Florida - There and Back Again
Or maybe next time we fly
March 27 - April 2, 2005

Easter came early this year, and apparently the dates of Spring Break
coincided throughout the northeast, as hordes of pale skinned Yankees
fled south, causing a rolling stop and go traffic jam that stretched
the length of I-95 through South Carolina and Georgia. Breaking free of
this coastal commuting chaos we headed inland across A1A in the midst
of a pounding hailstorm, telling ourselves that the harder the journey
the better the reward at the end.

Our reward at the end was a week of paddling with friends Dave and
Anita and the Silent Otters paddling club in north Florida. As always,
worth the trip.

Our initial plans to canoe camp along Suwannee Big Shoals were scuttled
by floodwaters and a forecast of severe storms ("tornados and
baseball sized hail"). We opened our Delorme Atlas and Florida
paddling guides for the first inning of a continuing game of Plan A,
no, wait, Plan B, no, wait, how about Plan C. Dang there is a lot of
good paddling water in north Florida.

We decided to paddle the seldom-floatable Alapaha.

Then, hearing cautions from the Otter faithful about the Alapaha being
up in the trees, changed our minds and shifted plans to the Sante Fe.
No, wait, how about the Steinhatchee?

Then, hearing a revised weather forecast ("80 mile an hour winds,
softball sized hail") changed our minds again and elected to paddle
the familiar and somewhat sheltered Ichetucknee.

Ichetucknee Springs
OC1 - Diane Hollingsworth, Tyler McCrea, Cooper McCrea, Dave Maneval,
Mike McCrea
K1- Paul Maneval

After a Chinese fire drill shuttle in which I drove to the wrong put in
and Dave went to the wrong take out we finally put on the Ich, forecast
be damned. This was our first test-paddling outing in a collection of
new river solos; Diane took the Yellowstone Solo, Tyler the Odyssey 14
and I took the Freedom Solo, while Dave paddled Topher's old stripper
and Cooper a loaner Mohawk Pack.

These new boats took some getting used to, and Tyler swam on a botched
canoe egress at a side spring while Cooper swam on a botched canoe
entry at the same location. If yer gonna swim a crystal clear 72 degree
springhead is the place to do it.

Sunday's Ichetucknee warm up was pleasantly uneventful; no 80 mile an
hour wind, no softball sized hail, no tornados, just good friends, new
boats and a beautiful first magnitude spring float.

Sunday's dinner fare saw a potluck gathering of Silent Otters
gathered round Dave's magic pans as he shucked oysters and fried
shrimp and the morrow's paddling venue again changed with bewildering
rapidity - Rainbow Springs...Prairie Creek...Styx Creek.

And so, on Monday, we headed to Hornsby Run off the Sante Fe.

Hornsby Run/Sante Fe
OC1- Tyler McCrea, Cooper McCrea, Dave Maneval, Anita Wright, Lucy
Maneval, Rikki Maneval, Brad, Toby, Ku, Mike McCrea
OC2 - Bill Escue, Bob
K1- Diane Hollingsworth, Sandy, Gerry

A wind assisted but still strenuous paddle up the Sante Fe, through a
vortex of boils, swirls and twisting currents from underwater springs
and sinks put us at the mouth of Hornsby Run. This combination of fast
flowing water, strong wind and unpredictable currents would figure
later in the day's events.

With the Sante Fe high and running strong the Hornsby side springs were
running in reverse, siphoning instead of pumping. Although we've
experienced the sucking action of sink holes before it is still a
mysterious experience to paddle into a side slough or creek and
discover that the current is running away from the river.

A leisurely lunch stop saw us pondering the delayed arrival of Dave and
Anita, who - famous last words - had been right behind us. Eventually
they arrived, having attempted to tow a cypress log souvenir behind
Dave's canoe, a tow job that ended with the log snagged, Dave's
stern rapidly submerging and Dave going for a self-rescue swim to cut
his boat free. Yet another scenario that would figure later in the day.

