Just found this out of the way place to paddle

[sweeper]

This is why I only paddle in the Northern States and Canada

 

[yknpdlr]

Yeah, i'll take thick clouds of black flies in the air any day instead of thick underwater clouds of gators.

 

[sweeper]

BFs take a lot less blood

 

[Erica]

That kind of crowding happens at the end of a particularly dry dry season. That is probably a dug deep canal.

 

[Gamma1214]

Yeah... I'm thinking I'll look for some sign of a portage & bypass the class IV gators.

 

[billconner]

Snakes and gators enough to keep me way north.

 

[Mississippi Mud]

That kind of crowding happens at the end of a particularly dry dry season. That is probably a dug deep canal.

I've seen this happen in the Mississippi Delta. Once I was exploring around a national wildlife refuge there during August and came across a dried-up slough where alligators had gathered in pool of water. They were already gone, but there was a stampede of fresh gator prints following the bed of the slough toward whatever water remained downstream.

I've also paddled among a congregation of alligators, though not quite in numbers shown in the video. Maybe 15-25 together at once. It reminds me of William Bartram's encounter with alligators in his Travels.

 

[snapper]

Not quite as thick as that grouping of gators but we experienced something similar while paddling in the Okefenokee NWR. If you come in from the Folkston entrance, you begin paddling into the refuge via an old canal. One spring it was impossible to paddle this stretch without seeing gators in all directions. Thankfully, the students were pretty calm about it all so we didn't have any issues. Nonetheless, I can see how it would scare the heck out of folks.

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

snapper

 

[Steve in Idaho]

This is why I only paddle in the Northern States and Canada

Um ...nope! Not going that way.

 

[Tsuga8]

I've also seen concentrations of gators in Okefenokee and the Everglades during times of low water. Gators and bears are similar for paddlers in my view. Common sense and healthy respect, and not surprising each other, means paddling can be done with reasonable safety. Habituated bears and gators can be dangerous, but that's not an issue in the video.

Most days I'll take gators over blackflies - I've actually lost way more blood to flies and skeeters - never lost any to a gator.

 

[billconner]

I've also seen concentrations of gators in Okefenokee and the Everglades during times of low water. Gators and bears are similar for paddlers in my view. Common sense and healthy respect, and not surprising each other, means paddling can be done with reasonable safety. Habituated bears and gators can be dangerous, but that's not an issue in the video.

Most days I'll take gators over blackflies - I've actually lost way more blood to flies and skeeters - never lost any to a gator.

I fell like it would only be one time with a gator.

 

[Gamma1214]

Reminiscent of Chubbs from Happy Gilmore. (no link... CTNs profanity filter might short out)