Fantastic Fakahatchee

Left Key Largo before daylight for the Fakahatchee Strand, a FL state park off Rte 29 between I-75 and the Tamiami Trail, and the orchid/bromeliad capital of the U.S. Fourteen of us had signed up for the Swamp Walk sponsored by the Friends of Fakahatchee--$50 a pop for non FOF members and led by park biologist Mike Owen. A 16-year veteran, he continues to be awed by this place.

We all carried PVC pipe walking sticks, though Mike's had measurements on his. "Two feet," he would cry as we groaned and slogged through the cold water, often tripping over submerged cypress knees.

"Oh! Two and a half!" More groans. Two folks fell down, one man's wet khakis revealed his blue and white striped boxer shorts beneath.
No way to take notes or many photos, we were too afraid we'd fall.


We saw the famed ghost orchid, though not in bloom (only blooms for a week in July), also night-scented orchid and many others. Tons of bromeliads (epiphytes). Noticed on the board there is a "Fuchs bromeliad," but he didn't point it out.

My fellow walkers had one funny quip after another. No humorless botanists here, just jovial nature lovers. One man said he was becoming cold-blooded from standing in the water so long.

I wore a pair of thrift shop $4 Nikes; had to throw away the blackend socks. Goodwill waterproof pants worked great.

Weather in the low 60s, we all got a bit chilled when standing for any length of time in the cold water. Mike said temps got down to record-setting 28 degrees in January.

No rooms available in Everglades City, I found an Italian motel called "Conty's" on Tamiami Trail near Naples. The proprietor was talking to her sister in Rome on Skype when I came in.