by Georgia Ackerman
December 17, 2018–Today, Roy Ogles*, and I checked on river conditions, also called visual surveys, along 25 miles of the lower Apalachicola River.  We launched from Abercrombie Landing, more commonly known as Pine Log, around 10:30 am. Pine Log is a popular launch for winter duck hunters and we chatted with several guys who were just coming off the water while prepping the motorboat. All commented on the high water from recent rain throughout the ACF basin. The Chattahoochee gauge was running at approximately 70,000 cfs.
We traveled upriver to Bloody Bluff Landing, our first stop. The river was spread out into the floodplain nourishing the distributaries. (A distributary, a hydrological feature of river deltas, is a stream that branches off and flows away from a main river channel). In the motorboat from the middle of the river, the ramp at Bloody Bluff was somewhat unrecognizable in contrast to my previous visit via land two weeks earlier via road–reminding me that river is a dynamic system and ever changing.
Today, this landing could’ve been called “Muddy Bluff.” The water partially submerged the boat ramp and showed signs of recently receding from the parking area. The ground was wet and spongy.  Roy quickly spotted bear prints near the water. We did a quick ramp clean up, bagging trash and debris.
After Bloody Bluff, we motored north, slowly passed Ft. Gadsden-Prospect Bluff. The historic site also remains closed due to Hurricane Michael. Roy and I both commented how this bluff , strategic in numerous historical battles, visually appeared smaller due to the high water. It’s one of my favorite spots to visit and overlook the river from land. Its expansive view never disappoints.
We headed up to river mile 22 to the Owl Creek  turn off. Numerous big trees were down at Hickory Landing. The Owl Creek-Hickory Landing campsite, part of the Apalachicola National Forest remains closed post hurricane. (Apalachicola National Forest is Florida’s largest, encompassing 632,890 acres).
Our last stop was to check out the Van Horn canoe-kayak landing. There is no boat ramp at Van Horn. This camp area can be accessed by road and canoes or kayaks. I waded in from the motorboat to check the site. Similarly to the Hickory Landing, numerous large trees were downed in the hurricane winds. It appeared that the Forest Service had since chainsawed the trees blocking the road and camp loop, which is open.
*Apalachicola Riverkeeper Volunteer Corps: It’s noteworthy that Roy Ogles frequently donates his time and talents to Apalachicola Riverkeeper as a a boat captain and river survey volunteer (along with a list of other jobs he’s helped with). Retired from a career as a Florida park manager, Roy also worked for over a decade at the Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve. We are fortunate that Roy and others like him generously share their time, energy and knowledge to the mission of Apalachicola Riverkeeper. Thank you! Protecting a river basin is a team sport indeed. We’re in this together.
Georgia Ackerman is the Riverkeeper and Executive Director of Apalachicola Riverkeeper