DAY 1- FLAMINGO TO MIDDLE CAPE

I left Ft. Lauderdale with my friend Dee. We took my car and all the gear, water, and food that I would need for a week. We loaded my Dagger Atlantis to the max. I had gear in dry bags both on the bow and stern strapped to the hull. The kayak was very heavy, I’d say around 140 pounds. Since all the water in the backcountry is either saltwater or a brackish salt/freshwater mix, I needed to carry all my freshwater for the week. 40 pounds of weight was fresh water alone packed in various collapsible bags.

I knew as the week went along that the load weight would drop significantly and that I would have easier maneuverability. I was using a new 230 cm Werner fiberglass paddle. I hadn’t had a chance to test it before the trip and it was extremely lightweight. There was another kayaker from South Carolina who was also making the trip to Everglades City. He was staying at Clubhouse Beach for the evening. We weren’t able to do any paddling together since he was going to hang around Flamingo for a couple of hours.

We pulled the kayak down to the ramp at Flamingo and at 12:30 PM I was on the water. I paddled west steadily towards East Cape. The weather was warm, but the winds were mild, and Florida Bay was smooth. There was a group of several canoers paddling east towards Flamingo.

I cut into the channel that takes me north into Lake Ingraham. The tide was coming in and I just let it carry me up into the Lake. Once inside Lake Ingraham, I had to closely follow the channel markers since the lake is very shallow. It took me a good hour of steady paddling to get to the north end of the lake.

Finally I was out on the Gulf of Mexico. It was suggested that I stay at a campsite right at the mouth of the Gulf, but I decided to paddle south to Middle Cape-my first campsite for the week.

A thick forest of trees cleared and I was able to land my kayak on a beach that was about 20 yards wide. I had paddled for 5 hours and it was an hour before the 6:30 PM sunset when I landed. I found a tree to hang my portable hammock. I quickly set up my tent and settled into camp for the night

There was lots and lots of driftwood on the beach, so what better thing to do then to make a fire? I used my propane stove to quick start the fire and I prepared a dinner of freeze dried beef stroganoff. Food tastes so much better when I’m hungry and in the wilderness.

I watched a blasé sunset (by Gulf of Mexico standards) then crashed in my tent at 7 PM. Around midnight I awoke and tried to sleep in the hammock. The mosquitoes were thick. I put a bug net around my head and settled into my mummy bag. Mosquitoes managed to sneak inside the bag and soon after I was back in my tent.