Our camping trip in Everglades National Park was phenomenal. I had never been canoe camping, navigated with a nautical map, or even to the Everglades. The combination of trying something completely new while being immersed in subtropical wilderness was quite refreshing. It’s an experience that cannot be described. As A.Adams would say You have to live it and breath it, let the sun bake it into you.

We saw a single pink flamingo lost in the rain, a crescent moon set on the Gulf of Mexico, a breathtaking sunrise, tons of birds, and dolphins swimming out to sea. We camped on a chickee at Sunday Bay, and on a deserted island at Rabbit Key. I took a lot of pictures.

It’s hard to believe that the park is only 25% of the original Everglades. I’m happy that what remains is a protected ecosystem.

Justin Gibbens received his BA in painting and drawing from Central Washington University in 1998 and a Scientific Illustration Certificate from University of Washington in 2003. In Sixth Grade he received a 1st Place Award in a Color-A-Saurus Dinosaur Drawing Contest sponsored by the Pacific Science Center.