Cedar Key Weekend Paddle-

Nine people attended this “off the charts” weekend adventure paddle. With a wet and cold winter, people were anxious to get outdoors, so the majority of everyone showed up at the Shell Mound campground early Friday afternoon. The rest came shortly that evening. We all went about getting our sites set up then went exploring. Sue, Roxy and I took a short hike to the historic Shell Mound. Tom & Gaz went to check out the town of Cedar Key where we all eventually ended up to dine on some of the local seafood. Then it was back to Shell Mound for a campfire.

The next morning, after being rudely woken by the locals launching their airboats , we got ready and met down at the Cedar Key beach to start our voyage. The wind was gusting and the tide was coming in fast, which made for a rough paddle for the first leg of our trip. As we made our way to the island, called Atsena Otie, we fought a strong current with 2 ½ foot waves hitting our boats broadside. Gaz being without a spray shirt made a wise choice of turning back in short order, as the raging swells demanded such an accessory. As we arrived at Atsena Otie we took our kayaks up onto the beach and started our hike to the interior of the island. The trail was well worn by people, like us, traveling thru time past overgrown ruins left from the 1800’s. We made our way toward the cemetery to find this quiet resting place nestled among the trees overlooking a lagoon (at least during high tide is was).

After getting back to our boats we decided to head to the east side of the island to check out an eagles nest. At this time the wind finally calmed down and the water was much nicer to paddle in. On our way we were briefly escorted by dolphins. It’s a comfort to know when dolphins are present sharks are not in the area. With Clark’s keen sense of navigation we quickly found the eagles nest. Two fledglings were perched on a limb right next to the nest.

Next stop was what appeared to be an abandoned sail boat sitting off the shore of Dog Island located NE of Atsena Otie. On our way we saw Gaz paddling back toward us. Great timing. Glad the conditions improved for everyone’s enjoyment. As we approached the sail boat we realized it probably was no more than an ins. claim and not a wreck since it had already been stripped clean and locked up. Patrick did manage to salvage a souvenir for his efforts. Then it was off to the next sandy white beach north of us known as Shell Island. Half of us explored the shoreline around the east side amazed at the buildup of shells over the years. We walked out to some smaller islands to see birds, fish and a stingray.

The tide was going out at this point and it was time to head back. Thought we’d take one more detour on the way but not realizing just how quick the tide was going out we soon found ourselves getting stuck in a bay of oyster beds. We aborted mission and literally walked our boats out of the bay back into deeper water and went back to the CK beach.

That evening we had a semi-community dinner consisting of everything from beef stew & tacos to Chinese salad and M&M’s. Roxy brought her iPod and mini-speakers so we could listen to Jimmy Buffet which seemed appropriate. Then afterwards we had a great campfire where we learned that if you’re ever out of marshmallows, Peeps will do in a pinch.

We retired at a decent time not sure what Sunday’s weather would bring. The forecast called for serious rain and the outlook wasn’t good for kayaking. After a good nights sleep, Sun. morning we checked the forecast and decided not to paddle. Half the group was ready to get an early start on the long trek back. The rest of us still wanted to make the most of what was left of the weekend. We decided to go up the road to the Lower Suwannee Wildlife Refuge and go on a hike.

The refuge is enormous with many, many, well maintained, double track trails. The hike was scenic and the plant life diverse, from wetlands and Cypress to high and dry pines. We saw otters and birds of sorts, and thankfully no gators. We finished our hike within a few hours and we all agreed this would be a great place to come back and do some off road biking. Before hitting the road we drove back into Cedar Key one last time for lunch and watched the rain come in. Perfect timing.

Hosted by: Carol Noll