On Saturday (10/1/05) I went back to the St. Mary's River at Stokes bridge where Dorothy and I went last weekend. This time I went back into one of the side streams,  Brandy Branch, that feeds into the river. Charlie is under the impression that these little side streams don't go anywhere.  That may be true of Deer Creek, the next creek up the river, but not so Brandy Branch. Not only does it go far back into the woods, but the current is fierce. Me, myself and I were using all we had to fight the current and go upstream. Charlie would have loved it. I went about 3/4 of a mile up the creek before it started getting a bit dicey with the low branches and all. And being way off the beaten path, if I had gotten into trouble back in there it would have been very serious trouble indeed. But the water was still deep and the channel was still about 10 feet wide so there is no doubt in my mind it goes back into the woods a lot further. 

This first picture is on the main river heading upstream from Stokes bridge. It puzzles me how some of these cypress knees and roots can come up from two different points in the ground and yet be joined at the top as this one is. 

Some of the cypress knees look like little castles.

This is near the mouth of Brandy Branch creek. There are quite a few cypress knees and trees on this creek. 

Another picture near the mouth of Brandy Branch. As you can see there is a pretty strong current. 

Some of the many cypress knees.

The base of this cypress is pretty gnarled. 

The creek looks almost placid here but it really isn't. But as you can see it is a pretty substantial creek. 

As I said there are scads of cypress back in here.

And in places where the creek narrows down the current is really strong.

As hard work as it was, it still seemed to keep drawing me in wondering what was around the next turn. 

And it was very scenic back in there.

Needless to say, I got a real workout in that 3/4 of a mile. 

This is heading back downstream. Note the gnarled cypress.

The woods are fairly dense as well. 

This is back on the main river again. One can see what happens to the trees during flood stage. 

It sure is a pretty river to kayak on.

And of course where there is sand and water there are sand patterns. To me it's funny. People either love them or despise them. There seems to be no middle ground on that subject. 

Obviously I like them. 

This section of the river almost requires a kayak or canoe when the water is this low. There were a number of places where I could have walked across the river.

This is the spot that Dorothy and I saw these knees on our trip. This time the lighting was a bit better.

Looking at these pictures darn near makes me want to go back out there again. If it wasn't for the upstream current I would consider it more strongly. As it is I need the recuperation time. All told yesterday I paddled 11 1/2 miles and half of that was upstream against the flow. 

And the weather is definitely getting better for upstream paddling.

This sandbar was midstream and completely immersed, for now.

Gorgeous scenery.

I pulled off to check out this sand bank for a camping spot and saw these deer tracks. And this is a great spot for camping out. The bank has two tiers with room enough for 15 tents or more.

This would be the 'view' from the campsite.

This was upstream a bit more. Evidently the sand bank formed during high water and when the river went down, the small 'lake' it held back into the woods finally cut through the bank.

Looking back into the woods from the bank.

Looking from the woods to the river.

Moving upstream again.

Taking a rest against the branches and looking back downstream.

And there are places where the river really 'opens' up. 

Across the river to the right is where some houses start. And this bank I'm standing on is really high as you can see.

I know Charlie and Donna will recognize this spot. The last time we came down here together during high water, kids were standing on the top of the bulwark on the left and jumping into the river. And the water was near the top of the boat ramp. 

Looking upstream, but at this point is where I turned around for the trip back to the bridge. Up to this point was 5 miles. And going downstream was so much nicer than going upstream. A lot less work.

Stopping to 'smell the roses'.

Pretty, isn't it?

So ended a very enjoyable 7 hours on the water. The lower the water gets, the prettier it gets. The downside is the logjams are getting more numerous as well. I was able to get through or over all the ones I encountered but if the level drops another 6 inches that will be a different story. 

The question I get asked most often is, "How are the bugs?" I know this is Florida and I know the answer will be hard to believe, but there aren't any. It's past yellow fly time and because the water here is constantly moving, no mosquitoes.

As always,

ENJOY !        

Jack Woodward      mailto:  jackwoodward66@hotmail.com

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