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.