Hemingway and The Keys

I didn't know our running group was so talented and competitive! We usually just do the Thursday night fun runs with the club, so everyone is usually more relaxed. We also feel like we're just beginning to meet more members, too. Out of the 14 or so of the group who ran the race Saturday night, seven took home awards! Hopefully some of their drive and speed will start to rub off on me.

On Sunday, we all walked Duval Street for a couple of hours before leaving Key West.
Our day started with a drink at Sloppy Joe's....
Then Andy and I stopped in Islamorada for Sunday night, while the rest of the group continued home.

When I looked at a map to decide where to go kayaking I saw this island called Shell Key that had water in the middle of it. I did some quick research and learned that there was a mangrove tunnel in the northwestern corner of the island that would allow access into the middle. We had paddled nearby Lignumvitae Key and Indian Key in previous years, so I thought it would be fun to try something new.
I created an interactive Google Map to show you where we paddled - you can zoom in and move around the map.

View Larger Map
We headed to the west side of the island and circled it clockwise. Our primary goal was to find this cut-through to the middle. But after inspecting several alleys and alcoves, we realized that in the last nine years that the Sea Kayaking book was written :), that we believed the island had self-sealed the tunnel. We just came across dead-end after dead-end.
In one alcove, we learned another thing - the Key is now a State Preserve. Who knew?But this makes sense since a lot of juvenile fish use the mangrove roots for protection, including this young jellyfish that was attempting to hide from me. The seagrasses that surround these keys are also vital for marine life, including manatees. Andy saw a spotted ray as we circled Shell Key.
See how the roots of this young mangrove spread out? This is how these keys grow and change constantly. We passed many future keys that, as of now, are just a single leaf poking above the waterline.
On the way back, we stopped at a Key just south of Shell Key (see the second pushpin on the Google Map above). This must've been a Double-breasted Cormorant rookery. We could see several cormorants flying to the tree tops with nesting material in their beaks. But there were also blue herons, great white egrets, and white-crowned pigeons on the island as well. The cacophony of sounds was silencing. We quietly paddled down a trail leading through the key listening to all of the different bird calls. Deep-throated rattles, gutteral barks, squeaks, and what Andy referred to as "burping" sounds. It was really fascinating.

Overall, the paddle was about 5 miles and took us 2 hours. Kayaking in The Keys is always wonderful. But remember to watch your tides and your wind. If either is against you, your trip could be more work then fun! There are lots and lots of low-lying areas around these keys.