The Harney River chickee was our jumping off point for entering The Nightmare. We joined the Wilderness Waterway here. The Wilderness Waterway is the 100-mile marked route connecting Flamingo and Everglades City. Overnight, the temperatures dropped to the mid-40s, a cool snap by Everglades standards, though cold does happen here. The Nightmare is a maze of small sheltered creeks that are pungent with salt and decaying plant matter. Overhead are mangroves, forming a canopy. Luckily for paddlers The Nightmare is fairly well marked by small, brown park service signs. Its name comes from the fact that when the tides are down boaters have been stuck in the shallow waters. Make sure you paddle The Nightmare on a rising or high tide.

Along with the cool weather came a strong north wind. We were lucky to be paddling sheltered waters. At The Nightmare's end Lisa and I emerged onto the Broad River. The Broad at this point is several hundred feet across, contrasting with the narrow Nightmare. Just a few hundred yards to the east was our destination, Broad River campsite. It is a ground campsite, known for mosquitoes and no-see-ums. Ground campsites are generally buggier than other campsites. While sitting on the small dock, Lisa saw two sea kayakers approaching camp. We learned they were heading south from Everglades City. The evening became chilled and all of us retired to our tents for the night. After some warm beverages, Lisa and I headed into the morning sun on the Broad River. I soon found a small, unnamed creek the nautical charts indicated headed to Cabbage Island on the south side of Rodgers River Bay. This intimate creek, known as the Cabbage Island Shortcut, is one of the Everglades finest paddles. The sky clouded overhead and a light rain was falling by the time we reached the Rodgers River chickee. Rainfall averages only one and a half inches per month during the paddling season.

The rain falling on the tin roof of the chickee drummed us into an afternoon nap. A gray evening followed a gray afternoon. We made a quick supper and retired back to the tent for more snoozing. Next morning Lisa and I left the two-party chickee and paddled northwesterly from Rodgers River Bay into Toms Creek, full of sharp twists and turns. We rejoined the Wilderness Waterway near marker 52 and pushed northward into Onion Key Bay. The paddle was kept interesting while navigating the open and closed waters and many islands. A final creek led us into Lostmans Five Bay, where the Lostmans Five campsite lay at the mouth of Lostmans Five Creek. This ground campsite is low and often wet. However, it is a favorite of mine, as it offers exploration opportunities up Lostmans Five Creek. The wooden dock here is great for catching a nice breeze off the bay.

The next morning we continued northward on the Wilderness Waterway, alternately passing through large bays connected by small creeks. A light breeze kept us cool, despite a bright sun overhead. We saw no alligators on Alligator Creek. The difficulty of paddling here is the complete lack of places to stop. There is no dry ground around. The shorelines are primarily mangrove with some other trees such as poisonwood. Therefore we were grateful to arrive at Possum Key, which is a Calusa shell mound where Darwin's Place campsite is located. The clearing here is much smaller than it was when it was farmed for bananas by the last man to reside in the park, Arthur Darwin.

Possum Key did offer a place to walk as we explored the forest behind the Darwin's place campsites. The woods are thick here, unfortunately with exotic plants such as Brazilian pepper. The park service tries to keep the pepper along with other exotics like melaleuca, from crowding out the native vegetation.

Lisa and I continued north on the Wilderness Waterway just a short distance to the Chatham River where we headed west back into the wide-open Gulf. A strong tide pushed us out towards Gun Rock Point. There was a lot of ocean located between us and Pavilion Key. Once again we stroked it hard before the afternoon winds kicked in. The sandy spit of the island's northern end was already populated with campers, mostly sea kayakers. Pavilion Key nearly always has campers on it, despite its being far from the mainland. Canoers must be very wary out here. After setting up camp Lisa went beachcombing while I cast for snook, which are known to cruise the shoreline on a rising tide. We looked across at the small smattering of sandbars that made up a Little Pavilion Key. The shoals were once home to a small clamming industry. Clammers lived in shacks on stilts and dug for clams with their feet, which were covered in burlap. Our biggest challenge was making sure we had our food properly stowed away from the persistent raccoons that roam this campsite and many other beach campsites in the Everglades. We enjoyed a magnificent sunset before retiring to a beach fire.

While sipping morning coffee I walked over to the canoe and could see sandy raccoon tracks all over the boat. Our supplies were safe, though. Lisa and I paddled north past Rabbit Key, where pelicans were roosting in the trees, and took one final break before making our way to the Gulf Coast Ranger Station in the Everglades City. We took a welcome shower at the Ivey House before they shuttled us back around the Everglades and down to our starting point at Flamingo. What a great trip it had been.

Everglades Trip Planner
To access official park information call (305) 242-7700 and ask for a Wilderness Trip Planner. Or, go on the web at www.nps.gov/ever/

With the trip planner you can sketch out a trip. But that is all you can do from home. Wilderness permits, required for all overnight camping, are available only in person at Flamingo and Gulf Coast ranger stations and may be obtained in person up to 24 hours in advance of a trip.

Head to the permit desk at Flamingo or Gulf Coast ranger stations and make a backcountry trip request with park staff. Have alternate trips planned once at the permit desk; this way, if campsites are already reserved, you have an alternate route ready. Once your permit is issued and park regulations explained to you, you must pay a permit fee. The fee is $10 per trip plus 2$ per person per day.

Heavy Use Periods
The general paddling season in Everglades National Park runs from November through April. Insects, thunderstorms and occasional hurricanes conspire to keep the Everglades backcountry nearly deserted May through October. When the first north breezes cool and clear the air, reducing insects, paddlers turn their eye southward for the Everglades. A few campsites begin to fill on weekends. But the crowds really come around Christmas. The period between Christmas and New Years is the Everglades' busiest. Expect full campsites and plan alternative trips. After this, weekends can be busy, yet you can nearly always get on in the general vicinity of where you want to go. Plan your trip during the week for the most solitude. The next big crowds come around President's Day weekend in February. The last big hits come during mid-March, when college students flock to the Glades for overnight trips. Again, get to the ranger stations early and you can get some campsites. As the weather warms up in April, visitation tapers off, dying by the end of the month.

Maps
NOAA chart #11430, 11432, 11433; (301) 436-6990
Or
Waterproof Chart # 39, 41; (800) 423-9026 www.waterproofcharts.com

Outfitters
North American Canoe Tours, Inc.
Post Office Box 5038
Everglades City, FL 34139
(941) 695-3299
www.evergladesadventures.com

These folks rent canoes and kayaks, gear, lead tours and provide shuttles. They also offer showers and overnight lodging at their Ivey House, which is located adjacent to North American Canoe Tours in Everglades City.

Editor's Note: A Paddler's Guide to Everglades National Park and Beach and Coastal Camping in Florida are just two of 22 outdoor guidebooks written by Johnny Molloy. To order these books or learn more about Johnny, please visit www.johnnymolloy.com.