The Okefenokee Swamp

About an hour from where we are camping lies the famous Okefenokee swamp. With our fridge finally replaced and working fine, we had some free time so figured this would be an interesting place to visit. There is a visitors centre which describes the history and makeup of the swamp. At over 400,000 acres, its the largest freshwater swamp in North America and is fully protected as a National Wilderness area. That means the area is being kept natural and visitors are strictly controlled to protect animals and vegetation.

If you wish to travel into the swamp you need to go in supervised groups with a guide. Thats to protect the area as well as keeping tourists from getting lost. Wilderness canoeing and camping can be done at designated sites although the thought of tenting amongst the over 25,000 gators doesn't appeal at all.

From the visitors centre to the main area of the swamp is a canal to travel on. This was built about 120 years ago by a company called the Okefenokee Swamp Company. Their plan was to run a canal through the swamp which would drain the swamp to the St. Marys river. Then they could cut down all the trees and sell housing lots and they would all get rich. Most of the canal dredging was done by convicts using horses and hand equipment. They managed to go 10 miles before they ran out of money. The canal as still there and is the only water over 2 feet deep so it suits the boats which are used for tours.

The trip down the canal was quite long and the guide gave everyone who wanted to a chance to drive the boats. Grammie is following in the footsteps of hundreds of people who have navigated the swamp over the years. The guide is a 7th generation swamper and had all kinds of stories to tell. The swamp was famous for being a hideout for illegal stills where they made "white lightning".  Stills were made on rafts and if its location became risky, the owner would pole it to another location.

A lot of the swamp is open water like this called a prairie. Its only a foot or two deep with no bottom to speak of. Its all rotting vegetation underwater and when a pole is pushed in, methane gas bubbles up. Sometimes big chunks of the bottom break free and rise to the surface pushed up by the methane. As these float, plants and small trees will take root and soon it looks like a small island. You can walk on the older ones but they bend and twist causing the trees and shrubs to sway. The name Okefenokee is a native word for "Land of Trembling Earth".

All those islands in the background are floating; pretty cool, huh. As you may know, Grammie comes from Grande Prairie, Alberta so we thought this sign was neat. Thankfully it never gets this wet in Alberta.

It was a cool day but sunny so we saw a few gators that have climbed up on hummocks to soak up the sun. After being told there were over 25,000 gators in the park I figured they would be stacked on top of each other but we only saw a few. Kind of makes you wonder where they all are.

Because the water is so shallow, cypress trees will take root and grow. Boaters give them a wide berth because, if you will recall from a previous blog, they have big root knobs (called knees) that stick up above the water line and are one of the few solid objects in the swamp. Big problem if you hit one of them. No water comes into the swamp except rain. In dry years this area may be too low to boat. The water drains from the swamp by the St. Marys River and the Suwanee River. They both start their journey in the swamp.

Without man to disturb them, a lot of animals thrive here. This blue heron is sitting on dry land, its part of the canal wall. Panthers, bobcats, a dozen different snakes as well as many other animals call the swamp home. If you're lower down on the food chain this would not be a friendly place. Because water drains from the swamp and none come in, its considered almost pollution free, just rain pollutants get in. The water is the colour of dark tea and is slightly acidic from the rotting plants underwater. In fact the swamp is mostly peat.
Its one of the healthiest ecosystems on earth; thanks goodness the plan to drain it didn't work out.