If you're paddling with your arms, you're not doing it right. :-)   (Kneel in the canoe, if possible, keep your arms relatively straight, and put your back into it.)

We had a lovely visit to the Okefenokee from Stephen Foster State Park (on the southwest edge of the swamp; not the main entrance) in early December a number of years ago. It was quiet and lovely. The canoeing was stunning. There were gators to be seen, but it was the relatively inactive part of the year for them, and I never felt worried about them at all (even with a small child in the boat).

If you like wet places, check it out.

~ Becky in Tucson (a place that's only wet at this time of year)