Fisheating Creek

Oct. 26-28 The wild and woolly Fisheating Creek

cypress maze on the creek

 Dark mysterious swirling waters. Long afternoon shadows that turn into inky blackness. Strange noises in the night. Powerfully built dragons lying in wait under the shallows. These were the images flooding my mind as I headed across SR 74 towards Palmdale, a tiny little village(if that) that is home to Fisheating Creek Outpost, where I will begin my odyssey into darkness and self discovery. I arrived promptly at 9am and checked into the store. I told them I would be paddling upriver as far as I wanted and camp somewhere. I would not be using their shuttle as it cost about the price of a hotel room. I would be roughing it in the truest sense. No running water, carrying my own TP, and paddling miles against a current that is mild for the most part, but can really rip through some narrow swampy areas. All the way upstream would be about 16.5 navigatable miles before it really turns into a trickle originating from a swamp near the hamlet of Venus. After handing me a map, an armband and a chorus of "good lucks", I was off to the ramp.
 This would be my first primitive camping trip with my 11.6 foot Pelican kayak. Taking a lead from thru hikers, I packed light: ready to make just add water meals, a 4 ounce cooking stove, small tent, tarp, bedroll, and an extra paddle just in case. I brought a machete, water, Gatorade, my GPS, PFD, and camera. It all loaded up with no problems and I was off. This is a blackwater creek that has many twists and turns and weaves through a few cypress swamps as well as broad wide lakes. Fisheating Creek gets its name from Thlothlopopkahatchee or place where fish are eaten. This is from the Belle Glade people, Indians who lived here as early as 500-1000 BC. The fishing is said to be excellent as is the paddling.

leaving civilization

look closely and you'll see a swing

 At first I paddled through a wide and very shallow section where I would scape the firm sandy bottom a few times. Thick, tall marsh grass bordered it on the North side , hardwood hammock woodlands on the South. Then the creek really narrows through a pine forest and opens up revealing a lot of tight narrow switchbacks weaving between many sandbars. Truly a beautiful area. There was immediately a sense of isolation and I had the river to myself the entire day with the exception of a lone FWC worker patrolling the lower river. The river opened up to a small lake and then I entered a small tight cypress swamp that had many smaller channels to it. I went towards or against the most flow of water. Then, I began to see many alligators. Up ahead on one stretch, I spied a huge gator head rising straight out of the water and then disappearing. As I got closer, two alligators plowed into the water just a few yards ahead of my kayak including a 9 footer that really made waves.
 It was very peaceful there. Ibises, giant wood storks, limpkins, hawks, egrets, blue herons abound here. Around me, deep in the forest, I could hear owls calling. Today, a huge blue heron would be my winged tour guide. The water was pitch black and in the shallows it had a cool red orange color to it  like most tannin stained rivers in this state. I soon spied my first mile markers and after two of them, I arrived at Lemon Lake, where the creek opened up for awhile after coming out of a cypress maze. The skies began to be more overcast and a breeze picked up. I entered a marshy area as the creek narrowed again and spotted a huge fat alligator lying in the grass with its tail in the water. This was about a 10 footer with an enormous girth. I gave it a large berth and snapped a couple of pics. Then I went down a dead end and had to pass it again. It didn't move.

a real fattie

primal scenery

 I love to see the big alligators turn around and explode in the water. For that reason I give them space so they don't fly headlong into my boat.  I entered a real pretty shallow area weaving in and out of cypress trees that was marked "Four Mile" It was marked by visible sand bars and tea colored water. It was here where I had to do some real hard paddling as I got hung up on the bottom.

tea colored water

I almost had to portage this section , but I powered my way through the swift current and shallow water that left me powerless as I was unable to take big bites with my paddle. The depth of the water improved and I was soon able to make steady progress again. The pattern of wide open lake areas and tight, cypress mazes continued. I passed a trio of smaller alligators in the cypress maze that skittered rapidly across the swamp, racing each other towards the water and entering with a resounding splash.
 After crossing a large wide open area where the creek was about 200 feet wide for a mile, I came to a "T" in the creek. I had arrived at the Burnt Bridge area, which meant that I had paddled about 8 miles up. It was about 1:30 and the wind was picking up.

