My Okefenokee morning started off with a hot cup of coffee on the front porch in my cabin. Sure, most of my life I had no problem spending the nights in a tent. But as I get older, I don’t feel the need to constantly build my resume as a rugged outdoorsman. I welcome the comforts of a bed, shower and hot coffee more and more.
As the sky brightened, it was a relatively cool 55 degrees. However, the sun was going to have to battle for her dominance this dawn. A fairly thick, nighttime fog was reluctant to lift and it persisted all through the entire Stephen C Foster State Park campground. The Spanish Moss, which always sets a somber and contemplative atmosphere, looked even more eerie hanging from dark silhouetted trees in the lowering fog.
The mechanical churring of a Red-bellied Woodpecker sounds off to my left. Now and again the soft trill of a Black-and-white Warbler can be heard. Far off in the distance the alarm call of a Pileated Woodpecker splits the still air. And two squirrels make quite a ruckus scratching the bark of the Live Oaks as they chase each other in circles around the trees. Two antlered bucks pass swiftly by in pursuit of a doe that pranced through just before their arrival.
As it nears 8 AM, the gray fog continues to brighten as the sun rises in the mist. It’s time to take a quick breakfast load my gear and head out into the Okefenokee waters.
Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. October 14, 2025.
– Location: Stephen C Foster State Park Campground
– Morning fog. Sunny, with a high of 86 degrees
– Sunrise 7:32 AM; Sunset 6:59 PM
– Daylight hours: 11 hours, 27 minutes (-1m 47s)
– Moon: 42% Waning Crescent
Okefenokee Photography Project by William Wise 