Chatham09

Spending Thanksgiving on Watsons Place, 2009

It was one of those trips when everything of importance worked for us; the tides, the winds, the temperature, the
campsites and the route. Our itinerary for this trip was:

Nov 26 (Thanksgiving Day): Chokoloskee Island to the Watson Place
Nov 27: A day of exploring at the mouth of the Chatham River, another night on Watson
Nov 28: Watson Place to Rabbit Key

Vivian and I were accompanied by our friend and experienced wilderness paddler Michaleen (Mike). Fortunately,
Mike was kind enough to make the trip to the ranger’s station in Everglades City the day before to get our
permits. She did this amongst a line of 30 plus individuals with same intention. Our original plan was to head out
to Mormon Key, the next day go up to Sweetwater Chickee (where I have yet to spend the night) and then get off
the Wilderness Waterway and take a different route to Sunday Bay. But alas, the weather dictates our plans as
always. The forecast called for a cold front to hit sometime on Thursday. Leading up to the cold front was a nasty
storm system that dumped inches of water on south Florida two days before Thanksgiving. The day before we
left it rained nonstop into early Thursday morning. We expected northerly winds for the entire trip and as high as
20 knots on Friday. We didn’t know when the front would hit us on Thursday, but we were prepared for anything.

We avoided a stay on Mormon Key that has a shoreline that would get a direct hit from the northwest winds
expected on Thursday. Getting on and off that beach would not be easy, especially in a canoe. So Mormon was
out. We decided to avoid Sweetwater Chickee as well with its direct exposure to the cold winds. The route to
Watson look good and if there were going to be any winds, they would work to our advantage as we crossed the
string of large backcountry bays in a southwesterly direction. A second day on Watson would give us time to
explore and that was so appealing. I expected to see some significant bird activity where the Huston and
Chatham Rivers run into the gulf. Here, there are several large and small islands and one could easily hide from
the winds. By Saturday, we expected less wind out of the northeast and the paddle to Rabbit would be mostly
protected as we stay close to the coves that make this one of the best fishing areas (between Chatham Bend and
Rabbit Key pass) in the 10,000 Islands.

And so it was to our advantage that we had the good sense to plan a trip according to the weather forecast. And
here is how it played out. We arrived at Outdoor Resorts marina at about 7 am. An interesting site was seen on
our drive from Miami. As we passed through Ochopee (a few miles east of highway 29) on the Tamiami Trail, I
noticed several black, small things on the road. With more attention on them, I noticed they had claws and at one
point I thought they looked very much like scorpions. I had never seen scorpions in the Everglades, but I they do
exist in south Florida (I later checked my Everglades Handbook (author Thomas Lodge, 2nd ed.) to learn that a
brown scorpion that is about 5 in long exists here. They live on ground under logs and rocks and leaves. Even
more amazing about this spectacle were the hundreds of neck-to-neck wading birds in the watery grasses on the
south side of the road. Something was going on. After speaking with a couple locals, it seems people at
Everglades City and Chokoloskee Island have spotted scorpions on several uncomfortable occasions (the south
Florida version of scorpion are not lethal like the desert scorpion of Arizona). Perhaps with the hard rain, the
creatures were driven out of hiding.

(A week following this trip, we headed back to Chokoloskee Island one morning to find the same critters scattered
on the Tamiami Trail in the same area as before. This time, there were fewer of them and the birds were few. I
pulled over and got out to check them out. They were not scorpions, they were crawfish).

Beautiful storm clouds were appearing out of the west as we loaded our boats and prepared to launch. Today, we
would take the Turner River route and head over to Hurdles Creek, Mud Bay, Cross Bays and into Sunday Bay.
This would give us a tide advantage and cut off about 1 mile compared to the Lopez River route. As I crossed
Chokoloskee Bay toward Turner River, I turned the canoe around a few times to watch the storm clouds as they
appeared to come closer. I love paddling up this grand river as it winds back and forth lazily through the
mangroves. Along this river you might see several Calusa mounds that extend over 30 acres. The area has been
an archeological site for several decades and is referred to as the Turner River Complex. If you look closely along
the east side of the river where it makes its first turn, you’ll notice the ground is several feet high.

