Help! I’m lost!.. and I can’t reach my margarita…
Been there; liked it.
No paddle is visible in the pic. How did you get there without one?
By pulling your way through. Mangrove tunnels are often too tight to use a paddle.
That’s my guess.
Keep moving or the skeeters 'll get yah.
Puttin’ down roots,
or put those roots down.
A man amongst the mangroves,
must machinate or drown.
I believe the crooked limb to your left is pointing the way out! Or is it the one on the right?
Now that’s a great hideout.
Years ago we were paddling up a mangrove tunnel that kept getting more and more narrow. Finally it was so narrow we couldn’t go any further. Instead of trying to paddle backwards, I just flipped around in my boat, put my legs on the deck, and paddled stern first. It worked quite well.
Doug, good story, LOL! I don’t recall hearing about that trip! Where was that?
Greg
@Doug Gilliland said:
Years ago we were paddling up a mangrove tunnel that kept getting more and more narrow. Finally it was so narrow we couldn’t go any further. Instead of trying to paddle backwards, I just flipped around in my boat, put my legs on the deck, and paddled stern first. It worked quite well.
In freestyle that’s called a MacKenzie Reverse.
Have you tried Hare Krishna?
I find a single blade paddle better in a tight spot than a double.
@TomL said:
@Doug Gilliland said:
Years ago we were paddling up a mangrove tunnel that kept getting more and more narrow. Finally it was so narrow we couldn’t go any further. Instead of trying to paddle backwards, I just flipped around in my boat, put my legs on the deck, and paddled stern first. It worked quite well.
In freestyle that’s called a MacKenzie Reverse.
We are both constantly exploring dead end mangrove tunnels, and that is what we both do.
My wife in her QCC 10 can do it with no trouble, but i usually have to grab some overhead branches and do a “pull up”.
If it is a long way back I usually have sore buttocks .
We have some pretty neat circular routes by exploring that way. One in particular on Howe Key which we have is: launch from Big Pine Key, head north west to Howe Key in Florida Bay until we get to a large funnel shaped lagoon. head into the interior, (the spout of the funnel) and then enter a mangrove tunnel that leads through some tiny ponds and dumps us out into the interior of another lagoon on the northern end of Howe Key. We exit that into Florida Bay and paddle south east for a mile or so and enter a third funnel shaped lagoon. At the interior of that one we enter a mangrove tunnel that leads through two more ponds via tunnels and then we exit the last tunnel into Big Pine Channel where we head south west back to our take out.
It is awesome paddling these areas some of which have been untouched since the Spaniards were battling it out with the native Calusa and Tequesta Indians in the fifteenth century.
Greg - We were paddling Bishop Harbor (north of Bradenton, FL) and decided to paddle the mangrove tunnel up to Moses Hole. Instead of going to Moses, we kept paddling hoping to make it out to Tampa Bay but the tide was too low and the path too narrow. We could see the exit several hundred feet ahead of us but had to turn around.
Question from a west coast guy: Is it fun to paddle through these narrow mangroves? I picture nasty slimy biting creatures all around. Maybe even spiders!
Yes in a way, some of the more popular ones have names like “Nightmare” and “Trail of tears”
A fearless person on point helps a lot. 
@gjf12 said:
Question from a west coast guy: Is it fun to paddle through these narrow mangroves? I picture nasty slimy biting creatures all around. Maybe even spiders!
I think it is fun!
yes there are many spiders, but I don’t think they bite.
There are mangrove tree crabs all over the place and they are interesting little critters. They crawl up and down the mangrove roots. I get as close as I can and then grab the branch in front of the way the crab is going. I hold my arm perfectly still and then slide my other hand up behind the crab. It sees this big monster coming after it and scurries quickly onto my upper arm thinking it is another branch. Then I pull my hand away from the branch and it is caught. (fun for the feeble minded ! )
Then there are the elusive mangrove water snakes. Some are brown and some are black. They are fairly easy to catch, similar to the above way. They won’t bite, unless you grab them around the middle. Then they can draw blood, (from experience)
The most unique experience I have had was in the mile long tidal influenced three foot wide Turner River tunnel, in the Everglades. We had our seventeen foot canoe and were on our way back and ran out of water. I had to get out and was pulling the canoe ,sloshing through knee deep muck. I came around a blind corner and came face to face with a big gator. It opened it’s mouth and gave me a big hiss, so I grabbed a paddle, slapped the mud and yelled at it. I guess it was as scared as I was because it turned and headed off into the mangrove roots allowing us to go by.
We have had many more mangrove tunnel experiences , but too many to mention here
Follow de “Gray Thing”… it’ll lead yer ta Fort Collins.