Floridas Forgotten Coast...20th to 28th Nov 2012

Trip reports that don't have a page dedicated to them.

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Briggsy
Posts: 297
Joined: Thu Apr 30, 2009 6:59 pm
Location: Sarasota, Florida

Floridas Forgotten Coast...20th to 28th Nov 2012

Post by Briggsy »

The plans for this trip changed so many times over the course of the year I lost count, but it was finally decided when my wife, Deb, decided to drive down to Florida with me. We would spend a few days together in the Panhandle region of Florida before she went to Disney with a friend and I kayaked the coast for 6 days/5nights solo after which she would meet me and we would head home. This part of Florida is nothing like the hi-rises and golf courses stereotype. The coast is dotted with small fishing villages, small vacation homes and has a much slower pace of life than the rest of Florida. Oysters and oystering are the big thing here.
One of the original plans was to kayak from Port St Joe to St Marks in 9 or 10 days, the idea came from the Florida Saltwater Paddling Trail....
http://www.dep.state.fl.us/gwt/paddling/saltwater.htm.
But when Deb said she wanted to come down too, I decided to do the first 2 days of the original plan as "day trips" and the rest of the trip as a 6 day camping trip while she was at Disney.
So just over 2 days after leaving home we arrived at Indian Pass Campground, Port St Joe where we rented a cabin and spent a couple of days lazing around, checking out the area before heading out on the water.

