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This is my very first paddling journal that I began back in 2000. I had been paddling for several years by this time and had owned my Poke Boat for about a year when I decided to create this web site and begin this journal. You can tell that I was not real sure yet what I wanted to do with this site so the information here was pretty random. This was the first year that I started to get really serious about exploring the Timucuan Preserve. A lot of these entries are of my first trips in these places that I have since visited many times over. I was just beginning to get comfortable with taking pictures from my boat and the quality was pretty poor overall. The better ones were taken with my 35mm film camera - the Nikon AF4004 but those are few in number. I had my Kodak DC-50 digital which I mostly used to take landscapes. Pretty low rez stuff but I was mostly shooting to give an idea of where I was going. Some of the highlights for the year was my first camping trips, my first pre-dawn trips, my first Bald Eagle sightings and then a flare up of my back that had repercussions for years to come.
2/25/00 As soon as I got out there I found a flock of about a dozen White Pelicans. I later looked these up and found that they are not normally found here but do winter in this area. They are much larger than the Brown Pelicans that we see here. I snuck up on them and got a few pictures. I then paddled into the first stream that broke off to the NE and it went up and around a small densely overgrown island and within 20 yards of Pelotes. I followed this creek as far as it would take me and then proceeded to do the same to the other three streams. I think I found "Juniors Island" but it was unsuitable for camping. It did have a nice lagoon on the north side and I took a break there. I spent the rest of the afternoon paddling up each stream, trying to see if there was a way onto Pelotes from the water - no luck. Aside from the Pelicans and the usual Herons, I also saw a nesting pair of Ospreys and their nest. About 1:00 or so I paddled out to the main creek and enjoyed a Sam Adams as the current took me home. I did see the first PWC's I've ever seen in Browns Creek and although they did not stay long it really bothered me. This is an example of an area PWC's should be banned. The only negative about the four hours I was out (aside from the PWC's) was that I forgot my sunscreen and my bug spray. I've been used to paddling with my rain suit on for the last month or so and completely forgot about it and my legs are burnt to a crisp. I didn't expect it to be buggy but every time I brushed up against the grass it released a cloud of gnats. As long as I stayed in the open it was fine. All in all a beautiful day. 2/29/00 Being at the inlet this evening made me realize how much I love this spot, especially at this time of the year and time of day. The water in the inlet is as clear as it gets. The sky was clear blue and when the sun gets low in the sky it turns the sand and water a beautiful color. Sorry I didn't bring my camera. I was out about 1 1/2 hours. 3/1/00 3/6/00 4/5/00 There was no one out there with me which made it especially nice since Huegenot is PWC Central. It must have been too cold for the PWC weenies so I had the place to myself. When I turned around to come back I encountered some strong current from the incoming tide as I approached the bridge and there were some nice little eddies swirling around the pilings. Nothing I couldn't handle and it was an easy paddle home.
4/11/00 The boat was pretty well loaded down with stuff and although it was still very stable it definitely handled differently and was much more sluggish. It would be something to consider if the water were rough. I put my new large dry pack inside, under the stern and the cooler inside under the bow. My two large Seal-Lines went on top of the stern along with my chair. My camera bag was strapped on top of the bow and my small knapsack was strapped up there too. So far, I can't think of anything I've forgotten except a first aid kit (I scratched myself gathering wood). I chose the exposed area of the island because it should be clear and nice tonight and because it is cleaner. I got the jungle hammock up without much trouble and just got through trying it out. I removed the rain-fly because it was hot this afternoon. It's very comfy in there now with just the mesh - a little hot right now. I also brought along my string hammock and set it up (sitting in it now). I've gathered enough firewood to last a very short period of time 2-nite but it will be long enough to cook my dogs. So far - so good. 7:16
p.m. The sun is going down and the wind, which has been warm all day, is starting to get chilly. I think that if the weather were warmer I would probably spend more time swimming. Also, if Hope were here I would have someone to talk to. I'm enjoying this still but I can also see how this could get old. Things to Bring :
