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We're just lady anglers having fun on the water, trying to improve our fishing skills and enjoying the "reel" life !!!
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Hidden Coast Paddle Festival - Part 8

11/3/2014

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Friday, October 3rd came and the ladies got up early and headed to the Good Times Motel & Marina for breakfast.  Part of the HCPF registration fee included free buffet-style breakfast each morning and a free bagged lunch to take with on any of the scheduled paddle events.  It was actually a very good system that worked out perfectly.  The Dallus Creek Paddle was next on the morning agenda and by 8:30 a.m. everyone began to show up at the designated launch site.

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Delores gets herself and her loaner kayak ready for the paddle.

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Liz Sparks, the guide for this paddle route, answered questions as some of the paddlers organized their gear.

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Liz took attendance to make sure everyone was accounted for and gave final instructions before the launch.

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The first few paddlers in the water had to wait until the rest of the group was in the water, too.

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More and more paddle craft take to the water. 

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Uprooted tree at the launch site.

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If it isn't one thing - it's another!!  The rudder pedals in Delores's loaner needed a little oil because they got stuck in one position and she had to park in the grass flats until she got them both working together again.  That little set-back put her a far distance behind the rest of the paddlers.  Thank goodness for the guide sweep that was assigned to bring up the rear with the "no paddler left behind" motto. 

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Finally Delores catches up to the rest of the group.

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The 5.8 mile paddle launch was at Dallus Creek and the route slithered through the pristine salt marsh to Clay Creek, a meandering, narrow channel only accessible at high tide. 

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After about a half hour of paddling through the skinny trails, the group was relieved to come up on a little open water.  Joining the Gulf coastline for a brief stretch and now with a little elbow room, they headed for the Dallus Creek Campsite which is part of the Big Bend Saltwater Paddling Trail.  The wind picked up quite a bit during this leg of the journey which was a challenge for some but they made to the campsite as planned.

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Coming ashore at the Dallus Creek Campsite.  Ready to stretch the legs a little.

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In order to camp here, you have to make a reservation through the FWC website.

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The guide, Liz Sparks, gave the group a history lesson on the Drug Running history of the Steinhatchee area.

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A little tai-chi session to loosen up the extremities

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Making an attempt to stay on scheduled, it was time to leave the campground and get back on track.

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The entire route was a vision of grass-lined shoreline as far as the eye could see.  Great fishing potential everywhere you looked.

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Made it back to the launch site and enjoyed a nice bagged lunch that Good Times Motel / Marina staff had prepared for everyone earlier in the morning.  It was a relaxing way to end an exciting paddle route.

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A nice mile-long walk through a plot of land the way Florida looked before the age of modern development.  It just doesn't get any more beautiful than that!

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It was 1:30 in the afternoon and time to load up the gear and head back to the condo for a little mid-day nap.  Next on the list was a 4:00 workshop with a local charter boat captain who was going to talk about the local fishery in Steinhatchee.

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