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A while back I participated in the Florida Everglades Python Hunt.Short of it is the reports show that the invasive species of snakes are decimating the indigenous population of animals and severely disrupting the food chain.Ended up going out twice. Of the 1,200 plus permit holds for this event, only 61 snakes were captured/killed. I did not get anything either time.Outing #1If you are not familiar, we have a big problem with invasive species in the everglades.The damage to the indigenous species is incredible.? With that being said, some friend and myself felt it was our civic duty to do our part and push the invaders back.?We arrived early in the morning in the hopes that the snakes would be trying to get warm and be on the Levee or the roads, no luck.Truth be told, we did not see any cotton mouth (water moccasin), rattle snake, water snakes (non-venomous) nor the invaders.?Did see deer, alligator (not as many as you would think) and crayfish. The crayfish were way cool and decent size.? May bring a bucket and catch them next time if we don’t find the snakes.?Couple of things of note:?The Environment was surreal and beautiful.? We walked the Levee for a long time and the road goes on forever.? Bad news is it also goes on forever coming back.? At one point Brian and Gregg jumped off the Levee, slogged through the glades and to a tree hammock (island).? I was alone on the Levee as they left site.? At first I was a little bugged out (naturally paranoid) but the views and sounds were awesome.? Big blue sky with a skim layer of white clouds balancing on the ever moving and never ending fields of sawgrass.? The wind would blow across it and lay it down like a woman brushing her long hair. Definitely a calming and decompression situation I would recommend to anyone. Oh, and no mosquitos.? ?Snake Poles – Need to give props to Gregg.? He created our snake poles from the hooks that you use to hang bikes from the wall and replacement handles for a rake.? By dumb luck the threading on them match up perfectly.? The poles kicked butt.? We used them to root around burrows, flip branches over and to get a person back on the Levee from the low lands.? Great walking sticks also.Heavily armed and under trained mob of hunters – News folk were reporting that herds of untrained people were going out and alluded to imminent death and mayhem around the corner.? What a load of crap.? Where we were no vehicles were permitted.? Most all were on foot and some brought bikes.? Will consider bikes next time.? Good news you can cover more ground but may miss the snakes by moving too fast and not looking at the correct areasI would be remiss if I did not mention that everyone we met or past by was pleasant and more often were very nice and cordial.? Everyone asked if they had seen or got a snake and all said no.? Cannot emphasize enough how nice all the folks were.? Some spent the night in their truck to get an early start and other drove down from St Augustine for the day.? Oddly enough no one was pissy with the lack of snakes.People were armed but not heavily.? Most folks figured out early that lighter is better.? Snake poles and handguns.? Many had variations of machete but no AK’s or Bushmasters.Throughout the day I only heard about a dozen shots fired.? 7am to 4pm Did I mention we walked the whole g-d time.? Very few rounds fired.? Did not seem that people were doing any plinking but holding back for the snakes.The Hammock – A Hammock is a tree island in the middle of the everglade swamp.? It is not dry land but a dense cluster of trees that aid in getting your boots dry for a while. Gregg was dying to get to the one of the Hammocks.? This was only compounded when we saw what appeared to be a dock structure off of the Hammock.? Gregg and Brian set out in the marsh and I remained at the Levee.? Yes, I wussed out a little.? None of us had snake boots or snake chaps.? And you could not pick a better place to find a cotton mouth or alligator than in the water and sawgrass.A couple that stopped to talk to us told us a story about a friend taking pictures of a flower in the glades and was so engrossed with what he was doing that he did not notice he was way too close to an alligator nest.? Consequently, he was bit in the crotch but we were told he is fine now.? It worked out ok because if there was trouble it left a person out of the fray and able to jump in from a different angle or get help. The gents did discover that the Hammock had a boardwalk and US geological type measuring devices.? They were sure that the habitat was perfect for snakes.? Did not find a single one.? Also discovered that it is better to traverse in the ponds than the grass.? Sounds crazy and looked crazy but the ponds are shallower than you would think, the footing is consistent unlike the sawgrass and the water is clear making it easier to see things coming.? Still seem nuts but may have to try it. The last picture in the attachments includes Brian and Gregg.? You have to zoom in a little to see them.?PS: Mom,?I washed off the hook before I stuck it in my mouth.Outing #2Ok, have only three hunters again. Really wanted two teams of 2 or five guys. The three of us will have to do. Gregg Jobes (yes three g’s) Joe E. Post and myself Mark Rubinstein. Gregg has an interesting characterization of me. He explains that in truth I hate nature but when an opportunity arises I will accept the invitation to challenge myself in uncomfortable setting and environment.We learned from the last time we were out, plan was to use bikes to get us about 9 miles out. After that, lock up the bikes and jump off the Levee and into the swamp.Work our way out to the designated tree hammock and comb through it. If we found no snakes we would fan out and walk the perimeter. Told Joey if we saw a snake could I do the gratuitous “SNAKE!” yell.We came