4/12/00 It was a pretty uneventful night. When I went to bed it was getting cool and fairly breezy. I crawled into the hammock with shorts, tee-shirt and fleece pullover on and I staged another shirt , sweat pants and thermal socks in the hammock pockets. I read for a while and then fell asleep around 10:30 or so. Mayport Navy base was still pretty noisy (helicopters) 'til around midnight but after that the only noise was the sound of the surf at Talbot. Even the river was quiet - no boat traffic and at 3:00 a.m. when the tide came in the breeze had calmed and the water was glassy. Finally, about 5:00 a.m. I got up to use the bathroom and since it was starting to get chilly, I put my sweats on. I dozed off until 6:30 and then got up. I tried, unsuccessfully to start a fire and made coffee. The gnats were horrible and I almost decided to pack it in. I went ahead and made breakfast -bacon, eggs, and coffee - yum! I scoured my pans with sand and river water and then got a small fire going. The breeze started to pick up slightly and that alleviated the bug problem but I decided to go ahead and take refuge in the hammock - I love this thing! Wildlife report : Last night at dusk I took another walk to the point and as I was coming back I saw a large owl sitting on a dead palm tree at the easternmost edge of the island. Wish I had brought my Nikon. This morning I scared a raccoon back in the woods. That was the only raccoon I saw the entire time. 4/30/00
I've been meaning to do a night-time or early morning paddle for some time. I got up at 5:30 and was in the water at 6:00. It was beautiful out there - very peaceful. By the time I got in it was already getting light although sunrise was still 45 mins away. I paddled around the two main bends of Cedar Point and was headed east when the sun came up so I stopped to take some pictures and drink some coffee. I continued on around the next bend where it heads back towards Clapboard Creek bridge. While I was getting ready to take some pictures of the bridge I saw a Wren-like bird in the rushes along the banks of a small stream so I decided to see if I could get some close-ups of him. I wound up taking about 12 pictures of him and spent about 20 minutes watching him from as close as 3 feet away. By then the sun was well up so I paddled back Check out the pictures from the above trip. 5/7/00
Hope, Andrew and I decided to go camping this weekend at our favorite spot just 10 minutes from our house - Little Talbot Island State Park. On Saturday, we put-in at the campground boat ramp and headed downstream toward Nassau Sound. I noticed some odd things about Myrtle that I had not seen before although I have paddled it on numerous occasions. The water at the boat ramp flows in the opposite way than what you might expect. Because Simpsons Creek is only a couple of hundred yards away, and Ft. George River less than half a mile further, they have a greater influence on which way the tide runs in Myrtle than Nassau Sound and the Ocean and therefore for the first mile or so the water runs west when outgoing and east when coming in. About a mile east toward the Sound, the water actually backs up and is very stagnant before the current begins flowing toward the ocean. I knew from past experience that we would have to time this trip pretty closely if were going to have enough water to get back so we hit the water at 9:45 a.m. with high tide at 11:15. We had an uneventful trip down and stopped at a couple of locations to check put potential campsites. At the sound we got out at the end of Long Island where we checked out the campsite under a hammock of trees. We then proceeded out into the sound where we crossed over to the sandbar at the end of Little Talbot and ate and swam. We saw some skimmers, oyster catchers and a couple of large horseshoe crabs. We headed back at 1:00 p.m. and we were lucky we didn't wait much longer. We had plenty of water until we approached the point of the creek mentioned above where the current splits and heads either to Simpsons or the sound. Here we were scraping bottom and it got a little bit touchy but we made it and the water got deeper and the rest of the trip was easy. Of course, a trip on Myrtle would not be worth mentioning without the A.H.O.J.S's (Ass Holes On Jet Skis) and they did not disappoint. We heard them in plenty of time and pulled over, put our paddles up so they could see us and fortunately they idled down as they passed us. The next day, we observed as many as 30 PWC's passing our campsite in less than 30 minutes, all at a high rate of speed. Two fellow campers had rented canoes and were attempting to paddle as a group of a dozen idiots buzzed them continually, nearly swamping them. The canoeists finally gave up in fear for their lives and returned to camp leaving the pristine beauty of Myrtle Creek to the jerks and idiots. We packed up and did the same shortly thereafter. Check out the pictures from the above trip. 5/10/00 5/19/00
