Down Upon the Suwannee
by TrailZen
Woke to blue skies and bird songs. Then discovered that we failed to pack creamer for our coffee—arrgh! Last trip (Algonquin) we forgot coffee filters—gotta improve our check list! Wait, it's on the checklist--gotta improve our CHECKS! I enjoy black coffee, and Tia discovers that a touch of hot chocolate mix is a good substitute for powdered creamer, so all is well.
Because river current increases our travel speed, we take a leisurely approach to the morning. We're on the river around 9:30, again enjoying the karst formations—holes, windows, bridges, columns, and hoodoos. We like the beautiful white sand expanses inside river bends; they provide nice rest breaks and lunch stops when not on private property. Our Suwannee River Wilderness Trail guide (link in the comments section) clearly shows ownership along the river. The guide also shows locations of springs feeding into the river, which we often can identify by the sulfur smell in the air. We checked out Mattair Springs, then lunched at a sandy rest stop near RM 151. After lunch we checked out old structures at Suwannee Springs, RM 150.2, where a hotel, spa, cabins, and a water bottling plant thrived in the late 1800s.
Getting back on the river at Woods Ferry:
We reached Holton Creek RC, around 3:30. The Florida Trail (link in comments), currently 1000 miles with another 300 planned, also passes through this river camp and a hiker is in one of the shelters. It's her first long-distance trail effort. We're also hikers, so asked lots of questions about the trail. We enjoyed the camp's hot showers—we have a couple nights coming up without the luxury of hot water. Great dinner of shrimp with creamy garlic shells and a dessert of lime cheesecake. Lots of Barred Owls calling tonight, including a couple episodes of a territorial group call that sounds like monkeys. (Link in the comments)
Donate - BWCA.com