In White Springs, Florida's Stephen Foster State Park we broke camp before 8:00 am so I could move the car to our take-out and catch my shuttle back to the park. About two hours after breaking camp we put in at the park's canoe launch, River Mile (RM) 168.25. The river gauge at the ramp read roughly 53', on the lower end of optimum paddling levels. We were wearing long pants and long sleeves as we started out, but expected to shed layers soon. This section of the river is lined with cypress, live oak, dwarf palmetto, pine, and maple. Riverbanks are higher than we expected, and property along the river is a mix of private and public land. Many homes along the river have stairs and/or ramps to docks; some of these structures show flood damage.

We stopped for lunch at the Swift Creek Rest Stop, one of many “point bars” along the upper Suwannee, where sand is deposited inside river bends. It's beautiful white sand, and the rest stop is on public land that also includes a portion of the Florida Trail; we walk a short distance on the trail to stretch our legs and to burn some daylight--our lunch stop is about halfway through today's planned route, and we're moving faster than expected. Just past the rest stop, Swift Creek flows in on river right. Swift Creek is clear and strong, gushing out of a karst canyon that we're able to paddle up 50 yards or so before encountering a karst ledge. Karst is a soft limestone that water erodes into Swiss cheese appearance. Most of the afternoon on the Suwannee we simply moved along with the current, paddling only to avoid limbs, etc, and exploring a couple more side streams joining the river.

On the Florida Trail:

Woods Ferry, RM 159.3, is our first “river camp” and is a pleasant surprise, even though we'd seen some photos of the camps. Facilities include a nice landing that accommodates big fluctuations in river level, a long zigzag ramp from landing to camp, five screened shelters, an open pavilion with picnic tables, and a large bath house with flush toilets and hot showers! We're spoiled! Carts and wheelbarrows are provided for schlepping gear from the dock to shelters. Each shelter is about 16' x 16', has lights and power, and a potable water tap nearby. (Note: this is Florida water, with hints of sulfur and other minerals. Lemonade mix hides these hints well.) While shelters can be reserved (as we've done) another crew tells us that in 15 years they've never seen the shelters all filled. If shelters were full, there are also five tent-camping sites. We can hear some traffic noise from I-75, but it's distant and steady enough to be white noise.

A ramp to camp: