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3/18/08 (Tuesday) – Suwannee. Take out at our rental house in Suwannee, Fl. Empty boats and dry gear. Dinner in town.

It was a beautiful warm night. The almost full moon lit up the whole area. The sky was clear, and despite the moonlight, stars shone brightly. There was no wind. I woke up around 2 PM to see this through the window in my tent and through the open door. When I got up at 4 PM to relieve myself, the story was the same. Wilderness at such a time has a special beauty that I never experience at home. Tomorrow should be a good day.

At 7 o’clock, I wake up with a start! The wind is howling, and the sky is overcast and threatening. What happened?

Perhaps we should get going before things get worse. Sticking my head outside I see that it is low tide and there is no way to leave for a while. Back in my tent, I pack my gear so I am ready to quickly take it down, pack my boat and leave when the tide has risen some. Then I grab my TP and the communal shovel and head for the far side of the island.

Now, you may be feeling that I spend too much time talking about taking care of bodily functions, but leave-no-trace wilderness camping imposes some unusual conditions and practices on us. There are no designated toileting places or comfortable seats or anything prepared for you in advance. You basically have to find a private, out-of-the-way spot, dig a cat hole with the communal shovel (it’s exactly as it sounds), drop your pants and hope that you can take care of business without soiling yourself. (Read the book How To Shit In The Woods by Kathleen Meyer as a humorous text on this process.)

On this day, I had gotten to the point of taking care of business when I felt something biting my exposed thighs. I quickly looked to see them covered with no-see-ums! (No-see-ums have been described as teeth with wings.) What a predicament! How do you slap no-see-ums while in this position? Somehow I survived and quickly made my way back to camp.

Because of the tide delay, coffee is leisurely. Scott has time to bake. He produces a tasty coffee cake. After breakfast and clean up, we take down the tents and pack the boats. We have to drag them for some distance before they float. Picking our way slowly through the shallows, we are soon underway. It is 10:05 AM.

The wind is blowing at 10 to 12 mph, in our faces again. This is seven days of headwinds out of nine on the rip! We’re headed for an island just visible some five miles away. As we move out, the wind intensifies and the waves grow to 2.5 feet (+/-). It is pretty, despite the headwind.

The sky has mostly cleared to patches of scattered clouds surrounded by intense blue. We reach Big Pine Island in less than two hours, good time given the conditions. Stretching our legs, we take a short break before heading out for another small island, again some five miles away and just three miles short of our destination. This leg of the trip crossed a deep channel where the waves rose as high as four feet. It was work pushing into those waves, but it was exhilarating too. The wind was now a steady 20 mph from the SW, with gusts to 25 or more. Another quick stop at our destination island, then an

easy, if somewhat confusing search for the entrance to Suwannee. We had a choice of routes in; Salt Creek or the Suwannee River. Scott chose Salt Creek because it was better protected from the wind.

It was hot on the creek, out of the wind. A leisurely paddle had us back at our starting point, the rental house in Suwannee. The rest of the story is cleaning and drying gear, showers, goodbyes and travel home.

A last night of camping and a return to Suwannee, this time by water, mark the end of a wonderful adventure.

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Big Bend Saltwater Paddling Trail: Back to Suwanne