Florida Trail: Oasis to Big Cypress RV Camp

 Trail Miles: 0 to 48

So it Begins: Oasis to 11 mile Random Camp:

I slept fitfully last night as I was terrified of the prospect of entering Big Cypress National Preserve on the Florida Trail. We’ve hiked in the mountains and the desert and on the seashore, but we've never  crossed a swamp.  Fears kept rolling through my head all night long.   Would I make it?  How many snakes and alligators would I see?

The day before, Ari, an amazing trail angel, had given us a ride to the Florida Trail Kickoff.  (Thanks Ari!) Around a campfire, after a great supper (thanks Chris and the crew of volunteers!) we were briefed on the Big Cypress.  The main takeaway, besides all the dangers that awaited us, was that the swamps were dry this year and we would  need to carry 2 days worth of water.  This is unusual and not at all what we expected.   Mark, my hubby, decides to carry 6 liters and I, Pearl, carry 5.  Needless to say our packs are heavy as we depart from the oasis visitor center under cloudy skies.  

As soon as we begin to walk, my spirit lightens and I remember that I know how to do this backpacking 'thang'.  It’s just a new terrain to get acquainted with and since I don’t know the plants or animals very well, I won’t be touching much of anything, as there are quite a few that are poisonous.    In a few places we walk across limestone pitted with pot holes, but for the most part the trail is smooth and flat with pine needles softening our steps.  It seems in-congruent to me, a west coast gal, to see palms and pines in a native landscape.  Here and there flowers brighten up the day.  It is quite lovely.

Midday has us under our umbrellas, as the sun shows up and she's hot.  We also meet up and camp with  fellow hikers.  Four ladies from the group, “Girls who hike Florida” (Nancy, Eva, Jen and Lauren)  and the brothers Chessman and Camperdan, as well as The Good Doc and Grey Beard.  (For fun long distance trail hikers often go by nicknames). 

Do a search online for Grey Beard and you will discover an awesome, amazing and adorable 83 year old man.  He’s been setting age records on trails and in the water paddling.  He is inspiring!

Grey Beard play fighting over who gets to carry the litter!

We enjoy sunset and fall peacefully asleep at mile marker 11 surrounded by our new trail friends; 7 tents in all. 

Random Camp to Oak Hill Camp:

It is comfortably cool when we awake and I hike out in my rain/wind jacket.    Hiking through a recently burned area it is a bit harder finding the Florida Trail orange blazes.  We are in a big group though and between all sets of eyes we find our way  without needing to use the Guthook app too much. (Be careful, as other hikers have gotten lost here. Guthook is a worthwhile app.)   We get a HUGE scare when an alligator hiding in a limestone cave growls at us as we walk, then run, by.  This is between mile 14 and 15 on the  Guthook App. (The Guthook App and the Florida Trail App have different miles.  The Florida Trail Guide book by Friend and Keatley matches Guthook).  Nancy, now nicknamed, Songbird, sees his big, ole snout!   My knees are knocking as I run by. Not kidding around, that gator is very scary.  Its growl reminds me of the ferociousness of a lion’s  roar.

The walking speed picks up after that. We have lunch at 16 mile camp and dry our gear out.  Florida really has a lot of dew and our tent gets really wet.  It will be a daily job to dry out, but thankfully the midday sun does the job quickly.   Later in the day we meet a swamp buggy driver on a back road and he shares a bit of advice and water. 

The sky is gorgeous.  One thing I’m noticing about South Florida is that it has a big, beautiful sky. 

We finally hit a muddy trail a mile and a half from Oak Hill Camp.  This is about twenty miles from the Oasis Visitor Center without any water on the trail.  This is very unusual for this section of trail.  The sticky mud pulls off my sneakers a time or two and I find myself standing in socks with my dirty girl gaiters still attached to my now stuck in the mud shoes.  It's  funny at first, then not so much as it makes for very slow going.   Calling the mud sticky is a bit of an understatement, it's more like axle grease.

