What time is high/low tide
Are you launching at a mud flat - if so, pick as close to high tide as you can get

What way is the wind blowing?

How does that factor in with what the tide is doing?

If you will arrive at your campsite close to low tide - will you be able to land?  Some areas are only accessible at higher tides

Is it a full moon or close to it? This will make low tides lower and high tides higher

First 10,000 Islands/Everglades Sea Kayaking Trip  Nov 10-12th - Two Nights on Tiger Key
We arrived in Everglades City and prepared for our 11am launch.  We have Nigel Dennis Sea Kayaks, (From Sea Kayaking UK in Wales) Betsie Bay Greenland Paddles (Made of beautiful wood, by Al Anderson in Frankfort, MI) all of our camping gear and food and water go in the watertight hatches, safety gear, first aid, and more in our day hatches.  The sea kayaks we use are fairly stable boats for an experienced kayaker.  If you are brand new to kayaking, or carry a lot of weight up high on your torso, a wider boat may be a better choice for you.  We do have some of those kayaks, but they are not on this particular trip.

So how does a fully loaded sea kayak ride compared to its empty counterpart?  Because of the additional weight, the kayak rides lower in the water than usual.  This creates more friction and thus more effort to paddle.  So if you typically can paddle an unloaded kayak 5 miles easily, you will certainly notice that those 5 miles become increasingly more difficult, as the weight you carry increases.  In the Everglades, there is no fresh water source, so we must carry water for drinking, cooking, or any other needs.  The Park Service recommends one gallon of water per person per day. Longer trips entail quite a bit of water, thus quite a bit of additional weight.  

On the positive side, additional weight, further increases initial stability - so a kayak that might seem a little "tippy" to you empty, might seem quite stable when loaded correctly.  How you load your gear in your kayak can make or break your trip.  A properly trimmed kayak will handle quite well, improperly trimmed, may be hard to paddle, plow thru the water, or be completely unmanageable. 

So high tide for Chokoloskee was predicted to arrive at 12:26.  Marine forecast was 2-3 feet, with bay and inland waters light chop.  Winds 10-15 knots were the biggest concerns, paddling into the wind over these open areas could be brutal at times- our route to Tiger Key was picked based on what the tides and winds were doing.  If we took the back route, through West Pass, we could be spared some of the wind if we hugged the shore, but we had a fair chance of getting the wind in our face a good portion of the way - so we headed out Indian Key Pass, a straightforward route, clearly marked until we reached the Gulf of Mexico.

We started out across the bay, since it was close to high tide, we were able to make a diagonal short cut- at low tide, much of this Bay was impassible, even in kayak due to oyster bars - which can cut thru kayaks and make your life pretty unpleasant.  Entering the pass - there were no motor boats, other that one commercial pontoon boat, for the Everglades National Park.  As we paddled out into the pass, tide was coming in so by hugging the mangroves to the south as much as possible, we were able to avoid the worst of the tidal current.  The wind at our backs helped greatly as we progressed slowly, about 1 mile per hour (with breaks) as we approached the mouth of the channel out to the Gulf, the opening scenery was impressive.  The whole mysterious world of the Everglades was opening right before us. This beautiful blue expanse of water and sky would be our home for the next three days.

As there are always a myriad of ways to exit this mangrove area out to the Gulf, we decided to head out, passing in between the Stop Keys before turning towards Tiger.  As we approached these two small keys, a pelican flew by and dropped into the water 30 feet from our kayaks and started to fish.  Then another pelican came, then a few more.  The feeding frenzy began and the pelicans were gorging themselves.  And we were right in the middle of it!  The continued splashing encouraged even more pelican's to join in and soon we were completely surrounded by this raucous fishing extravaganza.  Not wanting to accidently intersect with a Pelican - or get between one and its dinner- we decided to continue on.  Bill spotted a manatee, just lifting its head out of the water for a breath - then it quickly submerged again and was gone. Since the wind was pushing us rather quickly, it was difficult to judge where it had come up as we were blown in its general direction, so we gave wide berth and headed in between the Stop Keys to Picnic Key for a quick stop, leg stretch, and a stop at the port-o-let. 

