Tuesday 2/1/00 20 miles/613 total 39 trail days. Juniper Springs to CR 314. On the trail at 8AM, all morning I was hiking through Juniper Prairie Wilderness Area. The hiking was great; cool, light fog with sun coming through. It had rained most of the day yesterday so all of the tracks were fresh and clear. I saw lots of deer tracks, some raccoon, opossum and many gray squirrel. About mid-morning I saw a dog’s track for a mile or more on the trail. This was a bit unusual for a wilderness area and also because there were no human tracks with it, as is normally the case. Eventually, I spotted a good looking hound with collar, ahead of me. He was shy and kept moving away, on down the trail. After another mile or two the tracks ceased and never reappeared. Hunting season terminated on 13 January, I suspect someone lost a good dog. Betty’s note: Chuck called for the dog, but the dog wouldn’t come near him. We did let the rangers know his position when Chuck saw him last.
About noon, I started along the north side of Hopkins Prairie. What looked to be about a half mile walk went on and on. Just as the Prairie was about to end, it would turn a little and open up for more miles. This went on for nearly 5 miles.
I met a lone day-hiker; he must have thought I was some kind of nut. When I saw he was wearing a “Smokey Mountains” sweat shirt, I thought he might be “River Otter”, a hiker who started in Canada and is thought to be moving south in this area. So, I asked “Are you ‘River Otter’?” He gave me a funny look and I tried to explain: “Oh, I thought you might be hiking down from Canada.” By this time the guy was trying to ease around me and move on down the trail. He shook his head no and quickly moved on.
I saw and heard lots of birds today: Osprey, Eagles, Florida Scrub Jay (threatened), Sand-hill Cranes, Red-cockaded Woodpecker, Red-headed woodpeckers, Pine Siskins, and the usual Crows. I also saw a Fox Squirrel. Most of the FTA (actually, most of Florida) has a lot of bird life. This afternoon I saw where a Gray Fox ran down the trail a short way, probably last night or early this morning. It was a good day – I love this trail!!
Wednesday 2/2/00 19 miles/632 total 40 trail days. CR 314 to Rodman Dam (east side).
Another great day in Ocala National Forest! I started hiking at 7:30, the cool weather (in the 40’s) felt good. The trail was in Long Leaf Yellow Pine again and full of birds, especially in openings with Scrub Oak and Palmetto. I saw bunches of Rufous Sided Towhees and many others too fleeting and too distant to identify. I wish I were hiking with a good “birder”. Just a mile or so into the day’s hike, I spotted bear tracks in the trail. Now this is not so unusual, but these were big, crisp, clear tracks that showed in excellent detail; obviously fresh. Some were so good that I had to get pictures even though I know that track pictures do not usually turn out well. These tracks continued down the trail in front of me. After about 1/2 mile of following them, I came upon fresh bear droppings – so fresh I could see the steamy heat rising. At first I thought the tracks were probably made last night, but now I knew that critter was just up the trail in front of me. I got the camera out again and held it in my right hand while I carried my hiking stick in my left hand. The trail was damp and mostly sand so I was moving quietly, the light breeze was out of the NE, my right front, PERFECT! At every turn, I just knew the perfect picture would appear. Now I was getting particular; I would really like to get a picture with the bear just in front of a tree with a bright orange blaze. Apparently, he did not know I was following him, because the tracks indicated a walking pace and occasionally he would scratch the soil after bugs or grubs, I guessed. This photo stalking continued for about 15 minutes, then in an open area covered with very dense scrub oak and palmetto, I could not find the tracks. While searching around for them, I smelled a rank, musky odor and knew that guy either was really close or had been just moments ago. I’ve detected the same odor before around bears, especially one time when I helped relocate a tranquilized one. After some searching around and no further evidence, I moved on down the trail without anymore bear sign. He must have slipped off to the side. After this, the rest of the day was anti-climatic.
There was one interesting occurrence. A dead crow was lying beside the trail. The feathers strewn about and two small pools of blood. The disturbed trail surface told a story of a life and death drama in the forest. With a flick of my hiking stick, I turned the limp crow carcass to find the head, breast and some innards missing. Clearly leaving the scene were fox tracks marching right up the trail. About 50 feet away, a few feathers and more marks in the soil were signs the fox had a big breakfast. No more tracks. Almost a half mile later in a large open area, I spotted a fox coming back parallel to the trail – I think he had a smirk of satisfaction.
Arriving early at Rodman Dam, I hiked across and waited for Betty on the east side. She arrived about 15 minutes ahead of schedule.
Thursday 2/3/00 12 miles/644 total. 41 trail days. Rodman Dam to SR 20. We moved the RV forward then Betty drove me back to Rodman Dam to start the day’s hike. It took longer to locate a place for the RV than we had planned, so I did not get on the trail until 11:30AM.
This part of the FT coincides with the Cross Florida Greenway. The trail here is on top of the bank alongside the Cross Florida Barge Canal. At the Buckman lock, the FT crosses the canal and moves north. Lock operator, Jim Baldwin, rode his bike over to let me in the back gate. We chatted as we took the cross-walk over the canal/lock. Jim said he had seen very few FT hikers cross in the six months he had worked on the lock.
On a forest road, I was overtaken by a hunter on a four-wheeler. He came to a stop beside me and we both realized we had met before. His name was Paul. I thought maybe I knew him from the Army, but he had never been in the Army, had never been to Naples and did not go to the University of Florida. He said he had done marine work all his life. I told him that I had done some sailing, but he said he didn’t mess with sailboats. So, I told him we had been with friends on their trawler on the Inter-coastal waterway. Then he said, “Were you ever on the St. John’s River?” When I told him we had gone up the St John’s to Lake George, Paul said “Did you wait out a hurricane in Palatka?” And, that was the connection. He even remembered that the “Captain” was also retired from the Army. Old Captain Clay Kelley, First Mate Marybeth and their trawler “Tanuki” seem to make an impression wherever they cruise. They are cruising in the Bahamas right now.
The trail continued north on sandy woods roads, an old railroad grade and across large fields that had been plowed with a bulldozer for planting pine seedlings.
I already miss the Ocala National Forest.
Friday 2/4/00 22 miles/666 total 42 trail days. SR 20 to Coral Farms Rd and Tinsley Rd intersection. Shortly after Betty dropped me off at SR 20, I spotted three deer on the opposite side of a large open area. While walking along a sandy woods road I saw the tracks of a bobcat that had walked the same route earlier. About 9AM, I passed a small work crew off-loading their equipment. As we talked, I found that the older man, Walter Motes (70’s), owned a lot of the land I was passing through. They were fencing a field of seedling Slash Pine. Walter said he didn’t have much money, but that having the land made him feel good, better than having money. He told me it would be 18 years before these new seedlings could be used for pulp wood and 24 years before using them for plywood.
