Georgia Wilderness Society
Photos from our Adventures
Okefenokee February 2020
Okefenokee Swamp Platform Camping
February 14 – 18, 2020
Participants: Jo Scott, Jeff Sorensen, Tom Payne (leader)
Three GWS swamp rats set out from Suwannee Canal Recreation Area on Valentines Day toward Monkey Lake platform. The weather was nice with showers that had largely cleared out by the time we shoved off and a high in the 60’s. After a couple of miles on Suwannee Canal, we headed west onto the Grand Prairie. The prairies are flooded grasslands with abundant waterfowl and numerous alligators warming themselves in the sun. Paddling the prairies can be arduous in low water due to water lilies and other grasses. Luckily for us, the water level was high and the paddling easy. Monkey Lake is a unique platform. The dock and toilet are separated from the camping platform by a 30-40 foot long boardwalk. The camping platform is on soggy land and protected from the wind by trees and brush. Jo & Jeff went on a side trip to explore Buzzards Roost Lake. Jeff also went on an additional exploration that lasted into the night. He saw many pairs of red eyes follow him as he passed by and actually bumped one alligator on the nose with his kayak. The most interesting event of the evening was my unplanned nighttime swim. Jeff and I were on the steps of the dock when I misjudged the location of the steps and went ankles over elbows into the water. Jeff heard the splash and looked over with his headlamp to discover I had disappeared. When I got my bearings, I was on my back looking up toward the water’s surface at a round, softly glowing orb – the beam on Jeff’s flashlight. Nothing focuses the mind on alligators like being in the swamp, in the dark, and under water. I found my footing and began scrambling onto the lowest step of the dock. I floundered about in my several layers of warm clothing like a beached whale until Jeff helped me up. Once dried and changed into my backup dry clothes, I was no worse for wear.
The next day we paddled back across Grand Prairie and then north on Suwannee Canal to the Coffee Bay Shelter. The weather was breezy, but pleasant. Jeff did some float fishing in the canal without success. All of us got some quality R&R.
The third night was spent at Roundtop Platform. Roundtop is located smack in the middle of a prairie. It affords long views of the prairie wildlife. Jo had paddled ahead a bit when I heard what I took to be shriek of laughter. It wasn’t laughter. Jo had unwittingly committed a crocodilian faux pas. While turning her kayak around, she had backed into an alligator. Alligators hiss somewhat like a cat when upset, and this indignant alligator gave her it’s most pejorative hiss. Eventually, the weather became wetter, colder, and windier. Sometimes, even bad weather has its consolations. When we retired early that night, the wind was whipping the sides of tents and hammock, and rain was pounding the metal roof of the platform. It was somehow really comforting and pleasant to be dry and snug in the good ole sleeping bags.
The fourth day’s weather was better. We spent our last night at Canal Run Platform, which sits on dry land at the edge of a water trail (currently not passable) that leads to the other side of the swamp. This platform has a fire ring so we could enjoy a campfire on our last night. To my surprise, Wally the alligator, which I had met during my last swamp trip in 2018 was still hanging around. He stayed near us the entire time we were there. Wally may become a problem someday.
The fifth day we paddled out of the swamp. We met several really nice folks, including a knowledgeable guide who gave a wonderful explanation of the swamp’s origin. One of the people we met turned out to have grown up in my hometown of Cedartown, GA. Her father owned and operated Crokers Hardware – the Home Depot of its day in Cedartown.
This wonderful trip reminded me of my very first paddling experience, which was in the Okefenokee Swamp three decades ago. The Okefenokee water world is a unique, beautiful, and powerful place. But the experience isn’t free. To experience the swamp, you must go there. To go there, you must paddle. The paddling isn’t always easy, and the weather isn’t always fair. The effort increases the satisfaction. I hope everyone who is able will partake of this opportunity at least once.
Tom Payne
Photos from Prior Trips
