Spring & Pre-Summer Updates

Praise God!  He has answered our prayers and met our need for a vehicle by blessing the Outdoor Wisdom Leadership School with the donation of a smooth riding and strong running Mercury sedan.  While certainly not the final replacement for "Black Beauty," our former workhorse Suburban, with the adaptation of a receiver hitch and some creative metalwork, OWLS now has a vehicle which will move our gear and pull our trailers down the highway to the trailheads and enable our staff to run shuttles and make it to various meetings and services.


Despite the limited resources experienced by almost all faith-based organizations at this time, we were still able to pull together one of our OWLS Spring Break Adventures; this one a repeat visit to Florida's Rookery Bay NWR and the 10,000 Islands planned for a group of UGA students and YoungLife Leaders living in Athens, GA.  Weather was about as perfect as it ever could be and, although the birds seemed a bit scarce, the large number of very friendly porpoises more than made up for it.  Our canoe-camping expedition took us from the boat ramp at Royal Palm Hammock, down the Blackwater River, past Shell Key and Tripod Key, beyond a number of smaller unnamed Mangrove islands, to our base camp on a white sandy peninsula forming a lagoon on Turtle Key.  When relaxing, reading our Bibles, swimming, playing games, studying nature, and sharing personal reflections with each other became too much, we took daily paddles to visit places including Gullivan Key, White Horse Key, Panther Key, as well as a trip up the length of picturesque Fish Hawk Creek, around Gator Bay, and up an unmapped side creek where we spotted the fresh tracks of a rare Florida Panther.  These impressive paw prints were so large that I could hardly cover each one with the 8-1/2" wide blade of my canoe paddle.

While the impressive, roughly two week, sellout of this summer's Paddle GA was a disappointment to the inner-city kids hoping to be able to earn a scholarship for it, I still have hopes that some of them will decide to do a more private OWLS Adventure, just for their group.  Both participants' social skills and comfort levels in crowds are always greatly enhanced by immersing them into the 300+ participant Paddle GA event but their personal reflections, spoken communications, and spiritual growth are better strengthened in our smaller 12 - 20 person group trips.  If your family or group of friends wants an unforgettable experience this summer, please get in touch with me right away to schedule your OWLS adventure.

Last but certainly not least is yet another blessing in disguise.  While the economic crisis we are all experiencing has caused lots of belt tightening, it has also resulted in the availability of some prime real estate at very reduced pricing.  Several foundation representatives have expressed their concern that the Outdoor Wisdom Leadership School has no land it can call her own: a place to regularly stage courses, conduct staff training, maintain a headquarters and permanent office.  Furthermore, I have realized for some time that OWLS could make much better use of the limited funds we have available if we could have a stable location to store and repair our equipment, set up outdoor classroom settings, maintain campsites, and stage quality adventures for OWLS participants.  The resulting economies of scale would allow us to serve roughly three times as many people with each dollar spent as we now do.  The owner of a wonderful tract of land with both highway and river access has told me he is excited about helping OWLS move into just such a situation on his property.  To make this happen we will need to demonstrate some more answered prayer in the form of a team comprised of, among others, a real estate attorney, real estate appraiser, non-profit experts, and a number of very generous monetary donors.  If God is impressing you with a desire to help fulfill this mission in creating a place where youth and families can study creation and the parables revealed therein, grow closer to God and to each other, and learn both the importance and ease of sharing their faith in Christ with others, please let me hear from you today! 

Thanks,
     Ben
Email: BenSimms@aol.com

Spring Break Adventure in the 10,000 Islands

We've returned from the Spring Break '09 trip and it couldn't have been much better! If you missed out on this trip and want to be sure space is available for this trip next year or if you want to join us on any of our upcoming adventures, don't wait to contact me to register or schedule a custom trip for you, your family, or your group. (BenSimms@aol.com)

While we are never really certain of what our Creator will show us on any particular trip, some of the things we remember about this one were the unbelievably fantastic weather, the manatee swimming right up under one of our canoes, the ospreys warning us away from their nest, the porpoises racing in circles around us and then jumping for the sky, sand bars with so many fiddler crabs that the entire surface seemed to move, a bull shark sharing a quiet cove with us, colorful sunrises and sunsets, pelicans everywhere, sandbars covered with birds and sandy beaches with nothing but the finest white powder sand, mangrove trees growing so close that even the fish and crabs sometimes had trouble working their way out, sea shells everywhere we turned, ducks, cormorants, egrets, herons, and many more birds that we are still trying to identify.