launch at Burnt Bridge. 8 miles up

I saw a sign in the distance to the South and saw another river sign to the North. I first stopped at a noticeable high rise area with solid ground that looked like a good place to camp. I paddled about 200 yards across to it and discovered that it was the Burnt Bridge drop off point for the 8 mile downstream trip to the outpost. I took a quick break and resumed my paddle upstream until I hit a dead end  after passing a lonely dwarf cypress.  I doubled back the other way and thought I would check out the other sign. Consulting my GPS and the crude river map I was given, I concluded that I was heading the right direction and I would scout this area heading South for a fallback camping site. The other sign announced an area where there I had heard about a possible campsite. On the East bank, I noticed a tent so I continued on. I didn't see anybody there, but I pushed further South. The creek narrowed after awhile and I spied some high ground to my right. This was a potential spot. I continued on and suddenly the water erupted with a colossal splash, signifying a HUGE gator. At this point I hit another dead end and headed back. I stopped to investigate the high ground spot near by. I was not disappointed. This place had been used for a campsite before and it was perfect. It even had a row of cypress knees that was protecting it. I went ashore and saw a fire spot, a very nice old oak tree, solid high ground, and a soft level spot underneath the huge oak. I later discovered camping supplies like cooking ware, ant poison, a rake and even a cane pole. These were all hidden. Maybe this spot was used by the same campers over and over or some courteous soul decided to furnish it for explorers like me. I hoped it wasn't someone's home, but there were no structures. Behind this spot was a barbed wire cattle fence, which made sense as I heard cattle lowing in the distance. It was going on 3pm, so I decided to stop.

home sweet home

 After setting up camp, I tried to take a little nap to no avail. The wind really picked up and as I had just finished cooking my dinner of Spanish rice, it began to rain. I had to eat inside the hot and humid tent.It didn't rain long or too hard, so afterwards I snuck out again and decided to try my luck fishing with a chunk of a Powerbar with no luck. Downriver, I spied the big alligator patrolling his territory about 150 yards away. I wondered if I was going to have hogs visit me tonight as the ground beyond my tent was rooted up pretty good. As it began to get dark, my sister's sasquatch and skunk ape stories flooded my mind.Apparently there have been some sightings in the Florida swamps. Maybe I would be lucky and see a rare Florida panther! I felt good about putting aside fears and stepping outside my comfort zone for this trip, as it was the first time I had camped alone out in pure wilderness. It feels good to be alive and slightly fearful of the unknown and try to be comfortable in unfamiliar surroundings.
 Sleep didn't come easy and I took an unprecedented amount of bathroom breaks during the night. On one occasion, I shone my flashlight into the dark water and saw a couple of glowing eyes patrolling the creek. I had a small creature peer inside my tent and heard titanic splashes in the creek all night, but it remained a very relaxing night. I declined to build a fire because of the rain and fatigue. I lost conciousness after 3 am and had a couple of dreams.
 I awoke at 8am and fired up my pocket rocket stove for some hot chocolate which was amazing. I dined on siracha flavored salmon in a pouch and a Powerbar dipped in raspberry jam and felt revved up. The sky was blue and it promised to be a gorgeous day. I broke camp and was loaded up by 9:30 and began my paddle back to civilization. A low fog that began to dissipate covered the water's surface and I felt very relaxed and tranquil. I soon fell into a rhythm and felt energized by my perfect breakfast. The tight cypress forests that I paddled through were amazing even more so by  paddling with the current; these spots were a little tricky to negotiate especially while trying to take photos or videos. The current really rips through these spots and you have to look ahead to avoid taking a false channel.

next morning,leaving camp

 Up ahead I noticed large gators basking on grassy banks and I would try to sneak up on them before they slipped into the dark water. The current slows dramatically in the wide open "lake" areas of this creek and I stopped on a cypress knee ridden bank at Lemon Lake for a stretch and pee break. The cypress forest is so thick and unforgiving, no real place to camp. The swamp is a beautiful but fearful looking place at the same time, so different  from the concrete laden area where most of us live. It is primal, full of reptiles and birds; the dense forest is peaceful but forboding, hinting at imaginary or real dangers within.
 I continued on and had a zen like experience as I leaned back in my kayak and paddled gently, letting the current take me back. About a mile from the launch, I stopped at one of the numerous sandbars in that area for a stop and walked on the beach. The firm white sand contrasted greatly with the dark tannin stained water and the green pines bordering the river. I paddled on and near the boat launch an enormous alligator exited the cattails and slipped into the water 20 yards in front of my kayak- too quick for a picture, but it would not have done the sight any justice. I paddled beyond the launch to the railroad trestle bridge and back. I landed at around 1:30pm. The four hours paddling was so relaxing and had me vowing to return. 18 miles or so on this river wasn't enough, and I will be back.

wilds at Lemon Lake

Nude Beach?

railroad bridge just downstream of campground

This trip was done at a water level of 3.7, falling to 3.2 feet the next day.Perfect conditions for this trip. No portages. I did not see many camping options until the Burnt bridge area. I read that there are more sites upriver of that. The fee is two dollars a day, so I spent 4.28 for the trip. If you want a campsite at Fisheating creek Outpost it is 26 dollars for a waterfront site and 14 for a non waterfront.