Ryan and Rebecca Means enjoy exploring wild places. But the adventuresome couple has taken their passion a step further by beginning Project Remote, an effort to identify and document the remotest locations in all 50 states. They have already traveled to and documented 12 states thus far, and their progress can be tracked on their website.
Ryan and Rebecca work with a scientific team that includes Ryan's father, renowned wildlife biologist Bruce Means, at the Coastal Plains Institute based out of Tallahassee. The non-profit organization, begun in 1984, has primarily focused on wildlife research and education, but Remote Footprints has expanded their scope to include the exploration and documentation of remote areas and to facilitate relations between people and wild places. "We took a look within ourselves and realized that the conservation of remote and roadless areas is paramount to the conservation of biodiversity," Ryan explained. "We also believe there are thousands, if not millions of Americans who hunger to have true wilderness experiences in their lives, and hearing, seeing and smelling the roar of nearby fossil-fueled civilization detracts greatly from our ability to do so."
Ryan recently guided a small group, including yours truly, by kayak and canoe down the lower Wacissa River to the Aucilla River at Half Mile Rise, about 30 miles southeast of Tallahassee. One of Florida's wildest river systems, this lower section branches out into a confusing network of braids that includes some pullovers of snags and even a small set of rapids. Ryan calls one narrow side channel "the Avenue of the Giants" due to the impressive number of old-growth cypress trees along the shores. One tree has been measured at fifteen feet in circumference. We pondered why these virgin trees were spared during the logging boom of the 1920s and 30s. Were the trees somehow deemed inferior, or was it simply an error on the part of logging crews who missed this remote channel that parallels the main river channel?
Roads, or the lack of, are the determining factor in gauging the remoteness of an area. Even a tortuous, unpaved road, such as the one leading to Half Mile Rise-our take out-counts as a passable road, which leads to the question, how remote is the lower Wacissa River? We didn't see any roads or other humans once we left Goose Pasture, so it seemed wild and unmarred-and it is certainly scenic with clear, spring-fed water and large trees-but as we approached Half Mile Rise, we could hear a distant limerock mining operation. To our surprise, despite the fact that most of the area is in public ownership, it turns out that the lower Wacissa doesn't rank that high. In any given spot, a road is no more than a mile-and-a-half away. "Almost nobody understands just how many roads there actually are," Ryan says.
With their expertise in both biology and GIS mapping, Ryan and Rebecca are doing something unique in calculating the remotest (i.e. the most roadless) single point in each state, and mounting expeditions into each for its proper documentation. The initial calculation is a long process greatly aided by GIS computer software that can take days to get it just right. "We are still working on the Kentucky Remote Spot calculation, which has been weeks," Ryan says with a chuckle. Both a scientific journal article and popular book about Project Remote will result from their efforts, along with an awareness of the damage that roads can cause, especially in conservation areas.
The Means' expeditions, usually by backpack, include their daughter, Skyla, who is almost three. "She [Skyla] has taught us that we as a family are limited only by our imagination-she is game to do just about anything!" Ryan says. "As an added bonus, we hope our work will inspire families like us to get outdoors and Go Remote themselves."
So, what is the remotest spot in Florida? It is the Marquesas Keys west of Key West. The islands are 25 miles from the nearest road and, preliminarily, this appears to be the remotest location in the lower 48. The remotest spot on the Florida mainland turns out to be just north of Cape Sable in Everglades National Park. That spot is 17 miles from the nearest road.
The remotest mainland spot in our area is likely to be in the heart of the 24,602-acre Bradwell Bay Wilderness Area in the Apalachicola National Forest. After calculating the spot on a map, Ryan and Rebecca-and hopefully Skyla-plan to lead a bushwhacking wilderness hike to the exact coordinates this winter, so stay tuned!
Tags: Backpacking, Florida, hiking, Outdoor, Tallahassee
Doug AldersonDoug Alderson is the author of several books, including Waters Less Traveled: Exploring Florida's Big Bend Coast (University Press of Florida 2005), The Vision Keepers: Walking for Native Americans and the Earth (Quest Books 2007), New Dawn for the Kissimmee River: Orlando to Okeechobee by Kayak (University Press of Florida, 2009), Encounters with Florida's Endangered Wildlife (University Press of Florida, 2010), and his newest book, Wild Florida Waters: Exploring the Sunshine State by Kayak and Canoe (Earthways Press, 2011). Additionally, his articles and photographs have been featured in magazines such as Sea Kayaker, Coast and Kayak, Wildlife Conservation, American Forests, Sierra, Mother Earth News and Shaman's Drum. He has won several state and national awards for his books and magazine features. Doug also works as the paddling trails coordinator for the Florida Office of Greenways and Trails.
