Some of the basics of preparation:
- You cannot reserve sites in advance like you can at some other parks. You reserve your site when you get there, no more than 24 hours in advance. This drove me crazy as a planner, but turned out to be a blessing, as we really ended up changing our plans.
- You can pack much heavier in a canoe than you can in a backpack! In fact, we couldn't find the right fuel for our little backpacking stove because people use larger camping stoves! So if you're heading to the Everglades, do some detailed research on where to buy your fuel outside the park.
- You can buy nautical charts at the park, but if you know what area you are going to be in, just get it in advance. One less thing to do, and they were almost out of the chart we needed (we bought the display copy)!
- Always talk to the park rangers about your trip and anything you need to know (you will be making your reservations with them anyway). For a beach site, we needed a hard-sided container for food. Since we didn't have anything, they were able to provide us with a bucket and lid to borrow for free! Nice people, those rangers!
- While we didn't NEED to do any complex navigation for our route, we did some figuring a couple of times, and it really came in handy. Know how to use a map and compass before you head out into open water. Just do.
- A canoe ended up being the best option for us, as they have more space for gear. If you rent from a retailer outside the park, you might be able to find a kayak with dry hatch storage, but the ones you can rent in the park don't have much storage space.
- You have to carry all of your water with you in the Everglades. A gallon per person, per day! So plan ahead for that! We bought "floppy" water jugs, but the soft sides can be an issue if you're beach camping.
So we got our boat, packed up our drybags, and headed out into open water! Talk about feeling small!
On day 1, we paddled from the Flamingo Marina to Johnson Key Chickee, a total of just under 10 miles. The views were gorgeous, and we didn't see a single other paddler. Other than the occasional motor boat, you felt completely alone. The sun was shining all day, and our paddling time flew by! Navigation was easy with all of the keys around, but we did hit bottom for awhile when we were just starting. Our entire Everglades trip was sans-watches, but we're estimating we got to the chickee by mid-afternoon. We saw a sting-ray and lots of large snails (the kind that live is sea shells).
Now, what is a chickee, you ask? It's a platform built up out of the water. It isn't attached to any land, so you are camping in the middle of the ocean! There is a roof over the parts for camping, a lower area for unloading your boat, and even a porta-potty. Here's our 360 degree tour of our chickee:
There was another group on the other side of the chickee from us. This opened my eyes to a huge difference between boating backcountry and hiking backcountry: we worked hard to get to our chickee! The guys camping on the other side were on a fishing trip with motor boats. In a backcountry site in other parks, everyone is in the same "boat"(ha!). We all hiked to get there. While not unpleasant, it was a very different experience to stay backcountry with someone who essentially drove there. Here are some more pictures from our day/evening on the chickee:
Day 2 backcountry was SUPPOSED to be from Johnson Key Chickee to East Clubhouse Beach. However, we got to the "site" very early, and there wasn't a site. There is no sign, and the beach didn't look real great for camping, so after paddling up and down the shore a bit, we just decided to paddle back to Flamingo and not stay the second night. We ended up paddling about 16 miles. The ocean was so calm when we started paddling that it was like glass. We saw dolphins AND manatees on this day and even got back to Flamingo in time to enjoy dinner near the visitor's center. Note: While I enjoyed not having a watch, it was hard! We totally thought it was 5 or 6 by the time we got back. It was 3:30. Ha!
It's hard to beat a morning like this! If you ever head to the Everglades, it is totally worth the work to experience this feeling being in a tiny boat in the middle of the ocean. It was a backcountry experience unlike any other!
On day 1, we paddled from the Flamingo Marina to Johnson Key Chickee, a total of just under 10 miles. The views were gorgeous, and we didn't see a single other paddler. Other than the occasional motor boat, you felt completely alone. The sun was shining all day, and our paddling time flew by! Navigation was easy with all of the keys around, but we did hit bottom for awhile when we were just starting. Our entire Everglades trip was sans-watches, but we're estimating we got to the chickee by mid-afternoon. We saw a sting-ray and lots of large snails (the kind that live is sea shells).
Now, what is a chickee, you ask? It's a platform built up out of the water. It isn't attached to any land, so you are camping in the middle of the ocean! There is a roof over the parts for camping, a lower area for unloading your boat, and even a porta-potty. Here's our 360 degree tour of our chickee:
There was another group on the other side of the chickee from us. This opened my eyes to a huge difference between boating backcountry and hiking backcountry: we worked hard to get to our chickee! The guys camping on the other side were on a fishing trip with motor boats. In a backcountry site in other parks, everyone is in the same "boat"(ha!). We all hiked to get there. While not unpleasant, it was a very different experience to stay backcountry with someone who essentially drove there. Here are some more pictures from our day/evening on the chickee:
It's hard to beat a morning like this! If you ever head to the Everglades, it is totally worth the work to experience this feeling being in a tiny boat in the middle of the ocean. It was a backcountry experience unlike any other!
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