Okefenokee Swamp II

We just spent a few days at Stephen Foster State Park in the Okefenokee Swamp in Georgia. It is in the middle of nowhere with very, very little cell phone service so it was a good chance to just get away from the world. We visited here 5 years ago when it was July and hot. I had all kinds of plans for us to take a swamp boat tour and then rent a canoe in the cool weather (70s). BTW, we didn’t experience any mosquitoes even though this is a swamp.

However, John came down with a cold. He didn’t want to spread it to other people on a boat tour and didn’t have the energy to canoe for hours. Plus, our 2^nd full day was quite windy making canoeing difficult.

The wind also meant hiking was more dangerous as pine needles, large pine cones, and small branches dropped to the ground.  Pine needles aren’t really dangerous (even though it meant more work to clean the RV) but the pine cones sounded like bombs dropping. Anyhow, we were still able to hike, bike, and just rest.

Our hike on a boardwalk was better than last time. During the summer large spiders take over the area (see that previous post) but are gone by this time of the year. We also saw some deer along the boardwalk.

My solitary morning hike on the boardwalk was kind of creepy. A hundred or so vultures started to circle my area. I didn’t see any animals and they didn’t come down to any dead creature. Then I started to wonder if they thought I was a potential meal! I decided to finish my hike.

The trails are relatively short (a couple of miles) but wide and well maintained. My morning walks were full of deer sightings. Small groups of deer were everywhere.

I think I saw a fox (no picture). I didn’t see a bear but we found recent bear scat on the trail. It was funny because afterwards we talked to another camping couple who had taken pictures of this scat too. You know you’re a camper when bear scat is truly exciting!

The park is a Dark Sky Park but with a full moon the stars weren’t as clear. However, I woke up the second day and realized the moon was less than half full and getting smaller and redder. Turns out it was a lunar eclipse which is a freaky occurrence to experience when it is unexpected. I was pretty sure it was an eclipse and not the end of the world. Anyway…with the reduced moonlight, I got to see a couple of meteors, the Milky Way, and lots of stars along with the lunar eclipse!