> On Feb 2, 2005, at 9:29 AM, <Rick.Sylvia_at_ferguson.com> wrote: >> The point I want to emphasize is "PERSPECTIVE". . . . . . . I feel a need to add to what Rick says about the difference in perspective with respect to "wilderness". Rick makes much of the difficulty in the east of finding a place to get ashore and/or a place where it is possible to pitch a tent. He is right. It is even worse in my area on the rivers and lakes because they are mostly surrounded by marshes or cypress swamps and any opportunity to exit the boat even to pee is very rare indeed. I live on the gulf coast of North Florida in its least populous area. This is quite probably the least populous coastal area in the entire eastern United States. It is pristine and beautiful precisely because it is carefully protected. The nearest part is a stretch of coastline about 50 miles long that belongs to the St. Marks National Wildlife refuge. ABSOLUTELY NO CAMPING IS PERMITTED. Adjacent to that is a 100 mile stretch that has recently come under the control of Florida Fish and Wildlife and has been designated as the Big Bend Saltwater Paddling Trail. This too is pristine and almost completely unpopulated. Camping is only permitted by long-term advance registration and only in 4 specific and tiny designated sites along the 100 mile trail, (many years ago these were among my 'secret' places). NO OTHER CAMPING PERMITTED. To the west is a string of barrier islands about 80 miles long. The first of these is owned by the Nature Conservancy and NO CAMPING IS PERMITTED. There are state park sites on two other islands and one private campground on the mainland. NO OTHER CAMPING IS PERMITTED. Yes there are a couple of "secret" spots that I would not share publicly but for different reasons than those expressed by you folks from the Pacific Northwest, BC and Alaska. You do not camp in these places without your bivy tent and camo netting nor do you make a fire. You have to plan to arrive to make camp after sunset and plan to depart at or before sunrise. If caught camping in these places your only hope of avoiding arrest or a hefty fine is that a claim of "paddler in distress" will be believed. Even by stealth there is absolutely no place remaining that would lead any rational person to feel that he/she had 'discovered' it in the sense apparently meant by you Northwesterners. I must always be satisfied with a "thrill of discovery" based on the fact that it is the first time I have personally found a particular feature or location even though the fire ring and beer cans make it absolutely clear that I am not only not the first but perhaps number 10,000 or worse. I find that I can. As to "Guidebooks", I have never seen one that I liked and, for this area, (with one recent exception), never found one that was in the least useful. I like most anything that can fairly be called "nature writing" but can't tolerate the introspective or spiritual epiphany nonsense. Cheers, Michael in Tallahassee *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Wed Feb 02 2005 - 08:50:23 PST
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