This post is brought to you by ‘gators, swamp dragons, big chompers, and whatever other (polite) term you can think of for alligators.
If you would have told me when I started camping that I would embark on an adventure including kayaking over ‘gator-laden swamp marsh to spend the night on a floating platform surrounded by my newfound “paligators”, I would have thought you were talking about someone else. Who is this adrenaline junky? Apparently it is me- seeking thrill in the time of a national pandemic. In planning this trip, I knew it would be my last opportunity to camp in Texas for a while with my anticipated move to Missouri.
During my time in Texas, I learned that as far as landscape goes, Texas has it all. Lush forested northlands, high and dry deserts, and mountains to the southwest. There was one landscape Texas had to offer that I had not yet tackled camping at, and that was the swamp. It’s not all as scary as it seems, however! The “sea” side of Sea Rim State Park is absolutely picturesque, and as far as the swamp side-the mosquitoes seem more vicious than the alligators.
(Alligator prints in the sand)
Katie and I planned to spend the first night camping on the beach, and the second night on a floating platform out in the marsh. When Katie and I pulled up to the beach, we noticed that all the other people staying on the beach were in travel trailers or RV’s. Taking that as a sign that maybe the beach wasn’t exactly tent friendly (incoming tide, high wind, etc), we decided to move over to the campground. We circled the small campground, desperately looking for a spot. That spot did not materialize. Realizing that the sun was setting and we were out of options, we headed back to the beach. We parked in the sand behind the high tide line and began inspecting our spot. Almost immediately, I noticed animal tracks in the sand that I had not seen before. Our fears were confirmed when a quick google searched matched the prints that we found were those of a very large alligator. We opted to quickly shuffle around our gear and seek refuge in the back of my jeep. With the seats folded down and some creative rearranging, we were able to inflate both of our sleeping pads and create a cozy palace in my jeep (affectionately known as Sting). We braved going out in the dark a few times to look at the stars while sipping wine, followed by being lulled to sleep by the sound of the crashing waves.
The next day, we checked in at the ranger station for our floating platform spot out in the marsh. Originally, three floating platforms were located out in the marsh lakes, designed and constructed by local university architecture students. Unfortunately, a hurricane destroyed two of the platforms, leaving only one available to reserve. To get to the floating platform site, you must kayak 2 miles through the swampy marsh land, including lakes and small channels. The ranger gave us a home depot bucket that was mandatory to tote along (I’ll give you one guess as to what this is for), and a handy schedule of the incoming tide. We paddled in during low tide, and back out the next day during high tide. Paddling during high tide was much easier. Some of the narrow channels are also very shallow during low tide, without any ability to turn around or go over an alligator if a stubborn one blocks your path. Speaking of alligators-did I mention yet that there are alligators? Surely I have. As the Ranger put it-”This is the alligator’s park, they just let us visit.” I saw so many alligators paddling out that I lost track. In fact, Katie asked me to stop keeping track as it was causing our adrenaline to amp up. Sadly, I did not take any pictures of the alligators as my phone was safely tucked away in case we tipped the kayak. With our adrenaline surging and a difficult paddle in the windy narrow channels, we made it to our platform by late afternoon. After some gymnastics to actually get onto the platform without falling into the water with the ‘gators, we were able to set up camp and cook a meal with my little Fire Maple stove. On the menu for me was a Mountain House Beef Stroganoff (highly recommend), and for Katie a meal from her home state of Maine from the Good To-Go company (also highly recommended-you can find them at REI). For dessert, we had tin foil s'mores made in my backpacking stove. No wood fire, no worries.
(Camper tip-The platform site books quickly and far in advance-plan accordingly! During low tide, the platform is VERY difficult to climb up onto and to try to offload gear from the kayak. I highly recommend planning your trip around the tide to arrive at high tide.)
The marsh side of the park is beautiful, but nearly unrecognizable compared to the beach side. The floating platform is located in a lake within the marsh. From the platform vantage point, you have a unique opportunity to become part of the “swamp” life. Birds that were not over on the seashore side flew across the lake. Small schools of fish flipped through the air in the dusk. The sunset across the marsh land was simply stunning. Just like the night before, the sky was clear and stunning with an unobstructed view. I will be honest and say it is just a tad frightening to sleep on a floating platform in the middle of an area where you saw alligators earlier, but the platform seems high enough out of the water that they cannot realistically come ashore. With the chill of the cool air and the gentle lulling of the floating platform in the tide, it was easy to fall asleep. However, I had some difficulty staying asleep as all I could dream about were alligators joining us on the platform! I was jolted awake in the morning by the sounds of gunshots. As it turns out, these lakes and channels are also used by hunters during duck season. You may witness their boats expertly zooming through the wider channels. We had to establish an “ears and eyes” lookout for the duck hunter so as to not be startled when trying to use our bucket bathroom.
The next morning, we made good use of the high tide to load our kayak and paddle back towards shore. We saw fewer alligators during high tide, but I did squeeze my eyes tightly, hold my breath, and say a prayer as we glided what seemed like right over the top of one. As we pulled into shore, a group of duck hunters docked next to us. They asked if we had been camping out in the swamp marsh and when we answered in the affirmative, they seemed stunned. They told us we were braver than them (in language not polite to be used on a blog). Their compliments made me feel a little stronger (and my head a little bigger) as we hoisted the kayak up on top of the jeep to leave. If you have an appetite for adventure that is a little on the wild side, decent kayaking skills, and the ability to put on a brave face when you encounter swamp dragons, I HIGHLY recommend you check out the floating platform at Sea Rim State Park for an unforgettable camping experience.
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