The Everglades - Florida
Wednesday, March 21: Today the Everglades are on the agenda. At half past nine we drive to Garl. We meet a laid-back and easygoing dropout who loves nothing more than heading into the Everglades to enjoy nature. That's exactly what we want to do today — by kayak and partly on foot.
We take the US1 toward Miami and Garl arranges a motel in Florida City near the swamps for the coming night along the way. Before we enter the national park, Garl takes us to a farm that supposedly serves the world's best milkshake. After a delicious pick-me-up, we drive into the park.
Along the way we learn all sorts of things about the Native Americans and animals in the area.
We make our first stop at an Alligator Hole.
Alligator Hole: Over the course of their lives, alligators build a pond during the rainy seasons to survive the dry season. So the larger the pond — or rather the green area around it — the larger the alligator.
By the roadside stands a conspicuously jagged tree. Native Americans are said to have shaped them during growth to use as trail markers. Throughout the park you can see these "jagged" trees. We leave the car and walk through dense undergrowth, pushing into the thicket of the "little oasis" and find ourselves standing before a "very large" pond. On the other side, a nearly full-grown alligator is sunbathing. When it notices us, it charges toward us and disappears into the water just a few meters away.
An impressive sight — it takes a moment for the goosebumps to fade.
Kayaking Through the Everglades
A few kilometers further, we lower the kayaks into the water at Hell Bay and start paddling.
We fight our way through narrow channels between the mangroves. Every now and then we end up in the bushes, as maneuvering was difficult due to the lack of space. Again and again we pass alligator trails, but unfortunately don't see any here. After a picnic in the swamps, we drive back to the car and continue toward Flamingo.
Flamingo
Here we take a short break and see the destruction that Hurricane Katrina brought upon the coast. The entire area is deserted and a hotel lies completely in ruins. From here we hike along the coast through a former grassland. The dead grasses, bushes, and trees — along with crab shells scattered for kilometers inland — are further witnesses to the force of nature. An eerie silence prevails. The surviving animals and birds have retreated inland. It will take quite some time before life returns here.
We make another detour to a lake 1.6 miles away. The exhausting march is rewarded with a large number of seabirds hunting for their food here.
To wrap up the day, we drive to a massive Gator Hole. On the way we observe countless nightjars.
The oldest and therefore largest alligator pond in the area is explored at dusk. Dozens of alligators line the paths or lie in the water during their evening hunt for food. A strange feeling, just walking right through. Later we see countless pairs of eyes in the darkness, reflecting the light of our lamps, while all around us animals are on the hunt. Again and again you hear splashing as they leap after their prey.
As it slowly gets cold and our scratched-up legs itch more and more, we decide to head back to the motel and collapse into bed completely exhausted.