As I bid them all farewell, Walter pulled off his right glove, shook my hand and said “don’t you get cold hiking without any pants?” I was wearing shorts. All that morning I hiked through young stands of pine in various stages of growth.
I pulled off my boots and socks and layed them on the dry grass to dry in the sun as I ate my lunch. Since my shirt was sweat soaked, I took it off, pushed my walking stick through the arms and hung it on a branch to dry. The first part of the afternoon, I hiked on some sand roads. I saw lots of wild turkey tracks and as nearly always, a lot of deer sign. As the trail neared Etonia Creek State Forest, it entered a heavily wooded area. The ground was covered with pine needles and dried leaves (mostly oak), so animal tracks were not so obvious. New types of trees keep appearing as we move north. Today there were Red Maple, Magnolia, Turkey Oak and Southern Red Oak. When the sun is low in the west the blazes are more difficult to see. Additionally, Red Blanket Lichen is often in patches on trees in this area. In low light it can sometimes be mistaken for an orange blaze. About 5PM, a doe appeared on the trail in front of me. Since I was out of film, I just kept walking toward her. She pranced into a thicket almost unconcerned when I was at about 100 feet.
I arrived at our predetermined meeting place about 10 minutes later than planned. Betty had already arrived and had driven on up Coral Farms Road to see if I had continued to hike. She returned minutes later with the news that she had seen a Florida Panther just a few minutes earlier. It had crossed the road in front of the car. She had seen all the identifying features; there was not doubt in my mind that it was indeed a panther. It made my usual talk of tracks a little dull. Betty had spent the day in Gainesville working at the FTA office. Betty: When I dropped Chuck off this morning, I stopped to get gas in the car and called the Florida Trail Association to see if they needed any volunteer help. They said they could definately keep me busy, so I headed in. We like to give something back to the trail as we’re going and helping in the office is one of the things I can do to help out. Chuck has worked on the trail several times. I had about an hours drive from where Chuck was dropped off. When I arrived at the office, I met Diane and Judy, who work there full time. Later in the day I met Jamie. The office is in a neat converted house that sits along the side of Hwy 441. Normally, we have only written or phone contact with the Association office, so it was nice to have physical contact as well. When I left in the afternoon I told them I would be back on Monday. We will still be within an hour’s drive. After Monday we will have moved further north. I really enjoyed meeting them and am looking forward to helping out on Monday. Now, I have to admit that the highlight of the day was the Florida Panther crossing the road in front of the car. I was so excited I missed the road that Chuck was coming out on and had to backtrack.
Saturday 2/5/00 20 miles/686 total. Coral Farms Road to Keystone Airport Road. The first part of today’s hike was on backcountry roads. The signs of young families making a place for themselves in a beautiful country setting were everywhere. Folks who want some elbow room and space for kids to roam and explore had modest starter homes in the woods and some on lakes. After a few miles, the trail entered Goldhead Branch State Park. The trail enters the park near their service area and a pick-up truck pulled over to see what I was doing. Fred Johnson, a Florida Park service volunteer, was interested in my hike and I quizzed him about working in parks on a part time basis. He asked about wildlife sightings and I told him that I see a lot of tracks but my wife sees as much wildlife as I do. I told him about her seeing nearly a dozen wild turkeys this morning and a rare Florida Panther yesterday. He said there had been several reports of a panther in the area and that he was thrilled just to have seen panther tracks. Fred lives in New York near Dalton and the Appalachian Trail. Every year he drives his camper to Florida and works as a park volunteer. He told me about the unusual Sherman Fox Squirrel that is in Goldhead Branch State Park. This large squirrel has a black “Lone Ranger” mask much like a raccoon. The trail thru the park was beautiful, just before exiting, I found a place to leave a note for Joan Hobson. Joan is thru-hiking and started about two weeks after I did. She will celebrate her 70th birthday while on the trail. This will be her second thru-hike, plus she has section hiked the entire trail. As I left the park, I stopped by the Ranger Station and talked with Rod. We had a good talk and he told me some of the history of the park. After a short hike down SR 21, the trail turned west into Camp Blanding, an Army National Guard Training Area. Great area that the FTA is fortunate to have permission to hike through. The trail winds around Lake Lowery and out the west boundary. Prior to entering, I called Range Control for permission to pass through the maneuver area. SFC DeLance at Range Control was very helpful and asked me to notify him upon departure. The trail thru Camp Blanding needs some immediate maintenance, both brushing and blazing. Also, the transition when departing the Post is not well marked. However it is “doable”. Met Betty on Keystone Airport Road about 10 minutes later than our plan.
Note: Today at about Goldhead Branch State Park marked the halfway point of the route I am taking on the Florida Trail, this is just for the FT not the portion from Key West to the start of the FT.
Sunday 2/6/00 9 miles/691 total. Keystone Airport Road to KOA in Starke. We decided to make this a more relaxed day than usual. After catching the log up to date we attended the Sunday breakfast that the family running this RV park puts on each week. Then we used their computer phone line to send out a week’s worth of email messages and publish the latest pages on the web site, plus download incoming email. Finished this and went to the Starke Presbyterian Church; what a delight. We were about 30 minutes early and the second couple to arrive, but already an elderly man was playing a violin filling the beautiful old church with a relaxing prelude as the congregation arrived. Being a small town everyone wanted to know about the strangers; were we moving to town? how long would we be here? where are we from? what brings us to Starke? would we be coming back to church? All were friendly and made us feel most welcome. After lunch, Betty drove me to Keystone Airport Road for a short hike up to Starke. Today was a dreaded “road hike” north on SR 100. Having spent a lot of time hiking, and previously horseback riding, along roadsides, I have found various ways of entertaining myself to help the rather boring miles go by a little faster. One of my favorites is picking up money, usually pennies and keeping track of the day or week’s find. Since Key West I have found about five dollars all in change except for one dollar bill. Today, I saw a new looking nylon fabric wallet laying open and face down. With a flick of my hiking stick, I turned it over and saw that it had no cards, IDs, etc. so I almost left it thinking someone had cleaned out and tossed it. But I stepped back, picked it up and found that it had nothing in any of the many compartments, however, in a hidden zippered area were a bunch of twenties and a five. It felt kind of strange, I looked around to see if I was being watched, then counted $125. Don’t you just hate it when there is not a clue as to how to return it to the poor fellow who lost it? Took my bride to dinner in Starke and left the waitress an extra large tip.
