DAY 3-HARNEY RIVER CHICKEE TO HIGHLAND BEACH

Today was a VERY interesting day. One of my favorite things to do while camping is sleeping (as David McNeely can attest). High tide wasn’t expected till around noon, and that would accomplish two things. Number one it would allow much appreciated snooze and two it would gain me access into “The Nightmare”.

There are some pretty intimidating names for waterways in the Everglades--Lost Man’s Bay, Alligator Creek, and the most notorious of them all THE NIGHTMARE. This is an inland water route that is about 8 miles in length and accessible only at high tide. If you miscalculate the tides, you could be high and dry, and in company with the beasts of the Everglades: the famous Florida Alligator.

Now anyone who knows me knows that I’m a little crazy, but stupid I am not. It took me all night to psyche myself up for this part of the trip. Since I was traveling solo, I don’t try anything that would expose me to danger, but this would be tricky. I hadn’t seen anyone in over 12 hours and I was going even deeper into the Everglades. GASP!

I lazed around the chickee all morning waiting for high tide. Then I hit the water. The entrance to the Nightmare was wide and all was well in the world. About a mile in I came upon a thick mangrove tunnel. The creek squeezed tighter. Mosquitoes were thick so I kept my forward velocity up to a high speed. Mosquitoes can’t land if you move quick enough.

The creek opened up again and I was able to see sunlight once again. I followed the Wilderness Waterway markers. Here’s where things changed. After passing marker 21, I headed north into the next part of the creek. I paddled into a dead end, backed up, and traveled up a creek that was nearby. Same thing happened. The trail dead ended. I was unable to traverse the entire route of the Nightmare.

I backtracked to marker 21 and headed towards the Gulf on a creek just north of Broad Creek. The Gulf opened up. Whew that was fun!

A quick jaunt across the mouths of the Broad and Rodger’s River and I was on Highland Beach. Camped out on the high ground were a group of 8 campers in 4 canoes. I had seen them in Florida Bay 2 days earlier. They were all lounging on the beach.

I came to a bend on the beach and continued north away from the group. First thing I noticed on Highland Beach were hundreds of Horseshoe Crabs in the surf. Mating season was happening and crab l’amour was in the air. A couple of very healthy raccoons were eating a couple of the crabs that got turned upside down. The cycle of life.

I set up camp on the slightly uneven beach. I dug out a level spot for my tent, and settled in for the evening. I had a front row seat for a spectacular sunset that I photographed extensively. The wind was moderate and I was in my tent by 7:30 PM. A late night tonite!

There was a dead calm during the night. I was awoken at 3 AM to what sounded like a storm off to the west. I unzipped the tent and went outside get the rain fly. What I saw was that the tide--which earlier was 10 yards from my tent--had moved out a good 50 yards off the beach. What I heard wasn’t rain, but the sound of the tide coming in. It was a very neat experience.