Everglades

Hiking Florida – Flamingo, Everglades National Park

By | Florida, Hiking, Nature Experience | 2 Comments

Hiking Flamingo Trail in the Everglades National Park

One Thanksgiving, when I was visiting my family in South East Florida, I decided I would make a side trip and head down to Flamingo in the Everglades National Park. The last time I had been to the park was when I was a small child. So knowing I would be moving to the Pacific Northwest soon, I wanted to check things out one last time while it was still convenient.

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Swamp Walk – Gator Hook Trail, Everglades, FL

By | Florida, Hiking, Nature Experience, Swamp Walk | 7 Comments

Swamp Walk – Gator Hook Trail, Everglades, FL

Coming off my high from the swamp walk I had the week before at Sweetwater Strand. I decided I would do a mix hike/swamp walk and tackle the infamous Gator Hook Trail out on Loop Road. This roughly five mile trek can be either adventurous or very adventurous depending on how “deep” you want to get. I was all geared up for the long haul, so extra deep it is.

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Kayaking Florida – Blackwater River, Collier-Seminole State Park

By | Florida, Kayaking, Nature Experience | 2 Comments

Kayaking Blackwater River - Collier-Seminole State Park

As a child, I remember my family taking me to Collier Seminole State Park on a few occasions. One visit my Father rented a canoe and we paddled down Blackwater River as far as Mud Bay before it was time to turn around. That was so long ago, so I don’t really remember much past that.

Here is what one of the park websites have to say about the State Park:

“The park overlaps the northern edge of the great mangrove swamp of southwestern Florida, and the southern edge of the Big Cypress Swamp. The park is the meeting place of the land and the sea, fresh water and salt water, and tropical and temperate zone vegetation. Because of this blending, a great diversity of plants and interesting wildlife are found here.”
– www.explorenaples.com

Having already documented the parks three walking trails, I figured it was about time to load up the yak and see how the ole canoe trail was holding up.

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Canoeing Florida – Turner River, Everglades

By | Florida, Kayaking, Nature Experience | No Comments

Canoeing down the Turner River in the Florida Everglades

If you have lived any portion of your life in Florida, chances are you have been canoeing or kayaking. It is without a doubt on of the most relaxing and rewarding ways to get in touch with mother nature. The ability to to work as a team and slip stealthy down the waterway brings all of your surroundings that much closer.

I grew up as a Boy Scout, attended summer camps (focusing on nature and marine biology), and even has a family who demanded every Sunday be…well…family day. And those days were usually spent exploring the vast wildernesses of Florida. Needless to say, I have done my fair share of canoeing. However, it had been far too long since my last dip into the Florida streams.

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