TUES 20th... Drove into Port St. Joe to a small beach where I could launch and set off at 9am into St. Josephs Bay. Clear calm weather and flat water were a nice start to the trip. I followed the coast north until the tip of St Josephs Is. peninsula was directly across from me. As I crossed the mile or so over to the island some dolphins swam around pretty close, even jumping right out of the water for a few minutes then got bored and swam off. I checked out a couple of the primitive campsites that the St Joe State Park run, nice sites, right on the soft white sandy beach. Continuing south along the peninsula, the beaches were deserted but there was plenty of marine life visible in the shallow,clear water. About noon I arrived at the park boat ramp where Deb met me for lunch. From there a 2 hr paddle brought me down to the narrowest point of St Joe peninsula where Deb again met me and we loaded up and headed back to the cabin.
Mileage .. 22 miles
Dolphins
Dolphins
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Tip of the peninsula
Tip of the peninsula
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Primitive campsites in St Joe State Park
Primitive campsites in St Joe State Park
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Clear shallow water
Clear shallow water
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Weird beach house
Weird beach house
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WEDS 21st...Drove back down to where I had finished the day before, but this time launched from the Gulf side of the peninsula. There was a slight chop and it was a little breezy but I moved right along. Just before the tip at Cape San Blas I passed the lighthouse which looked like it was having some work done on it. The cottages were lifted and looked like they were going to be moved back away from the shore judging from the storm damage to the beach. There was a small tidal race at the tip which was fun to play in for 1/2 hr but from there on it was a pleasant paddle back to the campsite where we were staying. Along the way there were lots of large solid jellyfish, every time I tried to corral one with my paddle and take a photo of them, they would swim deeper....weird.
Mileage .. 10.5 miles
Unspoilt coast
Unspoilt coast
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Cape San Blas Lighthouse
Cape San Blas Lighthouse
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Jellyfish
Jellyfish
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THURS 22nd... Thanksgiving day, took a day off paddling to do this.........
Self serve beers at Indian Pass Raw Bar.
Self serve beers at Indian Pass Raw Bar.
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.....and then this......
Ready to go
Ready to go
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FRI 23rd....Loaded up the camping gear early and launched from the boat ramp at Indian Pass Campground at 7.30am. Across from the ramp is St Vincents Island Wildlife Preserve. I followed the northern shore looking for signs of Sambar deer that live there, they are originally from India and somehow got transplanted to here. At one point on the eastern end of the island I got out to check out the marshes beyond the shoreline but no sign of the famous deer. Plenty of dolphins though, they were everywhere all day. After crossing to Little St. Georges Island I had lunch at one of the primitive campsites. An old Ford pick-up was parked there with State Park decals on, looked like it hadn't been used lately judging from the rust underneath. The campsite was overgrown but still usable, even had its own outhouse (missing walls though).
A short paddle after lunch and I arrived at my first campsite next to Sikes Cut, which separates Little St. Georges Is. from St. Georges Is. After setting up camp I took a walk along the beach round to the Gulf side, there were one or two families relaxing on the beach but the only access is by boat. I woke in the middle of the night to a howling wind and my tent nearly taking off, I got back to sleep but it continued to blow all night.
Mileage..22.4 miles
Leaving Indian Pass Campground
Leaving Indian Pass Campground
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Hull wrecking oyster bars
Hull wrecking oyster bars
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Quiet beach on St. Vincents Island
Quiet beach on St. Vincents Island
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St. Vincents Island
St. Vincents Island
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Inner marshes on St. Vincents Island
Inner marshes on St. Vincents Island
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Deer tracks on the beach, St. Vincents Island
Deer tracks on the beach, St. Vincents Island
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I was glad to get upwind of the Pelican pier !
I was glad to get upwind of the Pelican pier !
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Unusual "facilities"
Unusual "facilities"
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State Park vehicle
State Park vehicle
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Camping at Sikes Cut
Camping at Sikes Cut
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sunset
sunset
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SAT 24th....Up early and still blowing. Relaxed with a coffee or two and breakfast before packing up and trying unsuccessfully to avoid getting sand in everything. The water was pretty rough, the wind was coming from the north at 15-20mph and it had an open 5 mile stretch to really pick up some chop. I launched OK and paddled some distance out where the chop wasn't so bad. Way ahead of me I could see part of the bridge that connects St. Georges island to the mainland. It was 5 or 6 miles away and it never seemed to get any closer however hard I paddled. Sure enough though I got there, went under it and turned for shore. I had planned to have lunch at a small raw bar close to where I had landed but I had arrived too early, they weren't going to open for another hour and a half so I went to the small supermarket nearby and got some lunch supplies, a gallon of water to restock and a six pack for the next few nights. After lunch at the beach, another 2 hour paddle brought me to the primitive site run by St. Georges Is. State Park. It was a really well kept area with fire ring and table, luxury. I pitched my tent with an ocean view and settled down with a good book and the six pack.
Mileage...14.6 miles
Choppy waters
Choppy waters
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On the way to the store, St Georges Island
On the way to the store, St Georges Island
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St. Georges Island to Apalachicola bridge, approx 5 miles long.
St. Georges Island to Apalachicola bridge, approx 5 miles long.
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Unspoilt coast
Unspoilt coast
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Gap Point camping area
Gap Point camping area
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Room with a view
Room with a view
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Maybe should've chosen a different book for a solo trip.
Maybe should've chosen a different book for a solo trip.
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SUN 25th...No rush to get up as today was a shorter day and the weather was calm again. I made one stop shortly after launching to refill my water bladder from the State Park facilities. At the tip of St.Georges Is. a few families were on the beach fishing. A 1.5 mile cut separated me from the next island, Dog Island. There was a little current between the islands and some light chop but other than that it was easy going. There was one large house on stilts which looked like the perfect Wild Turkey Clubhouse. Relaxed on the beach for a while before a 3 mile crossing to Carrabelle Beach. I had planned to refill my water supplies here but had managed to do so earlier in the day so once at the beach the camping area was only a mile or so further, on a sandy spit owned by the town. It was the end of a sand road covered in 4x4 tracks that looked like it was the place where the local yahoos went yahoo-ing! Anyhow, the next day was a long one so seeing as I had arrived early I thought I'd check out the quickest way to get onto the Carrabelle River from the camp and maybe find somewhere else to camp where I was less likely to be disturbed. The next days low tide was 6.40am ish and the water near the camp was shallow. While I was looking forward to zipping up the river on the tide I didn't want to be grounded in the campsite for hours waiting for the tide. The water looked deep enough and I found a nice deep creek through the marsh close by that took me onto the river without having to go miles out of my way to get onto the main river channel. There were no other places to camp so it was back to the sand spit to set up camp.
