We have another amazing tale from JASTA 11, this time on the hunt for an 8 year old cache in the swampy Fakahatchee Cypress Forest. Read on for the full incredible story: 

With the first snow of the season falling here in New England, my thoughts travel back to warmer days, lush, green vegetation, and a TerraCache that had sat alone in a swamp for almost eight years…

The Fakahatchee Strand: the world’s largest strand swamp, the orchid and bromeliad capital of the continent, a subtropical wilderness, the Amazon of North America. When one thinks of a jungle- thick vegetation, humid air, and the sounds of animal calls blasting from the trees are what comes to mind. The Fakahatchee is all that.

Back in 2010 I was planning a visit down to Naples, Florida. Of course that meant targeting some choice caches. I didn’t want numbers caches, I wanted to experience an environment that was very different than what we’re used to. I was looking for caches that were, to put it simply, ‘off the beaten path’. I had come across one of those, hidden fairly recently. Well, plans for that trip fell through and much time passed. Fast forward to 2017 and once again we were planning to vacation in southwest Florida – so, it was game on!

TCAAV – Fakahatchee Cypress Forest. Hidden in March 2010. Over a mile from the nearest ‘road’. Still unfound after seven years. Yes! So I contacted a Florida local and his ‘snow bird’ sidekick, they would come down and join in the trek through the strand. So I researched the swamp, checked the water levels almost daily, and created a packing list of items that I hoped would help meet the challenges of the swamp.

February 17, 2018: the big day was finally here. I was up early to get to the park near dawn. But I would be making the slog alone, my partners having bailed out on this adventure a couple days earlier. No matter. With less noise being made I’d have a better chance of seeing a Florida panther or a maybe a black bear, maybe even a skunk ape! So, with my jungle boots on I added gore-tex leg gaiters ‘cause I’d be more likely to come across a water moccasin or some other snake than any large mammals.

A short walk down a pathway (called a ‘tram’, they are left over from when the swamp was logged for its cypress in the 1940s and ‘50s) and it was time to dive into the jungle. Crossed a narrow drainage next to the tram and then stepped up a little into the swampland itself. January and February is the ‘dry’ season in south Florida, so it’s a great time to walk the swamp. The water level was usually from just above my ankle up to mid-calf. But there were plenty of spots where there was dry ground to step on. But those spots are heavily vegetated. Vegetated with things that will either poke you, trip you, or cut you. So, in picking my poison, I chose to keep mostly to the wetlands.

As you can imagine, traveling in a straight line is impossible. Creeping along, circumventing obstacles, it’s necessary to plan out your next couple moves ahead of time to keep from putting yourself in to a dead end of briars or other heavy vegetation.

All through the hours I was in there, birds were a constant companion overhead in the trees. Lots of chatter. I don’t know what kind any of them were, save for the hoots of an owl. Other times I would get startled by loud crashing in some nearby palmettos. But anyone who has ever walked through palmettos knows that they make a racket at the slightest motion. Sorry, no skunk ape.

No alligators either. With the drier conditions, gators spend most time wallowing in their holes. Aside from some small lizards and a frog, the only reptile I came close to was a solitary water moccasin…

At about .4 mi south of ground zero I encountered the largest water crossing yet, a canal about twenty feet across. I searched up and down a little, hoping to find a fallen tree across the canal with no luck. So, I threw some objects into the water to be sure I wasn’t going to surprise anything. Holding my machete in one hand I went on in to the black, mid-thigh deep water, and came out the other side uneventfully - into the cypress forest.

The terrain from here on in would largely be dry. Anticipation was rising as the distance to GZ kept dropping, but so did the anxiety. Would I find it? Was it even still able to be found? It had been almost eight years. Lots can happen out here in the ‘Amazon’. Would I be walking out of the swamp this evening empty-handed?

‘Beep-beep’, my Delorme signaled two hundred feet to target. Later a single beep let me know I was within forty feet. I was there at last…

I sat down for a snack and some much needed hydration and took in my surroundings. Nothing caught my eye. After all, it was a small, green decon container I was seeking, and surrounding me were stumps, live cypress, and many, many vines. It would be like the needle in the haystack. On top of that, the gps was having a bit of difficulty locking a signal under the thick canopy. Distances and directions drifted. I wandered about a little, checking the obvious places. As I looked around, I spotted a very interesting strangler fig climbing a thin cypress. With camera in hand I walked over to get a good picture. And there it was…

Euphoria is the only way to describe it. It was still there, after all this time, and I managed to find it.

Looking at the photo, you can see that I wasn’t the first to find. Deep teeth marks show that it had got the attention of something at some point in the last almost eight years. With holes in the container, the inside was a mess. We cleaned it out, taped up over the holes, and added a new log in a baggie.

This was probably the most extreme terrain I’ve traversed to search for a cache. All the things I hoped for in this cache were achieved. I came away from this hunt with great sense of satisfaction and some fantastic memories, all thanks to TerraCaching!

FOR LOVE OF THE HUNT!

For more on the hunt for this TerraCache, please check out our video

Ghost Orchid – Photo Source Unknown

Wild orchids will only grow in areas of their particular liking. Requiring just the right amount of light,  temperature, nutrients and humidity. Even preferring a particular trees bark of a certain angle to nestle itself into. One of the most finicky and rare is the Ghost Orchid.  The Ghost Orchid gets its name as its white flowing shape appears to hover in mid air.