Our trip began at a brisk 70 degrees but it didn’t take long to reach 80 something. The water levels were so high
that our usual rest stop on Mud Bay was covered in at least 2 feet of water. We continued a leisurely paddle in
very calm conditions. Soon, we reached Sunday Bay which looked like a very large skating rink. Rarely is it so
calm that this bay does not have ripples or some form of waves in it. Today it was like glass and even better,
there seemed to be no one out here but us three. The quiet was magnificent and at last I felt totally relaxed and at
peace. The past 2 months have been consumed with work and much stress. Finding time to plan and prepare for
this trip was difficult. But, after paddling in beautiful conditions for a couple hours and then being completely
surrounded by water that reflected the pervasive sky, I finally found my joy. I photographed the surreal scene of
the uninterrupted reflections that surrounded my boat. This was a very good sign and I took it to mean that we
would have another great camping season ahead of us.

Soon, we were at mile marker 120 where sits a spit of an oyster bar that we always stop on for a break. Not
today. For the first time I’ve seen it, the bar was completely covered in water and where we usually get out and
sit, we instead floated over in about 2 feet of water. I was so glad to be in a canoe! I can have my rest stop right
from the boat, so not being able to get out was not so bad. After a brief stop, we moved on to the next set of
bays.

By now, there was a dark line of storm clouds over the north sky, it was following us. The clouds formed layers of
varied shades of gray and black. As we crossed Oyster Bay, the back wind increased and the waters became
choppy. I took frequent breaks to turn my boat around and capture the oncoming storm. It was gaining on us and
by the time we got into Huston Bay, it was upon us. The clouds brought a steady, yet light rain for about 15
minutes. I had my deck cover which has a spray skirt that kept my legs dry the entire time. The temperature had
dropped and the winds that picked up to a stiff 10-15 knots. With my nylon shirt mostly covered with a PFD, the
rain was a pleasant coolness.

By the time we reached Chatham River, the rain had stopped and some blue sky was peeking out over the north
sky. This was a sign that the cold front would be coming next. Arriving at the Chatham River was a nice finishing
touch to our paddling day as the outgoing tide carried us to the nearby campsite. Usually, I am hitting the river at
incoming and at times, it can feel like you are paddling through wet cement. That final ½ mile can feel like 20
miles. But not today, we would breeze into the Watson Place after having been on the water for only 4 hours. We
had a tailwind and we lucked out with the rain and temperatures.

The dark clouds continued for some time and although it looked like more rain, we were able to set up camp
without the bother of wetness. We had the entire site to ourselves. It was noticeably overgrown in large areas
where it is usually cleared. I quickly noticed that amongst the wildflowers were several types of butterflies; a few
Great Southern Whites, hundreds of Mangrove Buckeyes, and I spotted one Queen. The bees were also buzzing
around in great number. And then we noticed something strange looking on one of the pieces of rusted farm
equipment leftover from Watson’s homestead. The old equipment was surrounded by tall grasses but once you
got close enough to it, it became clear that we were looking at a very, very large honey bee comb. Wow! There
were thousands of bees on the honey comb that from the outside was about 1 ½ ft by 1 ½ ft in area. Who knows
how thick it was, but there had to be a quart of honey in clear view. Fortunately, honey bees are not aggressive
and they went about there business flitting around the flowers and fighting the butterflies for the nectar. With
butterflies and bees in abundance, Watson Place had become an interesting place for photography.

By late afternoon, the sky was clearing and the temperature was dropping. The winds were pretty much still with
a few transient mild gusts. As a result, the no-see-ums were there to welcome us to the Everglades. A few black
vultures hung around, coming in on occasion to get some water out of the rusty cistern and perching above in a
tree to look down upon the humans that might leave something good to eat. After dinner and a bit of brandy, we
were in our tent enjoying the evening sounds of the Everglades. A couple barred owls could be heard punctuating
the mostly silent night. We expected to be up early the next day to be on the water by 7 am.

On Friday, we spent about 4 hours on the water near the mouth of the Chatham River. The northwest winds
increased significantly to about 15 knots. The temperature was a chilly 57 degrees as we paddled down the
Chatham River with the beautiful warm morning light hitting the east side of the river. Snowy egrets, ibises, great
blue herons, little blue herons and tricolor herons could be seen speckling the mangroves. These birds are very
wary and will not let me approach them much. The least wary of them were the juvy ibises that I frequently came
upon in large groups of 10-15. I spotted one roseate spoonbill and a frequent osprey flying around. We also
spotted a few manatee; those evil manatee that will tip my boat over if I am not careful!

After chasing birds around the shoreline between Chatham and Huston Rivers, I found myself in a large open body
of water that was receiving a direct hit from the north winds. The waves were 1 ft or higher and I was caught in a
precarious crosswind with my camera and telephoto lens in my lap. I headed directly to the shoreline that would
provide me some protection. Forget the birds, it was time to put away the camera and get the life jacket on. I
finally paddled out of the exposed area and soon found Vivian fishing on the lee side of an island. She had been
catching trout all morning, but since they are not in season, we would not be having fish for dinner tonight.

