Tuesday 12/28/99 Chuck was dropped off at the beginning of the Florida Trail by our son-in-law, EJ. The actual sanctioned start is at Oasis Ranger Station on Hwy 41, however, most folks consider the trailhead on Loop Road to be the start. It’s an eight mile hike through swamp from the Loop Road trailhead to Oasis Ranger Station. Chuck completed this in about five hours, through knee deep water nearly the whole way, then headed back to Naples. We all (Chuck and I, Helen (Chuck’s mom), Susan (our daughter), EJ (son-in-law), Brendan, Bobby and Mikey(grandsons), Mae (Chuck’s sister) and RD (our nephew) went out and celebrated Chuck’s birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!
IT’S THE NEW YEAR!
Sunday 1/2/00 Mae (Chuck’s sister) and I took Chuck out to Oasis Ranger Station to begin his trek northward. He began from there about 9 AM. Mae and I (Betty) decided to hike for a while with Chuck. The weather was warm and the sun shining. A great day to begin the trek. After we had gone about 1/2 mile, we met two hikers who were camped near the back of the airfield. They introduced themselves as Casey and Sarah. They also are planning to thru-hike the Florida Trail, but have decided to go back and do the Loop Road to Oasis before continuing north. We soon bid Chuck adieu (the water infringing on our trail) and made our way back to the car.
Sunday 1/2/00 (Chuck’s account) After wading north through calf deep water for about an hour, I spotted a doe and fawn about 50 yards away in a small clearing. We just watched each other for nearly five minutes before they wandered off into the pine and palmetto. At about 11AM, I met a young German couple as they were returning to Oasis Ranger Station. They had attempted to hike through to Alligator Alley but had lost the trail many times and, after three days, decided to retrace their route back out of the area. Matise had been going to school in Alabama and Agnes came from Germany to visit him for 10 days. By some bit of convoluted reasoning he thought she might be impressed by wading around in the Big Cypress Swamp for a few days. They were in great spirits and we stood there for nearly an hour talking about hiking in Germany and the United States. Betty and I had hiked in many of the same areas of Germany that Matise and Agnes hiked recently. The fact that Betty and I camped in the Bavarian Alps, Black Forest and Tanus Mountains 10 years before these two Deutschlanders were born did not deter our enthusiastic conversation. As we parted, Matise said he planned to make up for the “lost trail hike” by treating Agnes to a few days of camping at Dry Tortugas. I told him that Fort Jefferson was the only thing there and that for years it had been sort of an “exile prison” due to its remoteness. However, they did not seem to hear my suggestions that Key West might hold more excitement for their last few days in America. Youth is wonderful!
The Florida Trail (FT) is marked with orange blazes of paint about the size of a dollar bill. In areas where there is not a clear trail, the blazes are visible from one to the next. Over the years the hot Florida sun, the rain and humidity take their toll on these marks. What starts out being bright vivid blazes slowly become dull, nearly brown spots about the size of a quarter, if visible at all. Peeling bark, algae and rapid growing vegetation help hide the trail and return it to a natural state. The result is that the trail must be trimmed and reblazed periodically or it will gradually disappear. With over 1300 miles of trails to maintain, the volunteers of the Florida Trail Association have a monumental task. It is normal on most trails that the areas most distant from trailheads get the least attention. The Section Leader for this portion of the FT, Nina Depuy, has a real challenge getting enough volunteers to maintain the center part of this 33 mile swamp crossing. Volunteers have to spend one day hiking in, set up camp, work, then hike another day to get out; not feasible for weekend volunteers. Nina is coordinating with the Big Cypress Ranger Station to have the work crews lifted in and out by helicopter.
After I passed Seven Mile Camp, the need for more trail maintenance became more obvious. Often it would take a few seconds to scan the area ahead for blazes, sometimes tracks of previous hikers, some months ago, or other clues would lead to the next blaze. It was helpful to constantly be aware of the compass heading the blazes were following, then continue on that heading when marks were not evident and hope to pick them up a little later. At one point, I could find no sign of blazes for over an hour, but after a mile or two, a welcome little orange patch showed up on a little pond cypress and I was back “on trail”. Having been in water nearly all day, I was hoping to find a pine and palmetto hammock high enough to have a dry camp for the night. The area near ten mile camp was a few inches higher and dry, but it was covered with very thick vegetation and looked as if it would be thick with mosquitoes when the sun went down. About 4 PM, I found a dry open area and claimed it as home for the night.
Monday 1/3/00 Slept well, had a slice of fruitcake, and was ready for the middle day of this three day crossing of the Big Cypress swamp. By mid-morning, I came to an area that had been burned recently. Nina had cautioned me about the lack of any blazes in this scorched area. She was right! Keeping the same bearing got me through the burned area in less than an hour but no blazes were to be found on the far side. After a fruitless search, I headed for a campsite with a known GPS location. Nina had provided me with several GPS landmarks a few days earlier. About 4 PM, I spotted some faded orange tape marking the trail and took the next dry area to make camp. The timing worked out really well. It takes about two hours to set up camp, purify some water, cook dinner and wash. This is only important if you do not want to do battle with the mosquito hordes. Their dinner bell cannot be heard but at this time of the year it rings at about 6 PM and the prudent camper is zipping up the screen on the tent by then.
