Journal Entry 9
After our hike, our explorations required heavier gear to protect us from the elements. It was time for our slough slog (pronounced “slew slog”). After a light lunch back on Long Pine Key, some of us suited up in waders, while others decided to skip them altogether, much braver souls than myself.
I donned green waders (fitting as it was St. Patrick’s Day) as we entered the slough, which I later found out is a kind of swamp that is at a lower elevation than most areas surrounding it, so water collects at varying levels depending on the season. We walked two feet from the paved road to a wall of cypress trees. I was hesitant to approach it, but our designated park ranger eased our worries as she led us into the cypress dome.
One of my first questions to her was “what in the world is a cypress dome?” She explained that it is called that due to the way the trees grow. The trees in the center of the slough always have access to water (due to the water sinking to the lowest points in the center); therefore, they can afford to have shorter roots and taller branches. The trees on the outskirts of the slough are the opposite. They don’t always have access to water so they need larger roots and cannot afford to have taller trunks. So when you are looking at the dome from afar, it truly looks like a dome. As we drove by, I thought the dome was a hill! In the image below, a red arrow indicates the tallest trees in the cypress dome (what I previously thought was the top of a hill).
(Image snapshotted from Google Maps by Viviana Moreno on Main Park Road in Everglades National Park)
We trudged through the mud and the muck, ankle deep in brown water. It took a concerted effort of mine to lift my boots out of the mud. The consistency of the mud, particularly when I stumbled into knee deep water felt like sinking in quicksand! It was as thrilling as it was scary. Bald cypress trees surrounded us on all sides, air plants peppered into each and every tree. The air somehow felt fuller, even though the trees were crowding around us. It even felt cooler inside the cypress dome than it did outside of it near the road. Perhaps the tree coverage helped in that regard? We marched through what felt like miles of slough. Water and mud alike sloshing and slipping beneath our feet as we made our way through the dome. I have never felt so exhilarated and terrified all at once. Those feelings combined gave me such a rush of adrenaline. It was truly intoxicating.
(Image taken by Viviana Moreno in Everglades National Park)
Just when I thought that I couldn’t handle any more excitement, our park ranger pointed out not one, not two, but THREE snakes as we made our way through the slough. Each time she said the word “snake” more emotions began flowing through me: fear, excitement, joy, stress, nerves, curiosity. Sadly, none of the snakes we encountered were Burmese Pythons. The first two snakes were Florida Cottonmouths (Agkistrodon conantis) – the venomous species is shown in the image below – and the third was a Green Water Snake (Nerodia rhombifer) .
(Image taken by another colleague on this trip to Everglades National Park)
We saw the alligators next. We marched through the water – of varying depths at this point – and our guide pointed them out to us. They were a few yards away from us, and we remained a VERY safe distance. I felt my heart racing at simply the word “alligator” knowing very well that I was in their home, as a visitor. The two gators (shown in image below), lovingly named George and Martha by one of my colleagues, sunbathed on a log perhaps a few yards from where we stood in the slough. I had never been this close to alligators aside from my frequent visits to zoos and aquariums. This felt entirely new, despite being quite familiar with the species. As we watched them, they opened their wide mouths and lifted their heads towards the sky! It looked almost as if they were greeting a bird or a cloud above them!
(Image taken by Viviana Moreno in Everglades National Park)
Sadly, after our encounter with the alligators, it was time to make our way out of the slough and back to civilization. To be frank, I didn’t want this adventure to end! We shed our heavy waders off and returned to our homebase in Homestead. I could hardly sit still on the drive back, I felt exhilarated even HOURS after our adventure today. We regrouped in our quarters for some rest and recharge before heading back out on another trek through the river of grass, but this time near sunset!
