Paddling a hidden cypress pond in North Florida soaked in history and local lore.
Just west of Florida's capital city is the home of the state's most recently designated paddling trail. So new in fact that it hasn't yet been listed on the State's official paddling trail page. However, this trail isn't new to all of us. For me in particular, this spot holds many childhood memories. It is where we spent hot summer afternoons taking a dip in its cool, dark waters. It is where the local churches took those individuals wishing to accept their designated deity and be baptized to 'wash away their sins". It is also where I learned to pluck leaches off my bare legs and learned to fish with my dad.
Turning off the interstate, you are greeted with nothing. I mean nothing, no gas stations, no business;' of any type and the only dwelling directly visible from the off ramp is a relic of the past in major disrepair. You follow a rather boring paved highway before turning onto another that is probably only traveled by the locals and rarely by those seeking adventure. You are truly in rural Florida here, and it shows. The last turn takes you down a forgotten dirt road that ends at a public boat ramp. There is a newish sign that spouts something about being part of Florida's Paddling trails, but for the most part, it looks fairly unused. You have arrived at Ocheesee Pond. A body of water with a rich history and for many years known only to the locals. It once produced record breaking bream and stories of a Skunk Ape, but now it is just a quiet little pond, hidden from those without the adventurous spirit needed to find it.
The pond covers a whopping 2,225 acres with dark tannic water. Only a few of those acres are open water, the majority of its surface area covered in cypress trees. These features are what led to the pond's nick name of 'Little Okefenokee', a reference to the Okefenokee Swamp in Georgia which is credited to be the headwaters of the Suwannee River. The Ocheesee Pond, also boasts a connection with one of Florida's largest rivers, the Apalachicola River, which runs 160 miles from its start, just a few miles northeast of the pond, to the Gulf of Mexico.
Ocheesee Pond is considered a tributary of the Apalachicola River system and has been noted to have water levels that fluctuate with Lake Seminole, which is the lake in which the Jim Woodruff Dam contains with the Apalachicola River beginning at the dam.
The pond shares its name with a designated landing on the Apalachicola River, an area soaked in Florida history, including once being considered as the location for the state capital. Additional history of the Ocheesee Pond itself, is the sighting of the Florida Wild Man in 1884. Originally thought to be 'Bigfoot' or a 'Skunk Ape'. Interestingly enough this creature, as it was thought to be, was eventually captured and taken to Tallahassee for examination. The only reports received was that it was a man covered in hair, from head to toe, and that he could not speak any known language. Nothing further was ever published, making this incident a local legend.
Beyond its fascinating history, the pond stands alone as a breathtaking paddle. The well-marked paddle trail is a short 5.2-mile trail, but you should allocate more time than you think you will need. There is no such thing as a quick paddle here. Paddling amongst the Pond Cypress trees that can grow over 100 feet tall and live a thousand years or more, is magical and quite honestly mesmerizing. If you are anything like me, when you see a tree that looks as though it has lived a long life, you want to know it's story, one does not simply paddle past them without a second thought. The same for the swaths of water lilies and their large green pads. It truly is a unique experience.
What about those ancient dino relatives, commonly known a Florida Alligator, and more affectionately referred to a Swamp Cats? Yeah, about those, there are some in this pond that I would have no problem believing that they were on a first name basis with a T-Rex. They are old and BIG. However, I have never heard of any negative interactions between them and humans or pets. Could this be because there is limited housing around the pond, and it isn't full of people all the time? Possibly. Whatever the real reason is, I think it is because these big fellas have all the food they need in their natural environment and have little to no reason to interact with us humans.
One thing to note about this trail is that trail markers may not always be in the same place. I mean, no one is moving them, and they will always be where they were put. But due to the varying water levels, they may appear at eye level on one paddle adventure, but be near water level the next, or 6 foot above you. Due to the general nature of the trees and the lily pads all looking alike, it isn't hard to get turned around or actually completely lost. The good news is, that as long as you have a good sense of direction, or in my case where I don't, a good GPS or compass will also be handy.
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