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A day in Blackwater River State Forest

Welcome Center at Adventures Unlimited

Challenge Ropes Course

by Joe Zwierzchowski

What’s your idea of adventure?

It’s a simple question with no one simple answer. Adventure is many things to many people. It can be as daring as kayaking untamed rivers, climbing up, down and over obstacles or walking through the wild with all of God’s creatures – snakes, bugs and bears; Oh my.

Adventure also can be as simple as the solitude of a night in the woods with nothing but your thoughts and the sound of a nearby creek to keep you company.

Adventure is what you make of it and it’s closer than you might think.

Adventures Unlimited, located just north of Milton, Fla., is barely an hour from the sugar white sands of the beaches of the Panhandle. The same white sand that forms some of the most attractive beaches in Florida also line the shores of Coldwater Creek, home of Adventures Unlimited Outdoor Center. Take a paddle down the creek and you’ll see for yourself. The large, pure white sandbars that line the Coldwater are ideal for stopping off for a break, a dip in the water or parking the canoes and kayaks and setting up for a picnic.

“People think you have to go to the mountains to find what we have out here,” said Jack Sanborn, 59, owner of Adventures Unlimited. “It’s the family values and wholesome atmosphere that makes this an ideal environment for adventure.”

My adventure was a simple one: Alone time.

As an avid fisherman, sometimes hunter and once-upon-a-time adventurer, I’ve spent plenty of time under the stars in the wilderness of Alaska (32 days), the White Mountain Range in Colorado (two weeks) and hiked most every creek, stream and field I’ve come across (that’s an ongoing process).

But it had been so long. I felt I had to ease back into it.

I took the scenic route, the long way, the way I never go. After all, it was an adventure, right? Up U.S. 87, past a caution sign warning of potential bear crossings, I was on my way.

I was heading to Adventures Unlimited to take a tour of the place, to find out what they meant by adventure.

They’re pretty good at it.

My group was made up of people in the hospitality industry from Escambia, Santa Rosa and Okaloosa counties. I think we all got a dose of our own adventure while we were there as there’s a little something for everyone on the 88-acre compound that includes challenge courses, camping, and cabins and, of course, canoes.

After getting to see some of the grounds – a nice walk through the interior roads of the property – the adventure got started with what Sanborn and his crew call “The Giant Swing.”

It’s giant alright. At 55 feet tall, it’s more of a test of one’s nerves than what I’d call a swing.

Short version: You harness into a pair of steel cables and grab a rope. The rest of the team pulls the other end of the rope and you’re lifted in the air toward one end (the high end) of a pole. As you reach the top, you’re in control of the descent. You count yourself down, release the rope and swing to the bottom of the arch, backward. Then you dangle. As you swing freely between the posts you can relax, it’s over. You’ve conquered it. You’ve overcome that fear.

For me, it wasn’t a fear. I’m o.k. with heights, enjoy them actually. It wasn’t a fear until I got up there and looked around – I thought I saw my house, 50 miles away. I counted down quickly, no need to let the fear get in my head, the sooner gravity re-engaged the better.

That’s the thing though; gravity doesn’t come into play until you reach a certain part of the swing’s arch. There’s a free fall of less than eternity but more than a second that sort of sneaks up on you. Some screamed – with joy and delight I’m pretending – as they made the drop. Me, I exhaled. I was holding my breath once I realized how high 55 feet really is, it was probably for the best.

It was an adventure, a step in the right direction.

Step 2: Kayak. I’d never been in a kayak before. I hear they tip easy.

No problem. Me, my paddle, the kayak and the rest of the group hopped in a bus for the launch on our 4-mile float down Coldwater Creek. They’re right, it’s cold. Luckily, kayaks are harder to flip than rumors would have you believe, trust me, I tried.

The creek trip is amazing. An adventure in itself, I split from group by design and made my own way down the white-sand lined corridor of oak and pine trees, crystal clear water and sandy beaches. We were given some instructions on paddling, some information about landmarks and distances to look for and one piece of info that caught my ear. Something about a fork in the river and go to the right, God help you if you go left.

I went left, after all, it was my adventure, right? No, left.

It was the fastest part of the creek, loaded with submerged stumps, limbs, rocks and went by entirely too fast. I made it through safely, which I guess is a good thing.

At an admittedly lazy pace, it took a little longer than an hour and half to make my way back to Tomahawk Landing – home base at Adventures Unlimited.

Step 3: Reconnect. Me and nature.

I came prepared for a rugged, dirty night of camping. Sleeping bag, day pack, bed roll. I was ready for this.

I was not ready for, or perhaps just didn’t realize, the fact that I was treated to a night in one of AU’s family of cabins – Tupelo.

Raised above the potential for floods, Tupelo looked like a tiny beach cottage nestled next to Coldwater Creek, the last in a line of cabins that amount to three-star hotel rooms 20 feet off the ground and can accommodate one to a dozen people.

I had a huge bed, fresh linens, kitchenette, shower and a glorious view from the screened-in back porch. So, naturally, I spent every waking hour next to the campfire pit, listening to the creek roll by and the burning wood crackle, seated comfortably in the sand.

It was nice, however, to be able to shower off that smoke smell and climb into bed at the end of the night.

After all, it was my adventure, right? Go find yours.

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INFO BREAKOUT BASICS:

Adventures Unlimited

PHONE: 850.623.6197

Toll Free: 800.239.6864

WEB: adventuresunlimited.com

ACCOMMODATIONS: 30 lodging facilities from private cabins to the Schoolhouse Inn as well as group cabins. 25 campsites for RVs as well as tent camping.

CATERING/FOOD SERVICE: Available on site, just ask before hand.

STAY RATES: Camping starts at $20 at night, camping style cabins start at $49 and private cabins at $99 a night. No pets.

RIVER RATES: Canoes are $25 per person, kayaks $30. Trips range from 1.5 hours to 3 days. Pets welcomed on the river.