Strolling along Destin's harbor, step by step

A man is giving himself a shower with a garden hose at step 271. Employees are getting chewed out over the condition of a pontoon boat at step 5. These are the kinds of things one experiences when pacing out the steps on the docks on the north shore of Destin’s harbor.

Exactly how far is it to walk the stretch of dock from just west of Lucky Snapper east toward Fisherman’s Wharf? Guesses of a million, 525, 168 and 933 steps were all guesses ventured by the uninformed. The answer? 633 steps.

The docks were quiet Monday afternoon. Many of the boats in Destin’s storied charter fleet were in their slips, clouds covering the sun and threatening rain. A few tourists, small coolers in tow, rest on the benches along the docks. Even with the seemingly dormant atmosphere, the docks are alive with a world of sights, sounds -- and smells. Each step is greeted with the unmistakable smell of dead fish.

At Step 298, Capt. George Eller and the crew of Checkmate relax on the back of the boat, laughing and talking. A crowd of about 25 people block the path at step 312. These are the anglers of the Gulf Breeze admiring their catch hanging on the board, waiting for the fish to be cleaned. One fish stands out. It’s so much bigger than the others that it appears to have been subjected to some kind of radiation and will soon leap from the board to fight crime in the streets of Destin -- well, maybe not, but it was big.

Kids throw pellets dispensed from quarter machines into the water to feed the minnows at step 598. At first glance, one doesn’t really see the minnows, just small spouts of water spewing upward as the minnows snap up the food. The kids laugh at the dozens of tiny explosions of water that occur simultaneously as each pellet lands on the surface of the water, only to be quickly devoured by the hungry minnows.

Step 633 is bittersweet. Though your journey was full of variety, stepping over everything from puddles of what you can only hope is water, to dead fish, it wasn’t without its highlights. Whether it was the man exemplifying excellent hygiene for all on the docks to see or the big fish, the docks can be an interesting place even with only a few of the charter boats showing the day’s catch on the board. That is, as long as you don’t lose track of your steps.

Published on Wednesday, August 9, 2006