Hey Folks,
I'm finally recovered enough from my trip last July into the Fakahatchee with Mike as my guide to put a little story together along with a few photos. It was a really hot day, and we were out there for about 6 hours......it took me two days before I started to feel normal again...er...at least normal for me.
Here are descriptions of the photos:
This is the main tram we walked down for about an hour before heading into the slough.
One of the first orchids we came across was this blooming vanilla! It was kind of high in the tree, but you can still make out the photo pretty good.
Here I am standing next to one of the first ghosts we came across...it wasn't blooming, but it was a pretty impressive set of roots...at least in my opinion.
This orchid is a Prosthechea cochleata, with a nice bunch of seed pods that have already split open...hopefully the area will have a lot of babies in the coming months/years.
Here's a close shot of another "classic" ghost root pattern, growing along with some resurrection ferns.
Here I am taking a break from our hike, which we estimated was about 2 miles in off of the tram.
And here is what we were hoping to find...a ghost orchid blooming away.
Another photo of the ghost…we actually saw 3 others blooming, but they were either too far up in the trees to get a good photo, or too far gone to share here.
This is a shot of my ankle protector covered in mosquitoes...there were literally thousands following us around looking for an area we forgot to spray...repeatedly...with deep woods Off...we used a whole bottle each!
And finally, here's a pic of Mike...after he went back to look for my tripod, which I left way back in the swamp during one of our rest stops. I told him not to worry about it...I simply didn't have any energy left for a trek back...but he was determined to see if he could find it. Oh well, he didn't get it...but at least he made it out in one piece.
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Happy Growing ~ David There's always room for 1 more orchid!
Awesome David. I'm so happy your able to see a blooming ghost. Mike's a great guide. I have a good idea where you went and I would say you did around 5 miles or so. 5 miles out there is like 10 anywhere else. Nice shots. Will you go again?
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"An orchid lover and their money are soon parted"
Dave
Awesome David. I'm so happy your able to see a blooming ghost. Mike's a great guide. I have a good idea where you went and I would say you did around 5 miles or so. 5 miles out there is like 10 anywhere else. Nice shots. Will you go again?
Yes Dave...I believe I would.
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Happy Growing ~ David There's always room for 1 more orchid!
Somehow I missed this post earlier. It brings back memories of our "liitle" trek earlier in the year I can appreciate all the effort you put forth after our ealier trip. Thanks for the pics David.
I don't do most Dendros or large, "floofy orchids". For me it's minis (like Angraecoides), Masdies, Paphs, and others that crept in somewhere along the line. See my orchid list for complete collection (usually not current.)
My Trip Into The Fakahatchee With Mike!
It was a really hot day, and we were out there for about 6 hours...
...it took me two days before I started to feel normal again...er...at least normal for me. 
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