Today my daughter Amanda turns eighteen. Each trip with her to the Okefenokee has been a special time that I will always cherish. The following is an excerpt from my journal on the last day of our 2017 excursion…
As if signaling our departure from the swamp, a group of Ibises flew overhead, heading off into the distance. After returning to Stephen C Foster, loading the canoe and breaking camp, we went for one last walk. There was more activity on the boardwalk this time: a hammering Pileated Woodpecker, a flock of ground foraging Ibises, and a solitary white Great Egret. Several of Sophie’s babies basked in the canal; so small, so cute. Amanda wanted to grab one, but being illegal, had to settle for purchasing a resin cast of a baby gator in the park’s gift shop.
I’m so thankful that Amanda is still interested by these outings. I know I would not still be returning to the Okefenokee twenty years after my first visit if she had no interest. It is always a rewarding refresher to get away from civilization’s fast pace. But it is even more rewarding to spend the time with my daughter. These are experiences we will never forget.
Okefenokee Photography Project by William Wise 