I enjoyed my paddle on the north side of Pelotes Island last week so much I decided to go back and explore the area more thoroughly. The tide was perfect in the morning and I was able to hit the water at 8:30 a.m. and head towards Shrimpers Creek. I had a nice easy paddle through to Clapboard and as soon as I got to the main channel I encountered a pair of Dolphins in almost the same spot as last week. I was able to get within 15 yards of them and I floated with the current as I followed them snapping pictures with my Nikon. They were obviously toying with me as I could glide up close enough to them to hear their exhales but then suddenly they would be 30-40 yards downstream from me. I followed them for about 10 minutes like this until they finally got tired of my company and the next thing I knew they were on the opposite bank of the creek about 100 yards away. I was ready, at that point to turn into the large cove on the north bank of Pelotes, just west of Magnolia Island. I explored this whole area quite extensively, following each stream until it ended. Finally, I got to the area where Pinder's Island and Pelotes are joined by a causeway and so I turned north to head out of the cove to get back to Clapboard. At this point I saw the large bald eagle's nest that I had heard was located on Pelotes but had never found. It is located on the west side of Pinder's and you cannot see it unless you actually get into the cover and turn back to the north. Reportedly, there was a nesting pair there this past year but they do not appear to be there presently. I continued on around Pinders Island and got out at a landing where the old house used to be. There is a good place to get out and walk around and there is a house and several buildings that the forest is slowly reclaiming. It was far too buggy to stay off the water for long so I hit the water and continued around the N.E. corner of Pelotes, finding a nice shortcut through the marsh. I explored the east side of Pinders and then headed south along the main part of Pelotes Preserve and stopped at Lybeck's Landing where I just completed SJRPP's Situational Leadership Ropes Course a couple of weeks ago. I continued on south and tried to get into another cove in an area called "Coffee Mound". This proved futile as even at high tide there is not enough water to very far in. I spent the rest of trip coming home using some small streams located between Little Clapboard Creek and Pelotes. I stopped at the Sands lagoon and rested and ate before headed back into Browns Creek and on to my truck. I was gone about 4 hours in all and it was one of my most rewarding paddles in several weeks. I love finding new places, even if they are in areas where I have been several times. 5/22/00 As I entered Fitzpatrick I noticed an Osprey nest that was very prominent on an Island to the west of the main channel. I followed the creek until I got to the north side of the island and waited around until to see if the Ospreys I spooked would return to the nest so that I could take some pictures. It never returned but I checked out the island pretty thoroughly and it looked promising as a camp site. I got back in the main channel heading north toward Cedar Point Road and came to a point of land that extends from the mainland south into the marsh. I paddled around this area for quite a while taking pictures and finally got out and explored it on foot. It looks like a great place to camp although I suspect it is private property. The closest dwellings were about a half mile away and it doesn't look like it has been used much. The weather cleared up for about an hour and after eating lunch I headed back. The wind was against me making it a little tough but not too bad. 5/28/00 5/31/00 6/12/00
I haven't gone out much except to the sandbar in Ft. George and those were mostly just swim and relax paddles - not worth mentioning. Today, I got up early and even though the tides were all wrong, I put in at Brown's Creek and paddled out to the island that I have been thinking about camping on. The tide was peak high and there was no breeze whatsoever so the water was like glass. I was the only thing out there and therefore that only ripples on the water were the ones I was leaving. I made to the island and strung up my beach hammock and drank some coffee. I tried my hand at fishing for the first time without much success. There is something very relaxing about casting a line in the water even if there is no hope of anything biting it. After about 3 hours I headed back, stopping at my manatee hole to cast a line again before heading on. When I was just on the other side of the Brown's Creek bridge I noticed some large splashes and when I looked closer I saw that it was a lot of dolphins. I decided to paddle out to them and I realized that it wasn't just a lot of dolphins, it was a ton of them - at least 25-30 of them and they were going nuts chasing fish. Instead of toying with me as they had in the past, they allowed me to paddle right in the middle of them and at times they were so close that I started to get a bit nervous. They were coming all of the way out of the water and spinning on their tails and then slapping their tails on the water to scare the fish. At times I had a dozen of them surfacing on all four sides, so close that I could have touched them with a paddle. I stayed out there with them for about 45 minutes as we drifted down the river towards the Blount Island bridge. The only problem is that the water was incredibly rough with swells of 2-3 feet that kept broad siding my boat and threatening to steal my paddle as I was trying to get a shot. Wonderful serendipitous opportunity! 