Day 1 - Okefenokee Canoe Trip - March 2004

All ten of us arrived at Kingfisher Landing on a cool, sunny March morning. After loading the canoes, we were off just after nine. The red and green trails both begin at the landing, but after a short paddle down a canal we turned north following the red trail. We preceded through low cypress, marsh land, and several small shallow lakes.

In some areas the trail narrowed and became almost tunnel-like. Fortunately for us, volunteer trail crews had been out to cut back the brush. A somewhat unusual plant called gold club was in bloom, with little yellow spikes everywhere. There were also dried-up pitcher plants everywhere. We stopped for lunch amongst the reeds, sedges, and cypress trunks.

The wind came up in the latter part of the afternoon and we turned increasingly west into it. The last two miles took a bit more effort due to the headwind. After paddling twelve miles, we arrived at Maul Hammock. The camping platforms are significantly larger than those in the Everglades. This one was somewhere in the neighborhood of 20 x 28 feet. Next...