Tate’s Hell State Forest Archives

Layover Crooked River Campsite X: Day 28, Florida CT Paddle 3.12.18

March 12th, 2018susanafield0 Comments

Dear Reader, As soon as I signed off last night, the rains came and pounded on the tent like a drum and thunder boomed in the distance. Once it quelled, I got up to pee and stumbled to the river’s edge by headlamp. No wonder it’s a swamp. The kayaks were practically floating in the puddles that had formed beneath them even as they sat on high ground. I looked furtively about with my headlamp in the otherwise pitch black of the moonless night, half expecting to find an alligator by my side, and dashed back to the tent thinking …

Crooked River Campsite X: Day 27, Florida CT Paddle 3.11.18

March 11th, 2018susanafield2 Comments

Dear Reader, When John woke up this morning, his fever had broken. He had a headache and didn’t feel 100% but felt good enough to keep paddling. While we were packing up, two fishermen pulled up in their truck and launched their boat. When asked what they were fishing for they answered “we’re just going to throw in some bait on the end of a line and see what bites.” And then they rattled off some fish names, the only one I recognized being Bass. The river widened and stretched out some of its kinks as we paddled away from …

Crooked River Campsite Z: Day 26, Florida CT Paddle 3.10.18

March 10th, 2018susanafield1 Comment

Dear Reader, Today’s paddle had all the ingredients for a perfect day of paddling, except two. Dang, we were so close! It started with The Old Carrabelle Hotel’s proprietor and gracious Innkeeper, Skip, returning Miss Pink, Baby Blue, John and me to Carrabelle’s Public Launch Site on the Carrabelle River where he’d picked us up two days ago. And then up the river we went, past Carrabelle’s waterfront and fishing fleet and pleasure crafts. Up into the marshes, where we veered to the right, up the Crooked River. Islands of marshland which turned into wooded forests. Tate’s Hell State Forest, …