6/13/00 6/16/00 I eventually got up around 5:30 and got in my boat and headed out to the sound. The gnats almost drove me back into the hammock but I stuck it out and stayed out to watch the moonset and sunrise and swam a bit. I paddled around quite a bit and the swells coming off the ocean were giving me a pretty good ride. I returned about 8:00, made breakfast, took some pictures of some herons and then packed up and headed back around 10:00. It was incredibly quiet out there. Only the sound of the surf on Little Talbot Island Beach. I'm still getting the hang of the camping thing but this one went pretty well. 7/3/00
Weather etc. has kept me on dry ground for far too long. I decided that the tide was right to put in at Hannah Mills just past my normal Cedar Point put-in. You have to be very aware of the tide when you put-in at Hannah Mills or else you can be left high and dry a ways away from solid ground. With high tide at 10:45 I figured I had at least three good hours to paddle and I wanted to explore some of the smaller streams just off the road that according to the maps went no where. The first one is cuts immediately to the left from the put-in and meanders a ways before it dead-ends. Sure enough, it didn't cut through to Cedar Point but I could almost see the culvert where Cedar Point goes out to the river and I couldn't have been more than 20 yards away. There was quite a bit of activity back there from some large red fish that came jumping out from the grass. After exploring that stream to it's extent, I came back out and hit the next stream that broke to the left. According to the maps and terraserver, this one goes on for an unusually long distance without going anywhere. I followed it for about and hour and a half until it petered out. While I was exploring the final fingers of the creek I started thinking how I was probably one of the few humans who have ever gone down some of these streams. Apparently the herons and egrets agreed as I was continually surprising groups of a dozen or more that had taken refuge along the banks thinking they had finally found a place where humans would leave them alone. I also discovered the nests of the small wren-like birds I have been seeing out there. They take the grass and weave it onto a small nest along the edge of the water. I took a few pictures and then headed back. 7/13/00
7/23/00 We put in at Alimacani following some instruction and getting the group (around 20 paddlers) fitted in the proper boat with the proper equipment. Once we put in we floated with the current to the cove located near the Ribault boat ramp where Jody gave the group a brief history lesson. After exiting the cove we encountered some of the indigenous species - the Oceanway Redneck - a couple of enormous half-naked furry fishermen who taunted the group as we paddled by. We stopped at a sandbar at the entrance to Simpsons Creek and took a break and swam. Ray and I chatted and we found out that, in spite of the fact that we are on opposite ends of the political spectrum, we are kindred spirits about a lot of things, especially yard work, jet skis and a desire to preserve this area. We continued on to the take out at the A1A boat ramp and I enjoyed chatting with one of the paddlers who is involved in the Nassua County Audubon Society. We finished the trip easily - the last 1/8 mile was against the current and was the only part of the trip that required much of an effort paddling. I helped the Hetchkas load up the boats on their trailer and it gave me an appreciation for the amount of work that it takes to run a business like theirs. All in all, it was a great trip and very nice to make contact with the Hetchkas whom I hope to develop a relationship with over the years.
What a week! I went and purchased an Ocean Kayak Malibu Two last weekend so that I could start taking more family members with me paddling. This week I went paddling for six consecutive days - by far and away a new record for me. Add to that the fact that this was week one of Jaguar's training camp and that I was working nightshift - it was a very tiring but satisfying week. Every day I put in at the Ribault Club on Ft. George River and paddled out to our sandbar and beyond. The first two days I went solo and had a blast. The last three I took my two daughters and then my wife Hope and we had a good time each day. This weekend we are heading to Ginnie Springs and planning on taking the boat with us to go snorkeling. Next week I'm on nights again and if the tide is right I will be getting back in the poke boat and doing some exploring back in the Timucuan. The Ocean Kayak is a lot of fun but it's not the proper boat for long trips in the interior.
