Magic Mangrove Tunnels
You don't always have to travel to take a vacation
Hello friends,
Yesterday I kayaked through the mangrove tunnels of Weedon Island Preserve here in St. Pete. Sometimes I take this place for granted, the sun and sea and endlessly chill vibes. Days like yesterday remind me of the magic of this place.
Weedon Island is famous for its mangrove tunnels. My brother was reminded of the boat ride down Willy Wonka’s chocolate river. There is a certain trippy feeling to traversing the caverns of roots and branches. They’re woven so tightly together that the tunnels remain shaded even on the sunniest days. The prop roots branch out like bent knees, anchoring the trees into the muddy sediment. These roots are so stilt-like that mangroves are sometimes referred to as “walking trees.” Pneumatophores grow in the opposite direction, springing up vertically from the muck like stalagmites rising from a cave floor. These aerial roots act like snorkels, helping the mangroves breathe even when the tide comes up.
The tunnels are quiet, sheltered from the wind and the sun. At times the fractured light gives the illusion of paddling through a kaleidoscope. The browns and greens dull, and the only movement comes from the two-centimeter-long mangrove tree crabs. They crawl over the muddy fingertips of the pneumatophores and scuttle their way up to the leaves for a snack. Dozens and dozens of them cover the trees overhead. If you accidentally knock a branch with an errant paddle, you might find the little critters raining down on you. They’re cute, though, so they get a pass.
I could spend all day floating through the mangrove tunnels. They feel like portals to an ancient time. I thought about taking photos, but I decided against it. I made a conscious decision to leave technology out of it and just enjoy the day. My phone stayed rolled up in the dry bag, and my free hands trailed in the cool water.
Where do you go to find a little magic? Let me know.
Until next time,
Yardena
Weekend Potpourri
Currently on repeat
You absolutely hit magic when you didn't take photos. That's how we know, nowadays, that we are content in the moment. That we want to see with our eyes instead the camera lens.
I spent a week in Naples FL for a wetland mitigation workshop. My hotel was a couple blocks from the beach where you’d after through a mangrove arbor, their adventitious roots arthritic in their reaching....I fell in love with the mangroves and walked them morning and night that whole week.