Tuesday 1/4/00 Another pleasant night, it is good to be sleeping in the woods again. The night sounds, starlit sky and cool night air bring back senses that have been dormant too long. Another slice of fruitcake, pack up the tent, still wet with dew and head north. So far I had been making about 10 miles per day and I was now about 13 trail miles south of Alligator Alley. Today would be a longer hike but, Betty would be meeting me and I would not have to be concerned with setting up camp before dark. It was a hot morning due to a bright sun. Wading through the foot deep water kept my feet cool but I was drinking a lot of water. I was carrying four quart water bottles. Last evening I filled them all and used one for cooking and drinking with supper and half of one during the night. Before noon, I finished that one and the remaining two. While passing a cypress head, I found a dry log to tie my pack to and dug out my little PUR Hiker water filter. Not wanting to stir up the debris on the bottom, I eased into the cypress head, dropped the filter’s inlet tube into a clear spot and pumped until all four bottles were full
. The taste and smell of iodine fade after a few minutes and some pouring from bottle to bottle. Back on the trail, I was moving at a good pace with old blazes along a relatively dry woods road (tracks made by swamp buggies, mostly during hunting season). This must have been too good to be true, the blazed trail disappeared, the buggy tracks were still moving NW but now in about two feet of water and with no more blazes. A quick search produced the same results as yesterday, nothing. Assuming that the buggy tracks would lead to Alligator Alley, I followed them until the mud ruts under two feet of water were no longer the best place to walk. After taking a GPS fix on Mile Marker 63 on Alligator Alley, the location I was to meet Betty, I struck out on a direct course. Actually, mostly direct. As I sighted cypress heads, I would alter course to bypass them. By about 4 PM the sky clouded and then it started pouring rain. This area, a few miles south of the Alley, is known as a wet area and I thought wading through two feet of ground water was enough but now it was coming from topside also. After a short stop to pull a rain cover over my pack, I continued northward. Even though I had a rain suit, it seemed crazy to put it on since the walking took enough effort to keep sweat rolling and the temperature was warm, probably mid 70’s. Even when visibility was great, I had not seen a blaze for hours. In the rain visibility was only a few feet but what should appear? A bright, fresh orange blaze. This part of the trail had been reblazed only a week or two earlier and was quite easy to follow, even in the rain. Knowing that I was only about three miles from the Alley and back “on trail”, I felt certain that I would get there prior to dark The pace picked up. And, a little before 6 PM, there ahead was the little green Honda with Betty patiently waiting for my arrival as she has so many other times and places.
From Betty’s notes: Chuck would be coming into mile marker 63 on Alligator Alley (I-75) and this is where I would pick him up at 5:00 PM,1/4/00. The plan was to pick him up, he would return with me to Naples, wash clothes (and they did need washing) and reprovision. As it was, he had hiked this 33 mile stretch through the Big Cypress Swamp in water from 1 foot to knee deep most of the time and had a lot of drying out to do. He had also encountered rain. I had called for and received the permission he needed to cross the Indian reservation on 1/5/00. He had many calls the evening we got home from people who had already hiked the trail and were comparing notes and people who were planning to hike the trail. It’s neat when everyone gets excited about your trip.
Wednesday 1/5/00 About noon, Chuck, Roger and I headed back out to mile marker 63. Roger had called yesterday and was ready to rejoin the hike. I dropped them off where Chuck had finished yesterday and they began their trek north. They would be hiking down an old overgrown road grade with lots of alligators in the old ditch by the trail and eventually come to the Indian Reservation where they planned to stay in the campground and eat in the restaurant. Chuck had been told that it was about a 4 hour hike, however, it turned out to be more like six hours. From Chuck’s notes: We got off to a late start due to my repacking, washing gear and attending to some ROCCC details plus talking with Joan Hobson and John Lanier about expected trail conditions. Roger and I hiked under Alligator Alley and a few hundred yards east to the Trail Head. The ditch/canal crossing we expected was only a few inches deep so we could cross without getting wet feet. Roger and I started north on the Florida Trail (Nobles Road). We signed the trail register and followed the well marked Florida Trail (FT). This old roadway is a beautiful hiking path (dry, soft, partially overgrown). We saw a few gators, heard many splash into the water. We saw lots of turtles, blue herons, and white ibis. After a couple hours, we saw signs reporting that we were entering the Indian Reservation. About 6PM, we intersected a major dirt road, and turned right. We had hoped this was Billie’s Swamp Safari where we planned to get a Chickee for the night – NOT! Roger’s feet had been hurting for a couple of hours, partly because this was the first time he had carried the full pack any distance. Darkness overtook us as we continued along the wide, dusty dirt road used by some BIG trucks. I asked an Indian farmer “how far to the restaurant”? He said “Oh, just right there”, as he pointed down the road. When I pinned him down, he said, “about 1/4 miles”. A mile later we came to the restaurant sign, turned left and went another 1/4 mile. We arrived at the restaurant at about 7:30 PM having completed about 14 miles for the day. The restaurant was part of the Billie Swamp Safari operation. We placed our backpacks on the front porch, against a restaurant window. Inside we took a table next to the window. After ordering burgers and fries, I inquired about a Chickee but was told the Gift Shop handled that and it was closed for the night. Roger asked about other places and was told there was a Campground just 4 miles down the road. I asked the waitress to check and see if anyone could get us into the Chickee’s. Roger said he was sleeping in the restaurant before he would hike 4 more miles. After eating, the waitress said she would walk over to Ed’s house. About 15 minutes later Ed came in, introduced himself and lead me to our Chickee. Because there was no power he had a friend move a pick-up to shine its lights on the door so he could work the combination. I went back, got Roger and our packs. We fired up a kerosene lantern, showered and sacked out. Roger said he thought it best that he not hike on his blistered feet for a few days. He would call Carol in the morning and ask her to pick him up. Completed 14 miles today.
