Sporting Life By Tom Br yant

Lure of the Wildnerness

Retur n t o th e Ok efenok ee

By tom Brya n t I’ve been fortunate in my

canoeing life on the water to travel to some fascinating places. At the top of the list is the Okefenokee Swamp, which borders the state lines of Georgia and Florida.

For the last severa l years, since retir ing f rom my day job, Linda, my br ide, and I have camped in F lor ida dur ing the worst of the w inter months. We like the wester n par t of the state, mainly because it’s not quite as busy w ith tour ists. But nothing stays the same. It seems the snowbirds f rom up nor th, escaping f rost y w inter weather, have found our last fishing location; and on this tr ip we decided to tr y another spot, Cedar Key, just a lit tle nor th of Tampa. Folk s I have ta lked w ith, and fellow campers, told me that that area has remained mostly unchanged in the past severa l years.

A lso on this tr ip I deter mined to reacquaint myself w ith the w ilder ness stretch a long the border of Georg ia k now n as the Okefenokee. In the early ’80s, I made severa l excursions to the swamp, the longest being a seven- day circuitous paddle f rom the nor th landing dow n to the south and back again to where we star ted.

T here are t hre e put-in lo c at ions in t he Okefenoke e w it h t he e a ster n ent r a nc e at Fol k ston b eing t he most p opu lar. I’ve put in at a l l t hre e a nd l i ke t he sout her n ent r a nc e b est , a lt houg h it ma kes l it t le d if ferenc e. O nc e you’re in t he swa mp, ever y t h ing b eg ins to lo ok t he sa me.

Linda and I don’t plan to paddle the swamp on this tr ip. I just want to get the lay of the land for a w inter advent ure next year. Okefenokee, named by the Seminoles, means in their native lang uage, “L and of Trembling E ar th.” T he swamp covers approximately 70 0 square miles. So, if you should decide to explore the area in a canoe or k ayak, be prepared to live in the boat. T here are 120 miles of canoe trails and ver y lit tle dr y land, so you’re confined to the canoe a ll day.

O ver night stops are placed at inter va ls to accommodate an easy day’s paddle — that is, if you don’t get lost. A nd that’s one thing you don’t want to do. T he trails are marked and easy to follow as long as you stay on them. Vent ure of f the trails and there could be trouble. T he swamp look s mostly the same in ever y direction.

Of ficia ls at the put-ins require a par t y to sig n in at ever y over night stop; and w ith a controlled number of over night w ilder ness per mits issued, they can keep up w ith paddlers as they travel the trails.

T he are a ha s b e en prote c te d sinc e 1937 by t he Okefenoke e Nat iona l Wi ld l ife R ef uge, a nd in 1974, a p or t ion wa s desig nate d a Nat iona l Wi lder ness A re a.

T he headwaters of t wo rivers, the Suwannee and the St. Mar y’s, flow out of the swamp. T he Suwannee slowly drif ts south through Florida, and the St. Mar y’s flows east, delineating the border of Georgia and Florida. I’ve always wanted to paddle the cr ystal clear waters of the Suwannee, as it is supposedly the natural habitat of manatees. I’ll put it on the list, and maybe next year we can give it a go.

Fall and early spring are the busiest times to visit the swamp, with winter and summer being the slowest. To me, winter is the best time to take the trip. Migrator y birds have arrived, and all species of water-

fowl can be obser ved.

R emember, even though Okefenokee is considered semi-tropica l, it does get cold in w inter. On one tr ip I made in Febr uar y, the low temperat ure set records, get ting dow n to 18 deg rees one night.

A ny advent ure to the swamp might put you in har m’s way as far as bugs, fly ing and biting, are concer ned, so be prepared. Deer flies dow n there have been k now n to bite through clothing. A lso, it helps to be in shape to live in the boat.

Water depth in the swamp is usua lly sha llow, r unning f rom 2 feet to perhaps 9 feet in the cana ls. Once you’re deep into the water y prair ies and away f rom the put-in areas, you seem to be transpor ted to the days when the Seminoles were the only v isitors.

T he camping sites are raised plat for ms built about 2 feet of f the water. T hey’re a welcome sight af ter a day’s paddle. T he platfor ms have a roof over about three-four ths of the area that helps dur ing the occasiona l rain shower but doesn’t a llev iate the prob lem of fly ing, biting insects. I a lways car r y a self-suppor ting tent w ith mosquito net ting. T his not only deters the bugs but keeps the ever present, night prowling raccoons at bay. A nother point: Store a ll food in a cache; hung r y anima ls are about. Oh, and most impor tant, a por ta-john is located on a cor ner of the plat for m. A ll the conveniences of home, just about.

Stay on the plat for ms af ter dark. Night time is not the time to be on the water. T hat’s when a lligators look for food. A nd there are some big a lligators in the swamp. Ten to 12 feet. You can understand the request f rom the rangers: W hen the sun goes dow n, stay in tow n.

I haven’t been back to the swamp in years, but on this tr ip south, Linda and I are gonna check out the happenings in that area and put it high on our agenda for next year; that is, if it’s still as I remember it.

If you’re gonna go, I would adv ise making reser vations early. Ca ll the Okefenokee Wildlife R ef uge at Folk ston, Ga. Good luck, and I hope to see you in the swamp. PS

Tom Br y ant , a South er n P in e s re si d ent , is a lifel ong out d o orsm an an d PineSt r aw’s Sp or t ing Life columnist.

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