[Paddlewise] Things to do

There are a few interesting water things going on in the corner of the
planet of interest to kayakers (besides the oil spill I mean. So far we are
unscathed and hundreds of miles away. But the news would make you think
every Florida beach is a hazmat site.) Since I have not seen anyone on
paddlewise mention them, I thought I should. In case anyone is looking for
something different for their next vacation.

First off, there's the Everglades Wilderness Waterway. Its a 99 mile (or
more) trail with any water sources. Paddle from Everglades City (FL west
coast) to Flamingo  (FL east coast). Most people do it in a week to 10 days.
Where to put your supply of water is the big problem. This trip is/can be
wholly within the Everglades National Park. They say:

All users should remember that it is a wilderness trail that should only be
used by experienced boaters.  It can be confusing and difficult to navigate
as the mazes of mangrove-lined creeks and bays all begin to look the
same. For more information, consult nautical charts and the parks Wilderness
Trip Planner<http://www.nps.gov/ever/planyourvisit/upload/WildernessTripPlanner.pdf>
.


Next, there are some impressive expedition-style races, the capper being a
race around FL. Yes, the WHOLE state. To accomplish that, you need to
portage 40 miles from the St. Mary's river to the Suwanee River in northern
Florida. The rest of the 1200 miles is on water. Feel free to paddle or
sail, so long as you can launch your boat yourself from above the high tide
line.
http://www.watertribe.com/


For more vacation-sounding opportunities, there's the Florida
Paddling Trails Assn who keeps track of the trails around Florida.
http://www.floridapaddlingtrails.com/

And for a really fun time, our local blueway - 190 miles of trails.
http://calusablueway.com/ and the associated paddling festival
http://www.calusabluewaypaddlingfestival.com/.


So, c'mon down and dip a paddle here. Lots going on!

Carey
***************************************************************************
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/
***************************************************************************