54 miles of glassy reflection
The Suwannee River flows 230 miles from the Okefenokee Swamp in south Georgia, across the boarder into Florida, and down to the gulf coast. For the last 20+ years, paddlers have raced some or all of the distance each fall. This year, I joined the mix on a beautiful October day and paddled 54 miles from Fargo, Georgia to White Springs, Florida, in about 13 hours. Here’s a small gallery of pictures from the experience.
The race started early and mist hung over the water until the sun was high enough to burn it off.
With so little rain for weeks, the river was very low. The lack of current made for beautiful, still reflections -- and slow, slow going. More like paddling a canal than a river.
Cypress and tupelo trees lined the river.
If I had stopped to take picture of all the stunning trees, I'd still be out there...
The reflections were almost dizzying at times in the still water.
The temperature was perfect, reaching a high of only 83 degrees, but I still had to cover from the sun from mid morning to mid afternoon.
The low water level revealed the pockmarked limestone banks.
I alternated between standing, kneeling and sitting, taking quick five minute breaks every hour to eat and drink.
Only about 30 paddlers participated in the race. This woman, who began further upstream than I did, passed me after lunch. Her goal for the day was 70 miles, which would put her on track to finish the entire 230 miles in about three days.
Leaves eventually became thick on about 15 miles of the river, making the going even slower.
The evening was just as beautiful as the morning.
I took a break to enjoy the sunset and put my headlamp on. I paddled the last hour to White Springs in the dark (and only ran up on one big rock...).
