Okefenokee Swamp

***** TRIP COMPLETED *****


***** TRIP REPORT *****

With the threat of high winds and some rain from a passing frontal system, we all arrived to the launch site not quite sure what kind of day laid ahead. But to our delight, the front passed as predicted and we had a BEAUTIFUL day.

There were 2 Club Members and four guests, including the Grinch. We paddled the swamp for 5 hours exploring the orange trail and Chesser Prarie. There were a few aligator sightings and plenty of birds to see. The group stopped in the prarie for a coffee break and the guys took a walk on some floating peat moss.

After the paddle, most of the group met at the Ragtime resturant, in Jacksonville Beach, for some dinner.

It was a lovely day.

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Date: Sunday, December 16, 2007

Time: 9 am

Length: 6 hours

Difficulty: Easy to Moderate (if there is wind)

Location: Okefenokee Adventures at the East Entrance to the Swamp

Leader: Lisa Beardsley

Cost: Free at this time. (there was a $5 entrance fee)

Gear: Be sure to bring plenty of fluids, sun screen, rain gear, bug spray (may not be needed this time of the year) and don't forget a hat and lunch. Also have your Coast Guard regulated PFD and whistle!

Due to the major fires we had this year, I have no idea what awaits us. This section of the swamp was in the center of the fires, although I am told that the swamp has grown back rapidly.

TRIP INFORMATION:

We will meet at the far end of the paking lot of Okefenokee Adventures, located at the east entrance to the swamp at 9:00 am and be ready to launch by 10 am. We will paddle along the orange trail and venture out into the praire if the winds allow. We will follow the orange trail and return to Okefenokee Adventures around 3 pm. There is a toilet along the way around mile 2 from the launch site. Other than this, there will be no where to get out of your kayak for the duration of the trip.

Kayak Rentals: Rental kayaks are available on site from Okefenokee Adventures. They rent single kayaks with paddle and PFD for $25.00/day and tandem kayaks with paddle and PFDs for $30.00/day.

SITE FACTS/INFORMATION: (info taken from Wikipedia and Shepra Guides.)

Location and history:

The Okefenokee Swamp is the largest peat-based "blackwater" swamp in North America. The name comes from the Hitchici okifanô:ki, meaning "bubbling water", a reference to its spongy bogs. Other people feel the swamp is named from the cherokee/swanee/creek word that means "land of the trembling earth". The swamp was formed over the past 6,500 years by the accumulation of peat in a shallow basin on the edge of an ancient Atlantic coastal terrace, the geological relic of a Pleistocene estuary. The swamp is bordered by Trail Ridge, a strip of elevated land believed to have formed as coastal dunes or an offshore barrier island. The St. Marys River and the Suwannee River both originate in the swamp. The Suwannee River originates as stream channels in the heart of Okefenokee Swamp and drains at least 90% of the swamp's watershed southwest towards the Gulf of Mexico. The St. Marys River, which drains only 5 - 10% of the swamp's southeastern corner, flows south along the western side of Trail Ridge, through the ridge at St. Marys River Shoals, and north again along the eastern side of Trail Ridge before turning east to the Atlantic. The Suwanee Canal was dug across the swamp in the late nineteenth century in a failed attempt to drain the Okefenokee. Local ledgend has proclaimed that a Georgia Man was working as a digger for the company and noticed that the water "wuz flowin' the wrong way". After the company's bankruptcy, most of the swamp was purchased by the Hebard family of Philadelphia, who conducted extensive cypress logging operations from 1909 to 1927. Several other logging companies also ran train tracks into the swamp until 1942, remnants of which can still be seen crossing swamp waterways. On the west side of the swamp on Billy's Island, logging equipment and other artifacts remain of a 1920's logging town of 600 residents. Most of the Okefenokee Swamp is included in the 403,000 acre Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge.

Interesting fact some of you may remember:
Dupont titanium mining operation:A 50-year titanium mining operation by DuPont was set to begin in 1997, but protests and public/government opposition over the possibly disastrous environmental effects throughout 1996-2000 caused the company to abandon the project in 2000 and retire their mineral rights forever. In 2003, DuPont donated the 16,000 acres it had purchased for mining to The Conservation Fund, and in 2005, nearly 7,000 acres of the donated land was transferred to Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge.

WILDLIFE:

The Okefenokee Swamp is home to many wading birds, such as herons, egrets, ibises, cranes, and bitterns, though populations fluctuate with water levels. Other birds making the swamp their home are various owls, anhingas, and vulchers. Okefenokee is famous for its abundant American alligators and is home to the bobcat, racoon, river otter, white tailed deer and is a critical habitat for Florida black bear, panthers and the red wolf. Many types of frogs, turtles, snakes, fish and insects also call Okefenokee home.
The swamp is relatively low in diversity of plants because of the acid water, low nutrient levels, and sandy soil. There are no known endemics (species found only in the Okefenokee Swamp), perhaps due to the young age of the swamp estimated at less than a million years. Because of the acid water, the swamp is dependent on physical processes to convert and release nutrients. Water depth and cycles of flood and drought, known as hydroperiod, are very important, as are UV light mediated decomposition, and fire. Some scientists are concerned about the upsetting of these physical processes due to man's control of the swamp's water level by the construction of a dam, and fire prevention. Approximately 600 species of plants are found in the Okefenokee swamp. The most interesting are the Carnivorous Plants - the pitcher plants, sundews, butterworts and golden clubs.

DIRECTIONS:

There are a few different ways to get to the East Entrance - I find the easiet is:

* I-95 N to Georgia Exit 3 - Kingsland and Highway 40
* Drive 40 west to Folkston
* In Folkston, GA – .
* Take I 40 through Folkston until it ends at a T intersection. Make a Right at the T, then make an immediate Left onto Main Street.
* At the third light on Main Street, turn Left onto Okefenokee Parkway, also called 121 South.
* Follow this road about 7 miles to the big wooden Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge sign on the right. Turn right here and follow this road about 4 miles to the end. You will see Okefenokee Adventures on the left in the last parking lot at the boat basin we will meet there.

Another Route - more stops/starts - From Hwy 1 heading North:
* On Hwy 1 North, drive through Callahan, Hilliard and Boulogne, FL and across the St Marys River into Georgia. Folkston is the first town you come to once you cross the river.
* In Folkston, GA – Left at the 2nd light onto Main Street.
* Left at 2nd light onto Okefenokee Parkway, also called 121 South.
* Follow this road about 7 miles to the big wooden Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge sign on the right. Turn right here and follow this road about 4 miles to the end. You will see Okefenokee Adventures on the left in the last parking lot at the boat basin.