The purpose of my journey today into the Jane Green is to locate the tributaries further into the swamp.
My other two trips due to low water made exploring this magnificent swamp impassable, unless
we were outfitted to hike thru, which we were not. This time with high water 5.2 feet at the 192 gauge,
2’ higher than my other attempts I thought this passage might be possible.
Once off the river channel it’s almost an hour up the Jane Green Creek to the perimeter of the swamp.
The creek channel is 3’- 4’ deep so there is no paddle drag as were the case on the previous trips.
The trail is wide enough for my kayak but also for the gators since these are the trail they make thru the vegetation to make their way back and forth. We encounter only one 8’ gator
coming our way. I wait and let him sound and carefully paddle over top.
Once there the swamp
is covered by a sheet of good water but the maps showing the tributaries further into this amazing
water wonderland are just not there and the Cypress is too tight to paddle thru. I have hiked thru
swamps before most notably Wolf Creek, Penny Wah and Taylor but today because of high water I was reasonably sure the tributaries would be where my historical maps and the GPS indicated.
Regrettably the creek bed is not where it should be, so there are no passages to Puzzle and Clay Lakes.
Unfortunately, all the swamps on the Upper St Johns have been marginalized by damning, berms
and diversion. There is no doubt the Dam at the confluence of Bull Creek and Crabgrass
have manipulated the Jane Green in a negative way. Although today none of the swamps flow
as intended nor are they as healthy and viable as they once were, yet they all retain their splendor, seclusion and mystery. If it were up to me, I’d put it all back as nature intended
including their historic floodplains. I feel the same way about the Everglades.
Most of the Jane Green Swamp is private property and should not be accessed without permission.
There are some good books regarding the unique history of the Jane Green including
“Melbourne’s Logging Era – 1912-1932” by Ed Vosatka.
All videos and pictures are to, from and in the Jane Green Swamp.
With my nephew Troy Nathan.