Thursday 1/6/00 Betty’s note: Spoke with Chuck in the morning, when he told me about Roger and Carol’s plan and again that evening (cell phone’s are great inventions). He was doing fine and is continuing his trek. The next place that we can meet him will be up near Clewiston. The area where he had camped for the night was an intersection of five canals all spreading out like a star. He said he had just finished eating his meal and was cleaning up his dishes when he noticed a couple mosquitos. By the time he finished putting his dishes away and brushing his teeth, there were more and he was glad to be heading into the tent. When he was talking to me he said the outside of the screen on his tent was covered with the little devils. Just think what the early pioneers and settlers contended with when they were without these modern conveniences that we take for granted. He had hiked about 15 miles today, with his total mileage being 253 miles.
Chuck’s entry: I hiked through Seminole Indian Reservation. Hiked past the area where the Phish Concert with nearly 100,000 people had been 5 days earlier. Had lunch with some of the young “Phish-Heads” who were on the clean-up crew, they were living in tents. John “Dude” and others told many Phish stories. They found many valuable items left behind. Wallets ($1600, $800, $600, etc), boom boxes, CD’s, and even a couple cars. One guy wears only the clothes he finds left behind (after washing) and has a different outfit every day.
I hiked for several miles on Snake Road, then turned North through some ranch land and camped when I reached L-3 canal (several canals converge here). As I arrived, workers from US Sugar Co. were getting ready to quit work and head home in their 4-wheel drive pick-up. Don and Brian gave me many helpful tips about the trail ahead. While talking we saw a bobcat just on the opposite side of a canal. Before leaving they let me top off all my water bottles. I camped on the canal bank.
Friday 1/7/00 Hiked on the L-3 canal bank – saw many gators. Mid afternoon, passed two houses in the middle of no place. Stopped to ask for water. Don and Sheila Evans were very friendly. While Don (resident supervisor with Florida Crystals, Sugar Co.) and I talked, Sheila took my water bottles inside to fill with bottled water. Don was a military brat, his dad retired 10 years ago as 1SGT in the Army. I camped on the L-2 canal bank having completed 17 miles.
Saturday 1/8/00 Continued on L-2 canal, Sugar cane on one side and ranches or orange groves on the other side. At CR 835, called US Sugar for permission to cross their land. NO WAY! Hiked the extra five miles around on CR 835 into Clewiston. I had completed 23 miles today. Met Bill Quayle, we ate at “Chinese Lantern” (all you can eat-buffet with shrimp). GREAT! Bill drove back to Loxahatchee. I stayed the night in the Marina Motel. Betty’s note: Chuck called from the Rolin-Martin Marina Motel. He’s planning to have a shower, soft bed and a hearty meal. Bill Quayle did call him and met him for dinner. They are old high school buddies and I know they had a great time. Chuck left information for Roger on meeting him tomorrow. Roger will drive over in the morning.
Sunday 1/09/00 Roger arrived at about 8:30 AM. We “reverse slack-packed” on the top of the dike on the west side of Lake Okeechobee. Betty’s note: They have devised a new strategy. Chuck starts at the spot where they left off. Roger drives ahead, the appointed number of miles- usually about 16, and then he starts walking the trail backwards. He and Chuck meet about mid-way, have lunch and Roger tells Chuck where the van is parked and they each continue on. When Chuck reaches the van he drives back and picks up Roger. If Roger is having any trouble with his feet he can stop at any point and wait for the van to get there. Ingenious, don’t you think? They are calling it reverse slack packing. Chuck’s entry: We hiked to Moore Haven, about 14 miles. Drove back to “Uncle Joe’s Fish Camp” to camp. Helped Roger use his new Whisper Light camp stove. Rained a little about 9PM.
Monday 1/10/00 Chuck called briefly to let me know that they had ended yesterday near Moore Haven and that Roger’s feet are doing fine at this point. Chuck was to call later this evening and we would work out the details for Frank (a friend of ours who is blind) to meet him on the trail tomorrow and hike with him. Frank has hiked with Chuck on several occasions and they were both looking forward to this, however, Frank’s father had what they think was a stroke this morning and so we’re going to do this another time. I relayed that information to Chuck. Chuck’s entry: Continued on Lake “O” dike to near Lakeport. Roger and I (each at different ends) got a little confused when SR 78? crossed the dike to the “lake side”. We both correctly chose to hike along the road but each left a note for the other explaining what we had done. It was good to see Roger hiking toward me along the highway. We had lunch together and Roger decided to turn around and hike north with me. As the highway crossed back over the dike we saw the Aruba Motel and a convenience store. Roger elected to cool his heels under a palm tree and I hiked on to get the van. When I picked him up, we decided to stay in the Aruba Motel. As we were checking in, we met Betty Loomis, a fellow FT (Florida Trail) member. She had heard we were coming through soon. Betty will hike a few days with Joan Hobson as she through-hikes by this area in about two weeks. Completed 14 miles today.
Tuesday 1/11/00 Hiked 12 miles to Buckhead Ridge and then we drove back to Naples. Betty’s note: Chuck came back to Naples for a board meeting with the ROCCC. He will have his final board meeting on Wed. night with a Dinner meeting and installation of new board members on Friday evening. Chuck will no longer be a board member. Due to the commitment to this hike we will miss the dinner meetings and fellowship with our friends for the next 10 months or so. He plans to be out on the trail again on Saturday 1/15/00.
Sunday 1/16/00 Chuck and Roger left this morning to head back out to the trail. They had intended to leave yesterday, but there were a number of things that needed to be completed here, before the return to the trail. They took the RV with them and also Roger’s van. They will work out a shuttle system similar to before. More on that as I hear from them.
