After breakfast I make arrangements with a local outfitter to drop me off on Panther Key, an uninhabited island just outside the Everglades National Park boundaries in the Ten Thousand Islands chain. We navigate through a virtual maze of islets until we reach the open waters of the Gulf of Mexico where we shoot north until we reach our destination. Panther Key is less than a mile wide and less than two long with almost 50% of its shoreline covered in beaches. The interior has dense vegetation and is completely impenetrable. After off loading my gear and provisions I make arrangements to be picked up tomorrow. Just like that I am off the grid and totally on my own.