On this February 2000 trip, I unfortunately left my camera behind, so I don't have any photos of this trip. (Sorry - I'll try to do something about that in the future). After being stuck in traffic from the Everglades City Seafood Festival, and therefore getting a late start going into the backcountry, I was in something of a hurry to get the boat in the water and get out there. (Take my advice, DO NOT GO TO THE EVERGLADES CITY AREA OF THE PARK ON THE FIRST WEEKEND IN FEBRUARY!!!!)
New Turkey Key is actually very similar to Round Key in the Ten Thousand Islands area. The long sandbar at the Northeastern part of the island is much shorter and higher out of the water, though. Also, there is no old building debris on New Turkey Key like there is on Round Key. Except for the long sandbar, New Turkey is probably a little larger. There is a Park Service port-a-jon on New Turkey Key, but no other facilities such as picnic tables. There are two obvious campsites, one near the center of the Southeast side of the island, and one on the sandbar at the Northeast end.
On the way out to this island campsite, I was met by the same rangers that stopped me on my August 1999 trip. As before, they said absolutely nothing about my being naked in the boat. Interestingly, they actually remembered and recognized me, and said so. One of them said he has met me three times so far, (he looked familiar to me as well - I think he was the one who visited my campsite asking about my permit).
This suggests two things to me: One, that these rangers encounter nudists so infrequently that they can actually remember specific individuals; and two, that they are really not bothered by nudists in the back country. (If it was a problem, I think he would have commented that I needed to stop being nude since he knows I generally am when I'm in the backcountry.)
One of the rangers informed me that there was a couple with kayaks at the island already. He didn't say I needed to get dressed. I think he just wanted to advise me so I wouldn't be surprised. As it turned out, there was enough room between our campsites that I literally didn't see the others until they actually left in their kayaks.
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