Monday 1/17/00 14 miles/ 367 total, 24 trail days. Spoke with Chuck this afternoon. He and Roger were doing fine, they were in the process of driving through an RV park looking for a site. He said the night before they had dry camped (without hookups) in a Wal-Mart parking lot. Roger called Carol from that Wal-Mart. Chuck’s note: Hiked up CR599 then on trail through ranchland. Cows everyplace. Came to south end of Lofton Rd, hiked it north to US98 (3 mi. east of Bassinger). Roger and I missed each other when crossing Yates Swamp – I was “on trail”. We thought the distance would be 17 miles but it was only about 14. Saw and heard Sandhill Cranes. Moved the RV to Neiberts Fishing Resort about 3 miles west of Lorida on US98. Had macaroni & cheese, baked beans and salad.
Tuesday 1/18/00 25 miles/392 total, 25 trail days. US98 (3 miles east of Bassinger to Boat Ramp at the north end of Hammock Bluff Road. Roger dropped me off at the north end of Lofton Rd. at 8:45. I hiked along US98 through Bassinger, then Ft. Bassinger (Seminole Wars), a total of 13 1/2 miles. I saw about 40 Sandhill Cranes. At Hickory Hammock the Florida Trail turned north off of US98 and became a real trail again. A beautiful area, the trail winds through huge Live Oak trees, some with limbs covered with Spanish Moss dragging the ground. Saw deer, wild hogs (20), and armadillo. In the middle of the Hammock was a FT campsite and trail register. I signed in and left a note for Joan Hobson who is probably about a week behind us. The Hammock was about 4 miles across, on the north edge was an abandoned farm house and barn. I lost the trail in thick high ceasar weed that had overgrown the area. About a half mile beyond the old farmstead, I got back on the trail. This part was about 4 miles west across ranch land with lots of cattle. Then north about 4 miles on Bluff Hammock Rd, I asked a Spanish speaking family for water – it was good. Arrived at the van at 6:45pm. After a shower we had dinner at Annie’s.
Wednesday 1/19/00 25 miles/417 total. North end of Hammock Bluff Rd. to River Ranch Trail Head. Got off to a late start due to map deliberations, calling Avon Park AFB for permission to cross their bombing range, and prepare the RV to relocate. About 9:30am Roger drove out in the RV for a 75 mile drive around Sebring and Avon Park and then down the trail head near River Ranch. I left at the same time to drive the van to the end of Hammock Bluff Rd. and hike north. Somehow I could not locate the trail. I had hiked in after dark the night before. Roger said he had seen the trailhead marks when he parked the van the day prior. After looking for a few minutes, I decided it must be through a gate at the parking area. An hour’s worth of false trails in thick underbrush and I returned to the van. As I drove back down the road I saw the trail about a quarter mile away just past a creek. It used to be right where I was looking but was relocated because the Kissimmee River is being rerouted. Anyway, I did not start hiking until 11AM. After hiking about 3 miles I entered Avon Park AFB. Just across the fence they have a bulletin board and box to register. The hike across the AFB is about 12 miles. Great trail, like Hickory Hammock, with large Live Oak trees, even a few orange trees. I saw 4 deer, 5 wild turkeys, and bunches of armadillos. A few miles into the AFB is the site of old Fort Kissimmee. In the 1800s and early 1900s there was a small community with a church, school, etc. All that remains is the cemetery. Several miles after crossing the northern boundary of the AFB, the trail joined a ranch road which went on forever (about 8 miles) and it was nearly dark. Fortunately, I was able to follow the Shell Ranch Rd. in the dark. Should have had a nearly full moon, but it was clouded over. I also got rained on for about a half hour. Arrived at the RV at about 8PM. Roger chose not to hike south because it was about 12:30pm before he got the RV to the trailhead. Good decision!!
Thursday 1/20/00 8 miles/425 total. River Ranch Trailhead to Three Lakes Recreation Area access road on US60. We were up early to get Roger off on the 25 miles southbound through Avon Park AFB that I did yesterday. He departed at 7:30am in order to complete well before dark. He had caught a ride with a water management vehicle the day before and hoped to ride a few miles again today. After 2 days of 25 miles each, I planned a short hike and used the morning to catch up on map work and planning. I called the Florida Trail office to get permission to hike across Deseret Ranch in about 3 days. Diane called them and after several calls back and forth, it was determined that we could not cross on Saturday, Sunday or Monday, as requested, but must wait until after Monday due to hunting season. I told her we would review our plans and call her back in the morning. I departed after lunch (11:30am), on my little hike. We left the RV at the trailhead (north end of Avon Park AFB trail) and I hiked past River Ranch Resort. The trail cut through the woods for about 3 miles and somehow I got off the trail and ended up in a knee deep slough called Potsbourgh Slough where I saw a short (about 4 feet) but very thick Cottonmouth (Water moccasin). I ended up going through about a mile of Caesar Weed burrs – What a mess!!!! Eventually, I got on US60 and hiked the last 4 miles to the Three Lakes Recreation Area access road. Just as I got there, Roger called to say he was in the van and on the way to pick me up (80 miles) and would see me in about 1 1/2 hours. He arrived on schedule at about 5:30pm. He said he did catch a ride with the same water management worker for about 4 or 5 miles. We showered then went to the Kissimmee Restaurant and back to the RV.
