Hillsborough River Paddle Trip Aug 2022
The Hillsborough River Paddle Trip Aug 2022 was a great day to be on the water. The weather was warm, but the water was cool, and the shade helped. The water was high but not so high as to make the flow too strong or the river hard to follow. With the higher water we didn’t see many gators, but a few were sighted. There were a few birds sighted including a barn owl, limpkin, ibis, and little blue heron. The Hillsborough River is a beautiful river. The start at of the trip the river is wider and open to the sky the tall cypress trees line the edges towering over you giving a sense of being very small. The cypress knees which are roots that stick straight up out of the ground or water are like leafless tree many higher than the people sitting in the kayak, they fill the spaces between the giant trees themselves. Going upstream the river narrow and the Cypress trees and Oaks grow closer reaching across the water and making a shady canopy overhead. As the trees reach across the river and the action of the water there are frequent downfalls, and the trees will block the river. The relics of old trees that have been cut away to allow passage slowly to rot giving nutrients for liken and mushrooms. The river winds it way back and forth through the forest with switch backs and turns reminiscent of a country road coming down a mountain. There are multiple parks along the river for put in and take out. And we paddle to the next park up the river for lunch and a break from paddling against the river. Paddling back after lunch is easier and quicker but the turns and the downed trees are still a challenge to maneuver around and through.
Thank you to everyone who was able to come out and enjoy the day with us. See you next time.
See you on the next Trip
Myakka River in Sept
