Kayaking Through A Gauntlet Of Alligators!

thefootloosescribbler

The highlight of our spring trip to Georgia was kayaking in the Okefenokee Swamp in Folkston, Georgia (for pronunciation think “okey dokey”). I learned from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife flyer that the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge in southeast Georgia covers 630 square miles. 90% of that is swamp. And for me, it seemed like 75% of that was alligators! Just kidding, but as a ranger said to my husband and me after our kayaking trip: “I bet you saw more gators than you could shake a stick at.” Yes we did.

The Suwahnee Canal Water Trail

There are three entrances to the Okefenokee. We took the Suwahnee Canal road off of HWY 121 to the east entrance. Our first stop was at the ranger station/gift shop to rent a kayak and ask about the conditions. The ranger on duty outlined a water trail down the Suwannee Canal.

He also added an optional side trip through the Chesser Prairie; but he warned us that because of the drought they were experiencing, we should go no farther than–and here a drew a line. Shallow and narrow conditions in the channel were not good for kayaking. And he was absolutely right, because his line on the map is about where we got turned back by a mama alligator!

Alligators in the Swamp

We rented a tandem kayak for $55 all day (good deal!), and began paddling about 8:45 am. The only other people we saw when we started out, was an older couple who were preparing their kayak for a camping trip. So we basically had the canal to ourselves. Later we passed a private boat with a photographer shooting wood storks, and then a small fishing boat with three scruffy looking guys who were busy with their lines. But here’s the best part, the canal was fairly narrow and we must have passed at least sixty alligators! Up close and personal!

The alligators mostly watched us go by from their spots on the banks, or from the water. They floated with only their eyes, nostrils, and top of their head visible. As we got closer, they always sank down and disappeared.

However, we were caught by surprise a few times when an alligator would plunge from the bank and under the water as we paddled by, often right next to us. One even bumped the underside of our boat! Even my calm and collected husband got scared one time when a big splash occurred right next to us–gator unseen. And sometimes, there would be one in front that I hadn’t seen, or right next to us, as evidenced by a small splash and a trail of bubbles. (Did I mention they were “right next to us?” 😉

I admit I did cry out a couple of times! But fear is a good motivator–it definitely kept me paddling.

I had my good camera with me, protected by a dry bag. So sometimes I put down my paddle and picked up my camera. Bill had to stop paddling too so the kayak wouldn’t rock. Then I’d quickly snap some photos. The only problem was that we tended to drift closer to the gators when we did this. I’d quit looking through the lens, realize how close we were and squeak, “Okay, let’s paddle!”

At the turnoff to the Chesser Prairie channel, we came upon the same older couple we’d chatted with earlier. They had pulled into the bank (no gators present) and were picnicking in their kayak. The man told us that we should really go down the Chesser channel because of the beautiful flowers and prairie grasses. I didn’t want to because of the ranger’s warning about shallow waters, but the old man convinced us to try it.

An Alligator Adventure

The Chesser Prairie Channel was beautiful. Lily pads bloomed and the prairie grass grew high. But there was no shade, so I warned my husband I wouldn’t want to go too far anyway.

We hadn’t seen any gators, but then where the channel narrowed and curved, I noticed an alligator floating in the water. It turned and faced me, but instead of sinking down like all the alligators we’d passed before, this one came toward us. It had its eyes fastened on me as if to say, “YOU are not going any farther!”

Tail undulating through the water, she closed in. I stared into those yellow eyes and knew it must be a mama alligator defending her young.

“Back up!” I cried. “Back up! Keep backing up!”

We backed up all the way to where the old couple was picnicking, and only then did that mama alligator sink down and disappear.

I told the old couple what had happened and the wife tried to reassure me, “The gators don’t usually bother anyone. Just keep paddling.”

But as we drifted away, I heard her husband say, “Well, there was that ONE time . . .”

I looked back over my shoulder just in time to see his wife lean toward him, finger to her lips trying to shush him! I didn’t get to hear the rest of what he said, because I was too busy laughing.

Time To Relax

We paddled a little further down the Suwannee Canal, then turned around. We stopped at an outhouse placed on a dock and I succeeded in lifting and sliding my rear from the kayak to the dock. Phew! We wouldn’t want to overturn in that water!

On the way back we passed more gators (or the same ones), as well as two thin southern men with long hair and beards. They were fishing on the bank with their kids. One of the men almost caught a fish. I asked what kind it was. He answered slowly with a southern drawl, “Mud fish. I’m kind of glad he got away.” Then we laughed, though I have no idea what a mud fish tastes like.

Two or three large boats filled with tourists passed us as we paddled back. We were glad to be on our own, paddling in a kayak. It was amazing to be right there on the water, looking up at cypress trees in a blue sky, or gazing level-eyed with a gator.

The Chesser Island Boardwalk

After returning our kayak, we drove down the road and parked to walk the Chesser Island Boardwalk. It is a safe walk through the wetlands, but on this day it was dry from the drought. At the end of the 3/4 mile walk, there is a an “Owls Roost Tower.” We climbed up the steps and got a good view of the area.

Stan’s Smokehouse

Then we were ready for lunch. Based on a recommendation from a friendly ranger in the gift shop, we drove just a bit out of the way to Stan’s Smokehouse in Woodbine. Are we glad we did–what a diamond in the rough! Stan himself is the chef and barbecue is his specialty. He opened his smokehouse 22 years ago.

We sat at a laminated wood table outside that people had written messages on in sharpie. The waitress gave us a marker so we could do the same.

Several of the messages were so sweet.

Our lunch was so good! I had barbecue chicken and Bill had beef ribs. We were given a selection of barbecue sauces to add as little or as much as we wanted. The home-made coleslaw was delicious–not too much mayonaise. And the key lime pie was to.die.for.

We had a fantastic day kayaking in the Okefenokee Swamp and eating at Stan’s Smokehouse. If you ever go to Georgia, I highly recommend copying our lead. And if the gators sound like they’d be too much for you, you can always skip the kayak and take a boat tour. Check out Okefenokee Adventures for more information.