 Okefenokee Photography by William Wise. A nature photo journal exploration of Georgia's Okefenokee Swamp, the Land of Trembling Earth, one of the largest blackwater swamps in North America. The alligators, birds, snakes and wildlife of Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. -- "What a wildly wonderful world, God! You made it all, with Wisdom at Your side, made earth overflow with your wonderful creations." Psalms 104 The Message  American Alligator at the Big Water Shelter; Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. April 20, 2024 ©williamwisephoto.com Not long after arriving at the Big Water Shelter in the Okefenokee Swamp, a curious alligator came drifting toward the platform to watch us set up camp. No doubt this gator was used to a handout or two from previous campers. It hung out near the edge of the platform for over an hour and then disappeared into the night as the sun went down over the gorgeous Cypress of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. April 20, 2024. Paddling from Maul Hammock to Big Water shelters.
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Okefenokee Photography by William Wise. A nature photo journal exploration of Georgia's Okefenokee Swamp, the Land of Trembling Earth, one of the largest blackwater swamps in North America. The alligators, birds, snakes and wildlife of Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. -- "What a wildly wonderful world, God! You made it all, with Wisdom at Your side, made earth overflow with your wonderful creations." Psalms 104 The Message  Little Blue Heron near Maul Hammock; Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. April 20, 2024 An excerpt from the journals of naturalist Francis Harper, 1929: “We did everything we could to destroy it. We skinned alligators until we like to drove every last one off. We killed bears, otters, foxes, and almost got rid of them. We went after the cypress and cut down 3000 acres of trees. I was a part of all that. We didn’t know any better. But the old swamp came back. The animals came back. The trees came back. You wouldn’t know where the trees were cut. The Okefenokee is God’s work. Men couldn’t destroy it, and now it is as beautiful as it ever was. It is the most beautiful place on earth. I will do everything I can to make sure it stays that way for as long as the world lasts.“ Okefenokee Photography by William Wise. A nature photo journal exploration of Georgia's Okefenokee Swamp, the Land of Trembling Earth, one of the largest blackwater swamps in North America. The alligators, birds, snakes and wildlife of Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. -- "What a wildly wonderful world, God! You made it all, with Wisdom at Your side, made earth overflow with your wonderful creations." Psalms 104 The Message In April 2024, my daughter and I embarked on a 3-day paddling excursion across the Okefenokee Swamp staring from the western entrance to the eastern side. On day 1 we embarked from Kingfisher Landing and paddled 12 miles to overnight at the Maul Hammock Shelter. Okefenokee Photography by William Wise. A nature photo journal exploration of Georgia's Okefenokee Swamp, the Land of Trembling Earth, one of the largest blackwater swamps in North America. The alligators, birds, snakes and wildlife of Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. -- "What a wildly wonderful world, God! You made it all, with Wisdom at Your side, made earth overflow with your wonderful creations." Psalms 104 The Message  American Alligator at the Maul Hammock Shelter; Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. April 19, 2024. From the journals of naturalist Francis Harper, 1929: a conversation with Swamper Ezekiel Henderson… “I was fishing one time in Billies with my old uncle. I was doing the rowing and he was doing the fishing. The ’gators made such a racket I didn’t know what it was. And he told me it was the gators amuddying Big Bonnet Lake by Billy‘s lake. He told me to paddle easy and not hit the boat with the paddle, so we’d slip up on ’em and not disturb ’em and see ’em fishing. We got around a little clump of bushes in plain of Big Bonnet Lake, and they must have been somewhere between one and two thousand of the gators. Bonnet Lake was about four or five acres big. And them gators would rise and jump their length and go down. The bottom of Bonnet Lake is a soft mud. And it was easy to muddy. And they all muddy at the same time, and then stop at the same time and go to fishing just a few breaths. There was jumping and sloshing. They’d go down to the bottom and dig up the mud and scatter it with their tails. And then they’d