St. Johns River: "Bartram's Battle Lagoon"

  

This trip meets on the banks of the St. Johns River, about 2 hours from Gainesville.

 

The fee is $39 for "Wanna Go" members ($50 for non-members). This includes your boat rental, paddle, vest, shuttling and guide (yours truly). If you'd like to use your own boat, it's $29 for members (or $40 for non-members).

 

For tour dates, please see our calendar at - www.adventureoutpost.net

 

  

Description

 

This is the first in our new "Great Explorations" series. On these tours, we'll be following the routes of some famous Florida explorations. I've tried to select explorations for which there was some documentation about the wildlife, plants and people they saw.

 

On this 6 - 6.5 hour round trip paddle (going upstream first and then returning to the same spot from which we launched), we pass through a wide range of terrains. Beginning in a wide expanse of the St. Johns River we skirt past open marshes of floating ferns and water lilies before entering a narrower channel. Passing Bartram's "Battle Lagoon" (see "History" below), we'll stop in for a look at his campsite which he described in some detail. It's refreshing to see how little the site has changed.

 

A nice stand of cabbage palms is over-topped by tall, lanky hackberry trees, maples and hickory. Below them, widely scattered shrubs and an easy ground cover of plants like red salvia and bidens alba make this a good campsite even today. Walking over the shelly knoll, (an Indian midden that was ancient even in Bartram's time), efforts to conjure images of Bartram's Florida are aided by a couple of scrawny wild orange trees, reminiscent of the small orange grove he found here.

 

From Battle lagoon, we continue upstream a couple of miles and then enter the mouth of a fair sized spring run. The slight tannic stain of the water hints at the lush swamps lining much of this runs upper reaches. Ascending the stream, the channel narrows and we find ourselves increasingly within the river forest rather than mere passersby. Ash trees, maple, river elm, cypress and gum trees arch overhead and practically reach one another to form a complete canopy by the time we reach the top of our ascent (Note: we do not reach the headspring, which is a few miles furthger upstream). After a brief stretch/snack break, we return downstream along the same route that brought us.

 

 

Wildlife

 

These days, the alligator population along this stretch of the St. Johns is nothing like the horde that Bartram saw,, but you can expect to see a few sunning on the river bank and fallen logs. Wading birds, osprey, cormorants, anhingas and the occasional bald eagle can be seen on the open St. Johns River. In the narrower channels, we become more aware of the forest birds including (depending on the season) parula, black and white and prothonotary warblers, catbirds, phoebes, great crested flycatchers, belted kingfishers, and more. Otters are plentiful in this area, as well, but we don't spot them as frequently here as we would on rivers like Rainbow and Silver. 
 

 

History

 

When England took possession of Florida in 1763, scholars and scientists of all persuasion were eager to learn what mysteries their new land held. Toward that end, a man named Fothergill contracted with the son of his friend John Bartram to journey down to Florida and report back on the plants, animals and people found there. His selection of the 35 year old William was fortuitous, to say the least. The book that was spawned by this four year adventure was not only an invaluable source of information about the nature and peoples of Florida (including the first Seminoles), it would prove to be a significant influence on the Romantic period of literature. Through his lyrical, dreamy descriptions of the places he saw he inspired such notables as Wordsworth, Coleridge and Chateaubriand (in some cases to a point bordering on plagiarism).

 

When William Bartram's account of his exploration was published in 1791, it was an immediate success. However, some of his natural observations were met with skepticism. Some of the species he described and events he recounted seemed, to some critics, to be fanciful exaggerations of an imaginative, albeit very learned youth. It would take decades of further exploration and subsequent observations by later naturalists before Bartram was fully vindicated and recognized as one of America's greatest naturalist explorers.

Among the most controversial (and exciting) tales in Bartram's book, "Travels" was the alligator attacks he survived (barely) in a side channel of the St. Johns River. He dubbed the spot Battle Lagoon. You'll hear this amazing story as you drift in the same spot it happened.

 

 

Difficulty

 

This is relatively easy paddling and is suitable for all skill levels - beginner to pro. While this is an up-and-back paddle, the current is easy, not nearly as strong as Silver River for instance. The main consideration is the relatively long 6 - 6.5 hours of paddling. Please consider your strength and endurance carefully.