Back on the fast running Sante Fe we reset shuttle 6 miles downriver to
the Rte 27 Bridge and commenced an unplanned secondary float to extend
the days tour. The swift downriver current flooded up into the forest,
the strong upriver wind, the twists and turns and partially submerged
mid-river islands combined to put a number of paddlers into the trees
and into the water.

Tyler had a minor swim on a sweeper. Cooper had a minor swim and small
yardsale. Ku emerged from an inadvertent entanglement bloodied but
upright.

But the epic swim of the day was Anita's. Anita claims this as her
first-ever swim, professing that having been ejected from her boat on
Big Shoals and landing on a mid-river rock still dry and grasping her
paddle does not actually count as a swim. The judges rule to accept
this story, and so count this as Anita's first swim.

Tyler, Cooper, Sandy and I were paddling lead when we heard
"Anita's in!" and turned about to attain upstream. About the time
we reached a small flooded island Anita's Baboosic floated into view
submerged to the gunwales. The upstream boaters had Anita so we went
after her boat.

Those years of rescue practice on family canoe campers finally paid
off. Working quickly as the wind and current threatened to carry us
into various downstream sweepers and strainers Tyler, Sandy and I
sandwiched Anita's boat and offloaded her tied in gear.

Then the real rescue ballet began. Tyler moved to my upstream side and
locked our gunwales together. Sandy moved off downstream as safety and
floating gear collector. I reached out, rolled the Baboosic onto its
side, bow onto my gunwale, flipped it gunwale down, slid it across our
two canoes as the water emptied, rolled it back upright and slipped it
back into the river dry and upright. Elapsed time - perhaps 15
seconds. Damn we're good.

That was the practiced and efficient part of the rescue. My incompetent
attempt to tow the Baboosic ashore nearly resulted in two swamped
boats.

Running the Baboosic's bow painter through my stern loop and
restraining it on a short leash I began to attain back up towards the
now rescued Anita. But the upstream wind had a more profound effect on
the empty Baboosic than my towing speed against the current and the
towed canoe immediately swung sideways and dipped an upstream gunwale.

Not good. Ferry, straighten out the boat train, try again. Gunwale
under again. Ferry, straighten, try again. Gunwale under yet again.
Didn't I just empty that boat? And if this keeps up I'll soon be
emptying mine.

Best I could do was slowly drift ferry into an accessible spot
downstream while trying not to broach the Baboosic and yet still keep
the towed array out of the trees. The bow over part of the rescue was a
thing of beauty - the towed boat part of the rescue was awkward and
ugly and I'd like to think a lesson learned, but I'm still not sure
how to tow an empty boat in those windswept conditions.

The takeout produced beers and another review of the Florida Atlas and
Gazetteer with Dave and Bill, resulting in numerous suggestions and
possibilities for tomorrow's paddle. So many rivers, so little time.
In the end we decided, based on the strength of Bill's
recommendation, to head towards the Gulf Coast to paddle the Wacacassua
upstream into the Wekiva.

Wacacassua, Wekiva, Ty's Creek
OC1 - Diane Hollingsworth, Tyler McCrea, Mike McCrea
K1 - Cooper McCrea

Three canoes on the roof, one kayak stuffed inside the van and a short
drive in a different direction; west today towards the Gulf instead of
north towards High Springs would take us to a put in along the lower
Wacacassua. The High Springs area is astounding rich in paddling
possibilities - Suwannee, Sante Fe, Withlacoochee, Alapaha,
Ichetucknee and more. But today called for a change of pace, a change
of flora and fauna and so we headed west.

Another strenuous paddle against a combined high flow and falling tide
and we forked right into the Wikiva's verdant coastal swamp
resplendent with butterflies, birdlife and tropical flora. Bill had
compared the closed canopy of the Wekiva to the oft-recommended
Chassahowitzka. The Wekiva is mighty nice, and we'll have to get on
the Chassahowitzka some day. Add it to the Florida wish list, along
with the Alapaha and witnessing a shuttle launch while paddling the Ula
May Wildlife Sanctuary.

