In short: We put in at Kingfisher Landing for a 12-mile paddle to Maul Hammock in the Okefenokee. Two and a half miles in we were down to six inches of water with nine or ten more miles of the same ahead. The math did not add up, so we called an audible, drove to the St. Marys, and camped on a sandbar. Tarp line, a first fire off a striker, some good fish, and Vienna sausage sandwiches when the sloppy Joes got left at the house.
We rolled into Kingfisher Landing a hair late, 10:20 for a 10:00 cutoff, unloaded and were on the water by 11 for a 12-mile push to Maul Hammock. It was our first time in this section, and the canal ran straight out and disappeared into the swamp, a beautiful launch. But by mile two the water started getting shallow, and by mile three we were scraping bottom. It was a low-water year in a bad drought. Two and a half miles in and less than half a foot deep in spots, with the water only getting shallower the deeper we went. Six inches deep and nine, maybe ten miles still ahead. That math just does not add up. So we called an audible. No big conversation about it, we just turned around, paddled back out, and loaded the canoe.
We drove to the St. Marys because we know it holds water, paddled upstream a couple of bends, and found a sandbar about two miles up. Big trees hanging over one end for shade, open sky on the other, a clean flat spot for the tent. That is what you want in a sandbar camp. Tina ran the tent while I strung a guy line from tree to tree and sloped a tarp back to give us a back and a top. Camp was set in about 20 minutes, maybe less. Then Tina ran the Uberleben fire striker on her own for the first time, with cotton balls soaked in Vaseline for tinder, and had fire in just a few strikes. That is the right way to learn something. You just do it.
The river gave it up all afternoon. Bluegill, redbreast, a channel cat, one after another right through sunset. Then supper time came and we found out the sloppy Joes were sitting in the refrigerator back at the house. We had them planned and everything. No problem. That is exactly why you always carry a can of Vienna sausage or smoked sausage as a backup. We made Vienna sausage sandwiches, some Cheetos, and the old trusty peanut butter and jelly, said our blessing, and ate good. A subscriber even paddled by in the dark, a nice young man and his son testing a boat for a bass tournament. We fished a little after supper, the tide changed and the bite shut off, so we called it a night at nine. Plans fell apart, and the trip was still a good one.
Reading low water, calling an audible, sandbar tarp setups, and packing a backup meal. It is all in the Canoe Camping Playbook.
Read the Canoe Camping PlaybookIt means changing the plan on the water when conditions do not match the map. Two and a half miles into a shallow canal with nine or ten more miles of the same ahead, we turned around, drove to the St. Marys, and camped there instead. Same trip, different water.
Look for a sandbar that gives you a little bit of everything, a clean, level spot for the tent, big trees on one end for shade, and open sky on the other so you are not boxed in. On the St. Marys we paddled upstream a couple of bends from where we put in and found one about two miles up that fit the bill. We split the work, Tina got the tent up while I strung a guy line from tree to tree and sloped a tarp back to give us a back wall and a roof over the cook area. Camp was fully set in about 20 minutes, maybe less, tent staked, tarp up, gear organized. That speed matters when daylight is running out or the fish are biting and you want to get back on the water. A good sandbar camp does not need to be fancy, it just needs shade, a flat spot, and a couple of solid trees to tie off to.
Start with good tinder, because the spark from a ferro striker only lasts an instant and needs something ready to catch right away. We use cotton balls soaked in Vaseline, they hold a flame long enough to get real fuel going. Build a small nest, hold the striker down close to it, and scrape the rod so the spark falls straight into the cotton. Then blow gently to bring it to flame before you add anything else. On our sandbar camp on the St. Marys, Tina ran the Uberleben striker completely on her own for the first time and had fire going in just a few strikes, which tells you it is not some special skill, it is just technique and the right tinder. Once the cotton ball catches, feed it small stuff first, twigs and bark, before you work up to anything bigger. Rushing that step is the most common mistake, a fire needs to grow from something small before it can hold real wood.
Because coolers and plans both fail sometimes, and you need something in the dry bag that does not depend on either one working out. On this trip we had sloppy Joes all planned for supper, and they ended up sitting in the refrigerator back at the house the whole time we were on the river. No cooler to blame, we just plain forgot them. That is exactly the moment a can of Vienna sausage earns its keep. We made Vienna sausage sandwiches, ate some Cheetos, and fell back on the old reliable peanut butter and jelly, said our blessing, and still ate good. Nobody went hungry and nobody's night was ruined over a forgotten meal. A shelf-stable backup like that does not need ice, does not spoil, and does not care if you left the real supper on the counter at home. Always pack something like it, because the day you actually need it will not give you any warning ahead of time.
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