Day 1
It has been a long time since I have documented any trips but a trip to the Okefenokee Swamp was something I wanted to share. It began on Wednesday March 11th – in fact, the day before my friend of over 40 years, Joel Mulkin, called and suggested we ride together. Something told me this was a good plan. At 3:30 a.m. on the 11th I began the drive to Birmingham. We needed to be at the Stephen C. Foster State Park by five Eastern Standard Time to check in for our campsite.
My engine light lit up, a surprise, since what I had looked up earlier did not indicate that the truck shouldn’t be driven. I do not recall the exact time but sometime early Wednesday morning between Tuscaloosa and Bessemer, my truck literally hit the brakes. Only problem, I was traveling at 75 mph in the left lane and who knew how many people were on their way to work in Alabama. The horns started blowing (you know people were saying “who is this yahoo in the left lane going 25 mph.)”
I turned on my flashers and fortunately some Big Rigs let me move over to the far-right lane. I was able to get off the road past the Cahaba River exit (a few miles from Bessemer) and a few feet in the grass. If you have ever been on side of a busy interstate when the traffic is flying by you at 80 plus, it is a bit disconcerting, actually it is frightening. Fortunately, I got Triple A on the phone, and they sent Rashard from Lucky 13 Towing Service in Theodore, Ala. He got there a little after eight and was calm as he pulled my immobile vehicle onto the flat bed of his truck and took me to Hoover Toyota. I am going to keep this short, but the Hoover Toyota Dealership was excellent. My friend Joel came to pick me up and we were off on our Okefenokee Swamp Tour. Joel and I have done multiple float trips over the years, but this was different. We had always had this on our list, it just seemed a little far. But this year, we decided to do it.
We arrived at Stephen C. Foster State Park at 4:50 EST. The staff were friendly, professional, and welcoming.
As we checked in for our campsite, the temperature was 90 degrees. Joel mentioned they may have a cottage available. They did and we rented that for the night, which turned out as all aspects of this trip did, very well. The cottage was air conditioned with two bedrooms, kitchen, bath, screened in porch and no cell service (you are off the grid here). We received the senior discount, which is one advantage to getting older.
Renting the cottage turned out to be providential as storms rolled into Georgia the next morning. No scrambling in the rain to put everything up.
Day 2
We went to the administrative building to rent our canoe. I highly recommend two to a canoe. I have soloed before but having two paddling make the days fly by.
In loading the canoe, Joel always packs lighter. I packed lighter than usual, but there are certain luxuries like a rollup cot that I am loathe to part with.
We paddled down a canal connecting us to the Suwannee River. The park is a state park, but the refuge is a national wildlife refuge, and the Senior Park Pass works for parking at this location. The swamp is the headwater of the Suwannee.
There were no gators in the canal. However, the Okefenokee is an amateur naturalist dream. The swamp is truly a gator paradise.
The river was loaded with gators of all sizes, like a Union blockade, they lined up across the river only to submerge as we approached. We just hoped they did not pop back up.
We began our upriver paddle. There was no headwind, thank goodness. We reached the intersection for various canoe trails, left for Minnie’s Lake (normally a day platform only but we were allowed to camp there as the water was too low to get to Floyds Island) or continue right to check out Billy’s Island. We head to Billy’s Island. The south is an amazing place.
There was a railroad, and a movie theater less than 100 years ago, and 700 people inhabited Billy’s Island when the logging industry was at its peak. Now the area has been reclaimed by nature. A cemetery remains as a memorial of the last occupants of the island.
We did a brief hike, and you can see a few signs that humans once occupied the island but as time marches on, those clues will fade. Visiting Billy’s Island is a bit eerie and a little sad. Read about it before going.
We paddled back to the canoe trail leading to Minnie’s Lake. As we proceeded up the canoe trail, the light was less bright. This reminded me of the old log ride at the magic kingdom in Disney. The natural beauty around us was something to behold as we meandered through hairpin water trails occasionally coming to larger patches of water. We fished a little on this portion of the canoe trail. I managed to land two bowfins (a prehistoric fish that has been around millions of years and originated during the Jurassic period). They are a lot of fun to catch. Joel was not as lucky that day but that changed dramatically the next day at Big Water.