The float back down the Wekiva was swift and effortless and we
continued downstream towards some primitive island campsites Bill had
mentioned at the river's confluence with the Gulf. Along the way we
passed a derelict concrete shrimp trawler, built in-situ by a local
only to discover it's draft was too great to pass over the oyster
bars at the river's mouth, sort of a grand scale version of building
a boat too big to fit through the basement door.

Downriver of the concrete derelict Tyler found a side slough that was
perhaps the best paddling of our Wacacassua/Wekiva trip; a serpentine
creek that gradually narrowed to better-back-the-boat-out-now width.
This creek also produced our first paddle sighting of an alligator thus
far.

Back at hosts Dave and Anita's a most satisfactory plan for tomorrow
developed. Diane and the boys would drop me off across the river from
Fanning Springs and drive downriver to spend the day swimming and
snorkeling at Manatee Springs while I solo paddled the stretch of the
Suwannee in between.

Suwannee River
Fanning Springs to Manatee Springs
OC1 - Mike McCrea

Ferrying across the still high Suwannee I paddled into Fanning Springs
to find it flooded above the boardwalk with coffee-colored Suwannee
water. A boil of water and an off-white hump of a manatee greeted me as
I paddled into the spring, and an even bigger surprise greeted me when
I paddled out.

Exiting Fanning onto the Suwannee an immense fish leapt from the dark
waters immediately in front of my bow. Easily five feet long and
vaguely prehistoric. My mind said "Shark" before it said "fresh
water". A sturgeon, the first I've ever seen.

This section of the Suwannee is a relatively broad river, with some
development along river right, but the Andrews Wildlife Management area
encompasses almost the entire left shoreline. Hugging that flooded
woodline I crept slowly along, the 4 mph downriver current nearly
offset by a constant cooling upriver breeze, stopping occasionally to
poke up a side slough, some pumping water out, some sucking water in.
Reverse tributaries...still a weird concept.

Reaching Manatee Springs I was pleased to discover that it, unlike
Fanning Springs, was not backwatered by the swollen Suwannee. Paddling
up the outlet stream's clear waters I soon came upon two manatees
resting on the bottom, pregnant females according to the ranger staff
at the park.

As I noodled about in my boat at the edge of the spring Tyler came down
the trail carrying his canoe and soon joined me for a brief exploratory
paddle along the flooded edges of the Suwannee. Ten miles of swamp-edge
cruising along the Suwannee, exploration side paddles into a couple of
high-flow sinks, two major springs, several manatee and sturgeon
sightings made for a lovely day of solo paddling, all capped off with a
refreshing dip in Manatee Springs.

I would like to say that I meant to invite Bill or Sandy or other
Otterfolk to join me, but it is a rare treat for me to be able to
paddle any distance solo, alone with just my boat and my thoughts.
Thanks to Diane and the boys for granting me that opportunity.

Our spring Florida jaunt wrapped up with a car camper on the Atlantic
coast at Fort Clinch State Park, just across the St. Marys River from
Cumberland Island. There are some attractive paddling waters
thereabouts, from small tidal creeks to protected coastal bays.

While I regretted leaving the high waters of north Florida behind,
violating one of the prime tenets of a paddling roadtrip - "Never
drive away from good water" - a Florida trip with my ocean loving
family requires at least a few days at the beach. While Dave, Anita and
I had made tentative plans to paddle some bay or backwater our fair
weather days were spent on the beach and our foul weather nights were
spent huddled in a campsite that resembled Abdul's Tarp City,
sporting three tents, a freestanding Eureka Rainshelter, a Kelty
Sunshade and an NRS Riverwing. Not that they did much good when there
was 3 inches of standing water covering the ground at our feet, but at
least our heads were dry.

The drive back was every bit as challenging as the drive down,
featuring immense traffic jams through Georgia and gusty 40 mph winds
that made driving a full sized van with three canoes atop an adventure
in white-knuckled counter steering.