Osprey were seen tending their young, catching fish and rodents, and flying high overhead as we traveled the Blackwater River out to the Gulf. Nests were built on signposts and treetops; wherever they felt they could be safe and see the approach of any possible danger. The Bible tells us to soar like the eagle and it's no wonder why these big raptors are often mistaken for just that.


Birds of a feather usually flock together but there were those rare occasions where pelicans and cormorants would share the same roost.


We couldn't escape the watchful eye of this pelican as he allowed us to scare up a meal or two for him in the protected lagoon he seemed to prefer.


We launched from Collier-Seminole State Park, located on Royal Palm Hammock, which is the site of the largest grove of native Royal Palms in the country.


The porpoises seemed to enjoy playing with us as they would sneak up and surprise us by blowing air and making sounds that reminded us of a horse's snort. Several even performed some aerial maneuvers such as high jumps, flips, and their own version of the belly flop.


Royal Palms are known for their distinctive green headstalks and consistently shaped tops.


These red mangrove trees were right in front of our base camp location and provided a great example of how the 10,000 Islands are continuing to form with each passing year.


Here is a view of the same trees from my tent at low tide with the customary orange Florida sunset.


This photo shows just how clear the water in the 10,000 Islands and Rookery Bay area can be. It has the same appearance as some of the springfed freshwater Florida streams.



One last shot as we finished taking down the tents and packing for the paddle back home. Beach camping just doesn't get any better than this!


We had a driftwood fire to sit around each night and discuss all the days sights and lessons.

On the way past Turtle Key, I shot this photo of side-by-side black (on the left) and red mangrove trees. Notice that the red mangrove has the distinctive prop roots whereas the black mangrove has smaller air roots somewhat like the cypress knees we were more familiar with.

God has done some amazing work in sculpturing landforms in the area, both for our delight and for our challenge. This sandbar was about 1/2 mile long and the tide was still over two hours away from complete low tide. Rather than portage the fully loaded canoes over the rough sand and shells, we elected to explore another hidden bay in search of a short cut. It was shorter but, in the process, we ended up paddling in about 5" of water over some very sticky mud for about an hour.

Although we often imagined ourselves as being alone, we had to admit that we were always being watched.

The protected waters of the tidal river basin were glassy as we paddled back up on a rising tide.

MLK Weekend - Canoe-Camping in Ocala

Over the long MLK, Jr. weekend, January 16 - 19, a group of 21, mostly members of Men's Fraternity in Atlanta joined by family and friends, enjoyed camping and canoeing with OWLS in Florida's Ocala National Forest. We operated out of a base camp set up at Fore Lake, just off Hwy 314, which allowed us to reach the Silver River and Juniper Springs access points with very little effort. Friday evening when most of our group arrived was on the chilly side, reminding us to thank God for our warm sleeping bags and the gift of fire.



Saturday morning, was spent enjoying breakfast, checking out gear, waiting for the few who had opted to stay in a motel the previous night, and telling tales about other people and paddling trips we had enjoyed. After everyone had assembled, PFD's were distributed and tried on for size, we said a prayer of praise, thanks, and for safety through the day, and then we headed over to Ray Wayside Access to the Silver River.



Last minute safety review and pre-launch prayer at Ray's.



