A thick fog lies over the Okefenokee Swamp this morning. The far distance is nothing but a gray blanket that is struggling to brighten in the morning sunrise. Even the closer Cypress Trees stand in a blurred, foggy silhouette. The surrounding landscape’s details only emerge as my canoe drifts closer by. The calls of two Northern Flickers can be heard from the scrub, but the birds themselves are hidden in shadow.
As I paddle close to the edges of Billy’s Lake, wonderfully crafted webs hang everywhere in the vegetation, almost as if the Okefenokee had been decorated for a grand Halloween masquerade party. The only color fighting through the dense black-and-white fog is the bright yellow Beggars-ticks wildflowers that stand glowing on tall stems and reflecting clearly on the Okefenokee’s blackwater.
There is no morning breeze and very little current on Billy‘s Lake. With the aid of the trolling motor, my canoe easily and silently glides across the lake. Now and again the distant bellow of a bull gator can be heard rumbling across the water. By far the loudest inhabitants are the Gray Catbirds. They call back-and-forth to one another on my left and then on my right. A Red-bellied Woodpecker in interrupts their conversation with his own equally piercing call.
The aid of an electric trolling motor may seem like cheating, but the benefits go beyond just the comfort of a paddle-less cruise. Instead of holding a paddle, my hands are free to lift and aim my Nikon camera wherever needed on a moment’s notice. Also, while on the lowest setting, the motor is completely silent and gently glides my canoe silently across the water. This aids in quietly approaching the Okefenokee’s cautious wildlife without their quick flying off or diving for cover. I’m sure that the three couples of tandem kayak paddlers preparing to launch at the same time I put will soon overtake my canoe. But nothing beats this slow, gentle cruise powered by the electric trolling motor.
The morning fog has hindered the great swamp saurians from emerging to begin their basking. There were just a few alligator eyes and noses breaking the still water and fog. In the absence, a juvenile Little Blue Heron confidently forages among the Spatterdock prior to the emergence of the large alligators.
At 10 AM I finish my glide across Billy‘s Lake, apply sunscreen, and turn left to head northward up the Middle Fork of the Suwanee River and into the tall Cypress stands that grace the most beautiful section of the great Okefenokee Swamp.
Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. October 14, 2025.
– Location: Billy’s Lake
– 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 