The grassy waters of Shark River Slough:

Bald cypress

“Here is land, tranquil in its quiet beauty, serving not as the source of water, but as the last receiver of it. To its natural abundance we owe the spectacular plant and animal life that distinguishes this place from all others in our country.”
—President Harry S. Truman
Dedicating Everglades National Park
December 6, 1947

Everglades truly is a special place, the largest subtropical wilderness in the United States. I admit, I am intrigued by the 99 mile Wilderness Waterway. A canoe trip between Everglades City and Flamingo. Even the shorter Canoe Trails would be a blast. Although in winter.

Looking out onto a sea of sawgrass

At one time, water would overflow from Lake Okeechobee, and slowly flow south, through a much larger Shark River Slough and the Everglades, finally entering the Gulf of Mexico. Today, approximately 1/5 remains of what the Everglades once were.

The Everglades: Then & Now