Day 3 - Okefenokee Canoe Trip - March 2004

The morning of our third day was perfect! And what a nice place to be. We were up and on the water before 9am. The water was smooth and the surroundings were gorgeous. We played cypress slalom for an hour or two through several narrows.

 Packing Canoes   Group
On the Trail   Gold Club Minnie's Lake was similar to Big Water the day before. The stream widened into a small river. The trees were taller and more diverse. We learned about the three species of "bay" tree found in the swamp. The predominant species was loblolly bay, but there were occasional maples mixed in. The under story was primarily dahoon holly.

After paddling about eight miles, we arrived near the take out with several hours to spare, so we went on a side trip to Billy's Island. There was apparently a community of several hundred people there at one time. Very little remains besides a small graveyard and some scrap metal. I took a walk into a pleasant pine scrub habitat and took several photographs. When I returned there was a gray fox picking up crumbs left over from our lunch. We concluded the trip by paddling about a mlle to Stephen Foster State Park to catch the shuttle back to our cars.

 Maul Hammock   Gray Fox
Photographs and Text © 2004 by Richard Rathe Except Where Noted.