Friday 1/21/00 17 miles/442 total. US60 to SR523 through Three Lakes Recreation Area. Got out of camp at about 7:45. Roger drove the RV to the next stopping point on SR 523. I drove to Oasis Fish Camp to use the public phone to call Diane at FTA. Left a message telling her we would hike the roads to avoid Deseret Ranch. Interesting terrain on this section. Some huge palmetto prairies with only low palmettos for miles all around. In places the trail seemed to zig-zag a lot more than needed. Saw a Crested Caracara. Met a Forest Ranger toward the end, he was envious of the hike we are doing and said he couldn’t wait till he had the time to do something similar. Now, here is a guy, about 35 years old, with a dream job, works outside with the forest and gets paid for it – and he can’t wait to be old and retired???? When I arrived at the RV, Roger was already there and had been for hours. While hiking south some guys gave him a hair-raising ride through about 10 miles of woods roads and right to his van. We went to eat at the Lake Monroe Fish House. I had “All the Catfish I could eat”, hush puppies and homefries.
Saturday 1/22/00 18 miles/460 Three Lakes Rec Area Entrance to Holopaw, FL on US441. Moved the RV and van just outside the Three Lakes Rec Area and both Roger and I hiked NE on the FT. After about 6 miles we crossed under Florida’s Turnpike then through pine and palmetto on a well maintained trail. Roger hikes back to get the van and drive about 30 miles around to pick me up. Beautiful morning to hike, we had a light frost earlier and the sun was now warm – Great!! After Roger went back, I continued a mile NE to US441. At this point the trail enters Deseret Ranch which we cannot enter because they do not allow hikers during hunting season and this weekend is open to hunting – mostly Quail. I hiked 11 miles along US441 to Holopaw. Roger overtook me in the van about 1 1/2 miles south of Holopaw then went on to wait for me. He then drove me back (another 30 miles) to get the RV. Then we drove the vehicles back through Holopaw and on to the destination for tomorrow’s hike. Roger will take me to the start point in the morning and then he will continue south to Naples. He and Carol have house guests arriving. We pulled the RV just off the road which goes through Deseret Ranch. I hope we are on the Highway right of way since we don’t have permission to be on Deseret. Actually, I’m sure it’s OK; most of the folks in this very rural part of Florida are very friendly and easy to get along with.
Sunday 1/23/00 25 miles/486 total – 30 trail days Roger packed up to return to Naples and dropped me off in Holopaw to start the day’s hike. Got a cup of coffee at the corner gas station and started east on US192. Twelve miles later, at the intersection with SR419, I stopped at a busy vegetable stand. Bought a pepsi, a tomato and a banana to go with lunch and some roasted peanuts to shuck and eat while hiking. Called Betty (before lunch) to coordinate our meeting the next day, Roger had just arrived at the house with the dirty laundry I sent back with him, when I called. He also showed Betty where the RV was located and where I would be hiking. After the call, I asked the lady who ran the stand if I could fill my water bottle, she said “Sure, there is a hose out back”. She sent a young boy out to show me. He turned on the water then started dragging the hose out of a turkey waterer. After he dragged it through the turkey pen, I rinsed the end and filled my bottle. I sat under a shady palm across the highway and had lunch, then started hiking north on SR419. A couple miles up the road, I gulped down a big drink of water and couldn’t decide if it was the sulfur or the turkey smell that was so foul. Thinking I might need more water than the extra quart bottle in my pack, I continued to carry the foul stuff. About 8 miles up the road I knew I could get along without the turkey water so I dumped it out, rinsed the bottle and filled it with water from my pack. TASTED GREAT!! At the intersection with SR532, I turned right on 532 and hiked around the curve and to the RV where we had left it. It took nearly 9 hours to hike the 26 miles (includes an hour for veggie stand and lunch). The roads I have been on yesterday and today all run through Deseret Ranch. This huge ranch, about 500,000 acres, is owned by the Mormon Church. Not only do they raise cattle, but they also sell hunting and fishing “rights”. A local man said an annual hunting permit cost $3,000 and included no more than one deer, one hog, and one turkey. A small game permit or a fishing permit are extra. No wonder they don’t want hikers on the property during hunting season – we might interfere with their paying customers.
Monday 1/24/00 14 miles/495 total. SR532, l mi. north of SR419 to Taylor Creek Rd, 1 mi. north of SR520. It rained hard during the night. Departed north on SR532 when the rain let up to a drizzle. I wore boots instead of running shoes to help keep my feet dry. The spray from 18 wheelers was like a dirty “car wash”. About 6 miles up the road, I turned left on SR520, then 7 miles to Taylor Creed Road. I was about a mile up Taylor Creek Road having lunch when Betty and Frank drove up. We went to get gas, had lunch, then back to move the RV up to an RV Park in Christmas, FL. After 6 days of “dry camping” (that’s camping without hookups), we needed a dumpsite and refill on fresh water. Frank took us out to dinner at the “5 & Diner” – the food was great with nostalgia thrown in. It’s good to have Betty back “in charge” of the RV – Roger and I were just muddling through the best we could. Betty’s note: Do you think he knows who types this? When Frank and I (Betty) were driving up yesterday, we came cross country – back roads. It was a beautiful drive. We experienced a lot of rain, but saw three bald eagles – one male and two females, and wild turkeys. On the way up, Frank was asking me about the lay-out of the RV and I explained the floor plan. When we got to the RV he amazed us, once again, with his ability to incorporate that information as he entered the RV. Frank began losing his sight when he was in his 40’s, he went to a school, on the east coast, designed to help people with sight impairments, this is where he met Judy. They were both taught many tips that have made them extremely self reliant. At the time Frank and Judy met, she was totally without sight and he was just losing his sight. Their situation has since been reversed. They have both stood in each other’s shoes and are a great team. Judy is a Social Worker at Naples Community Hospital (she also has the good fortune to have been a nurse). I met Judy when I worked at the hospital as a social worker. It was my first medical social work position and Judy was always there when I had a question. We soon realized that not only did we enjoy each other’s company, but our husbands had many similar interests. Frank is an avid lover of the outdoors and a voracious reader, as is Chuck. After our meal at the “5 & Diner”, we returned to the RV. The evening had grown very cold. Since we don’t like to sleep with the propane furnace on, we also have a ceramic heater (electric) and turned it on to take the chill out of the air. We all slept with a couple blankets. Levi, who normally likes to sleep on top of the covers, decided it was cold enough to crawl under them.
