Florida Trail: River Ranch to Forever Florida

 Trail Mile   236 To 276

Limping from River Ranch to Hunter's Station:

Hot tub in the morning with Starbucks coffee and tonight we are at a dry prairie hunter's check station, with water that says do not drink and a sign that says gut pile that way. There is also this weirdly deserted camp full of trailers nearby that makes us think of a zombie apocalypse.  We sure know how to live don’t we? 

We hike alone today, because no one else could possibly walk this slow.  Hawkeye’s rehab plan is working though as he is pain free after pretending to walk on precious eggs for 6 hours and only covering 12 miles.  The wind makes a lonesome sound and during our horrible walk along highway 60, it buffeted us constantly.  We could hardly hear our own thoughts.  When trucks zoom by, as they constantly did, it blew our hats off,  and we sometimes staggered.  One hundred feet from the end of this 6 mile road walk, an apparent psychotic driver makes a beeline for Hawkeye, while looking him directly in the eye.  The lunatic driver drove all the way across the shoulder and touched the grass as he passed him by.  Hawkeye leapt out of the way.  It was crazy and watching it transpire scared the geebeezers out of me!   Needless to say, we are very happy to be on dirt  path again and I find myself reaching out and touching Hawkeye more than normal.  

Night is falling and I’m resting in the tent, but having a hard time going to sleep because I hear the incessant bawling of a calf.  It sounds  like it lost its mama or is being weaned.  It’s driving me slightly batty.  Back home on our ranch, I am the keeper of the animals and I keep thinking I need to get up and check on it, but it’s not mine to tend to.  I keep reminding myself that what is mine to tend to is a good night’s rest.  

Hunters' Station to Dry Pond Campsite:

First thing in the morning, Eva from the Big Cypress gang of “Girls Who Hike Florida,” alerts us on our phone that a big thunderstorm is  imminent where we are.  We quickly decide to haul all our gear and our bodies into the brand new handicap bathroom nearby.  The sky gets dark and the wind whips and the skies send down a fire nozzle flow of rain.   We  cook our breakfast out of the wind and we even have a lovely porch to watch the rain. I also decide to get in a little cleaning.  Just kidding.  This is my rainy day outfit. Don’t I look ridiculous?

Ten thirty has us hiking out into a light drizzle.  We head out past the gut pile and bone pile and reach the distinctive orange  blazes of the Florida Trail.  The trail is well marked and mowed.  A big thank you to whoever takes care of this section.  

Across the palmetto prairie and through the jungle we go.  Magical day of light and dark as the clouds shift and twirl.   The sun comes out and makes the wet ground steamy and we imagine howler monkeys in palms or sloths draped from an old moss covered oak.  Tarzan swinging on a vine might be nice too.  A girl can dream, can't she? The reality though is just as special with white tail deer, rabbits, flocks of grackles, song birds and the sound of the wind in the trees.  It’s a peaceful day as we slowly walk along. 

Another glorious sunset ends the day as we run around naked trying to dry out our sweaty clothes. My outfit was ridiculous in more than one way!  Is this really January?

Big Hunting Area from Dry Pond Camp to Forever Florida:

I awake early and can’t sleep.  It’s still very dark. We are in bed for a long time out here as we fall asleep most nights at 7 pm.  I hear air-boats firing up, so morning must be soon.  The sun sneaks  across the prairie that our little oak hammock campsite borders.    We drink coffee and pack up our gear.  We miss the playful banter of Songbird and Sunset in camp, as well as all the 'Sunsetisms', like ‘Don’t pet the mule, just load the wagon’ and “Come on chicks I’m loaded with corn’.  Our young trail friends, The Mayor and Schweppes, are gone too as they have gotten picked up to go to Billy Goat Day.  Hawkeye’s leg is feeling much better this morning though, so we are glad we’ve slowed things down.    

Soon, we exit the palm and oak prairie for pine forests.  Robins are flitting about everywhere.  They are a cheery little bird and brighten our day.  

Just like yesterday, we pass deer stand after deer stand. We decide we will call this section of our hike BIG hunting.  From Big Cypress, to Big Sugar, to Big Waters to Big Dude to Big Hunting.  We crack ourselves up. 

We later see a big bass boat decorated in a multitude of endorsements and think maybe big hunting and big fishing might be more appropriate.  

We cross under the turnpike headed for road 441.  Our plan is to stealth camp near the road as Eva, from “Girls Who Hike Florida,”is picking us up in the morning to take us to Billy Goat Day.   Thank you Eva! 

