Journal Entry 7
Today I have had so many experiences and conversations with my travel companions and community partners thatI am now forced to abandon any previous notions I’ve held about The Everglades. This land is NOT the muddy, murky swamp I had pictured in my mind. It is not only grass or water. It is an entire region filled with multiple biomes including swamps, coral reefs, boreal (forest) areas, and plains.
Today I, along with my travel companions, explored the somewhat nautical side of The Everglades, an area known as Biscayne National Park. We chartered a ship that took us to explore the barrier islands along the Southeast coast of the state of Florida, near the northernmost point of the Florida Keys. I felt ALL my senses immersed in the elements today.
We paddleboarded through the barrier islands in Jones Lagoon – named after a family that once settled there to farm key limes – among hundreds of red mangroves. If you were to find these islands on a modern map, they would be labeled as Islandia, Florida. The name does not come close to doing justice to the beauty of this region.
The water was crystal clear and nearly as green as the leaves of the mangroves that surrounded us. You could smell the salt on the breeze as our little fleet of vessels moved through the green that surrounded us. The occasional seagull squawked overhead, but mostly was just the sound of our own paddles splashing the water around us. We paddled through the mangrove maze and I was happily surprised to see mangroves in all stages of growth! Some looked like leaves suspended by a singular stilt of a stem, just barely reaching towards the sun above the waves. Others were a bit taller, maybe a few branches more than the babies, but still with a long way to go in growth. The largest mangroves seemed as though they could pick up their long roots and walk away. This is a wonderful sign for this protected plant species in Florida. More mangroves means that the state of Florida will be further protected from harsh waves and erosion, as the roots of these plants create a basket of sorts where sand and soil remains safe from being washed away.
In the shallowest areas of the islands, the substrate beneath the water was covered in sponges and the strangest jellyfish I have ever seen. Our very kind guides for the day explained that they were a species of Cassiopea jellyfish that spend their lives upside down. I have never seen a more vibrantly colored jellyfish in the wild. Of course, visiting aquariums you nearly expect to see such things, but the experience of witnessing such beautiful creatures in their natural habitats is second to none. I shall spare any readers from my poor rendition of the jellyfish that more closely resembles a mandala created by a child and instead include a photo I took of it in my hand. It is hard to believe, but that is truly a jellyfish in the image below!
(Image taken by Viviana Moreno in Jones Lagoon)
As I am writing with complete honesty in this journal, I am unashamed to say that I was so excited that I could hardly stand it. Literally. I attempted to stand atop my paddleboard and lasted all but 3 seconds before gulping a mouthful of salt water. I was quick to jump back onto my board, like a penguin leaping on an ice float one of my colleagues told me later, to avoid stepping on any sponges of jellyfish below.
We stopped for lunch at a ranger station on Elliot Key, a very welcome break from the morning full of water and sun. This break was cut short when we found a manatee swimming near the docks. The sea cow had no scar markings from boat strikes at all, only a few notches missing in its paddle, perhaps from cold stress some winters ago.
After lunch came our snorkeling time of the day. I was brought face to face with at least a dozen juvenile barracuda. We also saw fields among fields of sea grass along with some purple coral sprinkled near the rocky sea wall. For me, snorkeling is always a humbling experience, as it reminds me just how small I am and how connected and close we are to other forms of life.
Today was a harsh yet wonderful reminder of the sheer size of the world we live in and the miniscule amount that I know of it. It is equally exhilarating as it is terrifying to know just how small we are as individuals and how much exists in our world that I have yet to explore. Along with these reminders, I feel that much closer to my travel companions. Our shared experiences will remain with us forever, and I know (even after only a single day) that they will always have a special place in my heart. I cannot wait to see what tomorrow holds for our group.
