​Everglades winter 2017/18?

[Guest]

Remains to be seen whether our upcoming Everglades trip will be in a tandem or solo
We're awaiting damage reports as the park was massively changed by Irma. We already have NOAA imagery of the area around Flamingo and Everglades City

I presume you have seen this from our Everglades guide friend.

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/weather/hurricane/article173637481.html

He will likely be the best source of first hand information as the Everglades season commences; I know he would not be taking clients out into an unknown designated-site crap storm.

I am sure they will repair the Visitors Centers ASAP. Note that sport fishing in that Nat’l Park is the larger economical engine preference. Self-guided paddlers tend to the cheap side in comparison. If you already have to carry potable water in a canoe or kayak how much beer and ice can you buy in Everglades City?

Re-opening routes, repairing storm surge damaged chickee platforms and replacing the Porta-pots that blew into Colllier County will come second. And take longer, gotta re-open the routes before they can motor out to repair the damaged platforms or install new toilets. The air boat “guides” will be fine, but dead sea grass and honeypot prop motors are a bad mix.

Once they get the backcountry re-opened the big question to me is “What is a visit going to be like with mounds of dead, decaying sea grass and sea weed rafted ashore, or with the mangroves stripped of leaves?” And “Will there be another sea grass die-off from salinity or nutrient changes.

Especially bug-wise. I have no idea what the Everglades bug future may be, but I’d want me some serious bug spray, a screen house and maybe a telescoping retractable rake to use on the furrows of dead grass piled on beach sites.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Garden-Plu...MItpfv1Oqx1gIVyx-GCh2KqwWmEAQYAiABEgLRu_D_BwE

What’s another 2 lbs if you are packing in water, especially to a site festooned with mounds of decaying vegetation.

Tip of the hat to friend Willie for that retractable telescoping rake; I tried to design and build my own version before he found that little wonder. It has come in handy a few times on post-storm surge sites, even mid-Atlantic. Kicking away a pile of dead grass, or a berm of flooded high-tide pine straw to clear space is inefficient at best, and why-did-I-kick-that bug-bit-itchy-pile at worst.

The Everglades are a wondrous place even in near stasis. Part of me would like to see the devastation, especially with some promise to come back, witness the recovery and gain a deeper understanding of “This happens, and then this happens, and then this and this…”

Do mangroves regenerate their leaves after being hurricane stripped bare? Red mangrove does, black dosen’t? Vice versa? Dead mangroves neither? Just that could be impactful.

What about the No-see-ums? Sand spurs? Did the #%&#@ raccoons survive, or get eaten while sharing storm surge treetops with the invasive pythons, or get wash away in clinging desperately to a Porta-jon? I’m voting B or C, but I’m still bringing a wrist rocket slingshot, and maybe a mousetrap to tie atop the covered decked canoe.

Thirsty freaking garbage Pandas. Seriously, my habituated procyonid opposable thumb brothers, there is whatsoever nothing left in this boat. Just leave me the hell alone and no one gets hurt.

http://s1285.photobucket.com/user/C...014/P2021618_zpsa572e928.jpg.html?sort=2&o=16

It could be a really interesting and educational next couple of years in the Everglades.

 

[yellowcanoe]

Can't buy beer or ice in EC now. No power. Can get tetanus shot.
Beer and ice have never been necessities for me for Glades canoe trips

I can't wait to see how the islands have changed. Mangroves regenerate. There have always been stands of dead ones from frost and prior hurricane
Bugs. Who knows ? I feel for those working now. Bugs must be horrific
We'll probably stick to Darwins Lopez Willy Willy and the outer beaches and Islands
I feel the resident Burmese python of the porta potty on Pavilion may have drowned or is on the roof.

 

[yellowcanoe]

https://www.flickr.com/photos/nps_eimt/with/37290405855/

from the Eastern Incident Management Team NPS.. Some pics are of Flamingo and Everglades City others are of other areas affected

 

[lowangle al]

I was down there right after a major hurricane before any of the park facilities were open and the beaches in the Gulf were fine for camping. We found lots of nice shells that had washed up and also a dead baby manatee.

 

[snapper]

My wife and I are supposed to be down there the middle of March, 2018 so I'll be watching this to see if we need to reschedule the trip.

That's it for now. Take care and until next time...be well.

snapper