One more month in the swamp

We're entering the home stretch of this year's search.

Five months is a long time to spend in such a remote wilderness setting! I'm of mixed minds about my imminent departure from the swamp. On one hand, it will be difficult to leave the lush eden that the Choctawhatchee River system has become. Ivory-billed Woodpecker or no, the area is a treasure and preserves a vestige of a southern hardwood bottomlands ecosystem that few get to see. I'll miss the critters and the trees, the human camaraderie, and the general dynamism of the swamp. On another hand, I'll be ready to move on to a new adventure. While I don't miss the world of walls and wires, my impatient side is starting to get curious about what's happening away from the Florida panhandle.