Paddle Florida scouts trip in the Florida Keys

In April, Paddle Florida staff scouted a trip in the Florida Keys. The recently completed trip to the Keys was a rare privelege. There are few places on earth where one can paddle in blue-green, shallow water, while getting up close and personal with wildlife like sea turtles, rays, bahama stars or dolphins. All were on display during this scouting trip. While there, we visited Long Key State Park, Curry Hammock State Park and Bahia Honda State Park. The staff and park managers at all of the parks were very supportive and professional. We know that participants will love paddling in the Keys. This trip will be limited to the first one hundred experienced paddlers. Our great new volunteers, Whitney Sanford and Kevin Veach displayed their outstanding open water experience and skills as we traversed the sometimes treacherous seven-mile bridge stretch between Knight's Key and Bahia Honda. Special thanks also goes out to Monica Woll from the Office of Greenways and Trails in Key Largo. Without her keen sense of paddling in the Keys, we couldn't have done the trip.


Paddle Florida staff is preparing to scout our last trip of the season. We travel to the Pandhandle in May to work with the good people at Blackwater River State Park and our friends Bill Hay and Martha Szymoniak at Adventures Unlimited. We hope to announce our 2010/2011 paddling schedule on 15 May. Right now the only trip on the website is our 3rd annual Fall Paddle Florida on the Suwannee River Wilderness Trail. We hope to add five others to the site in June. Please visit www.paddleflorida.org for details.