New guy in Tallahassee

[PeteStaehling]

I am just getting back into canoeing at age 69. To that end I purchased a Wenonah Escapade that I have been paddling solo and hope to entice my wife to paddle tandem with me. She has expressed some interest and was a good paddling partner in the distant past so I have reason to be optimistic.


My background is more adrenaline type white water open and decked c-1 paddling as well as kayaking, but I have done a little flat and easier white water tripping in the distant past including a bit in the daks and the St. John in Maine. I also have done a lot of other outdoor stuff including backpacking and a lot of long distance bicycle touring both of which still interest me.


I moved from the mid atlantic region to Tallahassee 5-½ years ago and look forward to exploring the rivers and springs here. I have a nice spot for a quick paddle just a few minutes from home. It is a chain of three small lakes with cypress trees and lots of birds, gators, and decent scenery.


I hope to also travel to more far flung destinations to see and paddle some of the places in the north country that I have read and dreamed about. Right now this covid situation is putting a bit of a damper on my travel, but I hope to travel more in the upcoming years. I figure right now there are plenty of more local destinations to explore. Florida has a wealth of beautiful rivers and springs.

Here is a shot on one of the local lakes, Piney Z.

 

[RickR]

Welcome! And thanks for sharing that beautiful photo!

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

I lived in Tallahassee twice and my daughter lives there now, not far from Piney Z. I visit as much as I can. You are in wonderful striking distance of many nice rivers and springs. Venture even farther to the High Springs and Ocala National Forest areas and stay overnight in some of Florida's very nice campgrounds (or motels).

 

[PeteStaehling]

I lived in Tallahassee twice and my daughter lives there now, not far from Piney Z. I visit as much as I can. You are in wonderful striking distance of many nice rivers and springs. Venture even farther to the High Springs and Ocala National Forest areas and stay overnight in some of Florida's very nice campgrounds (or motels).

So far I have been staying close to home, but I'll keep that area in mind as I venture further. In the mean time I'll enjoy exploring it in the guide books. Looking at the guide books I am impressed and even overwhelmed at the wealth of options. There are plenty to keep me busy for a long time to come.

 

[LanceR]

Welcome, Pete, from Pinnacle, North Carolina.

Best regards,


Lance

 

[Guest]

Welcome aboard Pete. It is a fine tripper community here, and an extensive knowledge base of folks willing to share.

I have not spent a lot of time over towards the Florida Panhandle, more often in north-central Florida or in the Everglades. We did one family trip on the Blackwater River north of the State Park, using an outfitter shuttle just outside the park.

A ways east of you, but worth a visit.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackw...iver_(Florida)

BTW, the 1987 kevlar Blue Hole Starburst you gave me years ago (from Steve Ferendo – how’s that for recordkeeping?) came out nicely once rebuilt and refurbished. I drew the gunwales in a bit, used it for a couple years, gave it to a friend and he later passed it on to another friend.

 

[PeteStaehling]

Wow, I really had to stretch my memory to remember that Starburst! I haven't done any tripping beyond day trips here other than once in the Everglades staying in chickees and beach camping, probably close to 20 tears ago.

 

[Guest]

Pete, I am a bit envious of your new found locale. There is a variety of water in “America in Miniature” Maryland, but I have seen much of it too many times, and often long for something new, unknown and different.

Florida has an abundance of paddling opportunities. I am fondest of northeast Florida, especially for varietal day tripping opportunities from a car camped base, doing something a little different every day.

Not just the Suwannee, Santa Fe, Withlacoochee (the north Withlacoochee, not the one down by Inverness) and sundry of spring-fed runs.

Prairie lakes when they are watered, always watered tidal flows, rural backcountry no-houses ponds and lakes with launches, there is more vacant land in north central Florida than folks imagine. The Atlantic or Gulf coasts are an hour drive east or west. So much water.

The Missus loves the beach, me not so much. I am happy to drop her off, drive 30 minutes inland and spend the day solo paddling, before heading back to the beach to plunge into the surf and wash off the marsh muck

One of the best Florida day paddles ever was getting skunked in an attempt to watch a space shuttle launch while canoeing in a Wildlife Sanctuary just west of Cape Canaveral. Listening to the radio en route, “mission scrubbed”, we took the next random exit west off I-95, broke out the Atlas & Gazetteer as we rolled west and found a remote, little used, dirt road launch along to a lakey tributary to the St. Johns.

That crapshoot random choice was an awesome day – I added a half dozen birds to my (I don’t actually keep one) life list – we experienced some sudden big-sky weather changes, timed the tides up and back perfectly, made a day-into dusk of it. In a place I would never have found otherwise.

Maybe not quite as good as witnessing an approaching shuttle launch shock wave, bending over the marsh grass as it hurtled towards us while floating in the Ulumay Wildlife Sanctuary, before it rocked our canoes (or worse). But the no-one-comes-here birding was probably better on that no-name neck of the St. Johns.