7/30/00 Ok, I know this is no where near the Timucuan Preserve but I thought I would throw it in just for fun. We have been swimming, snorkeling and floating the Santa Fe River at Ginnie Springs for years and after buying the Malibu we decided to make the trip with the Ocean Kayak strapped to the top of our van. We had a fantastic time! The current on the Santa Fe is so gentle that we were able to easily paddle upstream for a mile or so and then float back to the main stream and below. We did it several times during the day and saw a ton of wildlife including Bitterns, Egrets, Herons and Ibis'. We talked to a kayaker who had put in at 441 and had camped overnight on his way to 27 which is just a few miles downstream of Ginnie. He said he was having a great time and it really got us thinking about doing the same thing. Next time we come here we will bring the poke boats too. 10/16/00 I hadn't been able to get out for a couple of weeks and I was determined to do so one day and even though I woke up with a sore back I went anyway. To make matters worse, I chose to take my Ocean Kayak out and it's back support is somewhat lacking. On top of that I put in at a new place - the boat ramp at the old Nassau Sound bridge. Big mistake. It's a terrible place to put-in in my opinion and I did not judge the tide right and once I got out in the sound I had a really hard time getting back to the ramp. By the time the day was over I was hurting. I've had flare-ups in the past and they usually go away after a few days rest but this time was obviously different as my sciatica was terrible. I went to my chiro and took some time off work and finally went to my GP who prescribed me some anti-inflamatories. The medication helped my sciatica but the pain in back was still bad so I asked him to refer me on to a specialist which is still in the works. About a week ago, I had the bright idea (duh) of wearing my back brace in situations where I suffered the most pain. I had thought about wearing it paddling in the past but didn't because it's so restrictive. After wearing it for a few days I suddenly (duh again) thought that maybe I could wear it in my boat. Well, yesterday was my first day out with it and it seems to be doing the trick. I went for a very short easy paddle in Ft. George River to our "hammock island" and planned it so I came and went with the tide. I was uncomfortable but relatively pain free and when I was done I felt better than when I started and now a day later I feel less pain than I have in weeks. Hallelujah! I'm still going to follow through with going to a specialist and find out if anything can be done differently than what I'm doing now. If he feels surgery can help, it's an option I will consider if I feel that I will be able to recover to a normal lifestyle - something that I never did following my last one in 1989 which I feel was botched. At the moment though, I feel good and am going to try to be very smart and conservative about returning to the water. The back brace will be a permanent attachment for a while. I can't tell you how great it felt to get out on the open water once again. I have been incredibly depressed the last six weeks, not just about my prospects with my back but because my mood altering drug - paddling - was taken away from me. It killed me to cross the many bridges on my way home from work and see the great weather, the high tides etc. and not be able to stop, pop my boat in the water and forget about the awful place I have to spend my day. 11/13/00
Well, things continue to improve with my back situation and I have managed to get out a few times with some very light paddles. I finally got some test results on my back and they proved to be inconclusive and therefore, coupled with my continued improvement I decided to go on about my life as though I was on the mend. I purchased a new "breathable" back brace that I can wear next to the skin and it's a lot more comfortable. Anyway, I decided to get a little more adventurous today so I put in at Browns Creek and intended to paddle out to the northernmost Browns Island where I plan on camping someday. As I made the first bend after the bridge a couple of large birds caught my eye. As I approached, I noticed their very distinctive white heads and chocolate brown bodies. Now, I have been fooled many times by Ospreys at a distance, thinking they were bald eagles but these guys were very different. As I approached it became unmistakable as to their identity and if I needed any further proof, there was an osprey on the tree just to their left. I was seeing my first pair of bald eagles in the wild and they were beautiful. As I approached, I got my Nikon out (thank God I remembered to bring it!) and although one of the pair flew off, the second one stayed until I was right under the tree it was perched on. Eventually, he flew off as well and hopefully, I got some great pics. (Note: Wal-Mart ruined my roll so the photos really suck!) I continued on to the island and sat out and read in my hammock for a while and then, since I was feeling well and the tide was perfect I headed west to explore around that part of Browns Creek. I found a stream that headed well up into the woods along SJRPP property and then parked my boat in some grass and had some lunch. I managed to finish out my roll of film by getting some good pics of a wood stork and an Osprey. I couldn't have asked for better weather and tides. I was really disappointed that I missed paddling in September and October because the tides at this time of year are 1-2 feet higher than normal and that makes for some really fun trips. There are lot of places you can go that are normally unreachable and you can cut through a lot of places. If my back continues to feel better, I will be attempting another camping trip very soon. |
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