The Hontoon Loop

July 6 Orange City
The Hontoon Island loop: Blue Run, St. John's River, Dead Hontoon River, Snake Creek.



 In planning paddling excursions this year, I am constantly reading about many new ones and tentatively plan when I will visit them. Many factors go into this, such as the time of the year, weather conditions, amount of time off, camping areas, etc. This paddle, as of the day before, wasn't even on the horizon. What led me here was that my daughter was at a summer camp and I might have to take her home early. This was the closest destination to their campsite, at least the destination I haven't paddled yet. Upon more research, I discovered that I could paddle 4 waterways in one trip to bring my tally to 25! I would launch from Blue Spring Park, which I have heard about for years; Blue Springs is said to be the most beautiful spring in Florida, which is a big claim. The only drawback is that I would have to drive across on I 4 and through Orlando, which is a snarling mess these days. It was definately worth the white knuckle driving!
 I arrived to Orange City and Blue Spring Park at about 9am, which is located about 25 miles Northeast of Orlando, not far from Daytona Beach. The drive into the park is beautiful; I drive through a winding, sandy road that crosses bike paths and hiking trails and is bordered by lush, tropical plant life. They didn't give me a map or anything when I paid my 4 dollar admission fee, so it was a little confusing at first as to where I could launch my kayak. A sign or two might have helped, but I figured it out after walking around for a bit. The launch was on a small beach located in front of the kayak rental hut.Unfortunately, I would have to carry my kayak about 150 yards from the parking lot to the beach. The good thing is, whether a combination of a renewed vigor for my yoga routine or familiarity of lugging my kayak around this year, It was not hard at all. After packing my yak and preparing to launch, a couple of young girls in a tandem kayak yelled at me from the water, "Do you know anything about kayaking with alligators?". Apparently, there were about three large alligators at the confluence of Blue Run, an almost mile long run to the springhead. Blue Run was where a 60 year old man was attacked and killed by a 13 foot long bull alligator last year. They agreed to follow me up Blue Run. Sure enough, at the entrance, I spotted a huge bull alligator swimming towards the St. John's, with something in its mouth! It raised its huge head out of the water and threw it back, facilitating swallowing. It was massive, maybe 12 feet long and well fed. It was audibly crunching on something good. The girls'mouths were agape with dismay, but I assured them that the T rex had just fed and it would be busy for awhile. Soon, the murky water cleared up considerably and clear spring water was rife with wildlife: swarms of 4-5 foot gar, giant carp, bass, turtles and two late season manatees! I struggled with paddling and filming with my cam recorder. I need a GoPro, which would enable me to film with the camera mounted on my head. One of the girls had one and was also busy filming. They were from West Virginia and had never seen the strange Floridian wildlife that was on display here. I had seen more action in 5 minutes on Blue Run, then I see on most day long trips. We paddled to the end of Blue Run, which ended in a cul du sac lined with verticle limestone cliffs that rose up 20 feet or so. I beached my kayak on a small muddy bank as I was attacked by a massive deer fly the size of a hummingbird. Blue Spring is a place where free divers and scuba divers gather to explore its depths of 90 feet or more. It is an intimidating looking vent; it is narrow and overlying over it are several logs. It plunges straight down and the sun illuminated the jagged edges of the abyss in which I could see at least 50 feet down as I snorkeled over it. Last month a free diver lost his life here.After cooling off and exploring the spring, I said goodbye to the young ladies, as I still had the Hontoon Loop to explore.
 I entered the St. John's River at a little after 10 am and started down the river, heading for the opposite bank that borders Hontoon Island. Hontoon Island is over 1600 acres and is a state park that offers camping and hiking.It is only accessible,obviously, by boat. It is bordered by the St.John's and Dead Hontoon River. The St. John's is the longest river contained in the state of Florida as it rambles on for 310 miles. It is fairly wide and in some places it is 2 miles across. Although a big, heavily travelled river, I only encounter 3 motorboats that pass by leaving sizeable wakes to entertain me. It is a beautiful and wild place that is bordered by sparsely vegetated woods and beds of green hyacinth. The paddle down river is very relaxing and I quickly fall into a fast paced rhythm ; I spy alligators, anhingas, herons, ospreys, hawks aplenty on this trip down the St. John's. The cool dip at Blue Spring energized me and I felt very refreshed. Soon, after a  little over an hour paddling, I was at a crossroads. The river really opened up before me and I had the option of going left or right. After consulting my trusty paper map, I chose left, which was a smaller, narrower waterway with markers