Courtesy USF&WS |
Our first night of camping deep in the bowels of the Okefenokee Swamp is a chaotic opera of splashing, grunting, croaking and shrieking. We are amazed at the boisterous racket that grows ever louder as the sunlight ebbs and the coal-black sky closes in. The sounds of alligators, birds, frogs, and who knows what other creatures living and dying all around us describe an endless tale of animals eating and being eaten. We hear the startled croaks of frogs being gobbled up, gators bellowing from the surrounding grass, and owls hooting from the shadows of the tall cypress overhead. This ain’t Disneyland. We are sitting atop a 20-by-25-foot wooden camping platform perched twelve inches above the water’s surface—just high enough to ensure that none of the hungry alligators patrolling the surrounding swamp can climb in our sleeping bags with us. Still, the frantic splashing and the cries and squawks of critters in the enveloping blackness of the swamp make for an eerie night.
Courtesy USF&WS |
But then the Okefenokee is an eerie place. Encompassing more than 400,000 acres of tea-colored water, towering cypress trees, open wetlands, peat bogs, and wild swampland in the southeastern corner of Georgia, the Okefenokee is a land of water and marsh that has been only minimally touched by the hand of man. From the moment you enter the refuge, either from the east entrance at the historic Suwanee Canal off of Georgia Highway 121/23, or from the west entrance at the Stephen C. Foster State Park via Georgia Highway 177, you will feel that you have entered another world. An extended canoe trip through the swamp’s interior transports you from the hectic pace of modern day life to an isolated world that is unlike anywhere else, a place where even the earth under your feet is different from the rest of the world.
“Okefenokee” comes from an Indian word which loosely translates to “land of the trembling earth”, an apt way to describe the quaking peat bogs and spongy ground here. Foot travel through the swamp is impossible. The best way to experience this watery terrain is by canoe. There are more than 40 miles of canoe trails winding through the interior of the swamp, with raised wooden camping platforms strategically placed at intervals to allow for overnight stays. The narrow canoe trails are designated with trail markers and meander through the refuge’s maze of cypress groves, islands, and shallow lakes.
Courtesy USF&WS |
These areas still exist thanks to the foresight of the federal government which protected most of the swamp as the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge in 1937. Before the refuge was established, the swamp provided hardwood for a busy lumber industry. Billy’s Island, named for Billy Bowlegs, a Seminole Indian chief who once lived on the island, was the center of a logging operation in the early part of this century. The island still contains remnants of an old lumber town that once existed here—rusting machinery, crumbling building foundations, and toppled chimneys—and for that reason it is a popular stop for canoeists. It is disconcerting to stumble over evidence of human habitation in a place so wild.
Courtesy USF&WS |
Courtesy USF&WS |
A few other rules apply. A reservation is required for overnight trips. These reservations ensure that you will have a place to camp at night, usually one of the raised wooden platforms, although some campsites are located on islands. A favorite campsite is on Floyd’s Island where an old hunting cabin built in the 1920’s provides overnight shelter. Reservations can be hard to get—especially in the spring and fall. They are issued up to 60 days prior to the trip date—and they go fast. Requests for permits are accepted by telephone only at (912) 496-3331 beginning at 7:00 A.M. Monday through Friday. If you don’t get a reservation on the morning of the day 60 days prior to your departure, chances are you won’t get in on that date. The key is to be persistent and flexible. A visitor center at the Suwanee Canal entrance and a museum at Stephen C. Foster State Park offer exhibits and interpretive programs. Both locations have short boardwalks that give a feel for the swamp environment. Guided boat tours, canoe rentals, cabin rentals and campsites are available at the State Park. State Park information is available by dialing (912) 637-5274.
(This article originally appeared in the Huntsville Times)
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