Unloading the canoe trailer went smoothly and everyone was quickly headed down the canal to meet the Silver River where we would paddle the five miles upstream to Silver Springs. These springs gush forth 550 million gallons (over 2 billion liters) of crystal clear water every day creating the largest natural artesian spring formation in the entire world. The waters of Silver Springs and the Silver River are so transparent that this has become a favorite location for the filming of underwater scenes in many movies and television shows, most notably Tarzan and SeaHunt. In fact, the Rhesus monkeys which populate the jungle-like surroundings are, by most accounts, descendants of escapees from the filming of the Johnny Weissmuller Tarzan movie series.




While most visitors to Silver Springs go there to ride the glass-bottom boats, visit Ross Allen's Reptile Institute, Deer Park, the antique car collection, or even play at the Wild Waters water park, we all agreed that the best part of the paddle was the travel up the river. It was here that we could see so much of God's creative genius and also acquire a better understanding of our place and His plan for us.

After reaching the Springs, we noticed the sun sitting lower in the sky and the wildlife, particularly the many alligators, starting to become restless as it neared feeding time for them. We judiciously made our way back downstream, up the canal, loaded up our gear, and headed back to camp, where we enjoyed huddling around the campfire while waiting for the genuine low country boil to get just right for our consumption.



After such a busy day, eating and discussions soon gave way to checking our eyelids for leaks. Saturday night was comfortably warm compared to the previous night and everyone slept comfortably until daybreak.

We started Sunday morning, of course, with a fireside worship service with several members of our party leading discussions and reading Bible passages concerning the Lord's use of parables, creation, and our experiences to teach us things He knows we need to understand, drawing strongly from Romans 1 and Psalm 19. Some of the living parables observed and discussed included:
1.) The “Laodecian Syndrome” as demonstrated by that uneasiness when we are not fully in or out of our canoes.
2.) The wide and narrow paths as illustrated by strainers across the wider river.
3.) The universality of God’s laws as seen in the rain or the flow of water downhill.
4.) Our need for a Savior related to our need for our PFD’s.
5.) Our place as members of Christ’s body illustrated by rain, springs, tributaries, etc.
6.) The armor of God as it relates to the paddler’s outfitting requirements.
7.) Encouragement, Teamwork, and Goalsetting as these relate to tandem canoeing.
8.) Importance of seeking the good and making every effort count re: paddle strokes.
9.) God’s untiring grasp of us as we consider the unrelenting grip of the alligator's bite.
10.) His lighting the way for us and His showing navigators the way with the stars.



Much of our worship time was spent pondering parable of the "Living Water" as we discussed the triune nature of God as displayed in the immense hidden resource of the underground river, the springs which show us the power and character of that otherwise hidden resource, and the stream banks which channel that refreshment and power right to where it is needed. We also noticed how, even though the water may be right at our feet, many will choose not to drink from or cool off in it's regenerating flow.




Following are just a few photos of some of the participants on this outing:


Three generations of Turner in one canoe!


The other two Turner boys paddling Juniper Creek.


Proof that "Yours Truly" really does go on these trips.


Clay and McClain Bradley heading to Silver Springs.


The Ritchie girls on the Silver River.



Todd and Preston Blair getting the requisite whistle before launching.


Bob and Jackie Tolford (w/Big Red) at Ray's Wayside.


Ron and Griffin Holmes assist in unloading and staging the canoes.


Vicki and Jackie reflecting the sunshine back at us in Silver Springs.

Ross Bickers waits to lead the charge up the river to Silver Springs.


Joel, Aaron, and Zachary heading up the Silver River.


Todd and Preston are all smiles as they search for the monkeys of Silver River.


Ron Holmes wins the undisputed title for the "I'd do anything" award as he searches for Griffin's lost glasses.


Griffin looks back toward the camera as he starts down Juniper Creek.


Bob was moved to play "How Great Thou Art" for us during a pause in our paddle through the Juniper Prairie Wilderness Area.


Tom, Ron, Tim, and the boys watch as a couple of kayakers move out ahead of us.

And, of course, most people look at this blog to see photos of some of the abundant wildlife we encountered while paddling thorough the streams of Ocala National Forest. The following are just a few of the literally hundreds of pictures we took during the trip. I trust you will enjoy what you see here.