Mileage...13 miles + 6 miles side trip = 19 miles total
More unspoilt coast.
More unspoilt coast.
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Wild Turkey Clubhouse on Dog Island
Wild Turkey Clubhouse on Dog Island
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Pelican on the Carrabelle river
Pelican on the Carrabelle river
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Shrimp boats
Shrimp boats
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Sleepy Carrabelle town
Sleepy Carrabelle town
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Hoping for no late night yahoo-ing
Hoping for no late night yahoo-ing
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MON 26th...Woke early and no hoodlums yahoo-ing in the night! Whoa! the tide was out for sure. Looked like there would barely be enough water to kayak out. Most of the bottom was sharp oysters, real hull wreckers, so had a lazy breakfast waiting for the tide to come in a little. At 9am I judged it would be deep enough and set off in 6" water. Had to carefully knuckle over the last 10 yd stretch to the deep channel and I was on my way. At the highway bridge ahead I could see some flags flapping in the water, but when I got closer I realised it was a sunken sailboat, possibly the result of the hurricane that hit here this summer. As the morning wore on the river current built up nicely and I was really cruising along. The scenery changed from salt marsh to swamp to forest. The river section of this trip was in Tates Hell State Forest, other than a few hunt camps there were no other buildings. During the day I kept noticing strips of plastic tied onto low branches, eventually I noticed strings tied to the branches at the plastic strips, and finally when I saw a tight string and a wildly flapping plastic strip I guessed it was some swamp fishing technique. I sculled over to the string and pulled it up. Sure enough, there was a catfish attached to the end ! After that I really noticed a lot of them. I pulled a few more up but they were all the same size fish, about 16" to 18" long. Big enough for a meal anyways. Arrived at my campsite, which I had to book a few weeks ahead of time, in the early afternoon. I spread out my gear as it had got wet the night before because of a heavy dew and collected some firewood. This was bear country so before going to bed I strung up my food etc.
Mileage...18 miles
Sunken sailboat
Sunken sailboat
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Crooked River, Tates Hell State Forest
Crooked River, Tates Hell State Forest
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swamp fishing strings
swamp fishing strings
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Big ole catfish
Big ole catfish
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Forest camping
Forest camping
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TUES 27th...Dawn broke cloudy and grey, the forecast was a slight chance of rain. Back on the river, while I enjoyed being out in the wild, I would have enjoyed the river more in a canoe and I was looking forward to getting back out into the sea. The river widened and I was catching some nice current which must have been the end I was heading for emptying out, I wasn't sure how much time I would have until the incoming tide would start pushing back in so I took full advantage and tried to get as far as I could. At Ochlocknee State Park, I stopped to replenish my water supplies. Unfortunately the faucet was so slow that I got eaten alive by no-see-ums, no wonder the campsite was empty. It was nice on this trip to able to refill the water every day or so, that stuff weighs a ton. The river opened up quickly now and the last 3 miles I was fighting the incoming tide, once into Ochlocknee Bay I bee-lined for the shore and had a welcome lunch break. It was still grey and cloudy and looked like it was going to rain. The last few miles took me out to the opening of Ochlocknee Bay where I took a small creek into the salt marsh and forest of Bald Point State Park where there was a primitive campsite called Chaires Creek. A few months back I called the ranger about the site and he told me it was one of his favorite places, so I was looking forward to camping there. Sure enough it was beautiful, just enough room for a couple of tents, a fire ring, picnic table, west facing for the perfect sunset. No one told the no-see-ums the site was booked and they were vicious and refused to leave. By the time I had unpacked and set up I was covered in bites. And then it rained ! Oh well, zippered up in the tent I was comfortable, I had a good book and a couple of shots of tequila left to make things better. The rain and bugs stayed all night and I ended up cooking in my tent and crashing early.
Mileage...26.5 miles
Widening river
Widening river
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Nice lunch spot
Nice lunch spot
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In tent kitchen
In tent kitchen
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WEDS 28th...Had a long day ahead so up early and on the water by 7.15am. Once back out in the Gulf the wind was blowing strong, 15 to 20mph from the NE, the exact direction I was heading towards....it was going to be a long slog. I decided to bee-line it rather than try to use the low lying land as a shelter from the wind. Firstly the nature of the surrounding marshes didn't really afford any protection and secondly the closer I got to the land the shallower it got. So the first 5 miles I could just make out the houses of Shell Point hovering above the horizon and it took just under 2 hrs to get there. There were patches of real shallow water, it was like navigating Monomoy at low tide. From there, St Marks lighthouse, 6 miles away, should have been visible, but the weather was so miserable I could see nothing. I worked out a compass heading and set off using Shell Point behind me as a back bearing reference. It was slow going, some tree tops hovered over the horizon and eventually the white lighthouse appeared against the light grey horizon. Closer to the mouth of the St Marks River there were a few oyster boats out but I had seen no-one else all day. Just in from the mouth of the river is a small spoil island where it is possible to camp, I landed there for a well earned rest and lunch. I checked out the campsite, it wasn't bad but a bit rocky, There was a firepit but by the looks of it every last twig and pine needle on the island had been used for firewood. The last hour was a slog upriver, past the small town of St Marks to Shell Island Fish Camp where we had a room booked and Deb had arrived 30 mins before me. That was the end of the trip. It was excellent despite the tough last day and I really enjoyed seeing a different part of Florida.
Mileage...22 miles.
Cloudy miserable day
Cloudy miserable day
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Final stretch, paddling up the St. Marks River
Final stretch, paddling up the St. Marks River
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Total trip distance including the 2 "day trips"...155 miles.
fc.jpg
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User avatar
Ron
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Re: Floridas Forgotten Coast...20th to 28th Nov 2012

