Adventures on the Blackwater River
By Jennifer Otto
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| Before the rain comes, I attempt to navigate the Blackwater River |
On a beautiful Thursday afternoon, two of my coworkers and I discussed all the outdoor activities we hoped to accomplish this summer. Within minutes, we had a canoe trip planned to the Blackwater River in Holt. We could not count down the days fast enough.
Friday crept in and the mood was still light and happy. I convinced one of my other friends, also in the Freedom family, to wander out to Blackwater River State Park with us on Saturday. She was psyched. Nothing could sway the minds of these four girls.
Saturday rolled in like any other Saturday with the exception of one rather large looming problem – rain clouds were clearly visible in the sky. With my heart and mind set on this canoe trip, I was determined not to let anyone back out.
One by one, I called the other three girls – Brooke, Dayna and Rachel. Each one expressed concern about the clouds, but I played it off the best I could.
“Well, they were like that yesterday, and as you know, nothing ever surfaced. You swore to me you would not back out,” I said guilting them into the trip.
At that mention, each of them committed to go on what was soon to become an extraordinary adventure on the Blackwater River.
We left Fort Walton Beach shortly after 12 p.m. and headed for Holt. As our car parted the afternoon sky, the clouds seemed to dissipate. We were feeling confident about the day that was waiting for us only an hour away.
We arrived around 1:15 p.m. and were greeted by friendly faces. Since only two people were allowed per canoe, we rented two for the remainder of the afternoon at a cost of $19 each from Black Canoe Rental, a private company operating out of the park. The lady renting to us instructed us to drive to another parking lot to pick up our canoes. We would then take a short ride to the river.
When we arrived at the parking lot, we saw a beaten down pickup truck with two Back Canoe Rental employees lounging at its side. They told us to hop in the bed of the truck as they loaded a trailer full of canoes to the back. And then we were off …
The truck ride was interesting to say the least. We immediately left the afternoon sun to travel deep into the woods. The four of us nervously talked as the driver continued to navigate the dirt road at a high rate of speed. All we could hear was the sound of metal scraping as canoes bounced in the wind. We desperately clung to the benches that lined the truck bed.
After 10 minutes of driving, we could finally see an end to the trees and the sight of the water that was desperately calling our names. The look of relief that spread across our faces was priceless.
The truck came to an abrupt halt, and the driver carried two canoes down to the water’s edge. The driver told us the trip would take us about an hour and a half and that once we came to a bridge, we were to pull over at the next landing. Without any further instruction, he left us to navigate the Blackwater River on our own …
We divided into two canoes – probably not the best choice of teams. I went to a canoe with Rachel who also had never been on a canoe. Brooke and Dayna, with a little experience on their side, took the second canoe. All four of us pushed off the shoreline. We were off for the adventure that is now etched in our minds.
The inexperience of Rachel and me set in fast. Neither one of us knew which side of the canoe to paddle in order to turn left or right. We intensely concentrated, getting nowhere fast, as Brooke and Dayna pointed and laughed from their spot up the river. This only made us more determined.
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| Jennifer, Brooke and Dayna smile for the camera. At this point, the rain only leaves the memory of drenched clothing |
After about 20 minutes of fussing with the oars, we finally had it. By no means were we experts, but we at least knew how to turn and were quickly catching on to who needed to do what and when. We moved closer to Brooke and Dayna who seemed surprised by our presence.
It became a competition for Rachel and me. We were not willing to let those two girls snicker at our lack of skill when we considered ourselves more of the outdoorsy type. We would show them our talents in the canoe if it was the last thing we did.
As more time passed, Rachel and I definitely had the hang of the canoe. We no longer had to tell each other when to do what, we just knew. We rounded a curve and passed Brooke and Dayna. We, of course, had to gloat. We would not be good competitors if we did not brag to some degree.
We could hear loud singing and splashing in the distance. Not sure what to expect, we steered the canoes off to the side some until we could get a better look at what was ahead. As we rounded another curve, we saw about eight or more inebriated adults playing horseshoes and drinking beer. They stopped to stare at us as we desperately tried not to make eye contact. The smell of alcohol lingered in the air.
