After
canoeing on the Shoal River from Hwy 90 to Hwy 85 we decided we
wanted to continue along the Shoal until it converges with the Yellow
River.
My
Dad wanted to go as well so on Sunday we loaded our canoe and kayaks
into the trailer and off we went.
We
met Dad at Bill Duggan, Jr Park on Hwy 85, which is where we pulled out last
time, and then took his truck to Little Gin Hole Landing on the
Yellow River, where we planned to end our trip.
We
parked his truck and then drove ours back to the park and set out on
our journey.
Under
the Hwy 85 bridge and into undeveloped, true Florida.
The
river was gorgeous and had just enough current to push us along so we
only had to paddle around some of the logs in the river.
Floating
down the river, with my Dad, husband and kids was amazing.
The
Island Girl took off ahead of us and as she came around a bend she
surprised a small group of wild hogs drinking from the river. They
saw her and took off through the woods making all kinds of racket.
You
can definitely tell the difference between a hog running through the
woods and a deer because deer can be very quiet – hogs however have
no sense of stealth whatsoever.
The
river was high so there weren't any sandbars to stop on and about
lunch time we decided we might be eating in the swamp with our boats
shoved up against a Cypress knee.
Which
is when we came around a bend and saw a pretty cool camp at the
river's edge.
And
just around the corner we saw this
There
were no No Trespassing signs so we pulled up and had lunch on the
picnic table.
There
was a well worn path between the picnic area and the camp just around
the bend so after lunch we followed it to get a better look.
I
would love to have a nice party spot right on the river like this. Because
we were on private property I didn't take pictures of the camp but it
was really cool and looked like the perfect spot for parties.
And
this bridge over the slough is exactly what we need over the creek at
Tower Camp.
After
lunch we got back on the river and continued our journey.
Well,
we were ready to continue on when the Island Girl leaned a little too
far over in her kayak and ended up in the river.
The
current immediately took the kayak so she was trying to catch it
while I scrambled for her paddle.
It
took us a minute but she caught the yak, I caught the paddle and she
was back in the boat, wet but laughing hysterically.
After
another hour or so of wilderness we came across a small group of fish
camps. Some of them are strictly camps but others are year round
homes.
About
four hours after we launched we reached the convergence where the
Shoal river flows into the Yellow river.
Everyone
else kept paddling but I sat for a while, watching the two rivers
merge.
Our
pull out spot was another tenth of a mile or so and when I finished
watching the rivers meet I paddled on down to join the rest of our
group and pull the boats out.
It
took us about 4 hours to ease down the river, really only needing to
paddle around some of the log jams.
Tired
but happy we loaded our boats and headed home.
Slowly
but surely we're meeting my goal of paddling the rivers in Northwest
Florida – one by one - section by section.
Labels: Done