That evening, we watched a spectacular sunset as they mostly are when the evening air is chilly from a cold front
and the sky is painted whimsically with wispy clouds. The setting sun cannot be seen from Watson, but from the
dock, one can look over the Chatham River and catch the brilliant light show in the southwest sky. Soon after, it
felt great to be snuggled inside a warm tent and down sleeping bag. The night became quite chilly reaching a
temperature of 45 degrees. The wetness from the condensation was significant and so the next morning, we
packed our wet tent and got ourselves on the beautiful Chatham River for our gulfside paddle to Rabbit Key by 8:
30 am. We had an incoming tide but the strong northeast wind would cancel it out. The winds and tides combine
in ways that can make paddling the Everglades both interesting and challenging. Today, we would not feel the
incoming tide; rather the winds at knots greater than 10 can overcome the power of the current quite well. It wasn’t
until we reached the mouth of the Huston River when we felt the full impact of those winds where we rode the surf
briskly through an opening into the protection of several gulf isles that scatter about before reaching Chatham Bend.

I began that morning’s paddle with a long sleeve tshirt covered with a long sleeve nylon shirt, covered with my rain
jacket, the PFD and thick cotton gloves covering my hands. By the time we reached Chatham Bend, the sun was
intense and I was hot. Before reaching Duck Rock Cove, I had removed everything but the nylon shirt. The
transition from the backcountry into the openness of the gulf is always a pleasant transition during a paddle trip. I
particularly love the paddle between Chatham Bend and Rabbit Key. Today, the water levels were high enough
that we could skirt right up to the shoreline of the deep coves. We even went into one of the creeks from the
Huston Coves to do a little exploring. We passed the inside of the island that sits in the middle of Duck Rock Cove
and basically took our time. By following the shoreline more tightly, we probably added an additional mile to our
paddle.

The area is beautiful, ripe with birds. Brown pelicans were in number and often I could see several white ibises and
egrets perched in the mangroves. As we approached the Duck Rock Cove, I spotted a large group of white
pelicans on the tiny sand bar that was once Duck Rock Key. The sun made it difficult to see them from a
distance, but they are so large that even from a ½ mile away, they are distinct figures sitting above the water line.
After coming out of Duck Rock Cove, we continued paddling close to the shoreline. Vivian continued fishing as this
is one of the most popular areas for it. She heard strange sounds coming from the thick mangroves; like several
birds. I came closer to hear it and could make out the basic bird sounds; grunts, clucks, squacks, honks, etc. It
was an amazing cluster of sounds out here in the gulf and then I spotted them. There was a small tidal pool
where dozens of snowy egrets, white ibises and a few great white egrets were congregating for a marine buffet.
This was truly an interesting sight. We watched them for awhile and I pondered getting closer for some shots.
Obviously, they had come on to an abundance of food. These animals work hard and I didn’t want to make their
lives any more difficult. Besides, the lighting was not good and the only good shots I would get would require the
flash.

We arrived at our final destination around 2:30 pm. Today, we took our time and explored a bit. The entire trip
lasted 6 hours. Rabbit Key is one of my favorite campsites. The long sand bar that runs out of the northeast side
is almost always covered with shorebirds, including oystercatchers. There were a couple oystercatchers that had
flew by on our way into the campsite. I only noticed them because of their loud high pitched squeeks. The birds
were not on the spit when we arrived; instead a flatsboat was anchored next to a couple lawn chairs. A couple
was out for the day and decided to have a picnic on Rabbit Key.

Our last night was mostly bug free. The temperature stayed warmer, but cool enough to make our third night in
the tent a pleasant one. The next morning, we were off and paddling before 9 am. It was an easy paddle back to
Chokoloskee Island with the incoming tides. We were mostly protected from the easterly winds. Once in
Chokoloskee Bay, I was happy to see the white pelicans on their oyster bar near Chokoloskee Pass. It was early,
so I decided to take a detour and photograph them. There were probably about 25 of them, give or take. Three
flew in while I sat photographing and I was able to capture a couple whities in flight. What a fantastic way to finish
a paddling trip!

This was another one of those perfect trips. Although our original plans were thwarted, we always end up doing
something new, seeing beautiful things and experiencing the best of the Everglades. Now, we began to focus on
our 9-day paddle around Whitewater Bay, coming up in December. We plan to camp at Canepatch a couple of
nights and can only hope that the python spotted there a few days ago will be gone.

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To see a slide show of the photos from this trip, click here to view a slideshow of the trip.