Tuesday 1/25/00 When we got up this morning we fired up the propane heater – it’s cold here, although, last night we talked with Judy and she said it was cold and windy in Naples, as well. I drove Frank and Chuck down to the point where we picked Chuck up yesterday. They will hike to the RV. We think it’s about 6-8 miles. The RV park is right at the edge of the trail. Meanwhile, Levi (that’s the schnauzer) and I are guarding the RV and transferring the journal to the computer. These entries will then be updated on the web when I have a computer connection. Frank has taken the trail name “Natty Bumbo” and will be referred to with that trail name. He chose the name because he has spent time in the Adirondacks, which is the setting of “The Leatherstocking Tales” by James Fenimore Cooper,and he identifies with Natty Bumpo, the main character.
Chuck’s entry: 1/25/00 7miles/502 total Trail days = 32. Taylor Creek Rd to Christmas, FL.
Betty dropped “Natty Bumpo” and I off on Taylor Creek Rd. We hiked up the road to the entrance of Tosohattchee Reserve. We met Charlie Matthews, the Park Ranger, who gave us a very interesting briefing about the Reserve. Frank’s note: I was really impressed by the way we were welcomed by Charlie Matthews. He went out of his way to take time to explain the importance of the Reserve and some of the important projects they had underway. I felt the trail was very well maintained and easy to hike. Chuck: We then hiked through the Reserve on the Florida Trail. As we rounded a bend in the trail, I spotted what I thought was a doe, well ahead of us. As we slipped up the trail, we thought we had missed her, when she exploded from the palmettos jumping high with her white tail signaling her departure. Just as she disappeared a fawn appeared and followed her.
” Natty Bumpo” does a lot of walking at home and adapted to trail hiking very well. By holding one end of my hiking stick and me with the other end, he could follow me rather easily. As I stepped over logs or roots, I would call, “log” or “roots” and he stepped over them surprisingly well. Betty: They also crossed a log bridge over a creek with the method described above and did fine. Chuck: We took our lunch break in a sunny spot at about the 500 mile point in my hike from Key West. After exiting the Tosohattchee Reserve, we were on back roads a while then crossed SR50 and hiked directly to our RV in the Christmas RV Park. The trail runs right along the side of the RV Park.
Wednesday 1/26/00 “Swamp Eagle” and “Natty Bumpo” left the RV at about 9:00am and are on the trail as this is being entered. I will drive out and pick them up. We will return to the RV and drive and park it about 50 miles up the road. Natty and I will then bring “Swamp Eagle” back to the point where he left off. He will begin hiking toward the RV. We will head for Naples. Swamp E. will hike as far as Oveido, where he has made arrangements to stay at a boarding house and then the following day he will hike to the RV. Friday he will hike north from the RV. I will be returning on Friday and will pick him up, at the end of the day, where Highway 19 and the FT intersect in the Ocala National Forest. We have some friends in that area and hope to touch base with them and meet them for dinner. Well, I’d better get on the road.
I picked Natty and Swamp E. up at the predetermined spot. It had taken them longer than they had anticipated to hike that section. The trail was badly rutted, I believe by wild hogs, and they had about 7-8 bridges to cross. Some of the bridges were not in very good repair. In one case, they decided to go through the ditch, which was dry at the time, rather than risk the bridge. In another case the bridge was trying to become perpendicular to the ground – easy to slid off. These are notes I picked up from Natty on our way home, more to follow when I see Swamp E.’s notes.
Chuck: 1/26/00 23 mi/525 total, 33 Trail days. Christmas RV Park to Oviedo, FL.
“Natty Bumpo” and I hiked from the RV park a little after 8AM. It had gotten a little chilly during the night, it was about 40 degrees as we started. We hiked north through a pine and cabbage palm forest. The trail had a lot of twists and turns and several bridges across streams and ditches. Natty Bumpo negotiated all of them well. Wild pigs had rooted a lot of the area, including the trail. As we arrived on Wheeler Road we met Mike and Wade, equipment operators working on roads for the Department of Wildlife and Conservation. They told us about several projects they had worked on in the area. After we left them and were hiking west, we heard a lot of loud pig squealing just a hundred feet or so south of us. Betty picked us up after about a 4 mile hike. We returned to relocate the RV to the Seminole State Forest on the Wekiva River. Yesterday, we had made arrangements for a room, in a boarding house belonging to Debbie and Marvin Foster, in Oveido. For those of you who know Aunt Maude, the interior state of repair and housekeeping remind me of her place. Oviedo is about 19 miles from where Natty and I finished. This plan assumed that I would start hiking the last 19 miles in the early afternoon.
