Untitled Poem (By Nicole Zummar)

UNTITLED

by: Nicole Zummar

I miss it. 

I miss the breeze upon the face,
The smell of salt clogging my nose
And the wildlife in my eyes.

I miss the cattails shooting up,
And the mangroves' roots
Tangling into my kayak.

I miss the feel of the rippling waves under me--
The only thing that moved in that land of peace.

But wait--
Its not the only thing.
Look beneath the surface,
Look at the shooting sprouts move,
Look at the ridges in the water.

You hear that?
Hear the rustling of the leaves,
Hear the lapping water,
Hear the birds crow and sing.

It's a quiet wonderland.
It's my dreams being freed,
It's the vastness of the world
In a place so hidden,
So misunderstood.

There's no need to lecture about history or science or biology.
Because all the history I need to know
Is there before my eyes,
In the green and brown and blue
Holding the weight of human greed--
And awe.

It's a heart-wrenching land,
A place to fall in love--
Or rid yourself of it.
A land made to test your soul,
To break your armor,
To set you free.

Welcome to the Everglades.

Post Expedition Thoughts Compiled...

We have just returned for our 4 day expedition into the Everglades Wilderness with North Carolina Outward Bound School. The trip was incredible, and it is safe to say that the wilderness transformed all of us. We are all still in the process of writing our experience but in the meantime here is a compilation of our thoughts which I have pulled from our group's facebook page:

"I wish there was an easy way to describe what we experienced in the past four days that consisted of hours of paddling against the winds in the hot Sun, hours of labor to assemble heavy wooden platforms on top of the canoes to sleep on water, struggling to go to bathrooms, trying to stay warm in cold winds wearing wet shoes and wet clothes, crashing and getting bruised by the barnacles on the mangrove roots, dealing with headaches due to dehydration, getting over frustrations caused by fatigue and finally just surviving out there in the wilderness. But, ask us if we would like to go through that experience again and every single one of us will respond "Yes! Another 1000 times!" Because there was this ineffable magical pleasure at the end of the day when we overcame our limits and grabbed our journals to write, held our hands to pray and appreciate what we had beyond our comfort zones, and looked up to the clear skies with countless stars looking back at us. And for that I say...The Everglades Wilderness Expedition took every single thing we had to offer...only to give us in return something we weren't even capable of imagining, before were were completely transformed by the Wilderness" By Sandeep Varry

"I'm writing here because private messages to each of you would take too long... I can't take it!! I HATE IT!! I hate the lights, I hate the streets, I hate the noise, the radio felt like hell in the car, the water in the shower I just took was too clear and not salty at all, I miss eating with everyone, I miss you guys! I miss the hugs and the smiles. I miss the frustration and the impatience in your faces, all that was okay because we knew that in the end we are together and nobody would ever be left behind. I miss you and it's been only a couple hours. I miss the smell of nature, I miiiissss the stars!!! I miss the air and the hot sun on my skin, I miss paddling and I miss your voices!! I miss every single one of you! I miss writing with you and sharing everything! I miss the Everglades! I miss my wilderness family!" 
By: Alexandra Mosquero

"What a great journey we just completed. Tough winds out there this trip, but the dolphins appeared just when we needed them. This was one of the finest groups I've been privileged to lead into the wilderness. Thanks for making my work a lot of fun!"
By: Russ Taylor, NCOBS Instructor

"I'm looking at the photo of all of you in your t-shirts, taken well before our expedition. You look younger somehow. I remember that on our last morning, Johanna said that what she was leaving behind was her "naivete." Perhaps each of you has left behind some small naivete, and now you are wiser. Older. Somehow."

"Good morning, writers! I miss you! Yesterday I was plunged into a day full of obligation and rush-rush, the antithesis of the time we spent in wilderness. All day, as I went about the things I had to do on this side of our edge, you and your words, your spirits, your voices rode gently in the back of my mind. Now, I am visiting what you have written here. I am moved by what you are saying about our shared experience."
By: Anne McCrary Sullivan, Expedition Writing Instructor

"I'm definitely having a rude awakening back into the real world as well -.-"
By: Bryan Palacio

YOU NEVER KNOW (By Nadijah Campbell)

This is my second day out in the wilderness as part of the Everglades Wilderness Writers Expedition. Today had it’s many ups and downs and I appreciated every one of them.

