Trailhead
I've kayaked a couple of times but never a trail that was measured in miles and on my own or through alligator infested waters.
I felt pretty comfortable kayaking but did not know how I would do with the distance and the narrow trails.
I've only really been on shorter paddles through mangroves where you had a bit more room to maneuver. Having to keep yourself off the shore and in the center of the trail took some extra energy.
The rental itself was very easy. The rental station was unmanned. It just had instructions for how to sign the waiver, contact info, and you just paid through zelle.
When received theyd send you the code to unlock the kayak and paddles/lifejacket.
I've been around alligators alot over the last year since I have been going to the everlgades much more. I've gotten pretty comfortable around them,
but I'd be lying if I said being in a kayak in the water next to them didn't scare me a bit still.
This Brown Water Snake was in the water right where I was docking and so were some gators I didn't get a photo of.
There is also a map of the canoetrail itself. It had signs along the way and mile markers to help track your progress. There really didnt seem to be much of a way to get lost or make a wrong turn.
First Gator Encounter
It started off great with me seeing a gator or two before even getting into the water. I sort of wondered if I knew what I was getting myself into. But everything checked out and no one appeared to be stopping me. The first gator I saw was pretty scary. It was a ways off but didn't look too big. For a while I was wondering what I'd do exactly if it started swimming down the trail towards me. It was a pretty small trail so there was not a lot of room to maneuver to the right or left of it. Thankfully it just went off to the side. I kept a close eye on where I saw it exit into the sawgrass. When I passed that spot I did not see the initial one but a much larger gator off to the side in a deeper part of the slough. I was pretty scared and was not at all thinking about getting a photo. This was still very early on in the trail and my adrenaline was pumping. This was probably around mile marker 1. After that it was fairly quiet the rest of the trip. There was one more gator encounter where it surprised me right in front of the kayak. All I saw were its eyes and it was too late to avoid hitting it. My kayak passed right over it and I was a little scared to put my paddle in the water afraid of disturbing it. After about 2 or 3 miles of no gators I was ready to see another one.
Peace in the Everglades and the halfway point
After those first two gator encounters it was pretty peaceful for the rest of the trip. The actual paddle was a bit of a struggle. I am far from an experienced kayaker. My right hand developed a blister pretty early on. Keeping straight on the trail was difficult as it was very windy so if you stopped to grab water or try to take a picture youd be pushed into the shores very quickly. I did not see or hear a single other person out there, which was exactly what I wanted. The remoteness, mild level of danger and the challenge all made it very appealing. There were definitely some incredibly peaceful moments out there where I would just stop paddling, relax and enjoy my surroundings. Despite being Florida in the middle of summer it was actually quite comfortable. It was a very cloudy day and there was an amazing breeze out there. I heard pig frogs, crickets and various birds I couldn't really identify. I also saw a lot of the common everglades birds like Blue Herons or Egrets. I was eagerly awaiting the halfway point to get a guage on my pace and how I'd fare overall on the trip. It was a bit more of a struggle than I was thinking it would be. I eventually made it to a platform which marked near to the halfway point. I didn't really want to dock considering the troubles I'd had at the trailhead and also knowing animals tend to love congregating around manmade structures. I oped to just stay in my kayak and keep going but it was cool to see something probably not a whole lot of people have seen.
Finishing up
The back half of the trail ended up being a very difficult paddle with not much to see. The wind had been at my back on the first half and now there were long stretches where I was paddling directly into the wind.
If I was fresh this would have been difficult enough but with my arms burning it was a real challenge. I eventually got through to the end in about 2 hours and 30 minutes.
The estimated time for the trail was 3-4 hours so they may have been a little generous there to make sure no one got caught out on the trail too late.
Overall it was an enjoyable experience and a great way to get out deep into the everglades pretty quickly.