on it. I assumed that this was the St. John's and I continued on towards what I assumed was Hontoon Island State park. The bank to my North was populated and lined with nice homes and small businesses, but on the left or South bank, there remained only wilderness. An older lady relaxing on her dock revealed to me that I was on track and just off of the state park. After pausing for a bit and deliberating as to whether I should go ashore or continue on, I pushed on. There didn't appear to be any kayak landings there, only boat slips. It would have been nice to consult the large map posted on the kiosk that I spotted ashore, but I pushed on. The waterway immediately revealed another "fork in the road". I chose left, assuming it to be Dead Hontoon River, as it had channel markers on it and it looked to be a prominent waterway. It is called Dead, because it eventually dead ends many miles South.
 The Dead Hontoon River is a narrow river, only about 50-100 feet across and has a much wilder feel to it. The water, like the St. John's is blackwater. It is lined by old cypress trees, which I love. As I pause to retrieve a new bottle of Powerade from my cooler, something massive moves underwater, just beneath me, creating a monstrous wake. I notice big puffy cumulus clouds forming ahead and I scan the banks for possible landing options should I encounter a thunderstorm. After 45 minutes, I notice some signs just ahead with some solid land behind it. Looks like a great place to land.........except the signs prohibit me from doing so. I notice two fisherman ahead and I ask them if I'm indeed on Dead Hontoon River.One shrugs, the other says yes. When I ask them where Snake Creek is, the fisherman replies that Snake Creek may be dried up. Not the news I want to hear. From the maps I memorized from google, it looks like a solid waterway, but apparently looks can be deceiving. I push on towards uncertainty. I feel a little lost and that's OK. I admire the natural beauty around me and scan the left bank for Snake creek. Up ahead, the river widens dramatically and I see a small creek to he left and I take it.
 By now, the relentless heat and sun has taken its toll. I peel my shirt off, dip it in the water and throw it over me. Although somewhat refreshing, this water is not cool like spring water and I yearn for the chill that never comes. I repeat the process with my soft canvas hat. There is absolutely no breeze here and the sweltering July heat has me reeling. Snake creek is really narrow and bordered by hyacinth, with a sparse cover of duckweed over the black water. The gators are really shy here and slip into the water well ahead of me. I notice that there are some possible landing sites here, as the banks seem much more substantial, although are still heavily forested. I begin to suck down the Powerade to frantically hydrate myself. I pray that I have enough. Hours earlier, I was confident that my 8 pack of Powerade purchased at Publix would be more than enough, but here and now, I am desperate. My extremeties begin to shake. That confident, refreshed feel that I had going down the St. John's is long gone now. I focus on the peaceful wild around me and slow my pace a bit which helps. I focus on getting to a landmark ahead, stopping for a gulp, and continue on. Snake Creek is named for its slithering, winding course through the wilderness. It links the Dead Hontoon to the St. John's, completing the loop. If it dead ends,I will have to repaddle to Dead Hontoon, continue down river and look for a man made canal that cuts straight across to the big river. I think about mindlessly plunging in the dark water,consequences and alligators be damned! After an hour, I notice the creek narrowing as well as bright green ferns growing on the bank. I pass under a well canopied area and spy two big gators ahead, making a wake in the sunlit area ahead of me. I forge through the narrow path and am awestruck how wild and beautifiul it is here. I enjoy being here, heat stroke(likely exhaustion) aside. A feeling of peace comes over me and is confirmed by my sudden return to the St. John's. I spy a river cruise boat full of tourists, which is a delight, and it tells me that I've made it. I stop for a break, leisurely floating down river and bite into a big juicy, although slighty turned mango. The slight breeze returns, and I slowly return to life.Just ahead, I see the boat docks and Blue Spring Park, bustling with activity. I have spent 4 hours in wild isolation, and now it was time to return to civilization and another cool dip in the spring.

Blue Spring State Park is a must do! It's the best bang for your 4 bucks you can get! The spring itself is very beautiful, deep, and mysterious. The wildlife here cannot be beat: jumbo sized alligators, gar, carp, manatees, and birds galore. During the winter months, The springs are closed to swimmers, as this is a refuge for manatees. In the summer, these springs are such a relief. If you're a diver, this place is definately a must.
 Hontoon Island State Park lies 3.5 miles down river from Blue Spring and offers great primitive camping and hiking. I need to return here to camp and do the loop again.I hear that campers here are treated to a chorus of owls at night. This area lies halfway between  Orlando and Daytona Beach.