more swamp notes

    More notes from the Swamp

Swamp catch up.

This is late getting written...

The Okefenokee was timbered from the mid 1800's until about 1930. They built elevated rial lines to transport the Cyprus and pine logs out of the swamp. There are several islands within the swamp and they were developed as company towns. The one near where I was paddling supported a population of 600 people at one time. The town contained a sawmill and a turpentine distillery, plus stores,churches schools.. Nothing remains today, except some foundations and two boilers from the locomotives. The swamp is slowly recovering from the logging. The Cyprus trees can take 20 years to add an inch of girth. The other factor is the periodic fires that sweep through the swamp. Two since 2007.

My first two days in the swamp were on the main water feed out of the swamp. (what becomes the Suwanee River) The last day I was comfortable enough to venture off into some of the smaller feeder streams. They were really magical, almost primeval. The light, filtered through the Spanish moss, the black water moving slowly, the wildlife and the cool, moist shade. The birds ere interesting, lots of Egrets and Herons. The juveniles and their changing plumage, make it hard for me to get a firm ID on many of them

I did have a second alligator encounter. This time I apparently bumped one on the back as I glided over him. He arched his back, flicked his tail and was gone. The back arch, brought his head out of the water, next to my right hand. The tail flick put an 8 inch scar down the hull of my kayak. I'm thinking of pasting a small Purple Heart on the spot...The whole encounter was over before I had time to react. .. This is the one downside to a kayak that can be totally stealthy. I guess I'll just start making more noise when when I'm in gator country...