EC'10: The Wilderness Waterway

Everglades Challenge news last updated 9:00 am Wednesday

Read all the forum posts from the challengers [here].

Zoom in on a WaterTribe map of their progress [here].

Follow SPOT tracking data from SandyBottom [here].

View collected WaterTribe photos and video [here].

Wednesday morning (3/10)

SB is making great progress through the Everglades this morning. SPOT data indicates she left the Lostmans Five campsite (chickee) at or before 5:15 am.

Sure it adds an extra 30 miles to the EC, but the Wilderness Waterway through Everglades National Park is famously beautiful. Who could resist? Challengers who take this route and complete the EC are awarded a shark tooth and an alligator tooth --appropriately so, considering the extra distance and the travel through winding blind tunnels of mangrove, lurking big critters, even bigger snakes, and sections with names like "Lostmans", "Shark River", and "The Nightmare".

The chart below shows the winding path of the Wilderness Waterway as it was experienced by SB in 2008...






SandyBottom

The Wilderness Waterway winds through Everglades National Park (2008)



Chickees: raised wooded platform campsites like this...



... or on the ground like this.

Map of Campsites in Everglades National Park

Having the SPOT data for tracking the EC challengers is wonderful, especially when they are in the Park as cell phone coverage there is extremely poor between CP2 and CP3. A cell phone call home are unlikely until SB reaches CP3 at Flamingo, FL.

Speak, dear phone, speak.

With apologies to author Lowell George and to singer Linda Ronstadt...


WaterTribe Willin'

I been whipped by the rain, driven by the flow
I'm damp and dirty, don't you know
But I'm still willin'

Out on the river late last night
I'd see the pretty 'gators in my headlight
sharks, manatees and 'gators

And I've paddled from Tampa to Key Largo
Even all the way around!
Sailed every kind of rig that's ever been made
Camped outta sight so I wouldn't be delayed
And if you give me charts, tides and time
And you show me a sign
And I'll be willin' to be movin'

And I've been kicked by the wind, flipped off the seat
Had my head stove in but I'm still on my feet
And I'm still willin'

And I struggled at times to reach that Big Marco
Baked by the sun every time I go to Big Marco
Ah but I'm still...

And I've paddled from Tampa to Key Largo
Even all the way around!
Sailed every kind of rig that's ever been made
Camped outta sight so I wouldn't be delayed
And if you give me charts, tides and time
And you show me a sign
And I'll be willin' to be movin'