Hello everyone and Good Labor Day to all of you! In order for me to adequately continue in my North Florida River Swamp investigations for my "hairy friends" down here, I must first establish a camp HQ. Since I have been accepted into the USFS Host Camper Program late last month, a volunteer spot that allows me to set up a camper trailer in a designated Federal campground, I have been making ready our small trailer for this task. The first order of business was to replace the worn out tires and repack the bearings on the old camper trailer before it could travel to my house for a complete refit. With that accomplished last weekend, we towed the Phonex camper trailer to my house yesterday where it is resting in my yard now. The real work now begins as there are a great number of things that need to be repaired, replaced, and cleaned up in order for the camper to be ready for it's final journey into the campground (hopefully within the next two weeks). I will be sharing this camp spot with another couple from Ohio who come down every year and stay through the winter until late spring.
I'm not going to bore you with all the bloody details of trailer repairs, but, rather, tell you what I am planning to do once the camper is set in place down in the NF/WMA campsite. Once I have moved into the neighborhood, I need to establish if my "friends" are still in the area. Of course, I must do this (and all other BF things) very quietly so as not to disturb the balance with the USFS or my Ohio neighbors. Until I get to know my trailer neighbors in camp, I cannot risk them having knowledge of what my real intentions are in this spot! Anyway, once I establish that the "Locals" are in the area, I can begin with my planned methods of attracting them into a closer cohabitation with me. My activity calendar is set up such that I have several methodologies in my favor to accomplish this mission. A boat survey of the river area is one of the things that must be done right away. Then, a swamp survey shall be undertaken to try and find the source of their existence in this area. Finally, a forest service road survey will be taken to ascertain any activity in the surrounding NF and WMA locations.
My group has selected seven areas to be studied during this initial phase of operations. Several of these areas are very close to the established camp site. Two of these areas are defined as "Wilderness" by the USFS within the boundaries of this vast 650,000-acre WMA! Unless our survey data dictates otherwise, the vast majority of my time will be spent searching the river and swamp areas, near the campsite, where past evidence has shown that these beings are active during the fall and winter months. One recent measure that we have undertaken is to do an area check using Google Earth to find any well worn trails made by these Big Guys that approach the campground. My mentor has already taken that first step for me and advised me that there are several huge trails observed coming out of the forest into the campground and going back into the swamp! A ground search shall be undertaken as soon as possible to find this sighted "nature" trail and gather any evidence possible once the campsite has been secured. A river research project is being planned for the end of this month, after the camper is in place, to follow up on our investigation from the March adventure written about earlier. Forest Service road surveys will begin next week with the designated "Wilderness Area" first on the list. This area is surrounded by roadway access and must be driven around in it's entirity to check for signs of "wildlife".
Once all the preliminary processes of investigations have been completed, I shall make ready to follow up on all evidence collected that would lead to the habitation with any of these beings. As soon as "contact" has been made with any of these creatures, I will notify NESRA and extend an open invitation to any full member wishing to plan a visit down here with me! As I proceed through the various stages of development with this research endeavor, I shall keep all informed through this blog and on line with the forum, as I deem appropriate.
