In three days and 65 miles we will emerge from the Suwannee River somewhere just north of Big Shoals, the site of Florida’s only class 3 whitewater. The mileage wouldn’t be known until after the trip. Currently we are under the delusion that the trip is more like 50 miles. Our entry point is Stephen Foster State Park in Georgia. This is the Okefenokee Swamp, the headwaters of the Suwannee.
I have paddled my 15 foot sit-on-top kayak many miles, mostly through coastal waters. This will be the first one-way, long distance journey. As I launch I am immediately aware that the kayak is significantly heavier than I am accustomed to. Both forward and rear hatches are full and the cargo area behind the seat is stacked high.The boat doesn’t accelerate as quickly, but it glides nicely and seems to have the ability to coast a long way on each stroke.
There are four of us, intrepid adventurers all. We slide out of the canal that takes us from the launch point out onto the main waters of the Okefenokee and pause for a group photo. The group leader wraps his flexible mini-tripod around a post and sets the timer to ten seconds, then quickly gets into position with the rest of us. Say cheese.
We paddle for a mile along the broad,
flat waters of the Okefenokee under steel-gray skies. The current runs at about 2 knots and the easy paddling comes to an end when we reach The Narrows. The broad water has narrowed to the width of a kayak and now twists and turns through water-hugging shrubs. We duck, twist, and contort our way through the labyrinth. This is some of the most difficult paddling of the entire trip. 
If you misjudge the water and fail to anticipate your course, you end up sideways against a tree or shrub, the current pinning you there and making escape difficult. We constantly are being brushed by low-hanging limbs and are continuously knocking down webs.Slowly, the river widens and we are no longer fighting the undergrowth. The day has become more pleasant. We move through cypress swamps and broader areas of grasses. The world is silent. Except for the trickling, paddling sound, all is quiet. We have successfully escaped the world of automobiles, highways, computers and phones. This is living!
A long, broad dam called The Sill prevents uncontrolled water flow from the Okefenokee. Though low in height, it stretches for over a mile perpendicular to the Suwannee as it flows south. We find our way through the flow-control opening and continue down the river.
Calm, serene, swampy beauty surrounds us for the remainder of the day. We see only a couple of sport fisherman in small boats. 20 miles from the start we pass underneath the first of only two bridges we encounter over the course of three days.
We make camp south of the bridge on the east bank of the river. We have a broad, dry, sandy camp that is comfortable enough for four small tents widely spaced.