Monday 2/7/00 25 miles/716 total. 45 trail days. Starke KOA to Bridge on CR 231. More of the uninspiring “road walk”. Left Starke on SR100 and went nearly 16 miles in a straight line, then, just past Lake Butler, north on CR 231 to a point where the trail is a real TRAIL. The bridge that Betty and I had chosen as a meeting point was being replaced and the road was closed. However, after a little looking around, she found me; if I ever really tried to hide it would be useless. I think she has a sixth sense. When I saw that the road was closed, I found a woman trimming some bushes back a country lane. She gladly filled me in on the bridge construction, the detour and the history of Union County. Union is the smallest of Florida’s 67 counties. Alice Ellington said her great-grandfather moved here from Georgia. Now she is surrounded by kin, including lots of grandkids. All the family works in their road construction business. Nice lady.
For the road hike today I tried wearing a pair of New Balance low cut hiking boots that I bought a few weeks ago. The first few times I wore them, a seam on top of the inside of the left boot rubbed the top of my big toe raw. After a few days, I stopped wearing them. I had tried the old trick of rubbing the offending area with a stone, with no luck. When “Natty Bumpo” was hiking with me, he suggested rubbing the area with a fine grit sandpaper. I did and they seem to be fine now. Thanks, Natty!
We recently talked with my sister, Mae, in Naples and were happy to hear that she will be taking an early retirement and will be joining us, periodically, on the hike starting in March; great, she’ll love it!!
An update on the found money. I should explain that as Roger Rose and I were hiking the Florida Keys portion, he would find a dime for every penny I found. Plus, his were usually “heads-up” and mine usually “tails”. Anyway, Roger, you better get back on the trail soon, you have some catching up to do. Also, on last night’s dinner out with “found money”, we went to a local Bar-B-Que restaurant. Cynthia, our very efficient waitress was a young single mom working two jobs. We hope the “triple tip” brought a smile to her face at the end of a long day. The idea of the “triple tip” appealed to us so much we decided to dole out the remainder of the “found money” that way. Over time, the cash someone lost will hopefully bring a little sunshine to several people. If we could just find enough money we could have half of North Florida in a mild state of euphoria.
Tuesday 2/8/00 13 miles/729 total. 46 trail days. Bridge on 231 to Olustee Battlefield Memorial on US 90. This morning we topped off with LP gas then relocated the RV to Ocean Pond Campsite in Osceola National Forest. On the way, we stopped by the National Forest District Headquarters. The District Ranger, Keith Lawrence, gave us a very interesting overview of the Osceola forest and the surrounding area. The landform in this area is called flatwoods. It is a flat basin that extends from the Okeefenokee Swamp in the north to Osceola National Forest in the south. Consequently, this forest doesn’t drain well and has a lot of standing water (swamp).
After lunch, Betty took me back south of the National Forest to the bridge for an afternoon of hiking through timber farms. Other than a lot of bobcat tracks and several turkey tracks, the hike was uneventful. I met Betty at the Olustee Battlefield Memorial which is on the southern edge of the Osceola National Forest.
Betty checked our e-mail and we had several messages – we love hearing from you. One of our messages was from our niece, Tiph, in Minnesota. She has cleared her summer schedule and will be joining us when her school breaks for the summer; she is a school counselor. We always have a good time when she is with us. Tiph lived with us for two summers in Hawaii and she hiked the Colorado Trail with us a couple years ago. Talked on the phone with “Natty Bumpo” and Judy and they are going to try to join us in late summer/early fall. Also, Roger is heading back up in late February.
I’m (Betty) sitting here on the edge of Ocean Pond writing this. It is a beautiful, serene, campsite in the National Forest. WOW!! I’m heading up to White Springs this afternoon to look for a future place for the RV. We’ll move it tomorrow. The Stephen Foster State Folk Culture Center is there. Also, the Suwannee River State Park is in the area. We should be able to find a great place. Even though the logistics of my hiking are a nightmare, a part of the trail tomorrow is along the Suwannee River and I am planning to hike it with Chuck.
Those of you who are reading this and keeping up with our progress can help us out by providing input as to what is interesting to you. Also, some of you are letting us know when there are glitches in the website. Unfortunately, every time I update the site, the way this program works, it reprints the whole site instead of just adding the last pages, and sometimes when it does that, for some unknown reason if everything doesn’t click just right, we have problems. I usually won’t know about the problems unless you let me know – so please keep up the good work. Thanks.
Wednesday 2/9/00 20 miles/749 total. 47 trail days. Olustee, FL to Deep Creek Trail Head on Drew Grade. Betty hiked through the Olustee Battlefield area with me as we started the day’s hike. Several work crews were setting up for their annual re-enactment of the Civil War Skirmish, which will be this coming weekend. Hiking through the pine and palmetto flatwoods is not as interesting as some of the other areas, but it is good to be off the roads and back in the woods. There is something special about being in a forest. A protected and nurturing feeling which is both secure and exciting always seems to be present. You can’t help but like the woods!
About lunchtime I came across my first actual backpacker since the Big Cypress weeks ago. EZ DUZIT, from Long Island, NY, was hiking for a few days in Osceola National Forest then he was meeting friends to hike around Lake Okeechobee. He completed a “section” thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail earlier this year. We talked for over an hour while I ate lunch.
Later in the afternoon, I flushed another wild turkey. As I watched it fly away, two more took off, then another and even more. I think the total was nine; quite exciting since they were only a few feet away in the Palmettos. Bill Quayle – eat your heart out! The only other observation of note is that their were several clusters of red-cockaded woodpeckers near the trail. These endangered little creatures only nest and roost in mature (80+ year old) living pine. They may take several years to excavate a suitable cavity in the heart of these old pine trees. Trail trivia: Cockade is a small feather sometimes worn in a hat. The male red-cockaded woodpecker has tiny, rarely visible, red feathers above their cheek, just behind their eye. Hence, the colorfully named bird is actually observed as black and white.
Thursday 2/10/00 15 miles/764 total. 48 trail days. Deep Creek Trail Head to Suwannee Valley Campground in White Springs. Yesterday Betty located an RV park about a day’s hike away and right on the Florida Trail. This morning we moved the RV forward to White Springs, FL. then Betty drove me back to Deep Creek Trail Head to start the day’s hike. After an uneventful 8 mile “road walk”, Betty met me so that she could accompany me for the afternoon hike along the Suwannee River. As she arrived, I was standing in the middle of the road talking with a local lady who had driven by and stopped to find out what I was doing. Fannie Mae Winns chatted with us a while and Betty took a picture before we moved on. At this point the trail follows the south bank of the Suwannee River and is about 30 feet above it. It was a beautiful hike on a beautiful day. Since Betty is usually busy with the logistics of the hike, she seldom gets to hike, so I was glad that the weather and the scenery were great. Older long leaf pine and live oak trees draped with Spanish Moss lined the trail. The Florida Trail goes through the campground, so we then drove the RV back to pick up the Honda which we had left on the trail. We returned to the campground just in time to shower and attend a pot luck dinner at the community center. It was a great day!!