In reality, it did not work out as well as expected. Long driving distances and heavy traffic delayed my start to nearly 4PM. Betty and Frank wanted to get an early start back to Naples too, so this was late for all of us. I hiked out on Wheeler Road to Hwy 420. The trail followed 420 for an hour or hour and a half to a point where the trail cut off and down a “rail to trail”. These “rails to trails” are trails that are built on converted railroad grades. This particular trail was on an old Flagler railroad line. I went down the rail to trail, even though the sun was starting to set. I thought if I hurried I might make it through and still be able to see the marks before it got too dark. I wanted to hike the rail to trail because Betty and I first joined the “rails to trails” program about 10 years ago. We’ve hiked on some trails throughout the country that have been converted, but I don’t think we’ve hiked on any in Florida. It’s what’s called a curvilinear trail, meaning it goes in a linear direction, but has little curves in it, so you don’t feel like you’re going in a straight line. Through-hikers like that because it gets you from one place to another without a lot of zigzags. I didn’t make it out before dark, but had a flashlight and map with me. Although the trail became harder to follow, and was no longer a converted trail, I managed to follow it. It had been pretty well beaten down, and I was able to pick up some blazes along the way. I came back out on Hwy 419, it was about 8PM. Hiking after dark on the road deserves mention. During the day, if I’m hiking on a road, I hike on the side facing the traffic and wear my orange vest. However, I found out quickly, that at night my orange vest doesn’t reflect and if you face the traffic you are blinded by the lights. When the road side is narrow and you have to step off the road you can’t tell where you are stepping and a couple times I stepped into holes and one time nearly ran into a sign. So, what I found to work better was hiking with the traffic. You know when a car is coming and can see the headlights coming up behind you. You can actually use their headlights to see as you step off the road and can get further off the road. Chuluota was a town I hiked through on this section. I had been told there was a bed and breakfast in Chuluota. I hiked a little out of my way to try to find it, thinking that if they had a room I would call the boarding house in Oviedo, since I was hiking much later that I had anticipated. As it turned out, I found the building, but it didn’t look like a bed and breakfast. I asked a man who was outside and across the street, he said he had never heard of a bed and breakfast there, so I continued on my way. I stepped into some little “watering hole” to get something to eat and when I did, I noticed on their TV they had a hard freeze warning out. I had already noticed it was getting a little nippy. A couple tricks I’ve learned about cold weather, necessity being the mother of invention, I was able to pull my left arm up into my sleeve. I had a fleece jacket on, and then put that hand into the pocket. My right hand was so cold I was having trouble buttoning the buttons. I remembered that Grandmother Jennings had shown me how to make mittens out of socks. I had an extra pair of wool socks in my backpack and pulled them out to use on my right hand. I used one sock inside of the other, used the thumb where the heel is, tucked the toe back inside of itself and that really worked well for using that hand to hold my walking stick. I was still wearing walking shorts, but with the fleece jacket and the hands taken care of, I was feeling pretty comfortable as long as I kept moving. I got into Oviedo at about 10PM. Marvin and Debbie had left the door unlocked for me. I stuck my head in and yelled for Marvin, he came out and lead me to my room and said they had left the heater on in the bathroom. This is a very old house, but the essentials are clean. I took my shower and headed for the bed. There is no heat in the house and I could have used one more blanket. The bed was like sleeping in a hammock, but I was just happy to have a place to sleep. Later, heard that the low for the night was 25 degrees.
Thursday, 1/27/00 25 miles/550 total 34 trail days. Oviedo, FL to Seminole Forest on Wekiva River. I was sleeping pretty lightly because it was so cold last night. I could hear traffic out on the road and could hear Marvin getting up to go to work. So I got up so that I could be out of there when Marvin left for work. I thought Marvin might feel a little uneasy leaving for work with a stranger still in the house. I got ready to go, grabbed my pack and headed downstairs. Marvin said “Come on in and get a cup of coffee”. So I did. I have to tell you about the coffee – they have a drip coffee maker, much like the one we have at home. However, they have long since broken the coffee pot, so they had a wide mouthed pickle jar that caught the coffee. Also, they evidently don’t think much of coffee filters, because they had an old rag that was stuck down in the basket and caught the coffee grounds. It looked like it was probably used and rinsed out and used again. Anyway, the coffee tasted pretty good. In chatting with Marvin, I found out that the house used to be owned by “Sky King” of television fame. According to Marvin, Sky King owned the house and lived there for years. He also owned a ranch over in Taintsville and had an airfield on it. The airfield is reportedly still there today. Marvin is a structural steel worker, one of the guys who put up the steel beams. They are the ones walking around on high steel beams with nothing to hang on to. This is worse than mountain climbing, you have to be like a cat. Marvin has some pictures of it. Marvin said to stop by and pick as many oranges and tangelos as I wanted from their trees. I did stop and pick a couple. I headed up the road, looked at my watch and it was 5:30AM and I’m out here in the dark again. I hiked up the road a ways and found a Hess station that had a grill, disappointingly, the grill wasn’t open yet. I bought the largest blueberry muffin I’ve ever seen, a huge cup of coffee and a banana. I sat down at a table and ate. When I finished, it was starting to get light out and I continued on my way. About 8:30AM I came across a McDonald’s and thought I’d have a second chance for a warm breakfast. I went in and had a bacon egg biscuit, and milk. I was back on the road about 9AM and with the sun out I was beginning to get warm. About noon I came into the town of Lake Mary. Beautiful town with a beautiful entrance. I eventually was hiking up a boulevard with a bike trail, and a woman came riding by on her bike, a little while later she came riding by the other direction. I got about a quarter mile up the trail and saw a pair of gloves laying in the trail. I thought she had probably dropped them and may be coming back by. They were a nice pair of gloves with leather palms. The woman did come back and I asked if they were hers and she said they weren’t. So I’ll see if Betty wants them. I found a nice sunny spot for lunch, and sat down on a bank out of the wind. It felt pretty good. Back on the trail, I was back on a railroad grade and ran into some surveyors. Danny Martin was one of the surveyors. He was teaching another guy and then there was a gal who was already a surveyor. I talked to them a while and told some old surveyor stories (Chuck used to survey in the Florida Everglades) and Danny told some. They were also interested in hearing about the hike. Danny said “I bet your surveying experience helps a lot with the trail”. As I was leaving I thought, yes not only my surveying experience, but also the training I received in the Army helps. Also, being a pilot and all the training I had with that helps. The boating navigation classes were also helpful. Even being in the Hash House Harriers (an off road trail running group) has been good training. I realized “You know, I’m really well trained for this trail”, and while all this is going through my head, I missed the trail. Now I found I was off about half a mile in the wrong direction. I walked back and found that the trail had made a hairpin turn and I had missed it while I was daydreaming. About a hour later, I sat down to take a break and the survey crew drove by. They turned around and came back and we had another chat. I continued the hike, hiking through Wekiva State Preserve, then back to Hwy 46 and crossed the Wekiva River and hiked through the Seminole State Forest to where we had parked the RV. I can tell I’m moving north. First we had a lot of Live Oak, now we have real oak and live oak. I also saw my first real hickory tree on this trip. I hiked through Hickory Hammock State Park a few days ago and never saw a hickory tree. Yesterday when “Natty Bumpo” and I hiked through a cedar grove, so things are changing. It was about 5:15PM when I arrived at the RV. I took a shower, fixed something to eat and made notes about today’s hike.