Back in the kayaks and to Tiger Key we went.  There is a resident Osprey that lives on the edge of Tiger, has its nest in a dead tree visible from Picnic - we could see it and even more excitingly, hear the Osprey as we launched back into the water off the sandy beach.  We passed the nest and saw both Osprey there, certainly giving us a warning look at letting us know that they knew we were there.  Such beautiful birds and such a sorrowful call.

Rounding Tiger, as the tide was running out again, we could see shallow oyster bars start to emerge. The back side of Tiger has a larger round beach, which provides much more room at high tide, than the Gulf facing beach of Tiger.  These two sides of the key are separated by gnarled Red and Black mangrove, downed trees and other hazards that make getting from one to the other almost impossible- so the beach you pick, will be the one you spend most of your time at, unless you get in your kayak and paddle to the other side. There is a small portion of the Gulf facing beach adjacent to our camping area, so we are lucky to have both options. 

Landing on soft white sandy beach, we easily exited the kayaks and made our way to shore.  Bill picked out his tent site, closer to the mangroves, which would provide some nice afternoon shade.  I elected a more exposed area, mid-island, for its promise of windier, less buggy conditions.  Generally when Island camping in the Everglades or 10,000 islands, the mosquitoes and no-see-ums emerge, around dusk and dawn.  The best strategy I have come up with is simply to wear breathable fabric that is lightweight, yet loose so they can't get a bite at you. Socks and hats help greatly too.  Or you can hang in your tent for that hour - I love the clothing option because I can stay outside and keep enjoying the tropical beauty of this place.  I also do not care for bug spray/deet - so a nice alternative.   Another thing that helps keep bug nuisance to a minimum is camping where there is prolonged steady breeze, so paying attention to the wind direction should be a factor in choosing which side of a key to camp on.

We unloaded our kayaks, putting most of our gear into duffle bags we stored in hatches. Dual purpose, this alleviates many trips back and forth from your tent site to your kayak and back again, it also keeps your dry bags out of the sand - which will minimize the amount of that white gritty stuff in your tent.  An everlasting battle, I am afraid.

Once the tents are up, and gear is stowed, we survey our home for the next few days. Walking the beach, looking at shells, our feet sink into the wet sand 3-4 inches.  Since the tide will be coming back up again later, we move our kayaks to higher ground.  Food and water is left inside the sealed hatches, otherwise raccoons will make off with anything that you leave out. They will come in to your tent, even when you are there, to get food and water. 

Since there is no fresh water out here, water is at a premium.  Raccoons out here get about 30% of their daily water requirement from eating oysters and clams.  They have the ability to swim between keys or at low tide, can sometimes even walk.  Allowing them to get your food or water, even accidently, encourages them to remain out here.  The more serious downside of this is that the raccoons will eat Sea Turtle Eggs - which was not so much of a problem before canoeists, kayakers, and other small craft started coming out and sloppily leaving scraps of food, or accidently leaving things where foraging rascals would get lucky. This type of tourism has hurt the Sea Turtle Population - maybe inadvertently, but a fact all the same.  So do your part and keep your food and water secure at all times.

Dinner is in short order, and we set up below tide to cook our meals.  We spot a dolphin hunting in our little bay and mullet jump - whether from joy or in order to escape, it is not known.  The water churns, plovers skirt the beach, flocked together like individual units of some bigger force, and the white egrets begin to collect in our lagoon for their dinner fishing party.  As the sun sets, we finish our meal, and head to bead early.  it has been a long day and we are tired. Fresh air, sunshine, nature - it is a change of pace from Chicago - one that we welcome. 

As dawn breaks, the hiss of my stove heating up water for my tea is the only noise that can be heard.  It always reassures me for some reason, the promise of a hot beverage, soothing and familiar where ever I go.  As the sun comes over the horizon, I sit in my Crazy Creek Chair and watch the wild come to life.  Birds are hunting, crabs are scuttling about, the color of the water and contrasting mangrove and sky all dazzle me.  I am on vacation - relaxed, all problems are forgotten, and no world exists for me, except this one I am in right now.