Good to have gone, good to see our Otter friends, good to be home. And
I'm ready to go paddling soon; we need to get those test boats out
again.

wrote

(great report snipped)


Good to have gone, good to see our Otter friends, good to be home. And
I'm ready to go paddling soon; we need to get those test boats out
again.

good stuff--thanks from a newbie who thought the only folks who post
here are more into unstable religious prattle than unstable paddle boats.

wayne harrison (roffians excepted, of course)

wrote in message
oups.com...
.............snip...........

fabulous story of great paddling!

Jimmy

"Wayne Harrison" wrote in message
. com...

wrote

(great report snipped)


Good to have gone, good to see our Otter friends, good to be home. And
I'm ready to go paddling soon; we need to get those test boats out
again.

good stuff--thanks from a newbie who thought the only folks who post
here are more into unstable religious prattle than unstable paddle boats.

LOL. Once the ice is off the Canadians will move on to paddling.

Wayne Harrison wrote in news:yMR4e.21959$QB6.1618536
@twister.southeast.rr.com:


wrote

(great report snipped)


Good to have gone, good to see our Otter friends, good to be home.
And
I'm ready to go paddling soon; we need to get those test boats out
again.

good stuff--thanks from a newbie who thought the only folks who
post
here are more into unstable religious prattle than unstable paddle
boats.

wayne harrison (roffians excepted, of course)





The same Wayne Harrison from r.m.m.g.a.?? We seem to share an
interest, Wayne, if you are the same fellow. grin

--
Darryl

"Darryl Johnson" wrote

The same Wayne Harrison from r.m.m.g.a.?? We seem to share an
interest, Wayne, if you are the same fellow. grin

one and the same, darryl. but i must say that i am far more comfortable
with a martin than in a mad river.



wayne harrison

Wayne Harrison wrote in news:dff6$4253f663$45263256$9885
@NEWSOUTH.NET:


"Darryl Johnson" wrote

The same Wayne Harrison from r.m.m.g.a.?? We seem to share an
interest, Wayne, if you are the same fellow. grin

one and the same, darryl. but i must say that i am far more
comfortable
with a martin than in a mad river.



wayne harrison




I'm more comfortable in a kayak than with the guitar, but, for those
winter months when the water has gone all hard and slippery, I keep
practicing with the guitar. I had hoped to make the East Coast
gathering this year, but it doesn't look like it's going to pan out.

However, plans are afoot to go to New Zealand this winter and paddle.

--
Darryl

"KMAN" wrote in news:u1S4e.15764$Fy3.957939
@news20.bellglobal.com:


"Wayne Harrison" wrote in message
. com...

wrote

(great report snipped)


Good to have gone, good to see our Otter friends, good to be home. And
I'm ready to go paddling soon; we need to get those test boats out
again.

good stuff--thanks from a newbie who thought the only folks who post
here are more into unstable religious prattle than unstable paddle
boats.

LOL. Once the ice is off the Canadians will move on to paddling.

That's no excuse. There are other newsgroups in which religious prattle,
canadian health care, or international politics are on topic. There isn't a
single good reason why those topics should be discussed in the paddling
group unless you can somehow relate them to something to do with paddling.

in article , John Fereira at
wrote on 4/6/05 5:16 PM:

"KMAN" wrote in news:u1S4e.15764$Fy3.957939
@news20.bellglobal.com:


"Wayne Harrison" wrote in message
. com...

wrote

(great report snipped)


Good to have gone, good to see our Otter friends, good to be home. And
I'm ready to go paddling soon; we need to get those test boats out
again.

good stuff--thanks from a newbie who thought the only folks who post
here are more into unstable religious prattle than unstable paddle
boats.

LOL. Once the ice is off the Canadians will move on to paddling.

That's no excuse. There are other newsgroups in which religious prattle,
canadian health care, or international politics are on topic.

Of course.

There isn't a
single good reason why those topics should be discussed in the paddling
group unless you can somehow relate them to something to do with paddling.

I guess the only good reason is because people in the group want to talk
about them, but obviously they aren't closely related to the topic of
paddling.