A most unusual POTA activation

Scarecrow and Blue

 

I left the house early yesterday morning, driving north about 70 miles to the Suwannee River (Florida), whose shores contain a string of POTA sites.

They're back!

My destination was US-10594, known among civilians as Manatee Springs South State Conservation Area. This is distinct from Manatee Springs State Park just up the river.

The State Conservation Area became, for me, a State Conversation area, both on the air and off.

I arrived at about 8:30 am local time, not knowing what to expect in the way of amenities like picnic tables, BBQ grills or other devices whose true purposes are to support radios and antennas.

What's there is this: two picnic tables covered by a roof, located adjacent to the river at a canoe/kayak launching site.

One of the tables was occupied by a scruffy-looking man and his scruffier-looking white dog named Blue. Pulled up onshore was a loaded-for-bear kayak.

We said our hellos, then got to our "whatcha-doin's?".

I explained radio to him - he knew a bit about ham radio and was interested in what locations I was able to contact with the FT-891 & roof-mounted whip.

But what was he doing?

His name is Roosevelt and he goes by Rose, or his "river name", Scarecrow.

He left Washington state 4-1/2 years ago, paddling his way down to Florida, with Key West being the terminus of his goal.

He camps along the way, often sleeping in his kayak.

Another paddler goes by

Any skepticism that I had of a skinny, older man being able to row a boat across a continent were put to rest when he asked me where I was from.

I told him Tyler Texas. He then named the three rivers in that part of the state (Trinity, Neches, Sabine) and the small towns they go through - towns I'm quite familiar with.

Rattled them off like he was there yesterday. He'd paddled them earlier this year and was able to speak in detail about other rivers as well.

In places that can't be traversed by a river, he hikes, leaving his kayak with a "river angel" (similar to Trail Angels on the Appalachian Trail) who often shuttle him to or from the next river once he completes the walk.

Scarecrow and I talked for a solid hour. About alligators, manatees, bad experiences (only three in 4-1/2 years), logistics of traveling long distances by kayak, food shopping, meal prep, inclement weather, with a bit of philosophy thrown in for good measure.

In addition to river angels, Scarecrow has Facebook friends who host him or help him in other ways when he passes through their area.

His immediate goal is to continue downstream on the Suwannee River to the Gulf of Mexico, then paddle south along the coast to Cedar Key, then Tampa, then around Florida to Key West.

I hope he writes his own book some day - he has a wealth of stories and a solid memory of US river geography.

Radio-wise, I made 61 CW contacts, with Scarecrow and Blue serving as witnesses.

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