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8-day Everglades Adventure trip report & 2013 trips

Check out our Inaugural 8-day Everglades trip:

Burnham Guides 8 Day Everglades Kayak Trip - Kayaking/Canoeing trip - Spot | SpotAdventures

And more photos on our Facebook Page.

It was so phenomenal, we're planning on running it again in 2013, so let us know if you are interested and want to know the dates as soon as they're set. Just drop us an Email, or sign up for our Newsletter.

Here are the trips we will be offering January through April 2013. There's a possibility we will add December trips if there is interest.

3, 4 and 5 day trips in the Lower Keys Backcountry
8-day Everglades Wilderness Waterway
3 and 4 day Everglades and Ten Thousand Islands
Annual 10-day Key Largo to Key West: mid-March

It's not too early to book a trip for 2013. The first person who books gets their dates and then it goes on the calendar!

Historic Pigeon Key Free Family Fun Day Jan. 14, 2012

Historic Pigeon KeyBill & Mary Burnham, authors of the “Florida Keys Paddling Atlas,” will lead a free paddling trip from Knight’s Key, under the Seven Mile Bridges, out to historic Pigeon Key for the Marathon Flagler Centennial Celebration on Saturday, Jan. 14, 2012. 

Bring your kayak to Knight’s Key Campground for the 9 a.m. launch. Burnham Guides will be providing some for free: Call 305-240-0650 or email mary@burnhamguides.com to reserve one. Enjoy the Family Fun Day, from 10 a.m. -4 p.m., featuring reenactments, free kayaking, demonstrations, period games, dancing, music and food. Dress 1900s-style for the 1 p.m. costume contest! The Burnhams will give a slide show and book-signing at 11 a.m.

Gift the Gift of Adventure

Give the adventurer-seeker on your list a truly unique experience on a "Paddle with the Authors" kayak camping trip in the Florida Keys or Everglades.

We make your shopping easy: We'll send a personalized gift certificate, wrapped up with a signed copy of our "Florida Keys Paddling Atlas" or "Kayaking for Everyone" included. 

Short on time? We can email the certificate right to their in-box up until Christmas Eve.

From an easy Keys overnight to our new 8-day Everglades' Wilderness Waterway, we have a trip for every skill level. Visit BurnhamGuides.com for details. Email or give us a call at 305-240-0650 to place your order. 

-2-5 day Florida Keys: mid-January through early April, 2012
-8-day Everglades' Wilderness Waterway: Feb. 16-23 

-10-day Key Largo to Key West: March 13-22

-No expiration date  

-Pricing is easy at $175 per day: Includes kayak, camping gear, all meals, and instruction.

New: Everglades Wilderness Waterway

We've added a brand new offering to Burnham Guides' fully-outfitted kayak camping trips: 8-days on the 100-mile Wilderness Waterway trail through the Everglades.

Experienced guides take paddlers through the mangrove maze of Everglades National Park on a 100-mile expedition between Flamingo and Everglades City. We'll go both inside, where camping is on chickees and ground sites, and outside, on palm tree beaches.

Dates: Feb. 16-23, 2012

Difficulty: This is a strenuous trip, for experienced paddlers able to kayak up to 15 miles per day.
 
Cost: $1400 per person includes sea kayaks, camping gear, meals, camping fees & shuttle back to start. 20% discount for bringing own sea kayak and camping gear. Limited to 6 people.

Closest Airport: Miami

Call 305-240-0650 or E-mail for more information.

Florida Paddling Trails Association: Why join?

A few days ago I realized that we had inadvertently let our Burnham Guides membership with the Florida Paddling Trails Association (FPTA) lapse. I quickly and easily renewed online and was soon enjoying the benefits once again!

As a kayak guide business we get great exposure on their website, which is visited by thousands of paddlers on a regular basis. Individual or family memberships have many benefits as well (including 10% off or our Florida Keys trips!), and help the greater Florida paddling community.

Bill and I are most familiar with the Florida Keys Overseas Paddling Trail, which we've been working with since 2003. It's now part of a network of water trails around the entire state known as the Florida Circumnavigational Saltwater Paddling Trail. Then there are all the river trails, like the Suwannee. FPTA is the official steward of ALL paddling trails in Florida. It takes a huge network of volunteers to make this work.

So take a look at their website, consider joining and maybe even becoming a Trailkeeper in your region. Anyone who goes on our trips is encouraged to do a beach clean-up along the way, making you an automatic volunteer!

The major missions of the FPTA are:

• Develop water trails

• Protect the environment along the trails

• A resource and voice for paddlers

Paddling Perks

Burnham Guides' Florida Keys winter trips include all the basics for a multi-day paddling adventure: kayaks, gear, camping gear, all food and water, and even the toilet!

Christine, Licensed Massage Therapist

But in addition to necessities, we like to provide little treats and luxuries at the end of the paddling day. As soon as our boats hit the sand, we are pulling out the appetizers for an al fresco spread.

You work pretty hard on our 100-mile Key Largo to Key West trip, so we schedule in a rest day with optional massages in camp!

We like to eat well in the outdoors and figure you do to. People often ask, don't we have to resort to pre-packaged, dried food on our multi-day trips in the backcountry. The answer is a resounding NO!

Apps on the Beach

Over nearly 20 years backpacking and kayak camping ourselves, we've learned some tricks of the trade for bringing the freshest food possible. The first night of a trip usually features some fresh Florida seafood, like mahi mahi or flounder, sauteed or in a taco with lots of key lime juice and cilantro.

Fresh vegetables and fruit that travel well are always available. We might have some pre-cooked Stone Crab along the way, or even Florida lobster, if we can get it.

That said, we don't eat seafood all the time. There's chicken, meat and tofu meals and we can accommodate vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free diets as long as you let us know ahead of time.

Coffee lovers will not have to do without. We get it brewing before you get out of your tent. Mary is known for her camp coffee, and may offer your choice of drip, espresso, or even Cuban coffee (cafe con leche), her personal favorite.

Enjoying a Florida Stone Crab spread in the woods!

But an unbiased customer review probably means way more than anything we say here. So check out Wendy's blog from last year's trip, where she describes the menu so much better than we can!


For trip details, go to BurnhamGuides.com