We have officially kicked off our adventure from Sea to Summit. Starting in Florida, where we built our campervan, we want to see some of the National Parks in the Southeast before we begin heading West, up to Alaska this Summer. 

Our trip began at Everglades National Park in South Florida. This was the first trip in our van, so it was half a shakedown cruise and half exploration. When we visited Everglades National Park from our boat, Pivot, in March 2022, we cruised the Florida Bay section of the park and docked in Flamingo. We didn't learn much about the Everglades and its importance to the world. 

This time, we spent two nights in the Flamingo Campground and spent the rest of our time there visiting many different park areas. Everglades National Park stretches over 1.5 million acres and is not a swamp, as I previously thought. It's actually a slow-moving river and is incredibly bio-diverse. Unlike other US national parks, like Yosemite, which are known for incredible sites or views, the Everglades is preserved for its diversity. 

Compared to a boat, traveling by RV has many trade-offs; however, one positive is the capability to explore very different areas easily. We hiked through the different ecosystems in the park, walked off-trail with Park Rangers as we slogged through Shark Valley, and explored the West Everglades in a Kayak, paddling through the mangrove lakes. 

We learned about the Everglade's history with water and how challenges from industry and the U.S. government prevented the flow from upstream. Not only is water necessary for life in the Everglades, but it's also crucial for large cities like Miami, as the Everglades feed on the aquifers that those cities rely on. This prompted the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP), which aims to restore the natural flow of water, improve water quality, and restore the Everglades ecosystem to its former glory. 

Before leaving South Florida, we visited the Biscayne National Park visitors center to cross another National Park off our list! We spent many weeks in Biscayne Bay onboard Pivot but never made our way to the land side of the park. We looked out onto the bay and reminisced about some of our favorite times onboard in the Florida Keys. 

After our shakedown trip, we spent two weeks making the final changes and preparations on our van, Summit, before leaving Florida! This was a bittersweet moment for Jen and me, as we have been in Florida for over two years. There was a lot of work and time spent behind the scenes in preparation for this trip, and the time was finally here. 

Before heading West, we traveled to South Carolina for our second National Park, Congaree. It's a relatively unknown National Park, overshadowed by the other incredible parks in the US, but we found it extremely special. The ecosystem reminded us of traveling the Waccamaw River portion of the ICW near Georgetown in many ways, especially with the towering Cypress trees. Congress has many unique features, but most notably, it has the highest concentration of Champion trees (largest trees in a species) in North America. Its ecosystem is more similar to that of the Amazon than any other US location. We enjoyed hiking through the various trails of this floodplain and kayaking through the waterways. One of the best parts was that our dog Ollie was allowed!

Next up in Sea to Summit, we are heading West to Texas and exploring Texas' Last Frontier!