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| Big Bend Saltwater Paddling Trail - 3
Day Kayak Trip The Trail is a 105-mile wilderness paddle that stretches from the Aucilla River down to the Suwannee, following Florida's Big Bend Gulf Coast. As the FFWC brochure states: the trail "...promises seasoned paddlers adventure, solitude..." and "a good day with favorable winds can instill an incomparable sense of freedom and oneness with water and sky..." With that description, how could you resist? Our trip took in the segment from Spring Warrior Creek to Steinhatchee.
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This is what it looked like after the squall. The winds died down for a few minutes and the rain stopped but it would come up again, but this time turning around and coming at our backs and giving us a nice push to our next stop: Keaton Beach |
This was a new one for us - a 2 night, 3
day offshore kayak trip. Since this was our first trip of the this type
(multiple days & nights, open water, wilderness, etc.) we boned up on
our navigation skills, studied charts, checked and rechecked the
weather. Of course, they got it wrong. Our first day,
Thursday, was forecast to be overcast with possible morning drizzle,
a high of 65 with a 5 to 10 knot wind - no problem. It was also a
challenging 14 miler - again, no problem.
After checking the weather again Thursday morning, we loaded up boats and gear with Sheri, the helpful owner from River Haven Marina and Motel (where we stayed the night before & highly recommend) for the drive to the put-in at Spring Warrior Creek. The drizzle stopped long enough for us to unload at Spring Warrior's not-too-kayak-friendly cement ramp. The first thing we noticed was the temperature - it had dropped at least 10 degrees since we left Steinhatchee. Sheri left us nervously (the weather or the impossible volume of gear we had strewn out on the ramp - likely both) and our first order of business was pulling on cold weather clothing. After packing the boats we shoved off and headed out the creek toward the open Gulf. The first sight of it in all its expansiveness was a bit intimidating - but the feeling was made worse by the fact that, in our face, were not the gentle 5 to 10 knot winds we expected, but 20+ knot gusts. |
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We pressed on, dodging oyster beds and moving further out in search of deeper waters. The gusts were intensifying and the water was choppy and turbulent. Our first stop was to be Adams Beach, the location of the largest Confederate salt works during the Civil War. We made our turn toward shore and once again found the winds in our faces - this time, some serious gusts. The temperature had dropped further and we put our heads down and cranked away the mile and a half to the beach. Nature calling got us out of our boats (we set speed records here) and dashed back to the warmth of our cockpits. We managed to get spray skirts back on just as the real gusts struck, along with rain. We got moving to generate some warmth and set out for Jug Island (The photo at left is a bit deceptive. This is right after the squall - couldn't take photos during, of course - and we were in a protected cove but you can clearly see the remnants of the storm in the distance.) |
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| This is me after the squall - the boats handled it all incredibly well |
After the worst of it - Dennis has reason to smile |
| Opting for a bit more civilization, we bypassed Jug Island and headed for Keaton Beach, a small enclave of stilt homes, a campground/RV park and a nice beach landing we'd scoped from land the night before. We pulled up on to white sand beach and headed for the picnic pavilion for some lunch and protection from the cold winds. We spotted the hot dog shop adjacent to the beach at the same time and had the same thought: forget this cold lunch, let's go inside and get some hot chocolate and warm up! So, we stowed gear and walked in greeted with a blast of heated air. It was a God send (and a bit of a cheat) but hey, we'd take it! We peeled off wet gear and the owners made us very welcome, plying us with hot coffee (no chocolate) and inviting us to drape our wet things over chairs. We had a hot lunch and lingered for about 45 minutes. We still had 3 miles to go to the campsite, so after a gracious thank you, we set out again, renewed.
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 Sponge Point Campsite - Our stop for the night and a welcome sight. |
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| The campsite is in a small hammock - well protected from the winds |
The sites are small for low impact and accommodate 4 tents |
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We set up camp quickly. By four the temperature was dropping again, but as always, Dennis built a great fire (fire rings are the only sign of civilization at these sites) and we savored the warmth. Sleep came easily after a tough day of paddling. The second day greeted us with gray skies and a chilly 45 degrees. We took our time packing up since the day only held an 8 mile paddle. The forecast promised a high of 60 and 5 to 10 knot winds. It was still gusting well above that when we shoved off but we were still optimistic as we headed over to Hagen's Cove, another small park with covered picnic tables on the mainland.
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On a clear day you can see forever...nothing but water, in any case |
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We were fortunate to have a good number of beaches perfect for a stop to stretch our legs and grab a bite (no hot dog stands in sight here!) This one is called Big Grassy Island. By noon the clouds finally began to break and it turned into a beautiful day (above right). |
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A sea plane flying low startled this large group of white pelicans into flight |
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| The Dallus Creek campsite. After a leisurely paddle and many stops on sandy beaches along the way, we arrived at our next camp by 4 pm. and savored our first warm weather of the trip - a whopping 70 degrees! |
View from Dallus at twilight |
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Going, going, gone. After nothing but gray we delighted (and I went camera crazy!) with this incredible sunset from our beachside view |
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The Dallus Creek campsite was a bit further back from the shoreline than Sponge Point (below). Thanks to the 4 to 5 inches of rain the day before it was also a soppy, muddy mess. Any more water and there would not have been a dry patch to pitch a tent. Saturday morning, our last day, we were finally greeted by a beautiful sky. We awoke to 38 degree temperatures but it warmed up nicely and we finally had those 5 knot winds they'd been promising! We packed up and were on the water by 11 for the paddle back to Steinhatchee.
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You can see the narrow trail to the campsite in the photos above |
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A beautiful day, calm waters and light winds though still a bit chilly, but this was what we'd been waiting for! |
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Getting Closer - that's Steinhatchee off in the distance |
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Back at last! We land on the sandy beach at Woods Marina and Campground where the gracious owners let us take out It was an incredible experience - challenging, exhilarating, beautiful, and it did give us both an incomparable sense of freedom just as the FFWC guide promised. We will definitely return - the sure sign of a great trip. Eventually, we will get the whole 105 miles done - not all at once at first, but we we'll take on that challenge, too. On the drive home we were already planning our next multi-day trip...somewhere warmer this time...maybe the Keys...we'll keep you posted! P.S. Thanks to our friends with all their help with the trip! |
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Copyright© 2000, 2004 Dennis Gonzalez and Kim Gonzalez
This page was last updated on
08/13/07.
All photos taken by Kim Gonzalez unless otherwise
notated. All rights reserved. No photos may be
reproduced or used without written consent of photographer.