Post by Ron »

Sounds like another great adventure.
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Johnysmoke
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Re: Floridas Forgotten Coast...20th to 28th Nov 2012

Post by Johnysmoke »

Now that's a great trip and great trip report!
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kayakerjnj
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Re: Floridas Forgotten Coast...20th to 28th Nov 2012

Post by kayakerjnj »

Awesome!! British Green with envy :D

Thanks for sharing Dave!!
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Jordan
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norm
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Re: Floridas Forgotten Coast...20th to 28th Nov 2012

Post by norm »

Excellent trip report!

Thanks for taking plenty of pictures and sharing them with us. Nice to see a warm climate too as we head into colder days up here.
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Mark
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Re: Floridas Forgotten Coast...20th to 28th Nov 2012

Post by Mark »

Love the Deliverance picture! :lol:
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Birdseye
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Re: Floridas Forgotten Coast...20th to 28th Nov 2012

Post by Birdseye »

Awesome! Ever hear of the Everglades Challenge? Might be right up your alley. Check it out at http://www.watertribe.com
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Chip
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Re: Floridas Forgotten Coast...20th to 28th Nov 2012

Post by Chip »

Thanks for the post. Great report.
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noseykate
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Re: Floridas Forgotten Coast...20th to 28th Nov 2012

Post by noseykate »

Very enjoyable reading and viewing. I hadn't envisioned it to be so isolated and natural. I love the photo of the pelican pier. The bugs sound rather pesky.... What was the average daily temp?

Kudos to you for your excellent planning of this lovely trip.

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Re: Floridas Forgotten Coast...20th to 28th Nov 2012

Post by Azane »

Sweet report! "Just the ticket" for a rainy New England afternoon.

Thanks for sharing.

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flabo
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Re: Floridas Forgotten Coast...20th to 28th Nov 2012

Post by flabo »

Thanks for sharing the pictures and the trip; it will keep my mind occupied for a little wile.

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Re: Floridas Forgotten Coast...20th to 28th Nov 2012

Post by NorwayLady »

Great "Deliverance" photo of you, Dave. I guess you made it out alive since you were able to submit this trip report with photos!

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Briggsy
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Re: Floridas Forgotten Coast...20th to 28th Nov 2012

Post by Briggsy »

Checked out the "water tribe" site. I will be in Florida next year so you never know.

Water temps were 65 deg and air temps low 70's daytime (except the last day, more like high 50's) and night temps were low 50's (except one night it was forecast high 30's.). Weather patterns down there seem to be 5 to 7 fine days, then a front moves through and you get one or one and half cool days, then 5 to 7 fine days etc.
I only wore shorts and T-shirt every day except the last day when I also put on a short sleeve spray top.
Briggsy
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