Friday 2/11/00 18 miles/782 total. 49 trail days. Suwannee Valley Campground to Crooked Ranch Branch (Picnic Table). This was one of those rare days when I could hike directly out of the RV onto the trail. The FT crosses to the north side of the Suwannee River in White Springs where it enters the Stephen Foster State Folk Culture Center. It continues on the north bank with great views. Some of the hiking is up and down the ravine banks of streams flowing into the Suwannee. As I passed through the corner of White Springs, I had to stop by “Jerry’s Woodshed” to check out his carvings. Quite a guy, this Jerry; he traveled on his motorcycle for 5 years living out of a tent, he thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail about 10 years ago and is scared that his roots are sinking in too far now (he’s been here over a year). While there, I asked if he could make us a little name plate for our RV. He said it would be ready in the afternoon. The trail along the river is very scenic, at times there are white sandy beaches with the clear dark water flowing easily by, other times the water is clear and blue from springs, sometimes the banks are vertical bluffs of white limestone nearly a hundred feet above the water. At one point, I passed a large two-story rustic looking house. A man outside asked if I needed water or anything. I told him thanks and complimented him on his house and surrounding buildings. As we talked, R. J. Tennis told me all about the house and the local area. When I told him about stopping at “Jerry’s Woodshed”, he told me that he owned that property, and a camp that I would pass through later. He invited me in to see the elevator he had installed for his wife and his mother. RJ and his wife had decorated the interior of the large, high ceilinged, great room with American Indian and eagle items and artifacts. He proudly showed me his arrowhead collection. Anyway, a couple of pictures and I was back on the trail. At one point I passed through a densely wooded area with thousands of birds darting from tree to tree filling the air with a cacophony of chirping, chatter and song. They looked like mostly robins, cardinals, vireos and tohees, however, they were mostly high in the trees, shaded with glaring spots of sun, making it hard to see any detail well. Betty met me at what the map called “Crooked Ranch” branch. As we drove back into White Springs, we saw “EZ Duz It” and stopped to introduce him to Betty. Then, a hundred feet away, were two young, lean guys with disassembled bicycles strewn about on the ground at the rear of a van. The van appeared to be filled with bike and camping gear. As I struck up a conversation with them, we discovered that they were the Leuschel brothers that “Nimblewill Nomad” had told me about. They started north from Key West on 14 Jan 00 and were hiking some, but biking mostly. Like us they wanted to get to the Appalachian Trail early enough to have a chance at completing it this fall. Jon and Dan said they still had to bike 17 miles before dark. They accepted our invitation to join us for spaghetti at the RV after their ride. Later, as we ate and compared notes the excitement was high. Yet that night they planned to drive to South Carolina to surprise Jon’s wife Sara the following day; her birthday. We swapped phone numbers and e-mail addresses before they were off into the night.
Saturday 2/12/00 0 miles/782 total. 50 trail days. Rest Day – remained in White Springs.
We had a number of little chores to catch up on plus we wanted to visit some of the local sites so we called this a “Rest Day”.
After cleaning my gear, repairing a window blind, answering e-mail, posting the website, etc, we visited the Stephen Foster State Folk Cultural Center. It was interesting and informative, but it makes you wonder about a white guy born in Pennsylvania, who lived and worked in New York City, writing songs (many of which were used in Minstrels) about the deep south. Apparently, Stephen Foster was never in Florida (Suwannee River), nor Kentucky (My Old Kentucky Home). He never really had a home as an adult, never owned a piano, and spent the pittance he made selling songs, for booze. And, however politically incorrect it may be today; two of his songs are “State Songs”. We have a ship, bunches of bridges, schools, etc with his name, a postage stamp with his picture, and a state “cultural” center. Even though they don’t tell the story here, I’ve heard that Foster died penniless in a drunken stupor on the streets of New York City. Enuf of that! We capped off a relaxing day by having “EZ Duz It” (Bob Cunningham) over for dinner. We had great conversation that ranged from life on the AT to Musicals in New York City. Bob brought some very good cake, and also gave Betty a tape of Barbra Striesand songs from a very special concert he and his wife attended (they sat next to Jack Nicholson and other notables). I think Bob just didn’t want me playing my banjo CD of Stephen Foster songs.
Sunday 2/13/00 6 miles/788 total. 51 trail days. Crooked Branch Ranch (picnic table) to one mile west of Suwannee Springs. We decided to move the rig forward today and the plan was to give “EZ Duz It” a ride to Suwannee Springs. He would take two or three days to hike back to his pick-up truck in White Springs.
After dropping “EZ” at SuwanneeSprings, we drove on to Suwannee State Forest Campground. It was nearly 11 AM by the time we were set so we did a short hike to one of the last easy pick-up points on the trail prior to a 15 mile rather isolated stretch. The hike was uneventful, just the typical beautiful scenery with picturesque views up and down the Suwannee River. On the way to pick me up, Betty spotted a coyote eating a young calf. Also, she saw what she thought was a ferret.
Monday 2/14/00 16 miles/804 total. 52 trail days. One mile west of Suwannee Springs to Agricultural Inspection Station on CR 249. At about 2AM thunderstorms dropped about 2 – 3 inches of rain on this part of the country. Tallahassee suffered some flooding and some counties in south Georgia, just north of us, had tornados killing at least 12 people.
The trail was wet and side streams were rushing to pour into the “Suwannee”. A light rain continued until about 1PM. I like being in the woods when all the trees are dripping and everything feels fresh and clean. It is easier to move quietly on the dampened leaves and pine needles covering the surface of the trail. It all reminds me of hunting with my Dad when I was a youngster in southern Indiana; good feeling. In addition to the usual long leaf pine and large live oak trees covered with Spanish moss, there are now Sweet Gum, Water Oak, large White Oak, Geechee Tupelo (similar to Magnolia) and occasionally, a few River Birch.
Except for a very noisy youth group canoeing down the “Suwannee”, it was a great day, until about the end of the day’s hike when I had difficulty finding the blazes. After searching a few minutes, I was back on orange marks, however, this was an old portion of the FT that had not been painted out as is theusual procedure. Anyway, it was nearly dark by the time I determined that this old trail would not lead me to where Betty was waiting. It took about two hours and an extra four miles of hiking to get it back together. Betty enlisted the help of a local guy who ran a little store on a sand road in the middle of no place. Johnnie Adams led her to some locked gates to look in the area that she thought I was hiking through. I actually popped out of the woods at an Agricultural Inspection Station of CR 249/SR 751. By this time Johnnie and Betty had gone back to his store and he told her to wait there while he looked in another area. I called Betty to let her know I was at the Agricultural Station and had a good chat with the inspection officer, Dale Canard, while I waited for Betty. We then went back to the little store to thank Johnnie for his assistance. The Adams family has lived in this area for many generations and Johnnie has inherited a lot of land that he does not want to sell, but is trying to make a living off it without getting a “town job”. It was a long day!!