I woke up to this uncomfortable feeling of something was attacking my face but I didn’t see anything around.  I was being attacked by bugs called “noseeums.” Unlike mosquitoes which stick “needles” into you to draw blood they spit acid on you, causing small burning sensations, and bite through the tender skin to get the desired blood.  Once I put my bug jacket on it wasn’t too bad and thankfully after the sun rose they were gone.

Journal Entry 1: Morning at Writer’s Cove – 5 Senses of the Everglades

Visual- Rising Sun, water shining, water moving floating leaves, dark blue sky, hammocks, pairs of birds soaring through the sky, green mangroves and twisted roots, swarm of gnats in the sunlight, peach, orange and blue skyline

Auditory- Chirping, King Fisher Bird calling out, singing, snoring, rustling of leaves, groggy voices, rushing water

Tactile- Solidarity of board, calloused fingers, itching from bugs, stickiness, cold wind weeping across my face. Inner warmth

Ol’ Factory – Salt, Morning Breath, Outdoors

Gustatory – Tart Mouth, Sweet and sour kiwi, fresh water

Journal Entry 2: First Day Experience

1. What do I look forward to? I look forward to being in solitude but surrounded by nature. I’m excited to learn new things and see what I would have never seen in the city.

2. What surprised me? Seeing the stars so clearly and knowing that if I looked up every night they’d become familiar and that they wouldn’t leave me. They make me feel so close even when they’re so far away.

3. What was the hardest part? Relying on others and having to explain thing to others that I may have understood right away. It’s hard working with dependent people as someone who has been independent all of my life.

Food

I’m proud of the fact that I’ve been eating things I usually wouldn’t eat like fake cheese, powdered milk, and all off of not so clean bowls.

For breakfast we ate granola cereal with powdered milk and dried kiwi. For lunch we had pea – no nut – butter and jelly tortilla sandwiches ad for dinner we had spaghetti.

Natures Surprises

For the second day in a row I wanted to give up. We were supposed to make it to land, a wonderful beach site where we could walk around and pee without fear of tipping  and falling out of the canoe (earlier in the day I almost fell exposed butt and all out of the canoe as my boat drifted away from the mangroves I held onto for dear life). However, Mother Nature decided that she wanted to show us who was in charge she was and she made the winds too strong for us puny little humans to make it across the bay.  However, now that I look back at it, maybe Mother Nature was trying to show us how not to be afraid and how not to constantly seek  out the easy route because if we always chose the easy path, we’d miss out on things that made life so extraordinary.

When we received news that we wouldn’t be making it to land we all slouched, we all became quiet and frustrated and we paddled with less intensity and heart than before. We had no real destination except a place that could protect us from the wind. There was wind everywhere. We were defeated. Someone asked me  how I was liking the trip so far and quite frankly I wasn’t. I had been through two full days of paddling in intense conditions and hadn’t really experienced much except for cool looking stars and sore shoulders. I replied with a simple “I wish we could see more wild life.” Ten minutes later we heard shrieking and saw something splashing in the water. We all froze and waited to see what was going to happen next.

A large wave rocked our canoe and water gushed into the air as a Dolphin arched beautifully out of the and with a great splash returned. Yes there are dolphins in the Everglades. This is the moment we were all waiting for. Laughter replaced our grimaces as we took a break from paddling in sheer excitement and tracked the wave of the dolphin as it swam ahead of us. It made me think. What else was below us and around us that we couldn’t see?

As we paddled a little longer Mother Nature showed us more of the Everglades’ beauty. A head kept popping out of the water. We didn’t know what the head was until I had the honor of confirming it’s origin. The yellow head as big as my two fists together, maybe bigger, with large black eyes poked out of the water a few feet away from my canoe and I screamed “It’s a sea turtle!” Yes, there are sea turtles in the Everglades. Getting the chance to see my favorite animal was honestly all I needed to make this trip one of the best experiences of my life.

