Mary & Bill Burnham, author of the Falcon Guide, Florida Keys Paddling Atlas, are on a 100-mile book tour by kayak, from Key Largo to Key West.

 Data

Thursday's weather: Partly cloudy, winds southeast 15-20 knots. In Buttonwood, waves were about a foot. An occasional set washed over our boats. You couldn't tell from standing on land, but the wind was strong out on the open water.

Mileage

We did 14.8 miles, probably our longest day of the trail.

Recap

Back a few years, Mary and I paddled the Big Bend Saltwater Paddling Trail, a ten-day trip marked by horrendous weather and animal greeters. That's an "animal greeter?" you ask. It could be a dolphin, an otter, ducks at Steinhatchee Landing -- any kind of animal that we'd spy in the wild, close up, that became our good luck totem for the day's paddle. We came to count on them, and animal greeters are now a personal superstition, something I look for on every trip. It's like they're saying, "I've got your back." Or, "You're with us now, on the water. Let's go."

I'm changing my tune on this two-week trip down the Florida Keys. This time, it's the great people who anchor the start and end of our days, that are giving us the "good vibrations."

At the launch, Frank and Monica Woll, owners of Florida Bay Outfitters, MM 104 B/S in Key Largo. Monica works for the state parks service on the Florida Keys Overseas Heritage and Paddle trails. An old friend, Mike Metzger, helped carry boats to the water. A new friend, Tom, who works in the shop, lent me a dry bag, last minute. And at the tail end, Dave and Lynda Williams met us and fed us at the Elks campground in Tavernier. I wolfed down three helpings f salad and a healthy portion of stick-to-your-ribs goulash.

The day's highlights was Dusenbury Creek and a series of canopied mangrove creeks nicknamed "The Grottos." Paddling them reminded us of our friend Josh Gregory, who showed us these gems some four years ago. He's in Kansas now, or Kentucky -- wherever. Josh, if you're reading this, call us or post on the site. We miss you.

I'm noticing a rather dispiriting aspect to aquatic life in the Upper Keys: the seagrass is coated with algae, which is also covering and choking the once-plentiful sponges on roots of the mangrove trees. I can only attribute this to an overall degradation of water quality. Honestly, it's hard to be effusive about the "beautiful nature of the keys" when the grass beds are brown and the sponges are dying. It's a bellwether for fish and birds, too, which seem to be scarce.

Coming out of Dusenbury, we got our first taste of the stiff southeast wind that would buffet us across Tarpon Basin and Buttonwood Sound. I was keen on reaching the Swash Keys -- the water here is that mythical tropical green so often associated with "Caribbean." I kept to the leeside of the islands as long as I could, but Mary opted for the direct route, slipping outside where she waited in the shelter of a small mangrove
island. Although about a mile apart, we kept in touch via radio. Eventually, the call had to be made. We slogged into a direct wind to reach the shoreline of Key Largo, where we enjoyed a quiet lee for the rest of the trip to the Elks campground in Tavernier.

See you on the water.

Looking Ahead

Today's paddle (Friday, Feb. 1) is about eight miles, from the Elks campground in Tavernier to Coconut Cove Resort on Windley Key, Islamorada. Our route is through the Cowpens and Toilet Seat Pass, down the bayside of Plantation Key, and into Snake Creek to the oceanside. We'll stop off at Island Grille for a "libation" and then paddle the last mile or so to Coconut Cove Resort, where we'll camp.

JOIN US

There's a chance to paddle with us on Saturday through Islamorada. We're going to the Kayak Shack on Lower Matecumbe at Robbie's Marina, MM 77 B/S, where we'll sign books from 3-5 p.m. Micah is playing his "islandgrass." If you like what you hear, follow us up to Smuggler's Cove via car to catch Micah and Nick, aka the Barstool Sailors, rock out with special guest Greg Hagberry.

If you're into a short day trip, we'll be paddling to Indian Key on Super Bowl Sunday. Launch is 10 a.m. from the Kayak Shack at Robbie's Marina. Rentals are available. It's an easy trip, doable on sit-on-top kayaks. Our friend Dave Williams will regale us with stories of Indian Key's storied history.

visit us at www.FloridaPaddling.com!