It can only found in the Fakahatchee Strand, Big Cypress Preserve and Panther Refuge in southern Florida. The orchid thrives in areas surrounded by murky waters, mosquitoes, snakes, panthers, bears and alligators. These are not, however, deterrents to avid collectors and profiteers who wish to harvest, reproduce and sell the rare plant. As has been depicted in the book The Orchid Thief and the major motion picture  Adaptation.

Are You Fakah’n Crazy

Given the time of year, I know seeing a Ghost Orchid in bloom is highly unlikely, however I can visit its home in the Fakahatchee Strand and participate in a Swamp Walk.  The Swamp Walk is for visitors with an affinity for totally undeveloped areas who enjoy strenuous hikes and have no aversion to wading hip deep in a swamp.

Mike, our guide and park biologist,  arrives and begins coating himself in sun screen. He is a slight man, mid 50-ish and seems to have boundless energy. I am immediately envious of his enthusiasm for his craft. It’s readily apparent that he loves what he does. He speaks in a rapid fire manner, and unashamedly flys his bio-geek flag, trying to instill his love and knowledge of the strand. He transfers his knowledge in an unassuming way though his vocabulary rivals that of an accomplished college professor.

Slough Ride, Take it Easy

The group of 10  is to carpool out Jane’s Scenic Drive.  I jump into the car with Mike and his right hand gal, Becky for the 6 mile drive to the slough (slew).  The warm rutted gravel road attracts reptiles like a coffee shop with free wi-fi draws millennial’s. Along the way, we encounter turtles, numerous snakes and a 5′ alligator. Each wildlife incursion requires a vehicle stoppage so that Mike can record what we found, where we found it, what it was doing, who it was talking to and the time of its last meal (approximate).

A Fakahatchee Slough

We reach the end of the drive whereby we are to hike the rest of the way in. Upon exiting the car, Mike begins to apply a second coat of sun screen. Given we have heard reports of bears in the area, and have actually seen numerous snakes and gators,  I can understand needing an extra layer of protection. However, I was thinking maybe something from Remington, Winchester or maybe even Smith and/or Wesson but not Panama Jack.  But he’s wearing the parks uniform and badge so I defer to his sensibilities.

Hmmm,  that’s strange

Upon our first step into the dark cool water, another swamper notices a 2′ gator is bleeding and scrabbling along the bank. To which Mike confesses “Hmmm, I’ve never seen that before”. I’m guessing then that he has probably never seen mom come and render aid and punish those presumed responsible either. I am questioning the validity of that badge and full well expect him to have seen it all before now.

Undeterred, we venture deeper into the swamp, a Pop Ash & Pond Apple slough actually. The water initially is a clearish dark tea color but upon the first steps it roils into a murky mess.  Each step holding a mystery, will it be at the same level as last step, will it sink, will my shoe come with me, or will a submerged vine grab on with the intent to pull me down into the abyss. I never know, and never quit wondering.

In the thicket of it

Quickly we spot any number of orchids, bromiliads and air plants.  Mike inquisitively looks up and announces that the “Epidendrum rigidum is pushing the envelope of dissacation at 25′ feet and he’s quite the risk taker”. Wait, what?!  The crowd chuckles. I didn’t get the joke until I got home. Ha-ha you know how those rigidiums can be marcescent non-resupinates?!!

We come upon a pleasant tall plant that’s kind of cool. Mike identifies it as an Alligator Flag. Two words in that name get my attention. Alligator and Flag.  Contrary to Mikes explanation that the presence of  Thalia Dealbata doesn’t necessarily indicate that a Reptilia Alligatorinae is present. All the same, I’m not convinced an angry mom is not out lurking and looking for a little swamp country cage match.

This type of dialog continues throughout the course of the 3 hour walk. I am clueless throughout most of the day more concerned about not doing a face plant in the murky waters than concerning myself with he extrapation of a Bulbophyllum pachyrachis

Ghost Orchid Root

(Rat Tail Orchid).  Don’t even get me started on the compressed pseudo bulbs on the prosthechea cochleata (Clam Shell Orchid). I did get some kudos, however,  when I spotted the rather obvious expended Apple Snail egg casings on a Strangle Fig for Mike to document.

The tour winds down with the spotting of the non-blooming, leafless Ghost Orchid. It is essentially a light green root disguised as a vine. I am, however, not disappointed to see it without all its glory. I have to remember, it’s the journey and not the destination that I seek. Oh, and what a grand journey it is.

Oh look, a Maneatus Gatorsaurus

Hiking back to the car after the tour, I’m engaging another swamper in a conversation apparently oblivious to what’s around me when I nearly stumble upon a large raptillia.  A bit ignorant on how to pass the 7 footer, I look around for instruction. Mike dons another coat of SPF 50 and walks on past without hesitation. What’s in that stuff?

Endothermatic alligator mississippiensis

Before departing we engage in a little Q&A debriefing. Noticing that Mike ends every answer with a wry smile, I wonder: is the smile because he is impressed that he remembers all the scientific language or being the skeptic I am wonder if he just makes it all up knowing I wouldn’t know the difference. I suspect however it’s just because he loves the swamp and after experiencing his enthusiasm for it, I have a new found love and appreciation for it too.

After assuring Becky I was merely a travel blogger tracking down SuperGraphics, and not a crazy orchid person she suggests I check out the Orchid display at Fairchild Botanical Gardens.

Fairchild Biotanical Gardens

Across the everglades towards Miami is the home of The American Orchid Society at the Fairchild Botanical Garden. There I find the Orchid Odyssey Exhibit.

While I was not able to see a Ghost Orchid in bloom I was able to dive a bit into the crazy obsession of orchid lovers and admire much of their unique beauty.

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