“I would do this everyday, well not everyday, but often.”

Entry by: Nadijah Campbell

Somewhere Between Dusk and Dawn (Night 1 in the Wilderness) By: Sabrina Diaz

It's somewhere between dusk and dawn and I am bundled up in a 20'F sleeping bag. I wonder "how is this possible? How can it be that I am camping in South Florida in October yet I am nestled in a 20'F sleeping bag". Despite my years in the outdoors I have grossly misjudged how quickly the weather in South Florida can change from HOT, HOT, HOT to COLD!

But it is not the cold that wakes me in the middle of the night, it's the sound of a Barred Owl. It pierces the silent cold of the night like a warm knife slicing through a cold stick of butter. The sound immediately brings warmth to my heart. I smile wide and long...no one is looking at me...I smile for myself; I smile to the heaven's above, I smile to a power greater than I, who always seems to wake me from my slumber at night to grace me with a wilderness orchestra. Owls. Every time I sleep outside I hear Owls. I wonder, what was this Owl doing in a mangrove estuary with no dry land around us?

As I lie in my sleeping bag listening I remember the last time I heard Owls. It was somewhere between dusk and dawn and I was camping with my 2 year old daughter. Two Barred Owls were right outside our tent hooting back and forth to one another. They were so loud that I was afraid we would not get any sleep that night...but what did that matter, my daughter was in pure awe as she enjoyed front row seats to the night time symphony, from her warm sleeping bag.

Suddenly, I am propelled back to the present time and I realize that this Owl was indeed for me. It was Halloween night and while I was away on this wilderness adventure my daughter was experiencing her first time of trick or treating. I had spent hours searching online for the perfect Halloween costume for her. I wanted it to be special...I wanted it to reflect her. Finally after an endless search I found the perfect costume. Even the girl in the online photo looked just like Sierra. I was sad that I was missing her cute little face going door to door in her costume.  But as that Owl hooted through the night I realized my daughter was never far from my heart.

Have you guessed what her costume was yet? A beautiful Owl.

My mind shifts to the wilderness writing students who are fast asleep around me. I hoped that they too were being awoken from their slumber to hear the sounds of wilderness.  And if not , I hoped that something inside them was internalizing that sound so that when they rose in the morning they would feel as though they had been quietly touched by this greater force.

I am no longer cold. In fact I am now craving more of this wilderness experience. I unzip my sleeping bag so that mt skin can feel the cool night time air; I unzip my Heli-Hammock tent so that my eyes can better view the stars above; I take a big deep breath so that my nose can smell the freshness of the Earth and water. I take it all in because this is my moment.

       

TIMELESS ENDLESS AND SHORT LIVED (By Nadijah Campbell)

Journal Entry: Just Jotting Down Emotions

“I have no idea what time it is but it’s night. My fingertips are a little cold and my nose reminds me of a puppy’s. Today has been challenging…successfully challenging.”

It was officially the first day of the expedition. I came with my book bag packed and ready to go. They – the Outward Bound leaders- told me to unpack everything and to take half of what I thought I needed. When we repacked I had one set of clothes for night and one for day. They called them wet clothes and camping clothes.  I also packed one extra shirt and shorts for just in case. That was it besides my inhaler, epipen, benydryl, and eczema cream and all that good stuff.

I wish I hadn’t listened to them when they said there was no need to pack my comfort food because during my times of frustration I missed good food the most.

Complicated Processes

There’s this process of packing and unpacking the canoes that’s extremely complicated. First you have to slide the wooden platforms/boards into the canoes as a base. Next you have to make sure the weight of each canoe is evenly distributed. Each canoe had two water jugs, the paddlers luggage, two paddles, food, gear and just about everything else that would fit. When that’s all done you spend your merry day canoeing. Then night falls and everything has to be undone except, this time you’re still on water. We had 6 canoes in all with two people to a canoe, one had three. After tying the canoes together and anchoring ourselves each even canoe piled its items into the odd canoes (yes there are still people in these canoes). Why? To get to the wooden boards.

