The sign along the canal
pointed, “To Fargo and all points south (if you know how)”. It was a wise-crack reminder that this place
the Indians called “The Land of Trembling Earth” is an ever-changing, confusing
landscape. “It’s really easy to get
disoriented out here… People
disappear. You can get 100 feet away
from a trail and get lost,” our guide Charlie warned as we motored down the
Suwannee Canal in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. This huge area, over 630 square miles, is
actually a bog inside of a saucer-shaped depression that was once part of the
ocean floor. A thick layer of peat,
sometimes up to 30 feet deep, lies beneath the swamp covered by black
reflective water. Sometimes lightening ignites the peat and the fires burn for
weeks. Pieces of peat often break off
and float, turning into little islands. Mother
Nature at her wildest. |
| Upside down reflection on the canal. |
As Sandhill cranes honk overhead
and alligators sunned along the bank, another tourist asked Charlie the ubiquitous
question: “Have you ever been attacked
by an alligator?” “No,” he said, “but
I’ve been close and I’ve got the scars to prove it.” On cue, he pulled the boat beside a lolling
gator that let out an unexpectedly loud hiss, causing us to bolt from our seats. We were motoring down a canal that began
construction in the late 1800’s to harvest Cypress trees. It was a doomed
venture. Poor engineering, mosquitoes,
market conditions and convict labor caused the companies to go bankrupt after
harvesting over one million cubic board feet of timber from old growth
forests. “All that mayhem and carnage
was to produce chipped wood pellets to export to China for heating. Paraquat was spread on everything to promote
tree growth and harvesting,” Charlie explained. He and another boat guide Melvin are fierce
protectors of this unique environment.
With an accent like molasses punctuated by spits of tobacco into the
water, Melvin celebrated the many renegades, outlaws and hermits that built
remote homesteads in the swamp after the Seminoles were driven out. During Prohibition, most of the liquor in New
York and Chicago was made in stills here and it was a hub for drug importation
in the 1970’s. In what Charlie called “A Second Trail of Tears”, these
hardscrabble settlers were also driven out when harvesting began. “Folks out
here don’t like the government. We like
privacy.” Charlie insisted. Melvin
delights in going to classrooms with beakers of methane gas collected from peat
and lighting it on fire to explain the area’s ecology. With a mischievous smile, he described the excitement: “It smells like an elephant just walked into
the room.”  |
| Cabin at Laura Walker State Park |
This primeval beauty can be
visited in several ways. A main entrance
near Folkston, GA is best for short visits. A visitor center and boat tours are
available there. Stephen C. Foster State park near Fargo in the park’s west has
boardwalks, boating and hiking trails, fishing, guided boat tours, motor boat
and canoe rentals, camping and cabins. Laura Walker State Park is near Waycross, close
to the park’s northern entrance. That
park boasts an 18-hole golf course, modern cabins, camping, beach, boat ramps
and fishing deck. My husband and I have
stayed in both state parks and enjoyed having our bicycles along. We pedaled back to our cabin at Stephen Foster
one day to find a mother bear and cubs scavenging in our back yard. Our favorite bike ride was the Swamp Island
Drive, a 7-mile loop (also open to cars) with numbered markers that pointed out
historic and natural points of interest.
An interesting stop was Chesser Island Homestead built on a 592-acre
island in the late 1800’s. Family
members lived there until 1958 in a largely self-sufficient lifestyle. Remnants of their determination to carve a
life from the harsh conditions include syrup shed, a smokehouse and the hand-built
timber house. You can also totally
retreat from civilization by camping in the swamp for 2 to 5 days by permit. Shelters and camping islands are provided but no
motorized boats are permitted. The park
website warns of many considerations including: “Paddling can be slow-going and strenuous on shallow and/or narrow trails. You may have to get out of your canoe and push across peat blowups or shallow water.” Today, over one million visitors a year come to the Okefenokee, especially in the spring when thousands of blooming lily pads are intoxicating. It is the largest area in the Southeastern United States not intersected by roads, providing a rare opportunity for solitude and undisturbed recreation. Charlie calls it “a very spooky, metaphysical place. That’s what makes it exciting: it’s not our world.”
If You Go
Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge: www.fws.gov/refuge/okefenokee
Laura Walker State Park:
https://gastateparks.org/LauraSWalker
Stephen Foster State Park:
https://gastateparks.org/StephenCFoster
