Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 20 of 23

Thread: 3 Days, 3 Chicks, 37 Miles on the Suwannee River.

  1. #1

    3 Days, 3 Chicks, 37 Miles on the Suwannee River.

    Name:  DSC03184..JPG
Views: 5273
Size:  131.6 KB

    On Earth Day last weekend, two friends and I took a couple hour drive from our homes in Northeast Florida out West to White Springs and the legendary Suwannee River. We were fired up to kayak a manageable 37 mile chunk of this nearly 250 mile river that springs from Georgia's Okefenokee Swamp and meanders it's way to the Gulf of Mexico.

    Name:  Suwanneerivermap&#4.png
Views: 7868
Size:  162.0 KB

    Even after consulting various websites, park rangers and a thick Southern-drawled canoe outfitter we still didn't have a clear idea what to expect. And though none of us had attempted a kayak trip that long before, our main concern seemed to be how we'd keep the beer and vodka cold for three days. With some reassurance that this paddle would be "cake" from a friend who'd spent a month on this same river, we said screw it; let's do this.

    Name:  DSC03069..JPG
Views: 6650
Size:  164.8 KB
    Michelle, myself and Jenny. You can almost make out the homemade scrap wood kayak roof rack on my suv - totally red-neck!

    I still giggle when I remember Michelle's kayak rental guy letting her know the kayaks were located "right-cheer." So we loaded up in the outfitters jeep and bounced down a back country road to the launch. A hot, sandy beach awaited us - no seriously, my feet were burning - and we set to doing some reverse Jenga to get all our gear stowed. As you can see in the photo below, Jenny and Michelle's yaks are loaded with fancy dry bags while I rock the Hefty tall kitchen trash bags.

    Before I could claim myself biggest red-neck, a family of barefooted Southern boys appeared, Deliverance style, with a litter of pitbull puppies needing a river bath. When daddy red-neck shot-putted daddy pitbull into the water (his tow-headed young boys starring at us uncomfortably) we took that as our cue to take off.

    Name:  putin..jpg
Views: 4908
Size:  104.2 KB
    Our sandy beach canoe launch site. The water here is about 40' deep. (photo by Jenny)

    We had a short 5 mile paddle to Wood's Ferry, our campsite (mile 159.3 on map). Along the way, springs supplied great photo ops with babbling brooks pouring into the river like this one below. Note the yellow rope hanging from the trees in the upper right corner. We saw lots of these along the river and I was so tempted to swing off theem and splash into the river!

    Name:  spring1..jpg
Views: 4807
Size:  152.1 KB
    (photo by Jenny)

    All along the river there are plenty of sandy beaches, like this one below, where you can pitch a tent and camp overnight for free. Simply gather some fallen tree branches and wood and build your fire in the soft sand. Jenny spotted some gator tracks in the sand during one of our potty breaks. My neck isn't red enough to camp out with the gators.

    Name:  beachcamping..jpg
Views: 4692
Size:  120.0 KB
    (photo by Jenny)

    Our first campsite, Woods Ferry, is only accessible by water, but had an elaborate wooden ramp and steps leading from the shore to the campgrounds high above. These campsites are completely free and are available first come first serve, though you can reserve them in advance. It was nice to get a hot shower and to pee in a toilette, as well as make some lame attempts to attract the attention of all the boy campers.

    Name:  woodsferry..jpg
Views: 4599
Size:  87.1 KB
    This is Southern living. Paddlers leave their kayaks on the shore overnight without threat of theft. (photo by Jenny)

    Name:  DSC03072..JPG
Views: 4391
Size:  32.3 KB
    "I has a bucket!"

    Name:  DSC03073..JPG
Views: 4455
Size:  31.0 KB
    "Noooo! They be stealin' muh bucket!"
    Yes, my sophisticated food storage is an old ice cream bucket. (photos by Jenny)

    After a restless night filled with our hippie neighbors singing in Hebrew and slamming cabin doors during a hissy fit, we set off for an 18.5 mile paddle to our next campsite. The river flows around 2 miles an hour, so we'd heard. We were all pretty strong type women so we knew we could move at a much faster clip, and with all our potty breaks and lookie-lu moments, we were paddling at a pace of around 2 miles an hour. Fantastic.

