Sea kayakers fare far better in the Gulf. Current paddler use in the Park is split roughly in half between canoeists and sea kayakers, but the rise in sea kayaking over the past decade has been phenomenal. A decade ago, less than ten percent of backcountry visits were by kayak. Sit-on-top kayaks have increased in popularity in the last few years, as well. However, it can be cold in the 'Glades, and I would rather be inside a boat when a cold front blows in from the north, kicking up winds and dropping temperatures into the fifties and below.

We cut through the murky waves, and safely made Mormon Key. Gulf waters are normally clear over a mud and/or sand bottom, but excessive winds can turn the Gulf into chocolate milk. In Florida Bay, in the southern Everglades, the clear azure waters are much like those of Key West and the lower keys. In the interior 'Glades, away from the Gulf, the water is clear, with a few exceptions like often-murky Broad Creek.

It was very windy as we set up camp, so we were grounded for the time. I set out to explore the key while Bill rested beneath a tarp, nursing a sore back. As I walked along the sand beach to the south, I watched the waves beat the shoreline. A scattering of broken conch shells in pastel tones of ivory and pink lay at the high-tide line. These were remnants of the Calusa: They discarded the conch shells after harvesting the delicate morsels inside. Farther around the island, broken slabs of concrete extended away from the island: remains of a dock that belonged to a settler who lived here with both his first and second wives in the early 1900s. Locals then dubbed the island "Mormon Key." The Everglades are loaded with other interesting names that lead one to ponder their origin, including Jack Daniels Key, Demijohn Key, Gun Rock Point, Topsy Key, Lostmans Five, Snake Bight, Darwins Place and many more.