across a small snake the thickness of a #2 pencil.Tested out snake poles. At first the snake recoiled and got sassy.Was able to get him on the hook and the poles tested well.Saw a great looking snapping turtle and took fun pictures with it.How are these critters getting up on the Levee?Saw some crawfish, birds etc.Saw only one other hunting groupThey were out for only an hour and not prepared with good footwear or in shape.Their party included two big chubby “Bubba” looking guys with…yes…assault rifles.Would have done no good, they would not have been able to maneuver their slings around their big guts the way the slings were set. One or more of the people in their party was wearing flip-flops.One or more had on bright orange hunting vests. In all they were a shalamaze and lasted less than 1 hour on the Levee. Never entering the swamp. They left and then we were alone again.We reach the debarkation point and locked the bikes together.Knew this time I was going in the drink.Note: Had purchased snake chaps, laid them out in the car with other gear and promptly forgot them until now. Thank you Captain Stupid.Gregg was in first with Joey and myself in tow. Joey and Gregg had the snake poles and used them to help maneuver in the sawgrass. I took a different approach. Gun and knife.This group is big in redundancy. Between the three of us we had two cell phones in zip lock bags, two GPS devices, two snake poles and all of us were holstering side arms. All of us had a little bit of provisions and accessories if (god forbid) we ended up stuck overnight in the swamps.My “rig” was a little different, known for overkill I accessorized as follows: 40 caliber hand gun (big game stopper and last shooter), small to medium sized knife with pocket knife and flash light built into holster. All this and not too expensive. I was the only one that carried chambered. Which was ok because when we did have a run in with something that none could identify, we figured out quickly that Gregg forgot to put the bullets in the gun. Glad we figured this out now in lieu of during an encounter with something else.It is important to know that these are gents that I have camped with since high school and we have played in the woods and swamps for just that long. In critical times we just seem to move together in practiced manner without hand signals or talking.Just practice, experience and instinct. I am very comfortable with these guys and was at an odd peace going into the swamps.We learned from last time that the sawgrass will cut you and all wore long sleeve shirts. It was near impossible to see what we were stepping on or much in front of you. The grass was tall and the ground uneven. One moment you have good ground to stand on and the next “Crap!” and sink in fast. Gregg’s plan was to make it to the “Flag Ponds” and go up the open water to the island. Water (in theory) would be clearer and footing more consistent. This approach was a blessing and a curse all at once.Once a person went across an area the next person would sink deeper and the third waaay down.As such we ended up fanning out. Knife out and the other hand never too far from the gun it seems my paranoia provides a level of comfort for the others and permits them to push the envelope a little.That is at least my opinion.Once we reached the island there was a dock type structure. About 3 2x4 wide. We hoisted ourselves out of the water and had lunch. It was awesomely peaceful. Did not think how far we would have to traverse back or what was coming in the island just a peaceful, beautiful scene. We started into the bowels of the island the dock gave way to a “boardwalk” by all literal terms.It was one 2x6 board placed end to end with no hand railing. We moved in the hammock stepping over branches that sometimes extended over the boardwalk while looking high and low for pythons. In hind sight this scenario was dangerous. Balancing on a string of boards, strong enough for us to move one at a time, stepping over and ducking under trees, trying not to step off the walk onto uncertain ground AND looking for killer snakes. There are people in B rated horror flicks that are not this stupid, again in hindsight. We got so deep in the thick that I checked with Gregg and Joey “are you sure you can get us out of this?” “No problem, mapping us on the GPSs (plural).The walk is part of a minimal egress system for some kind of monitoring equipment scattered around the area. Through all this we found one snake, 3 footer and not a python. Gregg would not let me shoot it. We made our way back to the dock, said our goodbyes and noticed “Crap, the Levee is waay out there”We had to jump back in the water and mud and start back. We choose a different route but still working across the flag pond. Gregg was frustrated that we had not seen a snake and got a little emboldened by investigating areas that are obviously disturbed by big creatures. Still no snakes, no gators.We get close to the edge of where the flag pond meets the sawgrass and Joey is picking on me for “trumping in the water like a Clydesdale horse” It is about that time on cue that Joey hits a pocket, sinks to his waist and can’t move. It is important to know I am from a construction background and I am thinking about the makeup of the ground…How far down is solid ground? If I hit a pocket how far will I sink before I hit solid ground? If I had to guess it would be around 21 feet, I do not want to hit a pocket.This situation is bad in a couple of different ways. First we are not on great ground to just walk up and pull him out. If emergency folk did come the airboats would have trouble getting in this area and short of a helicopter it would be logistically difficult to deal with. Secondly, it is known by some that ambush predators (sharks, gators, etc.) tend to set in transition areas and strike there. Swimming under bridges in the keys we have