    But we were still fired up! Not long into our day I was paddling close to the shoreline, very near a tree that'd fallen into the river. It's many branches motionless in the water. Suddenly one of those branches blinked. OH CRAP! I was about five feet from a huge gator. Of course I remained calm and composed as I screamed like a little sissy. The other girls, who I think secretly had mounted trolling motors to their yaks, were hopelessly far ahead of me. I had no idea what to do. Do I put paddle to water and risk the gator chomping on it, taking me down with it to a horrific, bloody, watery death? Or do I continue to scream and freeze, paddle raised defensively overhead? Of course I froze. So did my blood when the gator slipped it's giant head under water leaving a trail of bubbles directly towards and under my kayak. From eyeball to nostril the head of this bugger was the size of my paddle head. About 12 or 14 inches. That would make him 7 or 8 feet long. I'm just under six foot. Wonder which end of me would stick out his mouth and which would be jammed down by his tail? Well, nothing happened, he stayed below water and left me be. A short time later I came across this juvenile gator (below) who seemed nonplussed by our presence. I decided to stay a safe distance and take this photo.

    Name:  gator..JPG
Views: 4541
Size:  127.9 KB

    Name:  DSC03132..JPG
Views: 4606
Size:  113.2 KB
    It seems gators might have been less of a threat.

    We made our 18.5 miles to Holten Creek and since we didn't get eaten by gators or b*tch-slapped by sturgeon, we set up camp for another night. In the photo below you'll notice the rusty red tint in the water, best seen close to shore in the shallows. This tinge is caused by the leaching of tannins from cyprus trees that emerge from the river. Though it's unnerving not to see the river bottom, it does add great aesthetic value.

    Name:  DSC03154..JPG
Views: 4538
Size:  145.0 KB
    Our gorgeous landing at Holten Creek campsite.


    Name:  platforms..JPG
Views: 7634
Size:  178.9 KB
    Our screened porch camp platform. Jenny called them death cages.


    We were entertained this second night by our campground neighbors, including this good ole boy from Alabama, who seemed to have some trouble chopping wood. Maybe you should put on some shoes, Opie. Or at least try doing this before getting drunk.



    Camping tip. If you don't have room in your kayak for a sleeping pad, whether it's because you have too much booze or not, sleep on your life vest and the life vest of your friend who thought to bring a sleeping pad. Those platform cabin floors are NOT comfy.

    Day three came and we grappled with the option of paddling 5 miles or over 13 miles, our only two options for the kayak guy to pick us up. Or, as he stabbed a finger on the map two days earlier, "right-cheer or right-cheer". Screw it. Let's do this. We set out for 13.4 miles of paddling to Suwannee River State Park. This day we saw more wildlife out of the water. Deer. Birds. Toothless locals. Hairy hippies. But the scenery was stunning.

    Name:  DSC03189..JPG
Views: 4457
Size:  190.5 KB
    Deer along the shorline.

    Name:  DSC03174..JPG
Views: 4559
Size:  107.0 KB

    Ahead of schedule, we arrived at Suwannee River state park. It was a little over-developed and crowded compared to the rest of our trip and we were glad to get on the road after an amazing and hilarious adventure way down upon the Suwannee River.

    Name:  DSC03197..JPG
Views: 17101
Size:  187.7 KB
    Me at the end of our journey. Awesome trip! (photo by Jenny)

    Name:  Picture 2..jpg
Views: 16572
Size:  75.2 KB
    Map indicating the various campsites and canoe launches along our 37 mile stretch.

    All photos by Ann Marie (aka Penelope) unless otherwise noted.
    Attached Images Attached Images   
    Last edited by Penelope; 05-01-2011 at 10:33 AM. Reason: fixing video

  2. Likes oldno7 liked this post
  3. # ADS
    Circuit advertisement
    Join Date
    Always
    Location
    Advertising world
    Posts
    Many
     

  4. #2
    I can't remove those last to photos. Not sure why. User error I'm sure

  5. #3
    ephemeral excursionist blueeyes's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Location
    busting my ass
    Posts
    4,265
    Awesome trip report!!! So nice to see something other than southern Utah for a change. You gals rock!
    Chere'




  6. #4
    Carbon Footprint Donor JP's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    In Nothing But Sunshine
    Posts
    8,849
    Quote Originally Posted by Penelope View Post
    we didn't get eaten by gators or b*tch-slapped by sturgeon
    That's great

    Great pics It's unbelievable how the scenery changes from the south of Florida, to the north and into Georgia


  7. #5
    Quote Originally Posted by blueeyes View Post
    Awesome trip report!!! So nice to see something other than southern Utah for a change. You gals rock!
    Thanks! It's my dream to be a poorly paid travel photo journalist when I'm too old to work a real job.

  8. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by JP View Post
    That's great

    Great pics It's unbelievable how the scenery changes from the south of Florida, to the north and into Georgia
    Thanks for the feedback! This was my first TR.
    BTW, I think the bigger variance is the characters. Florida has a wide variety of weirdos, North to South! hehe

  9. #7
    Carbon Footprint Donor JP's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    In Nothing But Sunshine
    Posts
    8,849
    Spoken by a non-Floridian


  10. #8
    Very cool report!

    I'd say your about 25% redneck after this trip.