That northeast area of Florida, call it north of Gainesville down to south of Ocala, is well worth a long weekend car camper exploration with some planning. Plenty of car camping State Parks and outfitter shuttle services available thereabouts for base camping and downriver runs.

There are several good Florida canoeing guides; our favorite is Sandy Huff’s Paddler’s Guide to the Sunshine State.

https://www.amazon.com/Paddlers-Guid...8631015&sr=8-1

Hard to beat $3.19 used. Ours is dog-eared, with pages falling out. I need a new copy myself, and then need to transfer over all the margin notations.

For a Maryland fella, spoiled by the user friendly formatting of Corbett and Gertler paddling guides, Sandy Huff uses a similar style, tweaked a bit for Florida paddling.

Each river, or section of river, starts off with Corbett/Gertler style basics; miles/average time, skill level, current, etc. Plus wind issues and Delorme map page & coordinates. Followed by a Corbett/Gertler-ish prose description, and easily discernable river/road shuttle maps.

BTW, if you ever get up into the coastal Carolinas, Paul Ferguson’s Paddling Eastern North Carolina and his Canoe Kayak South Carolina follow the Corbett/Gertler format to the letter. Why mess with perfection?

https://www.amazon.com/Paddling-East...8631817&sr=8-1

https://www.amazon.com/Canoe-Kayak-S...8631868&sr=8-1

There is a lotof water in the eastern Carolinas, those two guides cover a cumulative (not a typo) 6,900 miles of paddling waters. Both States have become increasingly attuned to paddling visitors, and both have “Paddler State Parks”, and marked State-owned launches, “Wildlife Boating Access” launches along riverways.

Some of Ferguson’s upper drainage stuff, like Gertler’s, are dang near strainer impassible, so maybe a paddle-able 5,000 miles. Ferguson’s estimated paddling times are not Gertler’s non-stop beast in a C-1, need to multiply x 2 pace.

Having guidebooks that look and read the same as the long-familiar ones for my “homewaters” guides is a huge boon when paging through looking for a new waters trip.

 

[DaveO]

Welcome! Decent scenery, indeed.

 

[PeteStaehling]

Pete, I am a bit envious of your new found locale. There is a variety of water in “America in Miniature” Maryland, but I have seen much of it too many times, and often long for something new, unknown and different.

Florida has an abundance of paddling opportunities. I am fondest of northeast Florida, especially for varietal day tripping opportunities from a car camped base, doing something a little different every day.

Not just the Suwannee, Santa Fe, Withlacoochee (the north Withlacoochee, not the one down by Inverness) and sundry of spring-fed runs.

Prairie lakes when they are watered, always watered tidal flows, rural backcountry no-houses ponds and lakes with launches, there is more vacant land in north central Florida than folks imagine. The Atlantic or Gulf coasts are an hour drive east or west. So much water.

The Missus loves the beach, me not so much. I am happy to drop her off, drive 30 minutes inland and spend the day solo paddling, before heading back to the beach to plunge into the surf and wash off the marsh muck

One of the best Florida day paddles ever was getting skunked in an attempt to watch a space shuttle launch while canoeing in a Wildlife Sanctuary just west of Cape Canaveral. Listening to the radio en route, “mission scrubbed”, we took the next random exit west off I-95, broke out the Atlas & Gazetteer as we rolled west and found a remote, little used, dirt road launch along to a lakey tributary to the St. Johns.

That crapshoot random choice was an awesome day – I added a half dozen birds to my (I don’t actually keep one) life list – we experienced some sudden big-sky weather changes, timed the tides up and back perfectly, made a day-into dusk of it. In a place I would never have found otherwise.

Maybe not quite as good as witnessing an approaching shuttle launch shock wave, bending over the marsh grass as it hurtled towards us while floating in the Ulumay Wildlife Sanctuary, before it rocked our canoes (or worse). But the no-one-comes-here birding was probably better on that no-name neck of the St. Johns.

That northeast area of Florida, call it north of Gainesville down to south of Ocala, is well worth a long weekend car camper exploration with some planning. Plenty of car camping State Parks and outfitter shuttle services available thereabouts for base camping and downriver runs.

There are several good Florida canoeing guides; our favorite is Sandy Huff’s Paddler’s Guide to the Sunshine State.

https://www.amazon.com/Paddlers-Guid...8631015&sr=8-1

Hard to beat $3.19 used. Ours is dog-eared, with pages falling out. I need a new copy myself, and then need to transfer over all the margin notations.

For a Maryland fella, spoiled by the user friendly formatting of Corbett and Gertler paddling guides, Sandy Huff uses a similar style, tweaked a bit for Florida paddling.

Each river, or section of river, starts off with Corbett/Gertler style basics; miles/average time, skill level, current, etc. Plus wind issues and Delorme map page & coordinates. Followed by a Corbett/Gertler-ish prose description, and easily discernable river/road shuttle maps.

BTW, if you ever get up into the coastal Carolinas, Paul Ferguson’s Paddling Eastern North Carolina and his Canoe Kayak South Carolina follow the Corbett/Gertler format to the letter. Why mess with perfection?

https://www.amazon.com/Paddling-East...8631817&sr=8-1

https://www.amazon.com/Canoe-Kayak-S...8631868&sr=8-1

There is a lotof water in the eastern Carolinas, those two guides cover a cumulative (not a typo) 6,900 miles of paddling waters. Both States have become increasingly attuned to paddling visitors, and both have “Paddler State Parks”, and marked State-owned launches, “Wildlife Boating Access” launches along riverways.

Some of Ferguson’s upper drainage stuff, like Gertler’s, are dang near strainer impassible, so maybe a paddle-able 5,000 miles. Ferguson’s estimated paddling times are not Gertler’s non-stop beast in a C-1, need to multiply x 2 pace.

Having guidebooks that look and read the same as the long-familiar ones for my “homewaters” guides is a huge boon when paging through looking for a new waters trip.

I picked up four Florida guide books. Two at the recommendation of a local guy when we first moved here and two recently at Balto Charlie's recommendation. The Sandy Huff book is one of the one's the local guy recommended.

 

[Guest]

I picked up four Florida guide books. Two at the recommendation of a local guy when we first moved here and two recently at Balto Charlie's recommendation. The Sandy Huff book is one of the one's the local guy recommended.

Balto Charlie. Perhaps only as a Maryland area boater, hosting multiple metro-area paddling clubs, can anyone appreciate such one-handshake away familiarity with thousands of paddlers. Such were the days of yore.

In that perhaps-familiarity, if you are ever interested in a guided sea kayak Everglades trip, Joel Beckwith, who you may remember from long-ago as the manager of Springriver Outfitters in Catonsville (or even as far back as Appalachian Outfitters in the late 70’s-early 80’s), now works as a highly regarded Guide in the Everglades, with decades of extraordinary sneak route, wind planning, flora & fauna and local history knowledge.

The “sneak route” mangrove tunnel bit is important; all that dense Mangrove edge looks the same to me, but the route permit planning, with forecast wind considerations, and extensive natural history knowledge is even more important.

For me, especially the latter natural history part. Red or black mangrove, and what the difference and why? What was that bird, and that bird? Crikey, was that a shark, what kind? Muttering “Oh cool, a sea turtle” to myself doesn’t inform me much.

A guided trip comes highly recommended; next self-supported trip you’ll be that much more informed and further ahead. Plus Joel a helluva camp chef, and an accomplished strummer & finger picker on various string instruments.

On the whole I’d prefer some guitar or mandolin; banjo music not so much.

 

[PeteStaehling]

Balto Charlie. Perhaps only as a Maryland area boater, hosting multiple metro-area paddling clubs, can anyone appreciate such one-handshake away familiarity with thousands of paddlers. Such were the days of yore.

In that perhaps-familiarity, if you are ever interested in a guided sea kayak Everglades trip, Joel Beckwith, who you may remember from long-ago as the manager of Springriver Outfitters in Catonsville (or even as far back as Appalachian Outfitters in the late 70’s-early 80’s), now works as a highly regarded Guide in the Everglades, with decades of extraordinary sneak route, wind planning, flora & fauna and local history knowledge.

Yes I remember Joel. Bought lots of stuff from him and hung out at Springriver quite a bit. I'll keep his name in mind for future Everglades trips. It would be cool to see him again.

 

[Guest]

Yes I remember Joel. Bought lots of stuff from him and hung out at Springriver quite a bit. I'll keep his name in mind for future Everglades trips. It would be cool to see him again.

It is always good to see Joel. He will be passing through en route south in a couple weeks and I’m hoping we will have time for a shop day; Joel is my finest shop partner.

IMG014 by Mike McCrea, on Flickr

That guy has mad skills, on the water or in the shop. Mad finger-picking skills too; bring a travel sized mountain dulcimer if you hook up with him in Florida.

Measure the dimensions and Joel & I will make you a custom heat-sealable dry bag for it.

 

[yellowcanoe]

Last time I saw Joel was at the Turner River put in which has a picnic table. He stopped by as he recognized our boats. I have found him in campgrounds the same way.. its hard to ignore the 107 lb beast of a canoe that he was toting some couple of years back..

For a drop by chat we spent three hours!

We sometimes don't recognize paddlers until after we see their boats. Same for dogs. We get to know the neighborhood dogs first!

 

[Roybrew]

Hello and welcome from East Tennessee.