The Everglades – The River of Grass
Today the Everglades are on the agenda. We meet Garl, a relaxed and laid-back free spirit who loves nothing more than heading into the Everglades to enjoy nature. That is exactly what we want to do today too — by kayak and partly on foot.
We drive down US1 toward Miami and along the way Garl arranges a motel in Florida City, near the swamps, for the coming night. Before heading into the national park, Garl stops at a farm that supposedly serves the world's best milkshake. After a delicious snack we drive into the park.
Along the way we learn all sorts of things about the Native Americans and animals that inhabit the area.
Our first stop is at an alligator hole.
-Alligator Hole: Over the course of their lives, alligators dig out a pond during the rainy seasons in order to survive the dry season.
The larger the pond — or the green area surrounding it — the larger the alligator.
By the roadside stands a strikingly jagged tree. Native Americans are said to have shaped its growth to use it as a waymarker. You can see these "jagged" trees all over the park. We leave the car and walk through dense undergrowth, pushing into the thicket of the "little oasis" until we find ourselves standing before a "very large" pond. On the opposite bank a nearly fully grown alligator is sunning itself. When it spots us it charges toward us and disappears into the water just a few metres away.
An impressive sight — it takes a moment for the goosebumps to fade.
By Kayak Through the Everglades
A few kilometres further on we launch our kayaks at Hell Bay and start paddling. We fight our way through narrow channels between the mangroves.
We occasionally get caught in the bushes because manoeuvring is difficult in the tight spaces. Time and again we pass alligator trails, but unfortunately do not see any here. After a picnic in the swamps we head back to the car and continue toward Flamingo.
Flamingo – Florida
In the small settlement of Flamingo, deep in the Everglades, we take a short break and witness the destruction that Hurricane Katrina brought to the coast. The whole area is deserted and a hotel lies in complete ruins. From here we hike along the coast through what was once a grassland. The dead grasses, shrubs and trees — alongside crab shells scattered for kilometres inland — are further witnesses to the force of nature. An eerie silence prevails. The surviving animals and birds have retreated into the interior. It will take quite some time before life returns here.
We make one more detour to a lake 1.6 miles (2.57 km) away. The tiring hike is rewarded by a large number of seabirds hunting for food here.
To round off the day we drive to an enormous Gator Hole. On the way we watch countless nighthawks.
What is probably the oldest and at the same time the largest alligator pond in the area is explored as darkness falls. Dozens of alligators line the paths or lie in the water during their evening hunt for food. It is a strange feeling to simply walk through. Later we see countless pairs of eyes in the darkness reflecting the light of our torches, while animals are hunting all around us. Again and again you hear a splash as they lunge for their prey.
