Monday, April 19, 2010

kayak lesson: Double Branch Creek

Nestled in the Upper Tampa Bay Park, is a kayaking treasure: Double Branch Creek. We recently explored their 6.5 mile water trail spanning fresh, brackish and saltwater. By joining up with Osprey Bay Outdoors, a local kayak company, we were able to navigate deep into the mangrove trails with no worrys about getting lost. The Hillsborough County-run park even has a nature center adjacent to the kayak/canoe launch. Here we are at the launch entrance.


We were fortunate to have a friendly group of kayakers on the trip with us and a pair of knowledgable and goofy guides made it fun too...

Along the way, we spotted crabs, racoons, fish, many bird species, including the oh-so-tall Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) seen here:


KAYAK LESSON: invest in some kayaking gloves. It was the first 6.5 mile trail I completed and I earned the blisters on my hands to prove it. Ouch. One of the guides (thanks, Demetri!) graciously let me borrow his kayaking gloves for the return paddle. After all, there is no whining on the water :)

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