03/24/00 Paddling Suwannee State Park, North:
The Withlacoochee River flows into the Suwannee River a couple hundred feet downstream from the boat ramp in the Suwannee River State Park in Live Oak. It's about 75 feet wide at this point and very dark in color. A 1.0-1.5 knot current flowed southward as I headed northward.
Lots of floating plants came drifting downstream along with chunks of foam. This is indicative (to me) of some white water activity somewhere upstream.
Both banks are lined with limestone bluffs a little taller than those I encountered yesterday on the Suwannee. The eastern shore has the higher limestone bluffs while the western shore has more of a jumble of large limestone boulders.
45 minutes into the paddle I was blocked by shoals stretching across the river. I dunno what the difference is between a shoal and a rapid. I used to think shoals were shallow, rocky areas in places like the Keys. That's why they have shoal (shallow) draft sailboats. I powered up the shoals without too much trouble. At the top, the current seemed to be rushing down at 3+ knots because I just kinda sat there until I started paddling a little harder.
An hour into the paddle brought me to a small (CR 141) bridge over the river. Clustered on either side of the bridge were the first houses I'd seen on the river. The GPS showed I'd come 1.6 straight miles so far. I had the GPS out while I was in some current and it was kinda disheartening to see I was progressing at a speed of 0.0 when I was paddling my butt off. A little more effort got me past that stretch of fast water.
Up until this point the shores had been lined with mostly live oaks, a few maples and the occasional cypress. Red cedar like limestone so I assume there were some of those in there too that I didn't recognize them as such. I think a red cedar is a little like a cypress without the knubby knees and not quite so wide at the base.
The river narrowed some above the bridge and the limestone bluffs started to peter out as cypress trees became a little more abundant.
An hour and a half into the paddle another small set of rapids stretched across the river. Beyond them I could see a lot more white water. Maneuvering the 14 foot kayak through some rocks brought me to a couple of small funnels of water but there wasn't enough for me to get through.
A big oak was down on the left side, stretching out into the water. Ferrying over to that side I thought I might be able to paddle up under the trunk. Looking at it a little closer I realized if I didn't make it I'd be swept back down into the dead tree's branches. Not a good thing to have happen.
Half of the center of the rapids had small standing waves while the other half was fast moving current of 5-6 knots. I powered up through the smooth stuff and got to the last cushion made by the current flowing over a long rock or ledge when I ran out of steam. I almost got swept into the strainer when I let go and got swept back.
The only option left was to try to go up through the standing waves. I got up through them OK and found myself sitting on the cushion of water flowing over the ledge but not going anywhere. I was paddling as hard as I possibly could and then tried scooting forward with my butt on each stroke. That provided the little extra I needed to begin making progress. I only needed a few more scoots to make it over the cushion but I ran out of scoots and drifted back again.
While paddling onto the cushion, I had the distinct impression of paddling uphill. That brought to mind a story of a guy caught in a big whirlpool in Maine who paddled his way out of it. When asked about the experience he replied it wasn't too bad but he didn't much like paddling up hill. I don't know if that story is true or not.
So, I'm too old and feeble to paddle up through that little bitty piece of white water. The question then became, did I want to portage? Both shoulders have been broken at one time or another so portaging is not one of my favorite activities.
I pulled over to the shore and went up to scout what the next rapids looked like and what I could see of the river above them. After a few minutes of visualizing the line I'd try to take up through the second, and longer, set of rapids I realized I wouldn't be able to make it through them either.
Most of the shore was a limestone ledge so I picked the kayak up and walked the 50-75 feet past the first set and put the boat back in the water. It was only another couple hundred feet but I wasn't going to carry any farther than I had to. By the way, portage is a French word meaning "This sucks!".
I got out and carried another 100 feet until the bank became to steep to negotiate. I set the kayak down on the rocks, turned my back for a second and heard it slide off the rock into the water. Its momentum took it across a small pool but the current soon caught it and started pushing it towards a funnel.
