New Trip Report posted by TrailZen

Trip Name: 'Gators and Sandies on Valentine's Day.

Entry Point: Other

Click Here to View Trip Report

Some links I omitted from trip report:

Okefenokee NWR Information

Okefenokee Paddling Map

Sandies in flight--sounds

Alligator bellowing facts

Awesome report! Loved the photos too, especially considering it was -7 F walking the dogs this morning!

Fabulous photos and great to read about paddling with gators. I know a lot of people worry about black bears in the BWCA and because I have been around them since I was young, I just use what feels like common sense to me. But being a MN gal, gators scare the c**p out of me.

I have only camped in FL once. We pulled into a small campground late at night and set up our tent. Couldn't see what was around us at all. All through the night we kept hearing noises near our tent and I was sure it must be gators and I would be gobbled up any minute. When it finally got light out, we peeked out of the tent only to see the noises were from ordinary squirrels. I will never laugh at someone's fear of bears again after I was chagrined and humbled by my irrational fear of gators.

Nice!

straighthairedcurly, we shared your concern about 'gators for years, then my job took us to South Carolina's Lowcountry in 2003. We lived north of Charleston, and were only a couple hundred yards off the Cooper River. Most lots in the development had drainage ditches along the rear lot boundaries, and most ditches had the occasional visiting (small--4' or shorter) alligator. My mountain biking trails had 'gators (some not so small). The development's lakes had 'gators You get the picture. So after three years' exposure to alligators, we developed a respect and common sense approach to them, much as you deal with bears.

Thanks for the kind words about the photos and the report.

TZ

Thanks for the report. My wife & I spent a day hiking around the east side one day in early March this year. I remarked to her that I would love to canoe-trip in Okefenokee. Maybe someday. Thanks for the inspiration.

Gotta get there paddling sometime.
I'm retired US Fish and Wildlife firefighter, I spent 2 weeks fighting the Honey Prairie Fire in 2011 on OF NWR.

Do you have to reserve those shelters/platforms or are they first come first served?
Thanks for the report.

LindenTree: "Gotta get there paddling sometime.
I'm retired US Fish and Wildlife firefighter, I spent 2 weeks fighting the Honey Prairie Fire in 2011 on OF NWR.


Do you have to reserve those shelters/platforms or are they first come first served?
Thanks for the report."

Not that I have any kind of firefighting experience, but I can't imagine fighting a wildfire in an area like Okefenokee...

Shelters and other campsites must be reserved. Here's a good place to start gathering info. We usually hit the NWR in late January to mid February to avoid bugs, heat, and humidity, but see as many birds and flowers as possible.

TZ