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Why Paddle The Turner River? The Turner River is unlike anything seen in the north. For much of its length, the only navigable water is very narrow and constricted, almost claustrophobic. Saw grass and mangroves push in from all sides, often making it difficult to identify the path of the river. As you approach the Gulf of Mexico and the 10,000 Islands, the river widens and mangroves give way to saw grass as far as the eye can see. The big reason for paddling this river however, is the chance to find and paddle through its miles of mangrove tunnels. Mangrove tunnels are formed when the mangrove trees growing on each side of the river crowd the main channel, growing over the top and closing it in. Some of these tunnels are so narrow and so low that the only way through is to drop your paddle and pull yourself, hand over hand. If you watch the movie below, you will see that video shot in the tunnels is often jumpy. This is because I had to shoot footage with one hand while trying to pull myself through the tunnel with the other. And, of course, the Turner is a river with currents and tides to contend with.  Paddling the Turner There are several ways to do the Turner River, south of Route 41 (the Tamiami Trail). The most common and easiest to arrange as a day trip is the Halfway Creek, Left-hand Turner Loop. This starts from the boat ramp at the Everglades National Park visitor’s center in Everglades City, and loops up Halfway Creek, connecting with the left-hand branch of the Turner River. The advantage of this trail is that you can begin and end in Everglades City. We were not able to take this trail, however. A hurricane passing through the previous fall had knocked down many trees which were now blocking the path through this river trail. So, the National Park Service recommended that we paddle the Turner from a ramp just north of Route 41, south through the Mangrove tunnels to Chokoloskee Island, which is just south of Everglades City. To do this, we needed to arrange to have our van and trailer ferried back to Everglades City sometime after our launch and before our arrival at Chokoloskee Island. This we did through an outfitter that works out of Ivy House in Everglades City (Everglades Adventures) According to Jeff Ripple’s book, Day Paddling Florida’s 10,000 Islands and Big Cypress Swamp, the distance from our put-in to Chokoloski Island is about 7.5 miles and should take 5 to 6 hours. It actually took us 7 hours, during which time we were unable to get out of our boats to relieve ourselves or stretch. One of the things we didn’t count on was the lack of shallow spots to pull a boat ashore and stretch. You can’t get out on mangrove roots and the saw grass was eight feet high right to the river’s edge. Where there were banks, they were steep. The few shallow spots we saw headed back into the swamp. They were muddy alligator tracks that no one wanted to chance. There are about 4 miles of mangrove tunnels along this route, which is why it takes so long to paddle this stretch of river. The first couple of miles of tunnels were quite novel. The third mile was interesting. By the fourth mile, we were wondering whether we would ever escape from them! We rafted up for lunch just before entering the first tunnel. Everyone stretched as best they could. By the time we got to the saw grass in the lower river, conversation had turned to estimates of how long it would be till we got to Smallwood’s Store on Chokoloskee Island, were there bathrooms there (yes) and discussions of various ways to relieve one’s self while still in your kayak. Was it Worth Doing? Was it worth doing? Overall, the answer is “Yes”, it’s worth doing at least once. The river itself, from the narrow, claustrophobic upper section to the broad open lower section is very different from anything I have experienced anywhere else. And of course, the mangrove tunnels are an experience in and of themselves. But there were disappointments. First, there was a surprising lack of wildlife. We did see a few birds, but no alligators, other reptiles or fish. From conversations with others who have done this trip I know this is not always the case. Second, the lack of spots to pull out was a problem that was good from a learning perspective, but also difficult. Had we known about this, we might have been better prepared, especially in dealing with the bathroom problem. If I was to think about this trip again, I would definitely do the Halfway Creek, Left-hand Turner Loop trip instead of this one.  Trip Data: • Put-in: Route 41, the Tamiami Trail • Estimated Distance: 7.5 Miles • Estimated Time: 5-6 hours • Actual Time: 7.0-7.5 hours • Considerations: Lack of places to pull-out, toileting References and Contacts: • Day Paddling Florida’s 10,000 Islands and Big Cypress Swamp, by Jeff Ripple, Back Country Press, ©2003 • Everglades Adventures http://www.evergladesadventures.com/).http://www.evergladesadventures.com/shapeimage_1_link_0shapeimage_1_link_1

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Paddling the Turner River, Everglades National Park

 
 
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