ITINERARY

THE LOCATION:
At the southernmost corner of the eastern United States stands a rare natural marvel: the Everglades. This incredible land boasts endless horizons, an eternity of glittering water and waving grasses, and an infinity of life-forms spanning this sub-tropical wilderness found nowhere else in the world. The Everglades is comprised of low islands (keys), tangled mangrove swamps, flat saw-grass prairies, pinewoods, and tropical hammocks and is the third largest national park in the U.S. For sports fishermen, this is the world’s best flats fishing with spotted sea trout, red fish (red drum), black drum, tarpon, snook, blues, Jack crevals, and Spanish mackerel all nipping at the lines.


THE TRIP:


Each day we will make our way northwest following the coast and keys that make up the Everglades. Paddling into the Glades we will experience mangrove tunnels, stopping to learn the three types of mangrove and its purposes. We will also see an abundance of unique wildlife. Keeping our distance, time will be spent identifying birds, reptiles, and mammals. Making our way into Florida Bay and the Gulf of Mexico will give everyone time to observe the coastal make up of Florida’s sub-tropical beaches. This offers us yet another unique environment with its own separate flora and fauna. Then we will experience the best of Florida by swimming and playing on a deserted white sand beach. Nights will be spent around the campfire, fishing, or just relaxing.  

We will meet at noon. on day 1 at the lobby of the only hotel at the Miami International Hotel. Participants driving to Flamingo should contact the park for driving directions to the group campsite.
Day 1: We will have a brief orientation followed by basic instruction in kayaking and how to load our kayaks. We will spend the early afternoon setting up

SPECIAL CONCERNS:
This adventure will take us into a wilderness area with real wild animals, I.E: alligators, saltwater crocodiles, bears, snakes, panthers, and sharks. It is possible to avoid all contact with these creatures and its possible to observe the creatures from a great distance. Please educate yourself about keeping a distance from all wild animals and the dangers involved with letting wild animals becoming comfortable around humans. If at anytime during the trip you have any concerns, please approach the leaders.

Since this is a wilderness trip please leave all electronic games, cell phones, watches, palm pilots, walkmans, radios, or anything else that distracts from the natural environment at home or in your car.

CONSERVATION:
Clearly a paradise in jeopardy," the Everglades is dying of thirst and other maladies. Upstream demand for water by the sugar industry and growing cities has slowed a much-heralded restoration program to a crawl. Promised federal funding has not been forthcoming. The national park is not over-visited, but off-road vehicles have scarred Big Cypress. "A culture of big swamp buggies, high-speed watercraft, and airboats does little to preserve the more fragile areas." Birding is still good, if only a shadow of what it used to be. "Rapid development on all sides has created an unpleasant, unattractive gateway to one of the planet's unique places."__