We take a break to dry our gear at the quiet Three Lakes Camp and Hawkeye, walking barefoot to dry his feet out, picks up a little cactus friend in his foot.  Oh dear, he should have kept his flip-flops.  The thorns pull out easy enough,  but from hiking in the desert we know that the little spines can hide really well only to show back up when the entry site gets all inflamed.  The pitcher pump is working and we fill up on its water and carry a few liters for tonight’s stealth camping.  (Pitcher pumps can be tricky.  They can take longer than one would think to prime.  Keep pumping and pouring a little bit of water in from the jug left for that purpose.  It can take up to 5 minutes.  Make sure to refill the jug before you leave.)

We get to 441 early and  end up hiking on to Forever Florida for the night.  Beautiful quiet road walk.  Best one yet. Almost makes us forget highway 60.   A little history lesson at a decrepit and lonely wayside.  It is the site of one of Flagler's rail depots.

Henry Flagler was an American industrialist who was a key player in the development of Florida in the late 1800's.  He founded the Florida East Coast Railway that went from Daytona to Key West. His railroad system opened up Florida and  made a significant contribution to Florida's economy through agriculture and tourism.  Some would say it also helped destroy the ecology of the environment.  

We come to a cat rescue place and erroneously think it’s Forever Florida.  The cat lady sets us straight. We hike on.  Buzzards fill the air.  I mean seriously fill the air. It looks like hundred's of them.  It must be a buzzard convention.

 It’s almost 5 pm when we finally get to Forever Florida and discover we have  made a colossal error.  The camping here is over 4 miles away.  Oops. We had forgotten to check the app.   By this time, we’ve already hiked a nineteen mile day. Hawkeye’s shin is hurting a bit again and so is his foot with the cactus spines.  We do not want to  hike 4 more miles, plus we are getting picked up in the morning.  The front desk lady is shooing us away to stealth camp by the road, when an angel walks out of an office.  She lets us camp by her old deserted office set back by a swampy creek.    She even drives  over and tells  us to sleep on the screened in porch.   “It will keep the gators and snakes from getting you,” she adds and, “Take a shower if you want.”   True trail magic and a trail angel.  

The buzzards start landing in the swampy creek right outside our door.  Reminds us of the flying monkeys in Wizard of Oz.  This photo does not do justice to the multitude of buzzards.  It’s kind of creepy and they are very noisy jostling for their roosting position.  

Hawkeye is oohing and ahhing over the bathroom and I’m feeling awkward and grouchy and we get into a tiff.  It happens.   I’m thinking that I have a bathroom at home without black mold and start wondering why we are even out here.  The forward energy and the feeling of being part of something bigger is starting to fade for me.  My eyes have started to stop seeing what’s around me and I think about what is back at home.  This has happened before on a lash (long ass section hike) and I know it will pass, so we kiss and make up and I fall asleep to all the really strange noises right outside our door. 

Miles hiked:  about 40

Total trail miles: about 276

Lesson Learned:  Don’t go barefoot on the Florida Trail

2 minute slideshow of this section:

https://youtu.be/1HyzHy_8Esg

This slowly walked section, I kept singing the song “Why Do Fools Fall in Love,” as I wondered why we, and others,  like to take these long walks.  Most people don’t understand the appeal.  My doctor says I love the feel good endorphins, and walking all day does bring  on a runners high, but there is more to it than that.  I like the simplicity.  I like the feeling of being connected to the earth, to creation.  Every breath, every step, I’m reminded of my connection to this planet. It is grounding.  For me, creation also shows the fingerprint of God and I find an easy intimacy there not always found in ordinary life.  Mark says he likes the adventure of a long walk.  His curiosity is insatiable and his mind and eyes are always wondering what’s around the next corner and how this thing fits with that thing.  He too, loves talking with people along the way and the slow pace of walking and the oddity of walking a long trail seems to open up the way for conversation.  

Here he is talking to Sergio at Forever Florida.  Sergio got taken down by an alligator and he likes to tell the tale.  

At Billy Goat Day, I asked some other hikers their 'why'.  Answers varied and were not  always well articulated, as it’s more of a feeling.    Some hike for nature, some for Spirit, some for the challenge, to get in shape or as an escape.  Mostly, it is some combination of all these things. Billy Goat himself, who is the 80 year old hiker who has hiked over 50,000 miles and who the birthday party was for, says he found the ‘REAL’’ in reality on the trail.   That is  about as good an answer as you can get.