Swamp Rats meet along the Hillsborough River in 17 Runs. The event location can be reached by foot or canoe/kayak. Chances are that paddling will be much easier. Event begins at high noon and will last till 1:00 pm.
Have you ever wanted to paddle through 17 runs but did not do it because of the countless portages? Well, now is your opportunity to paddle it with minimal portaging, if any. Water level is anyone’s guess for the event date, but with the rainy season upon us it might rise several feet by the event date. I can guarantee multiple close encounters with the local gator population. Fear not, they tend to do their best to avoid human interaction.
The suggested option is to paddle to the event. Launching opportunities include Hillsborough River State Park (4 river miles upstream of event) and John B Sargeant Park (3.5 river miles downstream of event). The paddle trip works very well as a shuttle trip under current conditions. If there is interest in a shuttle, I will work on the details. A guided paddle trip will be offered. Both of the parks open at 8 am. If paddling up from Sargeant Park you will be faced with some current. It is doable for sure, just leave yourself extra time. Leaving either launch by 9 am should provide ample time to make it to the event site by noon. If you stop a lot for caches along the way, you might be pressed for time. I have placed 3 new caches, they will publish Friday night. One has a SCUBA attribute.
This is not a CITO, but there will be plenty of opportunities to help clean up this beautiful stretch of river through 17 Runs. If the water remains shallow and clear, old cans can sometimes be seen along the river bottom. A metal hiking stick makes for a great retrieval tool. It would be appreciated for faster paddlers to take some time to spear a few cans and other trash along the way.