Tuesday 2/15/00 20 miles/824 total. 52 trail days. Agricultural Station on CR 249 to 3 miles south of I-10 on River Rd. As I started at the Agricultural Station, I checked to see if Dale was on duty. He wasn’t, instead some big surly guy, with a 9mm pistol hanging in a holster from his side as he leaned back on his chair, was reading a paperback and really did not appreciate my interruption.
It was a good day, the trail had lots of fresh animal tracks; mostly deer. The route goes north off the Suwannee River to cross the Alapaha River on a bridge then, after a few miles, rejoins the Suwannee and continues down its north bank. Just a few miles later the trail again goes north away from the Suwannee to cross the Withlacoochee River. As the path follows the Withlacoochee back down to its confluence with the Suwannee, there is a trail register. These registers are placed sporadically along the trail and help the Florida Trail Association and various state and federal agencies keep track of trail usage. Most thru-hikers like them because they tell who has gone before and are a chance to leave a message to those who will pass later. I always check for other long distance hikers, but seldom see one registered. Also, I usually leave a note for Joan Hobson, a fellow FTA member, who is about three weeks behind me. This will be her third thru-hike of the FT and she will turn 70 while on the trail. I saw notes in the register for “River Otter”, who is hiking south from Canada via the Appalachian Trail and the Florida Trail. Apparently he has not been by this register. A few hikers I’ve talked with suspect that he may have canoed this portion and maybe even all of Florida.
The trail has recently been moving generally west but now it will dip 10 or 15 miles south before moving west again. During the dip south it crosses I-10 again. Betty and I were to meet at the I-10 crossing, but, I arrived about an hour early so I left her a signal that I had moved on down the trail. She overtook me about 3 miles later.
An interesting little event took place back at the State Park campground. I had gone to the bathhouse to shower and Betty was starting dinner, when a lady she had talked to earlier stopped by to get information on some other campsites from Betty. As the lady was exiting the RV she tripped slightly and grabbed the door to stop her fall. As she stood outside, she and Betty continued to talk. Betty then moved outside and closed the door to keep mosquitos from getting inside. When I returned from the bath house, Betty was standing outside waiting for me. We were locked out! When the lady had tripped and grabbed the door, she had turned the lock so that when Betty stepped out and closed the door it locked behind her. Of course, I did not have a key. We tried all the windows and various other means but with no luck. The little Honda was also locked. Fortunately, my tools were all locked in both the Honda and in compartments under the RV. Otherwise, I might have caused some real damage as I tried to pry my way inside. We did have a flashlight and small swiss knife in my pack which was left outside to “air”. Still no luck, so we called AAA and about an hour and a half later (now 8:30pm) a locksmith, Al Hollie and Cheryle arrived and after about 10 minutes “picked” their way in. Levi was glad we were rejoining him, Betty was glad she had not left anything cooking on the stove and I was glad I had taken more than a towel to the bath house. Al and Cheryle were an outgoing older couple who told us of numerous “situations” in which people had locked themselves out. The best, was a lady whose dog had stepped on the car door lock switch and locked all the doors. She called Al and as he was trying to pick the lock the dog was barking in his face. He asked the lady to walk around the car and call the dog to the other side. She did, and the dog stepped on the lock switch and unlocked the doors. Then the lady didn’t want to pay Al since he was not the one to get back into the car.
Wednesday 2/16/00 7 miles/831 total. 53 trail days. 3 miles south of I-10 on River Rd to CR 53, 2 1/2 miles north of Madison/Lafayette County line. This morning we first drove into some of the areas that I would be hiking, to see if Betty could get around to pick me up. We found many of the roads were chained off by hunting clubs. After spending most of the morning checking possible pick-up routes, we decided on a plan that involved a short hike today, then a long stretch tomorrow. Betty dropped me off and I was mostly on sand back roads. About 3PM a car pulled up beside me and the two older guys inside were asking me about the Florida Trail and wanted to know why it wasn’t routed through some other area they knew about. Von, the driver, spoke with a low, very raspy voice. I saw he had some American Legion items on the dashboard and told him I was a member. Von had been in the Navy and the other guy, Louie, was in the Army. Louie made three trips to Vietnam – that might have been one too many. He wore a Vietnam Veteran hat and only grunted approval of what Von said. As we talked, I noticed they each had a can of beer. Next thing they were both out of the car with my map on the hood trying to realign the Florida Trail. It seemed they needed some help, so I accepted their offer of a beer and we decided how the trail should have been routed right there in the middle of the road. Before departing, Von wrote his name and phone number on a slip of paper and said to call him if we needed any kind of help while in the area. They were a couple of nice old guys out roaming the backroads just as they had done since they were young guys. Betty arrived at our meeting point about one minute after I did. Sometimes it’s difficult to explain how you manage to find a cold beer in the middle of noplace on a hot afternoon.
We relocated the RV to an RV park in Perry. They must have cleaned this town up in the past 30 years, used to be you could smell the pulp mills 20 miles away. Had a great Mexican meal at El Paseo restaurant. Our waiter, Jose, spoke almost no English, but he was quick on service. Hope the triple-tip makes him think well of gringos.
Thursday 2/17/00 25 miles/857 total. 54 trail days. CR 53 to US 221/SR55. At this point the trail stretches 25 miles mostly across land owned by Foley Land and Timber Company. Foley Land and Timber Company leased the hunting rights on much of this land to various hunt clubs. The Florida Trail through this area is on sand back roads used by the timber company and hunters; nearly all of it is chained off and closed to the public. Knowing it was a long haul, I moved right along at about a 3 1/2 mile per hour pace. A light mist was in the air throughout the morning; good weather for hiking. Deer, turkey and bobcat tracks were prevalent all along the way. The weather cleared in the afternoon and it was sunny, probably near 80 degrees. Some of the trail is on an old railroad bed that was probably used to log the area years ago. The ditches along the old RR grade are mostly dry, but in some places there are large pools of water. Late in the afternoon as the weather cooled, I saw two deer browsing about 200 feet in front of me. I stepped to the side and noticed the deer were slowly moving in my direction and I thought I might get some really good pictures. There was a break in the bushes along the side of the sandy road and I eased deeper into them hoping the deer would not detect me. Then the pool of water just behind me exploded. Water was everywhere, a large alligator (probably between 12 feet and 14 feet) thrashed about and slapped his tail a couple of times. Then on the opposite bank another large gator splashed into the water. I leaped back into the roadway in time to see the deer signaling their departure with their white tails flying high. Now the gators had also disappeared, guess it didn’t matter, I had not even gotten my camera out of the carrying case.
About a half-mile before finishing the day’s hike, I kicked up a covey of quail. These are the first quail I have seen on the hike.
I saw Betty pull in to park by the chained gate as I was approaching it from the other side.