Friday 1/28/00 18 miles/568 total 35 trail days. Wekiva River to Johnson Corners. I got on the trial about 7:30AM. The hike through this part of the Seminole State Forest is really nice. It’s a good, well marked trail system with lots of hardwood trees (Live Oak, Spanish Oak, Southern Red Cedar and Pignut Hickory). Also, a couple of little “hills”, the first moving north on the FT. “Natty Bumpo” had noticed slight differences in elevation a few days ago, but these little hills were maybe a 40′ rise. I need more of them to get my climbing gear ready for the Appalachians. I’ve seen more sign of bears in this area, but have not seen one. Just before reaching Johnson Corners, the trail passes through a hugh Boy Scout camping area. Betty and I arrived at Johnson Corner at exactly the same time. As I stepped onto SR42 to look for a good place to wait, she came driving up. Good timing, by accident, since she had about a 300 mile drive and I had an eighteen mile hike. It is interesting to note that I departed 2 hours before Betty left Naples. We drove back to the Wekiva River, picked up the RV and drove to “Olde Mill Stream RV Resort” in Umatilla, FL just south of the Ocala National Forest. For those of you who may be out in your RV’s, this RV resort is wonderful. Lots of activities, very clean, and a computer hook-up in the office for guests of their park.
Saturday 1/29/00 7 miles/575 total 36 trail days. Johnson Corners to FR 538. Warmer weather – a great day!!! We did some repacking in the RV and Betty drove me to Johnson Corner for a short hike while she cleaned the RV. We planned to meet and “old” army friend, Tim Scobie for dinner. The hike was ideal, well maintained and marked trail with pleasant weather. I met a youth group of about 15 energetic boys and girls from DeLand, FL. They weren’t hiking, but had a hundred questions about my hike. I told them about the Florida Trail. Later, Betty and I met Tim for an informative tour of northern Lake County then to dinner at “Vic’s”. Linda, Tim’s wife, was in Atlanta on business, but we had a chance to visit with her on the phone. Perfect day with Betty back, good weather, short hike, great trail, old friends and good food.
Sunday 1/30/00 18 miles/593 total 37 trail days. FR538 to SR40 at Juniper Springs (Ocala National Forest.) Perfect trail day! Weather in the 70’s, well maintained and blazed trail. Just enough terrain relief (pun intended) to be interesting. I saw several Sandhill Cranes, flushed a wild turkey, lots of deer tracks and some bear sign. For the past several days the pines have been mostly long leafed yellow pine; today it was mostly short leafed sand pine.
With the exception of the Youth Group I saw yesterday, I have seen no one on the trail for weeks. The youth group was not hiking, they had merely walked a couple hundred feet from their camp to have a discussion group. It seems a shame that so many volunteers have worked to make this a great trail and it gets so little use. However, I love having it all to myself. I arrived at Juniper Springs right at 5:30PM as we had planned and Betty was waiting.
Monday 1/31/00 0 miles/593 total 38 trail days. We took a day off to get several items accomplished. Note that in trail life – this still counts as a trail day. If we had left the trail and had gone back to Naples for a few days – the days wouldn’t count. We visited the Ocala National Forest office in Umatilla. The discussions with their Forest Rangers were very informative. Both Ann and Janet were most helpful. Janet even got out a box of stuffed animal feet to help with track identification. All animals that they use in their education programs are the result of some accidental death. They also gave us some good publications concerning local trees. Janet explained that this area was once a big sand beach/desert that stuck up out of the ocean when most of Florida was under water. Hence, all the sandy soil and sand loving plants (Sand pine, prickly-pear cactus, etc.).
Our next chore was to relocate the RV to a Forest Service Camp in Salt Springs. Betty and I had come to Salt Springs by boat about 3 years ago with our good friends Clay Kelley and Mary Beth. They had invited us to spend a couple of weeks cruising the St. John’s River on their 42′ trawler, “Tanuki”. We anchored in Lake George and they dropped the dingy over the side for a day’s exploring up the Salt Springs Run. A great time!!!
We did not get in any “trail miles” today, but it was educational and relaxing.