found sharks and tarpon hiding in the shadow of the bridge, as the current pulls fish to them, they strike.Same is true of shorelines and banks as it relates to gators. We are always careful parking the kayaks when we come ashore. Joey is stuck and feet away from the sawgrass.I go on point to provide cover and Gregg works to get Joey out. The swamp fights to keep him and even attempts to hold on to his snake pole. We move into the sawgrass, Levee still in the distance but getting closer. All the sudden..gator. Gregg calls in an even tone voice “whoa, gator” Joey’s shoulders hunch up and his arms flex with the snake pole at the ready. He may be a little over all of this but is reacting in concert and on cue. Mark draws the big 40 and gets in a “Jango Fett” stance.Gregg: “Fan left” we fan out and provide cover. Again the boys are in their element. Gregg says something about the gator and is very happy about the discovery at such close range. He mentions something about poking it with a stick and I express to him we will not be doing that but with a sprinkling of explicative. I am not as enthralled. Visibility is crap and footing is crap in this area if the gator moves we will be unable to run will likely fall over and/or hit a pocket. My gaze does not leave the lazy posing reptile as I level the barrel at it the entire time. “Easy Yosemite Sam, we are just passing through his neighborhood.” We move off and make it back to “Terra Firma”Once back on the bikes we move further down the Levee. We get to a point where the rock is cut down and the water flows slowly and lazily across the path. Hello gator. This one looks dead it is on the side and construction equipment is nearby. Not too hard to imagine it may have been inadvertently killed during construction operations. He is about five in half to six footer not big but would make a great photo op. The picture will be Mark posing by the gator pretending to make a shush like the gator is asleep with Joey nearby about to make a big clap hand gesture. We decided to do the photo op on the way back and push on. The Levee rises again and this portion of the Levee is narrow and not well traveled. Still no luck on the snakes so we turn around. Sticking to the plan to do the photo op we look for the gator..but he is gone. It was playing “possum” and likely baiting us to do something stupid and get close enough to ambush us. The vision of that “dead” gator not being there and what it means resonates in my skull. That could have been a stupid move. Sun is starting to get low in the sky and we have a long ride home. As much as I will need a proctologist to pull the bike seat out of my butt it is better than walking like we did on the first trip, totally brutal. We scan the area as we bike with one person taking left, one on right and the “ping pong” that switches up and scans both. Not much to see and we are tired. From 7:30 am to 4:30 pm we are tired, wet and smell like the swamp. Something catches my eye. It was just a glint but being part magpie I am obligated to stop. It takes me a couple of times of walking back and forth to find it. The guys think I’m nuts until I unearth it. It’s gold. Hard to see but getting clearer with each cleaning of the dirt off it is a gold medallion of some form. Clear diamond looking stones, blue sapphire looking stones and the gold tone metal appearing to resemble gold. It is a round medallion or pendant with a cross of sapphires in the middle. Part of the medallion is melted and the diamond-ish stone is turned up in the gold glob portion.You have to freaking kidding me..we come looking for snakes and you find jewelry…really.We make it back to the cars and part ways. The Pendant - The pendant is about the size of a nickel (more or less) I took it to jeweler and had the gold tested and the stones checked out. The gold tested as gold. Diamonds are “Rose cut” diamonds and the blue stones are in fact, sapphires. The pendant is round with a cross or x symbol in the middle. Ornate three leaf clusters ring the pendant like artwork for the “Tree of life.” A portion of the pendant is melted and the circle is ? melted and ? remain intact. The diamonds are placed in the outer ring and at least one of them is re orientated in the melted gold portion. To me I believe the key to it is the symbols. There are symbols or letters in the arms of the cross. I have done some research and have been unable to identify them. I believe they are key in understanding the piece and its rightful heirs.Have not found a match yet. The leaves on it (grouped in threes) do not follow what most Gallic and Celtic designs show. The symbols do not appear to be Gallic, Celtic, Catholic Church, Papal symbols, Greek Orthodox, Russian Orthodox, Saints symbols, Latin Hebrew, Aramaic, etc. Each symbol is different and the work on the piece tells a story.“Rose cut” diamonds are not commonly used anymore, mainly 16th to 19th century. The cross, symbols and leaves are cut all the way through. This would require a wire saw or dremel and a lot of patience. Have a couple of theories on the piece.Talked to some co-workers and one pointed out (thank you Mike Spurlock) that the site this was found is about 300 yards east of the ValuJet crash site (May 11 1996) and in the debris field area of the Eastern Flight 401 (December 29 1972). When I brought this up to my friends we all had the same reaction. We agreed in concert that it would be very good karma to get this piece “home” (to the surviving heirs if it is in fact from a soul that pasted on one of the two flights. On this subject my words will not be able to express my thoughts and feeling. Please take a look at the pictures. If you recognize it or the symbols or can help in any way it would mean a lot to me and to potentially someone’s son or daughter. Truly,Mark J. Rubinstein ................
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