Just a Juniper Creek appreciation post!
Still dripping wet from having just taken a dive in the crystal clear waters of the Juniper springhead, I direct my kayak, sitting up on the edge of the “cockpit” while camera equipment, a life jacket, and some dive fins fill the hollow hull up to the seat. A thick jungle-like scene surrounds me as I drift under a canopy of overhanging palm trees. I don’t really have to paddle - just steer - for the bubbling current of the creek pushes my boat along at a steady pace. The occasional alligator may be seen resting in shallow water, as well as turtles lined up sunning themselves on logs and downed cabbage palms and every now and then a gar - a large, somewhat freaky-looking fish that really is quite harmless - may glide under my kayak. The best word I can think of to describe this land is “magical.” I see now why it is thought of as the best paddling in Florida, and even considered one of the most amazing kayaking destinations in the United States.