  11. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by accadacca View Post

    I'd say your about 25% redneck after this trip.
    Thanks! Let's call it 40%. I did practically guzzle two bottles of Boone's Farm on my own.

    For those not familiar, Boone's Farm wine is about $3 a bottle at my local Dollar General. Here's some actual testimonials. Hilarious. http://www.boonesfarm.net/testimonials.html

    Say, can I do a trip report next month on my daily one block trip to the ocean? Does that count?

  12. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by Penelope View Post
    Say, can I do a trip report next month on my daily one block trip to the ocean? Does that count?
    Sure, what the hell!

    I wonder if your video is market private or something?


  13. #11
    Quote Originally Posted by accadacca View Post
    Sure, what the hell!

    I wonder if your video is market private or something?
    I'm fixing it now. First I have to turn the crank for 5 minutes on my jalopy, I mean powerbook, then it will behave and recognize my videos properly. :D Give me 10 minutes.
    Keep pulling up stakes. Friend me on facebook.

    "Since the ultimate goal of transport technology is the annihilation of space, the compression of all Being into one pure point, it follows that six-packs help." Edward Abbey, Monkey Wrench Gang

  14. #12
    Content Provider Emeritus ratagonia's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Location
    Quiet and charming: Mount Carmel
    Posts
    7,158
    Awesome TR... thanks for sharin'

    Tom

  15. #13
    Bogley BigShot
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Location
    Just a few miles from Zion National Park
    Posts
    8,456
    Love the report and photos! Great job Lady!!!

  16. #14
    Nice TR. Gotta love those paddling trips! Now I really really want to get out and do another one.

  17. #15
    Quote Originally Posted by Penelope View Post
    I'm fixing it now. First I have to turn the crank for 5 minutes on my jalopy, I mean powerbook, then it will behave and recognize my videos properly. :D Give me 10 minutes.
    Okay I agree, 40%.

    It works now! I just saw the drunk lumberjack.


  18. #16
    Cool report Those black waters are cool.

  19. #17
    Quote Originally Posted by accadacca View Post
    Okay I agree, 40%.

    It works now! I just saw the drunk lumberjack.
    I'd be 80% redneck if I ran around barefoot choppin' wood like that dude. More to the story: Later he nearly stumbled head first into their fire ring then almost picked up a red hot log with his bare hands after it fell out of the ring and into the mass of dry leaves around it. Instead he just put a few more logs on it and walked away. After dark Jenny, our paranoid safety girl, was about to go tend to their unattended fire. She stopped when she saw the drunk lumberjack standing in a dark corner of their camp "cage" staring at her. He was still wearing his sunglasses. Creeeeee-pyyyyyy.
    Keep pulling up stakes. Friend me on facebook.

    "Since the ultimate goal of transport technology is the annihilation of space, the compression of all Being into one pure point, it follows that six-packs help." Edward Abbey, Monkey Wrench Gang

  20. #18
    Yikes!! Sounds like a scene from a Scream movie.


  21. #19
    Excellent trip report!!!!
    Some people "go" through life and other people "grow" through life. -Robert Holden

  22. #20
    Carbon Footprint Donor JP's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    In Nothing But Sunshine
    Posts
    8,849
    If we vote, I'd throw this in for TR of the month


Similar Threads

  1. [Trip Report] Castle Valley-Skyline Loop, 3 days and 321 miles
    By Udink in forum Offroad 4x4, Side by Side and ATV
    Replies: 10
    Last Post: 09-26-2010, 03:37 PM
  2. Good bye short days, bring on the long days!
    By CarpeyBiggs in forum General Discussion
    Replies: 7
    Last Post: 01-02-2008, 03:28 PM
  3. Hot chicks
    By Mtnman1830 in forum Jokes
    Replies: 5
    Last Post: 05-23-2007, 11:40 AM
  4. this one is just so cute (more for chicks)
    By hesse15 in forum General Discussion
    Replies: 1
    Last Post: 01-16-2006, 06:36 AM
  5. Chicks dig $$$
    By rockgremlin in forum Jokes
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: 12-17-2004, 11:22 AM

Visitors found this page by searching for:

Suwannee River map

map of suwannee riveroverdeveloped teen girlmap suwanee riveroverdeveloped preteenwhere is the suwannee riveroverdeveloped teenoverdeveloped young teen girlsmap of suwannee county swampssuwannee river canoe trail mapsuwannee river trip reportssueannee river mapsuwanne river mapoverdevloped young teen girlsokefenokee swamp locationSuwanee river mapwww. preteens - stars. comover developed girlssuwannee river mapssuwannee girlssuwannee river girlsoverdeveloped facebook teenus map okefenokee swampoverdeveloped preteenswhat county is okefenokee swamp located

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •