Floyd’s Island, Okefenokee Swamp, Suwannee River 2020-11-07

A little rain didn’t stop us on a fun two nights of camping and two days of paddling to and from Floyd’s Island in the Okefenokee NWR. Yes, the dozen of us saw gators, cormorants, and herons on the Suwannee River, the tree canopy over the run to Floyd’s Island, and deer on the island.

Thanks to Bobby McKenzie for leading this expedition, and to Shirley Kokidko for provoking it.

banners, river, gator, canopy, island, deer

Also we saw Georgia River Network’s thirty paddlers coming in Sunday as we were going out, but my camera had run down by then. Here’s a picture of GRN E.D. Rena Ann Peck on the Friday before, in Moniac, GA.

Here are more pictures, also on the WWALS website.

Many paddlers posted pictures on facebook. Click on any small picture to see a larger one.

Banner Floyd’s Island

GFC

Suwannee River, Griffis Fish Camp, 2020:11:06 15:19:24

Upstream, 2020:11:06 15:20:01

Pavillion, 07:04:43

WWALS President Tom H. Johnson Jr., 07:05:03

Executive Director Gretchen Quarterman, Outing Leader Shirley Kokidko, 07:05:04

Day 1

Shirley and Shelby, 10:32:42

Debbie, Dan, and Tom, 10:32:50

Pick a direction, Suwannee River, 10:36:07

Helen Crowley observing the sign, 10:36:36

Gretchen Quarterman following up the Suwannee River, 10:38:02

Blue smurf with sign

Gretchen and Bobby McKenzie turning left, 11:14:30

MFSR

Traffic jam, Middle Fork, Suwannee River, 11:16:01

Wet and twisty, 11:19:20

Tree of red berries, 11:19:56

Red berries and webs, 11:22:13

Narrow, 11:44:14

Helen bending left, 11:44:59

More behind, 11:45:04

ML

Minnies Lake, 12:24:32

Nice mossy tree, 12:26:57

Red maple?, 12:28:40

Minnie Lake sign, 12:32:06

Boat jam at the platform, 12:35:26

All here, now what?, 12:36:48

Helen and Shelby lunching in boats, 12:44:24

MLP

Looking out, 13:10:46

Looking in, 13:14:02

MFSR2

Onwards, 13:14:06

Gator on log, 13:15:52

Between, 13:15:59

Another gator, 13:16:48

Blackwater, 13:18:17

Josh Duncan and a gator, 13:29:15

Narrowing to river again, 14:01:13

Bobby looking at the sign back to Minnies Lake Shelter, 14:04:10

Gretchen, 14:04:15

Fallen tree, 14:06:45

Helen, 14:06:48

Knees and vines, 14:06:57

Approaching sign, 14:19:21

Big Water straight, Floyds Island right, 14:19:58

Hints of canopy, 14:32:20

Meadow on left, 14:33:47

Gnarly, 14:36:18

Beaver house? 14:41:24

Closer, 14:41:28

Another meadow, 14:57:57

A meadow with flowers, 14:58:20

Swamp sunflowers, 14:58:23

Red berries, 15:05:01

Red marker post, 15:05:30

Floyd’s Island straight ahead, 15:06:13

And if you’re coming from Big Water, turn left, 15:06:48

If returning from Floyd’s Island, 15:07:22

Carefully pruned, 15:09:55

Red berries, 15:18:44

Red moss or lichen, 15:35:14

FI

Under the regrowing tree, 16:06:03

Disembark, 16:06:07

Day 2

Far side, 06:49:30

East put in, 06:49:45

East exit, 06:50:07

Setting up camp, 07:23:51

Tom and the deer, 07:28:28

Look, a human, 07:28:58

Grazing, 07:29:06

Two deer, 07:29:24

Breakfast, 08:03:45

Returning

Pruned, 08:58:59

Bird dead tree, 09:44:25

T2 under bough, 10:13:31

Downed trees, 10:40:56

Two boats, 10:43:43

RMFSR

T2 at 1 mile sign, 10:49:20

T2, Shirley, Gretchen, 1 mile sign, 10:52:57

Better picture, 10:52:59

For where these locations are, see the WWALS map of the Suwannee River Wilderness Trail, or see Okefenokee Wilderness Area Canoe Trails.

-jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

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