Colorado River from Spanish Bottom in Inflatable Kayaks (!) that they had in their packs! They planned to hike upriver and paddle back to their car on the other side. Amazing!

The Doll House is an area of huge striped rock towers with little doll-like figurines on top. The formation is an extension of The Needles region immediately across the river.

We camped at site #3 on the opposite side with spectacular views!

I found a perfect place to hang my hammock between a boulder and an old juniper tree. Room with a View indeed!

Moon Rising Over Colorado River Canyon & The Needles

Richard & Bill in the Valley of the Dolls

On the fifth day, alas, we had to turn homeward. I had a great time cycling several miles with Jeff as we retraced our route. We did not climb back up the Flint Trail however, exiting near the tiny town of Hite on the extreme upper end of Lake Powell. It was a spectacular trip!