Kayaking in the Everglades and the 10,000 Islands. Guided kayak trips using Nigel Dennis Kayaks
Kayak SW Florida Guided Kayak trips in Everglades / 10,000 Islands 

Well this is the way to bring in the New Year!  5 Days kayaking and camping in the backcountry of Everglades National Park.  We headed out on Dec 29th from Everglades City.  I was to spend the first two days with my friend, Dina, and the last three days alone. 

We spent our early morning hours packing boats and loading gear, to launch at 9am and ride the outgoing tide thru Indian Key Pass.  We have an easy paddle today, and spend some time poking around and dawdling as we make our way to Camp Lulu Key.  We arrive and decide to paddle around to see if the spit on the North side of the island is free.  Low tide has us away from shore, but enjoying the wading birds. We round the corner and see the spit full of tents and folks who are installed for the long haul. They have come on motor boats and are ready for a NY Eve Party that will take place in three days.  

Camp Lulu Key has a long history of New Year's Eve parties, and kayakers and folks from all over come to celebrate. in days not so long ago, a man named Mike Ward lived here.  He had spent his winters on Camp Lulu for many years and when he passed away recently, said he wanted the long standing tradition of kayakers and other boaters to always have access to this wonderful spot in the 10,000 Islands.  He was here long before it came under the care Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve and as such, was "Grandfathered" in. 

So we head back round from whence we came to the south corner of Lulu and found a really great spot to pitch our tents.  Things I look for in a quality backcounty campsites include: access to water at lower tides, opportunities for both shade and sun, sandy beach, lack of raccoon tracks, sufficient real estate at high tide (don't want that high tide coming in your front door!), trees or logs that you can hang gear and clothing from, and really important - a place where you get the breeze! 

We set up our camp, Dina is going to try her Hammock from EOS  she loves it!  It takes her quite a while to set up, though the directions mention "sets up in minutes" .  Not that I can do any better - looks fun but complicated.  We ate dinner on the beach, had a nice evening and heard a Cardinal.  Lots of star gazing too. Early to bed for me - just bushed from all this sun and fresh air! 

Morning finds us facing a low tide and a slog out with the kayaks.  We use Dina's kayak cart/trolley to get out the boats to the waterline - they are fully loaded and HEAVY!  After slogging thru some mangrove/ocean mud we launch our kayaks and head to Tiger,  we head thru coca cola pass, check out some other possibilities and end up going round most of the island before finding a spot that we think will be workable.    So we decide to tie up our boats, leave the kayaks there floating in the water, and head onto the beach to make a lunch and wait for the water to rise.  It doesn't take to long.  I warmed up some Progresso Chicken Corn Chowder-actually put some brown rice in it too- made a great late lunch for about $1.25. 

After our relatively quick lunch repast, we start to set up our basecamp, tents, sun tarp for reading in the afternoon, hanging gear, it is an interesting challenge to move your home each night. 

Making due with what you have for tie downs, shade, and dry land when the tide comes up.  Each campsite is unique, and yet each seems perfect once you get settled in.  We got the fishing rods and walked down the beach a little when the tide came up enough to hopefully allow us to avoid multiple snags. The wind picked up and casting became a little more challenging.  Dina and I both catch a lady fish and she had the additional luck getting a grunt fish.  We release all we catch.  To say this is a relaxing day would be an understatement.  With no phones, computers, or any distractions from the modern world, we couldn't ask for a better spot.

After the sun sets, Dina makes a small fire, we do some stargazing, then by 7pm I am in my tent and ready for bed.  This outdoor life sure takes it out of a girl!

Next morning finds us up around 6am. Dina is packing to leave and I walk the beach and then watch the sun rise.  I am fascinated with the tides here so I have been taking pictures at various times at different stages of the tide so I can compare them and share with others, so I take some early dawn photos, the blues, purples and pinks are stunning.  I will remain on Tiger alone, to admire from afar, the fireworks at Lulu and having only the stars as my company.

I spend the day in complete bliss,  this is vacation as it is meant to be. I walk the beach, look for shells, and take many photos.  Watching both prey and wading birds is amazing down here. The Osprey sit atop a dead tree which offers them expansive views of both land and sea. From this perch, they search for their prey, small mammals, and fish are their staples.  Watching an osprey catch a fish is inspiring to say the least. They swoop in, picking the swimming fish right out of the sea.  As they rise from the water, the Osprey will maneuver the fish so it is facing forward making the bird/prey streamlined for a flight back to the nest.   It also will hover above the water and with wings open,  removing any water from its body with a few violent shakes, then it is on its way. This is the type of behavior that you witness, when there is time to sink into the everlasting mystery of what is the Everglades. The next day, I am up early, long before the sun graces the skies, getting ready to depart.  With the low tides being such an issue, I had moved my kayak the day before to an area where the tide seems to come up much quicker on an incoming tide and stay longer on an outgoing tide.  So in order to prepare for launch, I walk a few minutes to my boat with some gear, untie the kayak, and get it down lower, on the sandy shore and retie into a mangrove tree on the edge of the island. I portage the balance of my gear from campsite to kayak, and when everything is there, I put the kayak in the water and load it for the voyage. Putting water and other heavy items directly behind me and in front of me, with lighter items going in the bow and stern, ensures that my kayak is pretty well balanced and will handle as expected. Loading heavy items for fore or aft can really impair kayak performance, so a good thing to steer away from if possible.

The forecast is for the winds to pick up, 10-15 knot winds, so my early morning launch will help me avoid the worst of it.  Low tide was early, around 2am, so launching just as it is light enough to see, I push off into the dark water and purple skies.  So much of this area is impassible at low tide, so during a normal paddling day, you look for changes in water color, combined with your marine charts to let you know where you can make it through.
At this time of the day, with the little light that is available coming at such a low angle, and the water still dark, there is not much to guide me. I paddle out far from shore, hoping to avoid numerous snags, sandbars and oyster bars that litter the area.  I paddle the outside of Tiger and Picnic and then in between an unnamed mangrove island and the stop keys.  I cross Indian Key Pass, and round Jenkins Key.  This is an area I have not spent much time exploring, and since I don't want to land on Rabbit until we have some more water available, I decide to putter around and check out the area. Getting stuck in many places, I finally round Jack Daniels Key on the west side, cut through a small pass and hit more open, but still shallow water.  Finally I head straight for Rabbit Key, enjoying deeper waters, and getting a few curious looks from a fishing boat out there -probably wondering why this girl in a little boat was out here so far from civilization all by herself! 

I see Rabbit from afar and as I paddle, think about how lucky I am to be out here, missing the brutal Chicago Winters, freezing temps, snow that turns to sleet that turns to mush. This is really Paradise down here.

Water is still low, but not horrible when I get to Rabbit. If you look at the picture to the left, you can see my line which I tied up to a tree on the island.  I shuttle gear to my new campsite and then let the water float the boat up. That is Lumber Key in the background, not a camping island, but the birds love it!

I see a few raccoon tracks where I am setting up, but hope that since I keep a really clean camp, I won't have any visits during the night from pilfering critters.   All food and water is kept sealed in the kayak bulkheads, paddles and spare paddles are used to further deter these persistent food mongers.   I have not been to Rabbit for almost a year now, it is really one of my favorite islands in the Everglades.  Very Robinson Crusoe feeling, you can see water all around you from the point, and unless someone is floating by fishing, there is not much company out here.