Friday 2/18/00 21 miles/878 total. 55 trail days. US 221 to CR 14. Just as Betty and I were leaving the campground we met an older gentleman, who was interested in what we were doing. Wally Bloodworth flew with the fighting 8th Air Force in WWII. He then went into the oil business and lived in many out of the way places around the world. He grew up near the King Ranch in Texas and his mom, a school teacher, taught the third generation of the King family in the early 1900’s. He told of a time when Bob King had grown and was CEO of the multi-billion dollar ranch. Wally’s mom was in a local store and needed some papers delivered, when she saw Bob King and said “Now ‘Little Bob’ you just take those papers and deliver them on your way to work this morning.” And, he did! (School teachers are like that).
The trail was a repeat of yesterday. The Foley Land and Timber company goes on and on. The trees, shrubs and vines are budding. I think Spring is coming to north Florida.
Saturday 2/19/00 19 miles/897 total. 56 trail days. CR 14 to Aucilla River Store on US98.
We “leaped forward” with the RV first thing this morning. Betty is leaving for Naples this morning and will be gone about 5 days. My hiking partner, Roger Rose, will join me in two days and will probably be here a week or more. The plan is to position the RV at the end of today’s hike, tomorrow night I will stay in Shell Island Motel in St. Marks, and the following day I will hike about 20 miles to Medart where Roger will meet me. We will then go back and retrieve the RV. The logical thing to do in situations like this is to carry a full size backpack with tent, sleeping bag, stove, food, etc. However, the extra weight slows me down by several miles per day and I am “kind of” racing against time to get to Springer Mountain, GA in time to have a chance to complete the AT before they close Baxter State Park in Maine on October 15th.
We received permission, from J.R. at the Aucilla River Store on US98, to leave the RV in his parking lot. J.R., a confirmed bachelor and a hardcore hunter and fisherman, has an impressive collection of local fish and animals stuffed and on display in the store (some are not so local, such as mulie, caribou and elk). Betty then dropped me at my start point on CR 14 and she and “Levi” headed for Naples.
The trail here is still on Foley Land and Timber Company property. Most of the roads are closed to the public so there is almost no traffic; some days there is none. I was a little surprised when a nice looking red Toyota pickup pulled alongside me. It was Albert O’Quinn, whom I had met yesterday when he was in his “work” truck. Albert maintains the roads and when he is not on his grader, he is cruising in his truck to see where work is needed next. Since today is Saturday and Albert is in his privately owned truck, I suspect he is off, but he loves his job and likes it outdoors. He checked on me twice, he said some of the area is easy to make a wrong turn and he wanted to be sure I was on the right track; I was. He told me that the Foley property, as well as the pulp mills in Perry, was owned by Proctor & Gamble until about eight years ago. Pressure from environmental groups and threat of lawsuits apparently caused some corporate slight-of-hand and “voila” Foley Land and Timber Company plus “Buckeye” pulp mills in Perry. The pulp mills have “cleaned up their act” and eliminated the stench that covered the area 30 miles around Perry until a few years ago.
By mid-morning I was hiking south along the beautiful Aucilla River. It is about 75 feet wide with clear dark flowing water. It was so nice that I stopped at a picturesque rapids for an early lunch.
A few miles downstream the Aucilla River “goes underground”. It flows into sinkholes and disappears. The next several miles of the trail zigzag wildly in an effort to hike by or around everyone of the sinkholes; and there must be thousands. Some are shaped like craters, others are long, narrow and winding. Some are dry, but most have water. There is a lot of limestone rock and the whole area is like “swiss cheese” with the river actually flowing beneath the surface. The Aucilla springs from the ground again about eight miles south. Very interesting.
The trail turns east away from all the sinks but the ground is still very rocky. The underbrush is thick in places and sometimes the orange blazes marking the trail are difficult to see in advance. When the blazes can be spotted well in advance, there is less “wandering” and less idle time spent searching for the trail. Trying to make good time, I was looking ahead for blazes and clipping right along. All of a sudden, I heard a loud buzzing hiss almost beside my left foot. Instinctively, I jumped sideways and away from the sound. There on the trail was a large coiled rattlesnake. He could have easily struck me since I was within about one foot of the coil. He maintained the coil, only moving his head as I took pictures and carefully moved around him out of striking distance. WOW! The rest of the day was anti-climatic.
Triple tipping is temporarily suspended while Betty is gone.
Sunday 2/20/00 21 miles/918 total. 57 trail days. Aucilla River Store to St. Marks.
The weather dipped into the 30’s during the night and it was a little nippy when I got underway at first light. I wanted to make sure I arrived in St. Marks in time to get a boat to take me across St. Marks River.
Just after crossing the Aucilla River the trail turned south into the woods and on into the St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge. What a great trail to be hiking early on a crisp morning. It started as mostly a hardwood forest with some longleaf pine then passed through some swampy areas with cypress and gum. The deer were still browsing late on this cool morning. Not only did I see a lot of deer, but also a couple of wild turkeys and a wild sow with six young piglets.
The terrain changed as the trail got closer to Apalachicola Bay until it was vast expanses of salt water marsh. After hundreds of miles, I was again seeing some of the same wading birds that we have in south Florida. The trail approaches the town of St. Marks from the south on an old railroad grade. As I got closer, I could hear loud music and laughter ahead of me, then all of a sudden I stepped out of the bushes and there was the St. Marks River at my feet. On the opposite edge of the river was the St. Marks waterfront just about one hundred feet away. It was Sunday afternoon and both “Posies” and “Riverside” restaurants had bands and large crowds on their decks enjoying the warm sunshine. After a few minutes, I saw a small boat coming up river and hailed him over for a ride over to the docks. I thanked the man and his wife for the ride and started to make my way off the dock as two nice looking woman passed (later I found that it was Nancy and her sister). They told me how to find the Shell Island Marina and Motel. It was a mile or two walk and there on a bench just outside the marina door was Ruthy, the lady I had spoken with on the phone to make the reservation. Being tired from the long hike, I sat down and helped her watch Al, her husband, wash a good looking pick-up truck. Al told me about this guy that was even older and more scary looking than I who had hiked through about two years before. I asked if he might have been Eb Eberhart and Al could not believe I knew who he was telling me about. Eb, “Nimblewill Nomad”, is well known among long distance hikers and the hike I am doing is similar to the one Eb did two years ago. Eb gave me some suggestions before I started.