The next thing I know, I'm in the funnel up to my waist in 5-6 knot water waiting for the kayak to come down towards me. There was enough room so I wouldn't have to worry about the kayaking catching me and sweeping me between a rock and a hard place. I caught the bow and let the current sweep the stern past me and dragged it into shore.
I got in and paddled past the little pool and the steep bank. Now I had the option of portaging a third time or trying to power my way around a small point. The water was really moving around the point and if I failed to make it I'd be swept down stream. So, displaying lots of experience, maturity and common sense, I picked the boat up and carried the last few feet to calmer, but still fast moving water. I sure hoped all that effort was going to be worth it.
Above the rapids the limestone pretty much gave out for a while and more cypress appeared. Lots of black turtles sunned themselves but very little other wildlife. Some ducks, a couple of kingfishers and that was about it.
Little purple blossoms came floating down stream and I felt as if someone up there was throwing little flower petals in the water so I'd have an even prettier paddle. Soon I could see a good deal of purple Wisteria vines climbing up the hills and up several of the oaks. It's springtime in Florida.
Around noon I was half way up another stretch of fast moving water when I decided it was time for lunch and stopped paddling. I let the current sweep me back while I ate.
Later, on the way back and rounding a bend I could hear the rapids ahead. My only concern was getting caught in the strainer so I edged my way into the middle of the river. Back paddling to slow myself down I picked out a line to follow and got down with no problem. I did neglect to put the PFD and spray skirt on. So much for experience, maturity and common sense. Going through some 1 foot standing waves I got a little water on the seat but that was it.
03/26/00 Paddling From FL-6:
Saturday, the 25th I met Sandy and Marinell from Miami down near Mayo. We put in from the boat ramp by the SR 51 bridge crossing the Suwannee River.
We got there just as 5 canoes, each with a young couple and loaded to the gunnels with gear were launching. They probably could have been heard two counties away. We paddled upstream for a ways, the opposite direction in we really wanted to go, to give them a head start. We eventually caught up with them as they were swimming and making more noise than ever so we passed them and kept going.
The Suwannee River at this point is 150 feet wide with a 0.5-1.0 knot current. The 5-10 foot banks support mostly oak trees with little limestone formations in evidence. The remainder of the paddle down to Jim Hollis' Suwannee Rendezvous, 5-6 miles away was quiet but enjoyable.
Today, Sandy and Marinell drove up to my campgrounds and accepted my suggestion of paddling down the Withlacoochee River. We drove up to a canoe put in at the SR 6 bridge across the Withlacoochee but it was an outfitter closed and locked for the season. A lady saw us and stopped to give directions to a boat ramp a little farther down the river.
As we set up to launch, a half dozen canoes came down river and I thought, here we go again. As it turns out they were a church group that had camped up stream a short ways and were continuing on to the State Park.
We launched into a pretty strong current on the 75 foot wide river. As soon as we got on the water I got the GPS out and just drifted for a while. It registered a speed between 1.5-2.5 with a small tail wind. It also showed we had 6.25 miles in a straight line to the take out. A guide book the ladies had said 12.5 river miles.
This part of the Withlacoochee had mostly 5-10 foot banks with mostly oaks, some really large, and some cypress with a few palmettos scattered here and there. We found one small spring along the way and enjoyed the paddle until we got to the rapids I'd encountered the other day.
After explaining the situation to them I told Sandy and Marinell we could portage if they didn't feel comfortable going down 150 feet of small standing waves and fast water. Marinell asked if she would die. When I said no, she said "Let's do it!" Cool.
I went down first and swept into an eddy behind a large rock and got the camera out. Marinell came down with eyes big and round but did a good job and headed into shore. Sandy came down and followed the same path with no problem.
I set off for a second little set of rapids and got myself hung up on a rock. Just placing the paddle blade out in the current was enough to pull me off the rock and back into the water. Marinell and Sandy stayed a little more to the right and had no difficulty at all.
A little farther on the sky darkened, the rain started and some really long boomers (thunder) could be heard not too far away. Jagged streaks of lightning could be seen down river. This went on for the remainder of the trip but didn't diminish the trip in any way.