At this part of the adventure, we were alone in the wilderness as we approached Minnie’s Lake and our first camping platform. There were alligators everywhere, all minding their own business, I can certainly say we minded ours. The lilly pads, the cypress, the numerous birds, great blue herron, anhinga, and the white ibis to name a few were breathtaking.
We arrived at our platform and set up our tents. Still plenty of daylight so we went back fishing. This is the part where I was really glad Joel brough an extra rod and reel. I had borrowed a rod and reel from a friend, and it was working great. Kind of idiot proof until I made a cast and the rod flew from my hand. Bad enough on a normal fishing trip when easily recovered but not so much here. We were in around seven feet of water and rod and reels sink fast. There were gators on various points though these were not as large as some we had seen earlier. I tried to retrieve the lost rod and reel with my paddle but since my arm was under the water and moving back and forth like a wounded fish, the old gray cells kicked in and let me know this was not the best idea and I needed to buy my friend a new rod and reel. Joel and I always try to bring out more than we bring in. Simply good conservation practice. But in this case, we made an exception. Though the water was warm enough, it would have been too dangerous to dive down and retrieve the lost fishing equipment.
After some serious and much deserved ribbing from Joel, we made our way back to the platform. As mentioned earlier, the temperature was 90 degrees the day before. There are no fires allowed on the camping platform and the temperatures dropped to the low forties that night. It was chilly.
Day 3
The next morning, we were on our way to Big Water from Minnie’s Lake. I thought it was around four and a half miles, Joel thought it was four. It was more like six. Though the flow is slow, going against it is work. This is where we learned that alligators make primeval sounds. As we were passing through a narrow passage one gator about 10 feet away snorted with his nostrils almost a hissing type of sound which basically means it sees us as threat. We moved rapidly past him as we did not want any confrontation. Other gators along the way were less interested in what we were up to; kind of like Florida Fans when Billy Napier was their coach.
We continued to paddle. You know how it is when you are driving and you do not know exactly where you are going? “How it feels like it takes longer?” Think about this in a swamp of over 400,000 acres.
Finally, we arrived at Big Water platform. We unloaded our canoe, had lunch, and then heard a loud noise coming from behind the platform. As we went to investigate, we saw a smaller gator chomping down on the remains of a fish. Whether he caught it or someone threw it into the water after cleaning, we did not know but watching the gator reinforced why you never need to swim in these waters. (It is not allowed, but you will not want to.)
Ok, enough scary thoughts. This place is beautiful. Though much of the cypress was harvested in the early 20th century, it is making a huge comeback. A deciduous conifer, the cypress branches were now just beginning to show signs of life.
With the canoe unloaded, we went back into the “Big Water” area and proceeded to fish. It took a few experiments to see what would work. Joel had a lure that was just killing it. When I asked him to try it, he said he only had one. As the day progressed on my borrowed rod and reel, I continued to get multiple strikes and had several break the surface. Joel, with his special one-of-a-kind lure, was catching one after another. I should add since not everyone enjoys fishing that it is not necessary to enjoy this trip.
When Joel had one fish flopping around the bottom of the canoe, I looked over my shoulder and spotted a 10-to-12-foot alligator headed for our canoe. I immediately started paddling. He kept coming. We concluded someone must have fed him in the past. We let the park service know so hopefully they will relocate him to another area in the refuge. This guy followed us up and down “Big Water” and he finally parked right in front of where we needed to dock our canoe. Fortunately, we were able to pull in and secure the canoe. He hung out by our canoe for several hours.
Evening in the swamp is special.
The Okefenokee is one of the best places in North America to see the night sky. We sat out on the deck looking up to the heavens. It was difficult to imagine how many stars were above. Planet Jupiter stood out the most. Looking at the night sky in this way just takes your breath away.
Time to hit the rack. It had been a long paddling day.
Day 4
Next morning, off early and this paddle was a lot easier. Just enough flow to propel you along at a nice pace. And, now for the first time, we encountered other paddlers. Many were day trippers, but a couple were off to camp. As we hit the Suwannee, we both realized this swamp was an incredible place to visit. If you are up for something different and enjoy the outdoors, this is a great trip.
Brooks Mosley is a Northsider and president of Ballew Wealth Management.
