Okefenokee Swamp | Blackwater, National Geographic Magazine

Mahogany-colored waters stained by tannins flow through the Okefenokee Swamp, giving life to primitive creatures such as the American alligator in this isolated and backcountry wetland. A mysterious aura surrounds the Okefenokee, named by Native Americans for “bubbling water” or “Land of the Trembling Earth.” The bottom of the spongy bog was once was ocean floor, a shallow basin on the edge of the ancient Atlantic coastal terrace. The swamp has built up over the past 6,500 years by accumulating peat. Gasses formed by decomposing plant material bubble up from the bottom, vegetation attaches itself, and little islands form. The springy, unstable land moves and shifts as you walk. The Okefenokee is one of the most remote regions in the American South. There are no roads except on the edges. Only a canal and a few trails and boardwalks penetrate it. And two rivers — the St. Mary’s and the famed Suwannee — run out of it. Besides the unusual environment, the region has other charms. Rural traditions of the Old South include family reunions and children’s beauty contests. Music and religion remain an important part of people’s lives. Locals are described as “fiercely independent”. Many carve out a meager living harvesting pine from planted forests and fish from surrounding waters. Little pockets of communities surround the swamp where it is possible to live in near isolation. The Okefenokee is a National Wildlife Refuge, home to 440 species of birds, fish, mammals, and amphibians, thirty-two of which, including the Florida panther, are designated as endangered.