After canoeing, biking and hiking more than 20 miles on Saturday, Nov. 14, Bruce, Buford, Rodolfo and I set out for the Withlacoochee River. On Sunday, Nov. 15, The four of us went cave exploring where Bruce had been years before. Bruce and Buford were there just for the day, while  Rodolfo and I continued on for two more days and 16 more miles. We took out on Tuesday November 17th at Hwy 44 near Rutland, Fla. Like the Chassahowitzka, the Withlacoochee is part of the Nature Coast. Slowly but surely I'm exploring every facet of the Nature Coast to learn about the beauty and the threats. Learn more about my Life on the Edge project. (Note: This link will open in a new window but you will still be within ericzamora.com)

Bruce Morgan leads the way through a landscape of limestone outcroppings covered with ferns. We searched for caves that Bruce had seen years before.

One of the features I liked best about the Withlacoochee River, and something that I have rarely seen on a river system, are "lakes" along the length of the river. The Withlacoochee can be 40 feet wide then open up to be nearly a quarter-mile across. Bonnet Lake, pictured above at sunrise, is one of those lakes.

A limpkin (Aramus guarauna) watches me closely as I drift silently forward in my canoe.

An American coot (Fulica americana).

The Tsala-Apopka Lakes are a network of water bodies adjacent to the Withlacoochee River. The lakes are separate during dry periods and connected when rainfall is sufficient. Swamps and feeder creeks also connect the lakes to the river during wet periods. For my trip down the river, the lakes and rivers were drought-stricken, allowing a tall grasses to flourish on muddy soil. My only access was by hiking. I set out one evening to explore by foot the oak stands punctuating the expansive prairie. Many of the trees in these dry, oak-dominated forests were cloaked in epiphytes. I found the most magnificent oak stand I've ever seen in Florida. The picture above doesn't do justice to what I saw. Since my trip was exploratory, and the conditions weren't quite right (because of the lack of rain), I photographed for reference only. With GPS in hand, I carefully to marked the locations of my movements with the intent to return one day under better conditions to photograph this particular oak stand in all its glory.

Sunrise on a wide stretch of river just south of Princess Lake. This stretch of the Withlacoochee was my favorite. Wide and deep, we saw no houses for 6-8 miles of river, only alligators, birds, turtles and otters.

On Nov. 14, three friends and I embarked on a bruising, skin-cutting, bone jarring adventure by way of boat, bike and foot into the primeval Chassahowitzka Swamp. This unbroken expanse of forest, one of the largest south of the George state line, is reported to have some intriguing karst features pocking the landscape. Only thing is, few people know where those features are. Hunters and the occasional game warden are the only human souls passing through. That is until we showed up. Rodolfo d'Arbelles, an old friend from high school and trusted nut-job just crazy enough for a 20-mile-plus adventure through a mosquito infested swamp, joined me with Bruce Morgan and Buford Pruitt, two men I had never met prior to the weekend of our journey. We turned out to be peas in a pod. My goal was to see for myself the condition of the swamp – the old growth cypress (if any) and rare plant and animal species such as black bear and, come to find out, orchids. The Chassahowitzka is part of the southern Nature Coast, an area I'm determined to help protect. Learn more about my Life on the Edge project. (Note: This link will open in a new window but you will still be within ericzamora.com)

Buford Pruitt (left) and Bruce Morgan situate their fat-tire mountain bikes securely in the canoe, readying them for the 4.6-mile paddle to the headwaters of Ryle Creek. There we would leave the canoes, and begin exploring the swamp via decades-old logging roads. We started at sunrise.

The prehistoric-looking wood stork (Mycteria americana) is a federally-listed endangered species. I made this photograph on the Chasshowitzka River.

I must say, photographing from a bicycle is no easy task. We ditched the canoes at the headwaters of Ryle Creek only a few feet from Zebrafinch Avenue (which I find to be a funny name because this "avenue" is just an overgrown path through the woods). We left the canoes behind and proceeded to bike throughout the northwestern region of the Chassahowitzka Swamp searching for the best spots to leave the bikes behind so we could venture by foot into the swamp. Zebrafinch is closed to the public and makes for great off-road biking. This is me in the foreground, with Rodolfo second and Buford bringing up the rear.

According to Buford, this is ladies' tresses orchid of the genus Spiranthes. Buford has studying flora, fauna, and ecosystem management for nearly 40 years both as an environmental consultant but also as a hobbyist who loves recreating in the outdoors. Science helps give context to striking imagery. No bear signs to document.

Bruce Morgan takes a refreshing dip in a karst pond. The pond is part of the Blind Creek drainage. It is neither the beginning, nor the end of Blind Creek, only a window into its passage across the swamp. We searched for the beginning of the only navigable section of the creek and found it, not too far from the pond pictured above. One day, I will return to traverse the undocumented Blind Creek.

After spending the better part of a day exploring the Chassahowitzka Swamp searching for Blind Creek, we hustled back to the canoes where we would paddle 4.6 miles back to the boat ramp on the Chassahowitzka River.

The sun sets over the Chassahowitzka River as flows from the confines of the swamp and empties into the Gulf of Mexico. This part of the Nature Coast is one of the most scenic and wildlife rich areas in the entire state of Florida, if not the US.

Rodolfo, beaten but not broken like the rest of us, unloads the canoe. We arrived well after dark, using headlamps to navigate the featureless waterway and alert passing boats to beware of our presence. 

For all you college students out there who enjoy photography as a vocation or a hobby, the NANPA Summit College Photography Scholarship is a great opportunity to mingle with pros in the business, particularly in the genres of nature, documentary, adventure, travel and outdoor photography. Time is running out to apply. If you are a college student or know a college student who might be interested in applying, visit the following Web site for more information: http://nanpa.org/students/app_process_co.php

when are you going back to cedar key these pictures are phenomenal

I just spent 2 1/2 hours on Twitter setting up an account, about and hour more than I wanted. It should have been easier than it was, and I should be been smarter than I am. This combination resulted in me sending an email to all 800+ people on my contact list (as well as other mishaps) asking them to follow me on Twitter, or if they didn't have a Twitter account, to join Twitter. We all hate the over-abundance of junk email sent to us on a daily basis, and I sincerely apologize for playing my part today.

On the bright side, I'm officially Tweeting – follow me!  (I hope that link works. :) )