We were nearly 45 minutes into our canoe trip – almost halfway to the end. We looked up to see the sky turning dark and the clouds rapidly filling its depths. I heard Brooke and Dayna scream as a clap of thunder rolled through the air. Within five minutes, rain started pouring from the sky. With nowhere to go, we only paddled faster. All of us were squealing and laughing at the irony of the situation. Although no one said anything, I am sure that they all were silently pointing the finger at me for saying that nothing would come of the clouds …
The rain continued to pound our flesh. Every inch of our clothing was soaked. Water was running into our eyes making it hard to see, and thus, hard to steer. I could see that Brooke and Dayna were all but amused. Crazy words kept coming out of their lips.
The sky continued to darken with no remorse. Water was filling the inside of the canoe. Worried looks were on all of our faces, but we were not ready to back down yet. Just then, lightning flashed through the sky, followed almost immediately by a deep rumbling. This happened a few more times before I heard Brooke speak up …
“Ya’ll, my mom would kill me if she knew I was out here in this,” she said. “We need to get out. I am not staying out here in a metal canoe anymore. I am sorry, but this is not safe.”
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I almost protested, but I was in the minority. Everyone was ready to stop at the next landing that we could already see off to our left. In my mind I knew they were right, but what were we going to do? Stand on the sand without any cover and wait for the rain to stop? That is even more miserable than paddling to the end of the river in a canoe.
We pulled to land and exited the canoes. We did just as I had imagined – we stood in the open and waited for the rain to stop. The sky still threatened. I surveyed the scene. Although trees stood towards the end of the shoreline, they did not offer much coverage. We stood huddled for what seemed like hours.
The rain stopped. We rejoiced. Two minutes later it started again … this time it pounded us harder than it had before. The lightning and thunder continued to surround us. This time, I joined in on the moans.
All four of us started to find the humor in the situation. We could not quit laughing. The rain let up a little bit, but we did not say a word. I grabbed the camera that somehow managed to stay dry during all of this and snapped some pictures of us drenched from head to foot. We were definitely a sight for sore eyes.
We could feel the sun warming our cold, clammy skin. It felt nice, but still we were afraid to jinx the situation. I looked towards the river and saw that although the rain had traveled from us, the dark cloud still hovered over the direct path that we needed to travel. We decided to use this time to discuss our options.
After a few minutes of debating about what we should do next, we hopped back in our canoes and headed to the river’s end. After rounding the next curve in the river, we could have died. We were headed right for the bridge that the driver told us about before the canoe trip began. We had chosen to stand out in the rain for 30 minutes when we could have docked and ducked in the car in only two. Laughter again filled the air.
We went under the bridge and saw the two Black Canoe Rental employees resting on the shore. They looked happy to see us … probably eager to go home. They told us that they were still waiting on the drunkards that we saw a little ways back on the river. Knowing that, we decided to paddle along the area near the landing until they returned.
Rachel and I decided to go on a treasure hunt. We kept seeing unusual objects in the water, but we were unable to catch any of them. The bad steering had passed to Brooke and Dayna who kept getting stuck on a tree … then a rock. It was our turn to laugh. Rachel and I timed ourselves as we paddled in the shallow waters to designated points. Our canoe kept getting stuck in the sand.
After 20 minutes of playing, the fun finally came to a halt as one of the inebriated decided to return his canoe. We watched him stumble out of the boat onto the shore. He tried dragging his cooler. He was having trouble. We giggled the whole time we docked.
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| Dayna, Jennifer and Rachel after the rain has come and gone. See how happy we still are. |
We bid our farewells to the park employees that helped make this trip happen, and we headed for the car. We each took a second to look up in the sky. The sun shone beautifully as it kissed our skin goodbye.
Had it not rained, this would have been an ordinary canoe trip; however, we were given this rain for a reason. Now, when we look back on our first canoe trip, we will always have this memory. We definitely had an adventure aboard the Blackwater River. I would not trade our experience for the world. I am glad that I got to share it with my girls.
Blackwater River State Park
7720 Deaton Bridge Road
Holt, FL 32564
(850) 983-5363
- Park hours: 8 a.m. to sunset, seven says a week
- Park admission: $3 per car; free for annual permit holders; $1 for pedestrians, bicyclists and extra passengers