Paddling the Ochlockonee River

Friday, February 2, 2024

Hi Blog!

Hooray! It's going to be an early Spring according to Punxsutawney Phil. Good thing, because we are really tired of all the cold fronts making their way down to Florida. Today started cold, but was expected to warm up after lunch. We drove over to St. Mark's Wildlife Refuge to gather maps and information on a possible hike or bike. More on that in a future blog.

When we returned to camp, the temperature had warmed up considerably. After a quick lunch and Ruby Walk, we took the kayaks over to the boat launch and began our paddle on a side channel of the Ochlockonee ("o-KLOK-nee") River.

The Ochlockonee River is a fast running river originating in Georgia and flowing for 206 miles before terminating in Ochlockonee Bay. We are camped only a few miles from the bay as the crow flies, so this section of the river is tidal.

We started our paddle on a side channel that parallels the main part of the river. We started just after low tide. With a rising tide, we were pretty confident we wouldn't get stuck in the muck. However, this meant we would have to paddle into the rising tide. Better to work a little harder than to be stuck and have to wait hours for the tide to turn.

We passed just a few old residences that have now become ranger housing. There were a few old docks dotting the shoreline.

The side channel was narrow enough that we could explore both sides.

As we turned a corner, the wind died down. The calm water reflected the blue sky above. We almost didn't want to paddle and spoil the silky surface of the water.

Around the next bend, we startled this Great White Heron.

While not thrilled with us being there, it did stop along the bank to pose for a reluctant photo.

We saw several mullet jumping out of the water. Mullet have an organ at the back of their throat which allows them to take in oxygen directly from the air. This is a particularly helpful strategy if you live in water with low oxygen content like the back channels of the Ochlockonee River.

This bald cypress seems to be walking right out into the river.

We spotted a kingfisher working the river, but it flew off before we could get a good photos. Instead, we got this really cool reflection.

We marveled at how lucky we were to be able to just glide through this landscape.

We turned up a second channel and were rewarded for our effort by finding not one, but two different osprey nests. Unfortunately, they are not occupied at this time of year.

Now this might not look like much, but this bush is actually growing on a mat of floating plants that got hung up on a fallen tree. If you look closely, you can see little yellow flowers starting to bloom.

In many sections, the banks were lined with wiregrass. Here, the stems arch over the water creating a reflection. Can you "C" it?

Because we had to wait for the temperatures to warm up, we launched in the afternoon and couldn't paddle more than a couple miles before turning and heading back to the boat launch. The change in direction totally changed the light.

It only takes a few inches of elevation to totally change the vegetation from wiregrass on one side to pine, live oak, palm and cypress on the other.

We have one more day before the next cold front comes in, bringing more rain. We hope to hit the beach tomorrow, so stay tuned.