Board Birthing
Photocred: Sabrina Diaz

The person in the bow, or front, of the canoe had two options to get them out. They could either set themselves in a baby-birthing position which is where we got the term “birthing the boards” or they could stick their legs straight out and pull the board up. Both options left you in awkward positions as you slid the board that was twice as long as your body up with your neck twisted to the side and sight momentarily gone.  The boards were then lined against the backs of the canoes and the same process was repeated with the odd boats. After all of that everything is repacked and the boards are placed on top and tied securely so that we have space to move around. The first time it took us over 2 hours to complete.

Nature’s Calling

Throughout the day we also had to learn how to pee in an unstable canoe. We were all shy at first until we realized that we could’t hold it in forever. We devised a plan where if someone had to pee they would announce it and everyone would look the other way and sing. That didn’t last too long because soon found out that throughout our journey we were bound to look around at one point and accidentally see someone peeing. We’re all human beings and we all had to pee so pretty soon we just learned to answer natures call without too much hesitation.

Testy Waters

I wanted to quit. I really, really, really wanted to quit. It was my first real time canoeing, the winds were blowing our canoes away from our destination and every time we looked around we realized we either hadn’t made much ground or we were going in the opposite direction completely and the place we started from was in front of us instead of behind.  2 hours later a place that should’ve taken maybe 30-45 minutes to paddle was still far from our reach. So in frustration I started saying “1, 2, dip. 1, 2, dip” so that our strokes would be in sync. That was the only way we would beat the wind and  the opposing current. In a few  minutes we started passing the other two stragglers and we were no longer the last ones. A smile spread across my face as I realized that it wasn’t impossible but at the same time I was left a bit discouraged and afraid of what more would come if this was only the first day.

If it wasn’t for the stars, the millions of beautiful stars and the beautiful moonlight, I don’t think I would’ve slept well that night.

BUCKETLIST CROSS OFF: EVERGLADES WILDERNESS WRITING EXPEDITION (By Nadijah Campbell)

After hours of not checking my messages, I scrolled through my emails and saw “Everglades Wilderness Writing Expedition.” A huge grin spread across my face as my mind began to race with the possibilities. I’ll admit I got a little too excited, especially for not even knowing what the program was actually about. However, as I read on, I realized this was one of my few chances to cross something off of my bucket list; living in the wild! So, I clicked.

About a week later I received an email saying “Congratulations!” and I officially began my preparation to live in the Everglades for 3 nights and 4 days.

For starters there were a total of ten winners selected with one participant on standby. We met every weekend to learn about the Everglades through discussions, challenging adventures and more. The Everglades Wilderness Writing Expedition is being held in honor of the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act  which is essentially a bill that ensures the protection of certain areas of wilderness for future generations.

What is wilderness?

Before we embarked on our journey we were asked to contribute the thoughts that came to our minds when we thought of the wilderness. Because I am who I am I wrote “lions and tigers and bears,” but when we were asked in person I realized that I didn’t even consider animals to be a necessity for wilderness. In fact, I see them as more of a delightful addition.

Wilderness is “a wild and uncultivated region, as of forest or desert,uninhabited or inhabited only by wild animals; a tract of wasteland,” according to dictionary.com but we discovered that everyone’s personal definition differed from one person to the next.

Before the actual expedition we met once a week for a month. Our first meeting focused on becoming acquainted with the program and each other. When I met my “wild family”  I became even more excited because I was surrounded by passionate people. During our next session we eased our way into the Everglades with a walk along the Anhinga Trail. Up to this point we still hadn’t experienced wilderness but a week later we found ourselves surrounded by wilderness of all types – soon to be, proposed and current.

Throughout these small day trips I realized that I became less afraid of things when I knew that there was nothing to be afraid of. Yes there are dangers but there are dangers in everything. If you stay away from experiences because of fear you won’t find the things worth living for.

