Econlockhatchee - Middle and Upper Section at High Water 9-5-2015 and 9-6-2015

 

The Econlockhatchee

419 Bridge to Snowhill Road Bridge

and

Hidden River RV Park (Highway 50) to 

419 Bridge

At HighWater

The Econlockhatchee River is a north-flowing, blackwater river that is approximately 54.5 miles long and is a tributary of the St. John’s River. The Econ flows through the counties of Osceola, Orange and Seminole.Its name is Muscogee and translates to “River of Many Mounds.” There are three sections of the Econlockhatchee mainly paddled, dependent in some instances on the water levels of the river.  The first section, (the "upper section") from Highway 50 to the 419 Bridge is not often paddled and is very rain dependent, but can be described as the most beautiful of all three sections.  The second section (the “middle section”) is from the 419 Bridge to the Snowhill Road bridge. Many people also routinely paddle the third section (the “lower section”) which is from the Snowhill Road bridge to CS Lee Park. The 419 Bridge is where the tributary of the Little Econlockhatchee meets with the Big Econlockhatchee to flow through the Little Big Econ State Forest (now the name of the forest makes sense!) According to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, this waterway was designated as an Outstanding Waterway and singled out for preservation.

419 Bridge to Snowhill Road Bridge 9-5-2015

 

It had been awhile since we last paddled this section of the Econ. Since I live in the area and I knew we had received alot of rain, I was interested to see just how high and fast this river was flowing. As it turned out, it was higher than I had ever seen it. The banks of the river spilled past the grass that lead to the bridge and even from beyond the forest.

There wasn't much wildlife to be seen, but we did spot two bald eagles. We didn't even see any alligators this trip. The water levels were so high I was concentrating on trying to remember what the river looked like without the water being so high.

An orange blaze marking the hiking trail, which was of course impassable due to the high water

Majestic American Bald Eagle

We paddled up the bridge, parked our kayaks and ate lunch on the middle of the bridge. The sandy spot where we sometimes stop and take a break to stretch was covered in water.

JB paddling past the old Flagler Railroad bridge pilings.

Little Big Econ State Forest is historically significant since it contains the first means of crossing the Econlockhatchee River. The Old State Road 13 railway and trestle were part of the Flagler Railroad System in the early 1900s. Today they are part of the Florida National Scenic Trail and are used by hikers to cross the Econlockhatchee River.

(Source: The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services)

View From The Bridge: To the right of the picture is normally a large sandy area, but now underwater.

 

The rest of the paddle went swiftly thanks to the current which gave us an averaging moving speed of 3.2 mph without even trying. We paddled 8.25 miles in 2 hours and 36 minutes and we stopped for a whopping 40 minutes for lunch. Before we knew it, we were at Snowhill Bridge. Normally there is a steep, rocky slope to lug our kayaks up to our cars. Not today. There was orange tape blocking entrances to cars to travel under the bridge because it was underwater. It was easypeasy to kayak up to the bridge and literally all we had to do was get out of our kayaks, pick them up and walk a few feet to our cars.

JB and I were excited for the next day to come because we had already decided we were going to attempt to kayak the Upper Econ.....

Hidden River RV Park (Highway 50) to 419 Bridge 9/6/2015

 

JB can't wait to paddle the Upper Econ!!!

It was a beautiful Sunday morning and according to the water gage, the river was 20.86 feet and ready for us to explore it. Our journey began through a canopy of cypress, oaks and palms.

We meandered through swamps and attempted to navigate the main channel, but this proved to be difficult because the water spilled into the surrounding forest and at times there did not appear to be any flow of the river to follow. Nevertheless, we were always able to make our way forward, but not without getting slapped a few times by the many trees which partially blocked the path as we paddled onward. My sunglasses were a casualty of the paddle battle between me and a bushy oak tree branch. Oak Tree Branch: 1 Me: Lost Pair of Sunglasses sunken into the abyss of the Econ.

At times the river would open up and we paddled past many "Posted: No Trespassing" signs which helped us realize just where the boundaries of the river normally were. Though we could hear the distinct sounds of a pilated woodpecker and the hooting of owls from deep in the forest, we could not see them. We did see an Aningha and Great Blue Heron fly by, but I was not able to photograph them. We also saw a deer run into the woods. The wildlife that could be seen was very skittish and would quickly disappear once it knew we were around.

We only saw two alligators and this was the runt of the two. The first one was spotted in a more swampy area and was what we like to call "A BIG Boy!!!" JB saw the mammoth alligator and pointed it out to me. I did not grab my camera because when I turned and saw the size of it, I decided it was a good time to paddle faster.

Lunch Spot!

We managed to find our way through the maze of trees and finally saw the 419 bridge....we made it! Just in time, too, because rumbles of thunder were growing louder.

