Way down upon the Upper Suwannee River, we were far, far away from civilization on a seven-day paddling trip. We went with a small, congenial Sierra Club group. In the first six days of our week-long trip our small group saw only two other people, quietly fishing. Due to some stiff head winds, we paddled to exhaustion and after dinner tumbled unconscious into our sleeping bags--good because I sleep poorly on the ground. Our effort was well-rewarded. I can close my eyes and bring back star-studded skies and the sounds that called to us throughout the night.
We looked spiffy the day before the trip.
Starting out in the Okefenokee, the glistening black waters were marbled by streaks of flaming amber. The cypress and tupelo trees gnarl into animate shapes that, from the corner of one’s eye, seem to move. We landed on beaches of white sand that was soft and fine, vestiges of this area’s geologic history as ocean bottom.
Mornings were misty and magical. We swam in the river, but not at dawn or dusk. That is when alligators feed.
See some of the Suwannee with us…
P.S. The knowledgeable trip leader was Patrick Nichols of Patrick’s Paddling Adventures. http://patrickspaddlingadventures.com/