I went into this knowing that there was a possibility of being eaten alive by mosquitoes. I hate them just as much as the next person but I knew that they the probably wouldn’t kill me, so I continued.  I really don’t like the idea of being in places where I don’t know what’s coming up next or even what’s below me and around me. I like to know how long it takes to do something and how far I’m going when I’m going somewhere. It scares me when I don’t know these things because my mind runs wild with the negative possibilities. However when we had to bike on an endless road in essentially the middle of nowhere and tread through the sea of grass or “slough slog” I didn’t let my fears bother me.

Journal Entry 1: Biking and Hiking

“This takes me back to the times when I would drive to my grandma’s house surrounded by trees and fields. All I saw around me was nature and in front of me all I could see was the never ending road. I’ve never biked for that long. I’ve never hiked through an over grown trail with things touching my legs and arms. But I did today.”

After the biking expedition we went slough slogging which consisted of walking in swamp-like water through saw grass.

Journal Entry 2: Cypress Dome

“If you look below you it’s disgusting. There’s this yellow and green Spanish Moss that looks like something someone threw up and left sitting for a while. Saw grass wrapped around my ankles as the mud sucked my feet in threatening to steal my sneakers each time I tried to take a step and the only balance I had was in my walking stick. It felt like a trap for us outsiders. There were swarms of tadpoles tickling my ankles and curious – or oblivious- craw fish that used my legs as an object to climb on. As we went farther the saw grass  became increasingly taller and began to scratch at my forearms and elbows and I tripped at the roots of baby cypress trees. They left me stumbling and hoping that I didn’t fall into the unknown waters. Finally we made it to our destination.  After only looking down for the past hour making sure I didn’t injure myself I looked up and the trees that were once only to my hips now towered above me. As the sun peeked in between the branches it revealed spiderwebs and white spider eggs (which look like really tiny white spheres) and woodpeckers and just all of this wildlife who’s homes we were intruding in. Mosquitoes buzzed in my ears and my feet kept getting stuck in vines but as I stood there in the middle of the cypress dome I knew all of the discomfort I had been through before was worth it.”

The beauty before me was not something I could have dreamed of and it was right there for me to touch and smell. It was real even though my mind had difficulty believing in its existence. I took a picture so the memory would last longer but the picture did no justice to what I experienced.

After one last Saturday of light paddling in preparation for the hours of canoeing we would soon be doing, we were officially ready to get in touch with our inner wilderness.

Entry By: Nadijah Campbell

http://nadijahcampbellblog.wordpress.com

Day Trip # 3 (By: Sabrina Diaz)

October 25th was the final day trip for the students of the Everglades Wilderness Writing Expedition. The day is jam packed with important things to see, do and learn about. Our day starts at 9am at the Ernest F Coe Visitor Center where we begin to talk about the "nitty gritty" of the next week's expedition. We rummage through clothes which Ranger Maria and I have brought to share with the students. We go through a detailed list of gear that we need for the trip: Synthetic shirts, fleece sweater, quick dry pants, wet shoes, dry shoes, long underwear...and the list goes on and on. We manage to share our resources to ensure that all the students have the necessities.

Next on the list is a wonderful guest speaker: Don Finefrock. Mr. Finefrock is the Executive Director of the South Florida National Parks Trust (one of our sponsors for this program). Prior to his career with the Trust Don was a journalist for 20 years. He spent 10 years writing for the Miami Herald. His written work on Hurricane Andrew helped the Miami Herald to win a Pulizer Prize. Additionally, Don has paddled extensively in the Everglades Wilderness. The students thoroughly enjoyed listening to Mr. Finefrock and had lots of great questions for him.  

After our wonderful talk to Mr. Finefrock the group headed south, down to the Flamingo are of the Park. They enjoyed a talk about "Submerged Wilderness" from Ranger Bob Showler, and then headed over to 9 mile pond for their first paddling lesson.

While paddling, the students had some time to process their thoughts and put their pens to the paper. In less than one week they would find themselves on a paddling adventure of a lifetime!

Entry by: Ranger Sabrina