August Work Weekend
What is it like to own a camp

I was tired and slept like a log, I usually wake up during the night, but last night I didn't. Its about 7:00 AM and the others are still sleeping. I get up and put the coffee pot on. It will take a while to perk the coffee, so I take my camera and explore around the edge of camp a little. I take a few pictures of the surrounding swamps in the early morning light. I know they won't be great pictures, but they will have to do, as the mosquitoes chase me back to the cabin. Tony and Rich are now awake. The smell of the coffee finally working its magic. After a quick cup and a little bit of sweet roll, we start the pump running again, to flush out any collapse of the well over night. The water pumps clean and is pumping volumes, so it is time to install the check valve and pump it again. The water pumps clean, but with a reduced volume now that the check valve is installed. This will be fine for pumping to our water tank, and the check valve will keep the water from backing back down the well when the pump is off.

Tony and Rich start gluing the PVC pipe together and covering it back with dirt. We aren't going to be able to tie it into the water system yet, but the PVC will be ready for the next trip. Tony starts fixing breakfast, while I do a little buggy maintenance. A key has broken off in a lock and I need to disassemble it, to get the broken piece out. Its a shame locks are even needed, but that's the way it is today. Breakfast is now ready, Bacon, Eggs over easy, Potatoes, biscuits, Orange Juice, now that's a fine breakfast. Too soon we are full, the raccoon's will have the leftovers after we leave. Rich does the breakfast dishes, while I finish the buggy maintenance. Too soon it is time to start packing up. On a weekend like this you are only at camp for about 24 hours. Eight or maybe a little more of those hours are spent sleeping. 16 hours is just not enough time. I move my buggy over to pump up the tires in the camp buggy, then we start closing up the buildings. As the tires start to reach full, Bob arrives from the other camp. He is ready to go at our agreed upon time, we are running a little behind. I walk out and close the back gate. It's broken, something to fix on the next trip.

We load the gear and one last check, we are off. We are covering familiar ground. Winding in and out of the cypress swamps and pine islands. The sun is high in the sky, beating down on us. As we travel the prairie, Bob's buggy gets stuck. I circle back and yank him free with a strap. No matter how well you build a buggy, sooner or later, it will be your turn to get stuck and hopefully some one is there to pull you out. Now Bob takes the lead, but the buggy Tony is driving over heats. We discover a radiator leak. After adding some water and radiator leak plug, we are able to continue. As  we approach an area we call "Dog Track", a cat gets up and runs across the trail. Its the size of a large Bobcat, but has a tail. So we watch a "Florida panther" bound across the road and into a pine island. This is the first panther that I have seen in the Big Cypress Swamp. I have seen the tracks and even heard them yowl and scream at night, but this the first one I have seen in my many trips. What a treat!
Not much further, we hit the hardened trail. It's 37 minutes from the end of it to the hard road. This used to take from 1 1/2 to 2 hours to go this distance. The NPS is making it easier to get into the back country. Many of the sportsmen don't see this as a good thing. Now back at the club, its time to switch the gear from the buggies, back to our street vehicles. Time to grease the buggies, pull the radiator from the buggy for repair and close everything up. A quick shower and its time to hit the hard road for the three hour trip home. A very tiring weekend, but one I will always remember as the trip of the "Panther".

Six Pack Buggies

Story by Steve - August 27th 2002