# chokoloskee



## Dillusion

There's plenty of camping spots- chatham, darwin, etc.

Running the backcountry in november/december is going to be sketchy as hell with the low water. Wait for the water to come up a bit and take your time...sometimes it can get so low you will get off plane and be stuck- or be just high enough to hide a nice 4 foot tree branch that rips your LU off.


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## vmgator

Stick to the wilderness waterway and you'll be fine.  The hardest part is getting out of Choko, and its not very hard.  There are plenty of designated camping spots.  I can't think of a place I'd want to pull up to and camp on the inside other than a designated camping spot, but I know people do it.


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## lemaymiami

Here's a bit of info that should help you learn a bit about what's available when running up into the backcountry....
This first site is a large scale map of the Park -note that it shows the sites for camping in the backcountry...
http://www.everglades.national-park.com/ever1.htm

this next site is from the Park itself - lots of info to help you plan as well as an introduction to the rules/requirements you'll have to follow...
http://www.nps.gov/ever/index.htm

this site is from a paddler's perspective with various routes and a actual experiences gained in running the backcountry by paddle...
http://www.evergladesdiary.com/

Here's the exact chart I use for running that area... NO it's not enough - you'll still want the actual chart in a waterproof sleeve (or the equivalent in a waterproof chart....).
http://www.charts.noaa.gov/OnLineViewer/11430.shtml

Lastly here's a teaser on the history of that area to give you small taste of what the place was like before the Park was established in 1948...
http://www.florida-everglades.com/totch/past.htm

The full book that this excerpt is from was titled TOTCH by Loren G. Brown. For a great read on the actual history of man's dealings with the Everglades since the first Europeans showed up around 500 years ago.... the book I recommend is THE SWAMP by Michael Grunwald (I couldn't put either book down once I started reading them.....).

-just nothing like the 'glades -it's my favorite place in this world.

Be a HERO .... take a kid fishing!


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## TurnMeLooseFLKeys

Totch is a great read. My uncle Colin grew up in S. Fl. with a man named Horace Brown, Totch's son. The book is great, but the stories I've heard from the people that lived it are even better. 

I've always felt I was born in the wrong era. Aside from the technological aspect that's provided us with technical poling skiffs and new ways to explore the 'Glades, I wish I could have experienced the "river of grass" the way my dad and uncles were able to in the 50s through the 70s. There's just too many unnecessary rules and regulations that a true Conservationist and Sportsmen, such as ourselves who were raised to respect and protect what we have available, for the 'Glades to be enjoyed as they were long ago.


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## Bob_Rogers

Um, yes but....Totch Brown was one of the reasons we have so many rules and regulations now.


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## lemaymiami

There's probably quite a few guys like Totch still around in odd places... On their home ground (anywhere between here and Alaska) you'd never notice them -but they're around....

If I were granted a last request on my last day... it would be to magically come back here in 1948 at age 20 and be granted an extra 20 years.... From 1948 to 1968 this area must have been a treat.... Don't think I'd like to make all the same mistakes I did between 20 and 40 but if you're going to dream.... I only came to south Florida in August of 1971, fresh out of the army and back from my "senior trip". It's been a heckuva ride since then.


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## mharvey

> anyone have a route to travel the backcountry out of choko? I have gone there and fished the outside a few times and had great success. I would like to go inside in nov or dec and explore. also has anyone camped in the backcountry? are there designated camping spots or can I pull up on any area I deem a good spot? thanks


Ya'll are bringing back many fond memories..just posted on the other ENP thread. There are several chickees and hard ground camping sites on the inside. My favorite is the Rogers River Bay chickee. A little bit of a haul but a great stop. If you want to break the ice a little closer to home and you want to be on the inside, I would suggest the Sweetwater chickee. Another that everyone seems to like is the hard ground spot on Chatum Bend..close to both inside and outside. As I recall Darwin is the one on the no wake as you enter Cannon Bay. 

Follow the Wilderness Waterway and always have a paper chart. If you don't know where you are back up until you do , then proceed.

All the camping spots require reservation with the rangers at Everglades City.

Your choice to go in the winter is a good one.

Go for it. An experience you will remember forever and want to repeat.


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## Vertigo

Totch Brown is interesting to read, but it seems that his solution to all problems with the Glades is to burn the marshes. While this may have been a good practice for the few hundred who hunted deer in the area 75 years ago, as one who experienced the smoke and air pollution from such burning, I can tell you that most folks of that time period were strongly opposed to such practice. The Everglades, of the early 20th century have been over-romanticized. South Floridians today would be horrified if they had the opportunity, just for a day, to experience the clouds of mosquitoes, the persistent flooding, the smoke and the smell that the Glades used to provide. I'm not saying all the changes have been good or bad, just that with the current population there's really no other way it could be.


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## telltail

> South Floridians today would be horrified if they had the opportunity, just for a day, to experience the clouds of mosquitoes, the persistent flooding, the smoke and the smell  that the Glades used to provide.


Whadda ya mean? Have you been out to Weston lately--those poor residents have to contend with those horrid conditions daily--the horror!!!  ;D


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## Megalops

To the OP, get in contact with forum member Capt.Ryan, known as High and Dry Adventures.  He camps out there every year.  Here's a link to one of his videos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICM-2FKnQUg

Willy Willy is like 30 miles from the ramp...


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## iMacattack

*[movedhere] General Discussion [move by] iMacattack.*


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## masterpoo

thanks for all the info. we went camping on Mormon island and had a great time.i also bought two books and loved them the first was Totch by loren brown and the 2nd was the swamp by Michael grunwald. very good reading. if anyone would like both of them just pm me and give me your address. I will gladly ship them to you free of charge as long as you pay it forward when you are done with them also. lets start the new year off right. I live in the Sarasota area and could use some fishing partners also if anyone is interested. use artificials 90% of the time. thanks


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## Steve_Mevers

Add Shadow Country to your reading list


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