Pelican Island is the first and oldest national wildlife refuge in the US.  Established in the early 20th Century by President Theodore Roosevelt, Pelican Island became the model on which other national wildlife refuges were built. 

On this day I was to meet Steve Cox who, with his wife Rhonda, owns and operates Adventure Kayaking out of Vero Beach.  Our meeting point was to be about a mile south of the north entrance to the north Jungle Trail that runs through the refuge.  The Jungle Trail can be found off of the Wabasso Road, east of the Wabasso Causeway.  (The Wabasso Road has several names; CR 90, SR 510 as well as Wabasso Road.)  Or you can continue past the south entrance of the north Jungle Trail to Route A1A, turn left and drive for about four miles to the north entrance, then head south to the meet-up spot.  Sound confusing?  Well I thought so, and of course, I got lost.  After about twenty minutes of frustration, two calls to the Adventure Kayaking office and Rhonda got me back on track.  

The put-in is easy to miss.  It is a small opening in the brush that edges the water along the Jungle Trail, with a very limited parking area.  Steve pointed out a landmark that you can’t miss from the road or the water.  The put-in is in a stand of Australian Pines, a tall non-native (a.k.a. invasive) tree that was brought into Florida many years ago.  Because the small piece of land where the launch is located is on private property, the trees have not been removed.  However, the wildlife refuge is trying to get title to the property, so the trees may soon be gone. 

The put-in was easy.  Steve led me out into the area behind Roosevelt Island.  We headed north then west toward Pelican.  We skirted Pelican Island where we observed a flock of endangered White Pelicans.  Then we headed southwest toward Paul’s Island, paddling along the east shore and deep into a

shallow bay where we observed some pre-historic looking Wood Storks.  We continued along Paul’s Island until we were able to slip through the passage between Paul’s and Middle Island and paddle along the west side of Nelson Island.  We passed another very deep bay with lots of bird life.  But Steve said that it was very shallow at this stage of the tide, and in fact I saw a Great Blue Heron standing ankle deep in water at the back of the bay.

I’m not sure of our exact route back.  The map shows a route that took us around Nelson Island, between Nelson and Horseshoe.  However, the route could have taken us beyond Nelson, along Horseshoe to pass between Horseshoe and Plug Island, toward David Island, then north to our put-in. 

While we were paddling and enjoying the birds and scenery, a head wind began to build until on the way back it was a real blow of twenty to twenty-five miles per hour.  But we didn’t have far to go, so it just added to the enjoyment of the day.  Soon the Australian Pines appeared and we knew we were almost home. 

Steve’s extensive knowledge of the area allowed him to adjust our route to accommo-date for the conditions.  He said that on days when the wind is plowing as it was at the end of the trip, he leads the group one way, south to the Wabasso Causeway where he arranges for a shuttle to pick up the boats and passengers.  This could easily be done by two people, each with a car and two kayak racks on top.  Also, the causeway can be used as a launch point with the paddlers returning to the causeway.  I was told that bird watching at Pelican Island will only get better as migrating birds return from their summer nesting areas.  Paddlers should know that the area is shallow with depths of 18 inches not uncommon.  I would recommend this paddle to anyone with even modest paddling skills.

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