Monday 2/21/00 20 miles/938 total. 58 trail days. St. Marks to 2 miles west of Medart on SR 319. Another cool morning (34 degrees) and an early start. The trail north out of St. Marks is a bicycle path on an old railroad grade. The Florida Trail turns west after a couple of miles but, I’m told, the bike path continues north to Tallahassee. The afternoon was warm and sunny. It was a great spring day in a beautiful forest with a very well maintained and well blazed trail. Several miles after crossing the last road of any kind, I emerged from a thick swampy area into a large clearing with knee high palmetto. There, about 25 feet away were two young jay birds standing, entwined, in their natural, buff, plumage. The bright capped male was out shown by the simple but elegant beauty of the female. We were all surprised; I gave a little salute with my hiking stick, turned away and followed the trail across the clearing. Before disappearing into the trees, I looked back and tipped my hat (more details will cost you a beer).
Roger Rose arrived right on schedule. He took me back to J. R.’s Aucilla River Store. We thanked J.R. and I drove the RV following Roger back west. We decided to go to St. Marks to eat and ended up at the Riverside restaurant. At the door, I saw the lady (Nancy) who had given me directions the day before. After eating, Roger and I talked with Nancy and Rico, who apparently owns “Riverside”. Rico said he thought it would be ok to leave the RV in the town parking lot for the night. We did.
Tuesday 2/22/00 20 miles/958 total. 59 trail days. 2 miles west of Medart on SR 319 to East side of Bradwell Bay. We drove the RV from St. Marks to FR 356, about 1 mile west of Medart and parked on an unused side road near the trail. Roger then dropped me at the point on SR 319 that I had hiked to yesterday. He then set off to find the other end of today’s hike and he would then walk toward me. It was a long way to drive around and the forest road network here is like a maze. Some of the roads and bridges are not named correctly on some of our maps. Since we are moving cross country at about 20 miles each day, many of the local folks don’t know about the backroads in our destination area. But, Roger kept at it and found the right place. He came hiking down the trail along the beautiful Sopchoppy River. We had lunch on a little sand beach and then we each continued on our way. The Sopchoppy River is only about 30 feet wide with steep banks and has dark clear water flowing slowly over a white sand bottom.
The past few weeks, we have passed through a few areas infested with ticks; small ones about the size of the head of a pin. Yesterday, I broke the tick count record with nine. However, today was special; 39 by noon and a total of 47 for the day (assuming that I found them all). Almost all of them first get on boots and socks, then climb upward. Since I hike in shorts, I can usually feel them on my lower legs and interrupt their northward migration. When in infested areas (like today) it also helps to stop every few minutes for a visual check.
Today I planned to hike an additional 6 mile loop on the edge of Bradwell Bay Wilderness in order to shorten tomorrow’s hike across the wilderness area. I was making good time the first couple of miles into this six mile loop. Then the trail entered an area that had been burned; the blazes were hard to find, Titi and other brush had blown down and blocked the trail for nearly 3 miles. After finishing this portion of the trail, I followed a blue blazed connector trail back to Roger’s van. Tomorrow I will hike back in on the connector trail to start across Bradwell Bay.
Wednesday 2/23/00 15 miles/973 total. 60 trail days. East side of Bradwell Bay to Porter Lake Bridge on FH 13. I drove Roger’s van to my starting point, a blue blazed connector trail off of FR 329. Blue blazes are used for connector trails, side trails, loops and other trails which are maintained by the Florida Trail Association. Roger drove the RV to a primitive campground by Porter Lake Bridge, my finish point for the day. He then started hiking toward me and would end at the van and drive it to our new campsite by Porter Lake Bridge.
I knew the connector trail was a little over one half mile long because I hiked out on it at the end of yesterday’s hike. As with most thru-hikers, I do not count the distance for such connector trails as part of the daily mileage. Once on the main trail, orange blazes, I was headed west into the Bradwell Bay Wilderness. This area is named for a man who was lost in the area for several days. It is a large (557,000 acres) low area that is covered with water and thick vegetation. Fortunately for me, the water level is about a foot lower than normal and two feet lower than it is sometimes. The central part of the swamp has some really large trees up to 400 years old: pine, cypress, blackgum, magnolia and others. Nearly all of Bradwell Bay, including the big tree swamp area, is covered with titi thickets which can be difficult to negotiate. A few places I saw the endangered pitcher plant. For the most part the water was not more than knee deep. However, a few holes were waist deep. It took me about four hours to cross. I took off my boots to let them dry while I ate lunch. The trail from Bradwell Bay to our campsite was considerably drier. Tick count for the day = 4.
Thursday 2/24/00 20 miles/993 total. 61 trail days. Porter Lake Bridge on FH 13 to 1 miles west of Vilas. Great morning; cool, with sun coming up. Good to be in the woods on such a day. Trail goes through pine (slash, long leaf, loblolly) and palmetto flatwoods. More and more wiregrass as we move north and west. Ever since the Suwannee River there has usually been some short bamboo along the river banks.
Talked with Forest Ranger Cloyce Rankin. He told me the wildfire that had burned Bradwell Bay was in the 80’s and really damaged the area.
In the afternoon the burned areas had obliterated many of the blazes, sometimes due to charred bark and sometimes the blazed tree had fallen. Fire damage causes some trees to fall years after being burned. At one point I could not locate the trail and had to bushwack on a compass heading for several miles when I stumbled onto the marked trail again. The downed titi make for slow going. I did see some pitcher plants, so it wasn’t a total waste of time.
About two miles from the point that I was to meet Roger, I lost the trail in another burned area. This time I was boxed in by swamp and titi thickets, so I backtracked onto a woods road that would take me to where Roger was waiting. Fortunately, he drove out to look around and picked me up along the road. I marked that point and will start there in the morning. Tick count = 5.
Friday 2/25/00 14 miles/1007 total. 62 trail days. 1 mile west of Vilas to CR 12 (NW# corner of Apalachicola National Forest. Roger and I planned to move the RV forward to Bristol this morning. Betty is returning in the afternoon and I wanted to be moved and set up before we started hiking. As I was about to pull out, I could not get the RV out of park. After a clever bit of logical deduction Roger decided it had to be a blown fuse. He was right and, after an hours delay, we made the move to Bristol.
The hike was through some burned pine and palmetto flatwoods. The last few miles before departing Apalachicola National Forest were through a flat area with pine and wiregrass. There were a lot of dried pitcher plant stalks from last season. Roger was waiting for me. Betty arrived shortly after Roger and I returned.
We all went to a seafood buffet to celebrate passing the 1000 mile point. Congratulations Swampeagle!! It was fitting that both Betty and Roger were there since they both worked hard to help me make it. Tick count = 5.
Saturday 2/26/00 28 miles/1035 total. 63 trail days. CR 12 at NW corner of Apalachicola NF to Shelton’s Corner on SR 73. Roger and I did the 10 mile road walk to Bristol. I continued on and Roger headed back to Naples. The whole day was on rural roads. There was little traffic and the miles went fast (well, relatively fast).