We breakfast and head out for a day of paddling. We plan to head in a general northwesterly direction, stopping by Camp Lulu , crossing the Fakahatchee Pass, and ending up at Panther Key for lunch.  Total expect miles round trip in the neighborhood of 8-9 miles depending on the route we would take, and the stops we would make.

There are a few nice beaches for camping on Lulu. One was visible from our site on Tiger, a good size stretch of land, but weedier and more overgrown than the other two.  the second, a long narrow beach, which could accommodate many a camper, with a multitude of shade options, or places to hang clothing to dry, this faced the Gulf and West Pass.  This beach would provide the most walkable space at high tide and the most exposure to the wind off the Gulf.  The third beach, is around the back, north side of Lulu, similar to our camp at Tiger. This was a circular area of beach, that had creepers crossing white fluffy sand and deep water access at any tide.  The downside is that if you have launched from Everglades City, this last beach is almost an additional mile of paddling, maybe more so at low tide, to reach the north end of Lulu.  On a windy day, fighting the current, this might make you vie for one of the closer beaches.  Additionally, if you are camping on this and the weather takes a turn for the worse, you have to paddle out into the Gulf to get back into the protection of West Pass, so that might be a consideration, depending on your skills and that of your paddling partners. The upside, I think, is that it is one of the prettiest campsites in the Glades area.

As we head past the first two beaches and proceed around back, to the north campsite we spot a dolphin hunting. It is moving more quickly than the others we had seen so far on this trip, old scars visible on its fin.  We wonder if it had been a shark encounter that caused those scars. We sit drifting in our boats, watching the story unfold.  Each time we have an encounter with a dolphin it is magical.  It usually only lasts for a few minutes, but we watch in awe at the speed and agility of these magnificent creatures.

Pushing on to Panther, means crossing the Fakahatchee Pass - about 2.5 miles from where we are know, we will pass in front of a collection of mangrove islands and then about 1 mile of open waters at the pass, then hit Panther square on.  The wind today is still out of the Northeast, so the wind and tide will be fighting one another inside the pass, making for choppier waters than we are encountering elsewhere along our paddle.  We look forward to the challenge - the waves are choppy but are consistently from one side and are fun to play in as we paddle along. There is very little boat traffic- we only see two fishing boats, and that is the extent of our human company out here.  According to our Nautical Charts, the designated campsite for Panther should be right in front of us, but when we land, to our dismay there are signs noting that this is a Wildlife Refuge and all unauthorized entry is forbidden.  We reenter our kayaks and paddle off around to the other side, where no such signs can be found.  We stop to have lunch, rest, walk the beach, look for sea shells, and take photos.  Joe, one of our club members who has been deployed to Iraq, is not able to come to FL so I pick out a few shells to send him.  Sand and all!

Panther Key is known in local history as the last home of Juan Gomez.  He was said to have lived to be 122 years old and lived out his last days here.  Though he was a pirate, sailor, farmer, fisherman, this Key was named after his experience raising goats, local panther's swam to his key and ate them, so that was the end of the goats!   Departing from Panther, we head back home to Tiger. The clouds are forming in the North and moving quickly our way.  Best to be back safe and sound, even though the forecast wasn't calling for storms, after all, it is only a forecast. 

Returning the way we came, we encounter no problems, just windy conditions and beautiful sun and sky.  The moon starts to rise as we land on Tiger and pull our kayaks up on to the beach.  Making sure you kayak is really high above the high tide mark is one of the more important lessons you should take with you - otherwise you might not have a kayak to get home!

Usually the first thing we do upon landing is take off wet pfd's, spray skirts, shirts, shorts, and hang them to dry. Here is a picture of a typical drying rack.  No need for the Maytag man.  If you leave your clothing out all night, the heavy dew will make it wetter than when you took it off!

Dinner on the beach again, watching the day finish itself out.  The egrets who fish near our camp fly across the small bay to roost for the night.  Everything quiets down, the light starts to fade, the stars appear and the silence.  Wonderful silence dotted with the occasional mullet jumping or  lone bird calling out.  We crawled into our tents, reading, journaling and drifting off to the slight sound of waves and the tropical breeze lulls you to sleep.