Suwannee Deamin'
The Suwannee River has always been something I have personally went after. It all started when I was in 7th grade, my dad was in a nursing home, and I purchased my first kayak. I don't know why I have always liked paddle sports, but it has just always been something I have enjoyed. Maybe it's because during hard times I can browse the internet and "escape" my situation by planning trips and picking out gear.
ANYWAYS, this weekend my lovely wife and I embarked on our first ever overnight trip on our paddle boards. The plan was to put it at the Suwannee River Rendezvous, overnight at Adams Tract River Camp, and Take out at Patrician Oaks.
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| This is what 2 days of non refrigerated food looks like....yum! |
Arriving at our put-in spot, I was unsure how our new boards would paddle fully loaded with gear. Unlike our tandem kayak which can easily hold 650lbs of gear, these boards were a bit more tippy and could only hold a fraction of the weight.
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| It Floats! |
The springs in this section of the river were the saving grace to the hot June sun. Our first day consisted of Convict, Royal and Mearson springs. Their 72 degree chill made this section of river!
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Royal Spring.....notice the jumping platform.
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| Mearson was small but beautiful. |
One thing about this trip that had been different from other Suwannee river trips for me is the pace we took. Because I didn't know what to expect with the performance of the boards, I only planned on doing 7 miles of paddling each day, which considering the current of the river is NOTHING. Liz and I had to WORK at going slow and not getting to our camp site too quickly..
The Florida State Parks system has set up 5 river camps along the upper Suwannee that consist of five screened-in platforms with fans/electricity, showers potable water, fire rings, boat racks, hammock hanging hooks, etc....they are luxury and spaced about a days paddle apart.
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| Luxury by camping standards |
We had the whole camp all to ourselves....there wasn't even a camp host there (a first for me).
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| our first freeze dried meal...not bad! |
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| Day 1 GPS log |
Day 2 had up starting with a 2.5 paddle to Troy Springs, which is my favorite spring in Florida. At nearly 70 feet deep, it is a bit overwhelming.
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Troy Springs
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| Day 2 GPS log |
Overall I would do this section of the Suwannee again in a heartbeat. While the upper sections are more scenic and secluded, the springs in this portion of the river make this a must do for any summer paddling trip.
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