 

We love to explore rivers we have not done before and this was surely an exciting, scenic wilderness journey we will not soon forget.

Withlacoochee River South...at Flood Stage

WITHLACOOCHEE (SOUTH)

FLOOD STAGE

8/29/2015 AND 8/30/201

I headed out to the campground right after work on Friday in anticipation of paddling the Withlacoochee (South) despite the fact that the weather forecast was not too favorable. Tropical Storm "Erika" was making its way across the Atlantic and threatening to strengthen and visit Florida. Yet, I drove along behind a small, red Honda Fit that kept putting its hazard lights on every time we would go through another heavy batch of rain. Eventually I made it to the campsite where JB was already waiting warm and dry inside the Marshmellow. The rain followed me and decided to stay awhile, so no campfire for us on this night. 


Day 1: Coulter-Hammock to Highway 50 Bridge

An early morning view of misty Silver Lake

The next morning we woke up early and headed to our put-in spot. The place where we once parked our cars was completely under water! I had no idea what to expect once we began our paddle. We had last paddled this river in May 2015 and I wrote a blog about it. Though this was the same river, this was definitely not the same paddle.

JB Paddling in the "Parking Spot"

The river was as beautiful as ever. Anywhere you turned was like looking straight into a beautiful, detailed painting and every variation of the color green presented itself like a painter's pallette. We paddled past hiking trails not normally underwater. Mirror images of the  blue blaze markers on the trees reflected in the water surrounding them below. It seemed as if we were gliding along the treetops and I suspect we practically were. We did not see any gnarly, twisty cypress roots along the banks as we had in May. In fact, what you mostly saw was a vast expanse of water surrounding any tree within view. The only wildlife I noticed on this section was a quick flying yellow-bellied warbler that rested on a tree branch long enough to let me admire its deep, yellow color before it disappeared deep into the woods.

Once we began to paddle past houses along the river, the magnitude of just how high the water was became real. Entire backyards of some houses had disappeared, while other houses were completely surrounded  by water on all sides. Entire roads were submerged underwater making it virtually unrecognizable as a road except for the top of a stop sign sticking out. We were told to watch out for Cottonmouth Water Moccasin snakes recently seen in large numbers in the river. It is hard to imagine why a house is built on stilts, or why an air conditioner unit appears to be on a second floor when the water is low, but when you see just how high the water can reach, it all makes sense. A man who was outside his house in his "mud boots" told us the water levels had actually GONE DOWN in previous days.Unfortunately, even more rain was expected after we left.

Here is a list of the river's crests over the years, starting with the highest on record, in 1934:
20.38 feet — June 21, 1934
16.55 feet — Sept. 29, 2004
16.30 feet — Sept. 20, 1960
14.37 feet — Sept. 16, 1988
13.71 feet — Dec. 26, 2002
Source: National Weather Service

 

Further down the river, more birds made an appearance and we stopped at a park that appeared to be closed, most likely because the majority of it was under water, to get out of our kayaks and stretch and eat our lunch.

We continued our paddle down the river and at times, unknowingly in the backyards of some of the residents.

The last time we saw the house below, it was surrounded by land. This time, the only way to get around the house was by boat!

The "backyard"

 

A view of the front of the house and the "front yard"

Still "For Sale By Owner......."

We had a bit of trouble trying to determine exactly where we should get out because our normal take-out spot was covered in water and overgrown with weeds. Actually, we were having a hard time finding the spot we normally take-out because everything was so overgrown and blended together. We managed to find a spot and wearily carried our kayaks to the car.

JB wanted to check out a nearby park before dinner, so we dropped off the extra car and kayaks and set out to explore. Roxy just wanted to take a nap.

It poured on our way to check out the park, so we decided to head back to the campground. We were only feet away from a nice warm, dry cozy abode. The only thing standing in our way? A colossal downpour!!! Would you believe the rain stopped and we were able to have a campfire??? That's Florida. If you don't like the weather, wait 5 minutes!!!

So close, yet so far away during the rainstorm

 Day 2: Silver Lake Rec Area to Nobleton

We got a much earlier start on Sunday and put-in at Silver Lake Rec Area. The air was cool and the water calm. We didn't paddle near any motorboats on our way from the Lake to the river. It was nothing but peace and tranquility once we passed the highway bridge.

The journey from Silver Lake to Hog Island and eventually to Nobleton has to be one of the prettiest sections of this river. I often felt like I was inside a storybook and venturing into an enchanted forest. We saw some more birds and a few large alligators along the way.

 
We made it to the take-out and back to the campground just in time to load up and beat the rain. This river has always been described by JB as one of his favorite waterways to paddle. His "magical mystery tour." I have to say, I agree with him and I can't wait to come back and see what the Withlacoochee River will transform into next when I do.