This morning I wore the new “All Terrain”, New Balance “803” running shoes that Betty bought in Naples at the new “Shoes That Fit” store. I had previously purchased a pair of New Balance “961” waterproof walking shoes that Matt, the store manager, had recommended. Prior to that, I was wearing some Adidas running shoes for the road walks but having some foot problems. I was happy with the NB “961” walking shoes and Roger liked his “All Terrain” running shoes, so Betty got herself a pair of “961s” and the “All Terrains” for me. I like having enough different types of foot gear to rotate from day to day depending on the conditions. I use the waterproof NB 961’s for roadwalks, especially when it is raining or dew is still on the grass. Also, I use them for easy to moderate trail hiking. When the trail is a little rougher or muddy, I usually wear Vasque “sundowner” hiking boots. And, if I know water will be over my boot tops, I bring a pair of Army boots out of retirement. I have found that with most new boots it is best to discard the insoles and replace them with better, more supportive ones that provide more cushioning. Matt had recommended some good insoles that are almost like orthotics. As a general rule, I like New Balance shoes because they come in varying widths and seem to hold up better in tough conditions.
Tick count = 0.
Sunday 2/27/00 12 miles/1047 total. 64 trail days. Shelton’s Corner to CR 167. We moved the RV to the start point at Shelton’s corner. Even though the crossroads of SR 73 and CR 274 looks pretty much deserted except for a convenience store/gas pump, there is a Shelton business on each of the four corners, plus a couple on the side: a welding shop, a realty, a hardware and farm supply store, a rummage store, and a truck transfer yard in addition to Mama Shelton’s convenience store. With all the unused open space, we thought we could probably park the RV overnight. As soon as I stepped out to look around, a pick-up truck with three guys pulled in and unlocked a back gate to the welding shop. They were icing down a cooler and Greg Shelton said we could park over by the fence where Mama could “keep an eye on things”. It started raining as I unhooked the Honda. Soon we were in the middle of a thunderstorm.
When the storm let up, I started hiking west on CR 274. Another road walk! The past few days have been warm with lots of sunshine and spring is popping out everyplace. Little wild flowers are in bloom, many trees and shrubs are in full blossom and butterflies and grasshoppers are scurrying about. A few miles down the road a small pick-up passed me then turned around and came back. He had a Florida Trail plate on the front bumper and a sticker on the back glass. It was Sidney McDonald, the trail section leader for this area. We chatted for several minutes and he told me that a new portion of the trail along the Econfina River had just been completed. He gave me some directions to intercept the completed portion. I terminated the day’s hike about 5 miles early so that I could take a direct route to the new trail along the Econfina. When Betty picked me up we went to recon the route. I found the Econfina River and some short trails, but none with FT markings. On the drive back to Shelton’s Corner, we drove down to Mossy Pond to find Sidney McDonald’s home. We didn’t know exactly where he lived, so we were looking for his pick-up truck. We spotted a mailbox with “Falcon McDonald” on the side. Close enough. We went down the lane to a nice house with a large second floor deck, across the driveway, which made a carport. No one was home. Later in the evening I tried calling a phone number I had for Sidney. A recording said it was the Falcon McDonald’s. Still no details on the new trail. I would really like to hike the Econfina portion, but do not want to walk four miles to get there and not find a trail, then walk four miles back to continue on my way. I’ll try calling again in the morning.
Tick count = 0 (no more counting).
Monday 2/28/00 22 miles/1069 total. 65 trail days. CR 167 & CR 274 to 4.5 miles west of Econfina Bridge on SR 20. We moved the RV from Shelton’s Corner to a BP Truck Stop on US 231 near Fountain. While at the Truck Stop, I called Sidney McDonald to get better directions to the new trail along Econfina Creek. He told me that the trail was not yet constructed as far north as I searched for it yesterday. So today I hiked two additional miles south then about four miles west on Owenwood Road and 3/4 miles north, Voila! The new orange blazes put on Econfina Creek head south. What a great trail!! It hugs the east bank of the twisting Econfina going up and down the ravines draining into the creek. The forest here is wonderful; a mix of pine (sand, loblolly and longleaf) and hardwood (live oak, pin oak, southern white oak, turkey oak, sweetbay, beech, gum and even poplar). The creek is fairly swift for a stream in Florida and it is clear. The trail is kept narrow and winds with the creek; good feeling just to be part of it. At two points along this new trail, a tornado had broken and uprooted dozens of trees, mostly pine, across the pathway. After a few miles, the trail crossed a small bridge to the west bank. Then the trail turned west away from the creek and through a large tree farm. Betty met me just after I came out of the woods on to SR 20. We picked up the RV and leaped forward to DeFuniak Springs. This is a couple of days farther ahead than we usually move, but we had a number of things to catch up on (wash, photo developing, grocery shopping, posting this journal on an internet phone line, etc). We stopped in a Wal Mart parking lot for the night, left the RV and drove back to a Mexican Restaurant, La Bamba. It was superb, of course, after 22 miles in the boonies, I’m pretty easy to please. The Margaritas came in a fish bowl size glass and were pretty good (Nancy, eat your heart out). Our young waitress, Mary, had moved here with her husband from Jacksonville to be near his family. We reinstated the triple-tip policy. Actually, she deserved it, we got there late and were the last to leave, but she never rushed us and was very good natured.
Tuesday 2/29/00 26 miles/1095 total. 66 trail days. 4.5 miles east of Econfina Bridge on SR 20 to Dismal Creek on SR 20. On the way to the start, about a half hour before dawn , we saw three deer grazing on the shoulder of the road.
I started this road hike early to get it behind me as soon as possible. After a bunch of road miles, I turned south to intercept the existing trail route. The new route that Sidney directed through is not yet connected to the existing trail. The trail here goes through Moore’s Pasture, a large Wildlife Management Area. The word pasture is a bit of a misnomer; it is mostly rolling tree farm with primarily pine forest in all states of growth from clearcut to mature. Progress seems similar to tacking into the wind when sailing. The trail is moving generally west, but I seem to be going north and south a lot in order to go west. This is just one of the reasons why getting from Key West to Pensacola is over 1200 trail miles, but only 826 miles on highways. As a seagull flies it is closer to 560 miles. Don’t mind doubling my pleasure, but I really need to get on to Springer Mountain, GA and start up the Appalachian Trail. The last half of March seems to be the most common time to start the AT. Some hikers, “EZ Duz It” for instance, even start in February.
The trail through Moore’s Pasture is very well marked, bright new orange blazes and the double blazed turn points cannot be missed. After going north, we turned west at the edge of Botheration Creek Swamp. Just east of Ebro the trail turns south again for a six mile turn through Pine Log State Forest. This is a diverse forest with lots of hardwoods; saw some black cherry and hickory in addition to the usual fare. Pine Log is Florida’s first state forest, established in 1936. Then it is back on SR 20 moving west. Betty picked me up at Dismal Creek.