go to fishing again. I remember one tremendous big alligator that rose up in the water with a trout in his mouth, about 12 or 14 pounds. Had him crossways in his mouth. And he just moved up to the bank and jammed against the bank until he got him headfirst in his mouth, and then swallowed him. That was the first time I was ever there when there was so many gators. And I’ve seen the gators so thick, it look like if you’d been out of the boat and if the gators had held your weight, you could walk all over the lake on gator heads.” Okefenokee Photography by William Wise. A nature photo journal exploration of Georgia's Okefenokee Swamp, the Land of Trembling Earth, one of the largest blackwater swamps in North America. The alligators, birds, snakes and wildlife of Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. -- "What a wildly wonderful world, God! You made it all, with Wisdom at Your side, made earth overflow with your wonderful creations." Psalms 104 The Message  Common Ribbon Snake; Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, GA. April 19, 2024. ©williamwisephoto.com In April 2024, my daughter and I embarked on another 3-day paddling excursion across the Okefenokee Swamp from Kingfisher Landing to Stephen C Foster. While there are open views of the beautiful swamp prairies, many of the waterways constrict down to narrow channels walled by tangled vegetation. In such thick, muddled mess of vegetation, you can paddle miles without seeing anything but leaves and grasses. On one particular stretch, I just had "that feeling", and began to scan the twisted briars along the run. I have no idea how my daughter and I spotted this pencil-thin, juvenile Ribbon Snake in the tangled vegetation. But what a find! Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. April 19, 2024. Paddling from Kingfisher Landing to Maul Hammock overnight shelter. Okefenokee Photography by William Wise. A nature photo journal exploration of Georgia's Okefenokee Swamp, the Land of Trembling Earth, one of the largest blackwater swamps in North America. The alligators, birds, snakes and wildlife of Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. -- "What a wildly wonderful world, God! You made it all, with Wisdom at Your side, made earth overflow with your wonderful creations." Psalms 104 The Message  Pig Frog (Lithobates grylio) on a Yellow Bonnet Lily pad near the Maul Hammock shelter; Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. April 19, 2024 ©williamwisephoto.com Pig Frogs are the big Lithobates of the Okefenokee Swamp. Although they may not be readily seen among the floating green lily pads of the blackwater swamp, they are definitely heard! Its name derives not from its looks, but from that deep, guttural call. Growing up to a beefy 5 inches long, I can imagine that these amphibians are a regular part of an alligator’s diet. But when not being preyed upon, the Pig Frog is an active predator itself, being an opportunistic feeder that will swallow anything from crawfish, dragonflies, insects, and small fish to other frogs! Lithobates grylio is found in the Southeastern United States, from South Carolina to Texas. Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. April 19, 2024. Paddling from Kingfisher Landing to Maul Hammock overnight shelter.  Sunset at Maul Hammock overnight canoe kayak shelter in the Okefenokee Swamp. Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia, USA. April 2024 Just after 6 PM, my daughter and I reached the Maul Hammock overnight shelter in the Okefenokee Swamp. As we paddled up to the wood plank platform in the middle of a small lake cut into the green field of Spatterdock lily pads, a medium-sized alligator lay just to the left. It watched without moving as we unloaded all of our gear and set up camp for the night. Maul Hammock lies on the northern side of the Swamp. Because it is a 12 mile paddle from the eastern Kingfisher Landing entrance, and a two-day paddle from the western Stephen C Foster entrance, Maul Hammock is quite remote. A permit is also required to paddle past Big Water or Double Lakes, therefore no other paddlers are usually encountered when heading to Maul Hammock. After pitching our small tent and enjoying a “college student” meal of canned ravioli, my daughter and I were treated to a beautiful sunset.  All the comforts of home! Privy at the Maul Hammock shelter; Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. |
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In December 1993 I came to know the Designer and Creator of this wonderful planet and its creatures: Jesus Christ.
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