At one point, I bend down to tighten up my laces and then when I stand back up I  realize I’m alone for the first time on this trail.  Mark is behind me walking with Eva and the others have all gone ahead.  The trail is covered in water now and shadows shimmer in the late afternoon sun.  The cypress trees are bare of leaves and look like bleached out skeletons.  I imagine water moccasins and alligator eyes, and my heart begins to race.   After a few tentative steps, I realize the  reality is water flowers and bromiliads who keep me company. I make it to Oak Hill Camp and find all our new trail friends camping on this small island hammock. 

The lagoon right beyond the camp has clear water, as this is a clear water swamp, and we filter and then drink our fill before setting up our tent. There are too many of us for this small hammock (9 tents total!) and Grey Beard, bare handed, pulls out a bit of poison ivy, so that we have a spot to set up our tent.  What a guy! During the night I awake to hear him editing his videos, (he's so hip) and later a raccoon comes by making a bit of racket.  A barred owl and other bird sounds soon lull me back to sleep.

Oak Hill Camp to Nobles Camp: 

In the morning, just the two of us depart about 10 minutes behind Grey Beard.  At first the water covering the trail is a bit muddy from his passage, but it soon becomes crystal clear.  It’s peaceful and quiet.  The cypress trees sleep naked of their summer plumage and the landscape is quite barren.  A few white tailed deer gaze at us before leaping away.  We slosh on through the water for a mile or so before the mud begins again.  People tell us that the trail covered in water is easier than the mud, and I believe them.  I also try to imagine this landscape covered in water and I’m immediately a bit claustrophobic.  There would be no where to sit or lay down for miles and miles and miles. Big Cypress is approximately  400 square miles and covers more than a million acres. 

We clean our feet and shoes and put on clean socks after the last of the mud.  Songbird flies up to us elated.  She loves the mud.  She loves the water.   She loves the sky.  She is having a good day and we hike on together to the nearby Interstate 75.  The Happy Hoofer group gives us trail magic goodies and Captain Glenn shares some beers.  Thank you!!! Grey Beard has already departed, but soon all our other hiking friends arrive and we celebrate.  We survived the swamp! Frankly it is a mesmerizing environment and one I’m less fearful of now.  It was actually fun.

We wash up at the amazing rest stop here at I75, dry our gear and get a gatorade out of the vending machines.  People on the highway stop in and look at us a bit oddly.  After an hour or two we hike through the gate into Alligator Alley.   It does not disappoint and big gators line the canal beside the gravel road.  Egrets and great blue herons fly and we see a snapping turtle splash into the water.  This landscape looks more tame than the untamed swamp and yet we immediately see more wildlife.  It’s easy walking too and within two hours  we are at Nobles Campground, our destination for the night.  It’s quiet with just the two of us and we are happily surprised when Spirit, Songbird and Plod arrive to camp with us.  Trail friends. 

During the night we awake to strange primeval sounds all around us.  It sounds like a scene from Jurassic Park.  Grrr!   Grrr!  Regular, rhythmic, loud croaking  or groaning very close by.  I shiver even though I think I know what it is. Ari, our driver to the trail, had told us how the gators talk to each other in the night.  Usually I get up a couple times to urinate, but tonight I hold it because it sounds like one is right outside my tent door!  Of course it might just be Plod snoring.  

Nobles Camp to Big Cypress RV Camp:

Spirit and Plod take off from camp early.  We linger in camp and then head on up the road to the Seminole Reservation.  Billie Cyprus stops his truck and visits with us for awhile.  He’s a big, tattooed, gator wrestling Seminole and he enjoys regaling us with tall tales.  This Florida Trail is a hoot. 

We see  some black buzzards along the canal bank  and upon investigation discover a tailless alligator corpse. I guess that’s the part of the gator people eat. (We later learn its illegal to kill them without a permit). We also see big cat prints on the sandy road.  Florida Panther lives here.  (A later hiker gets a photo of a panther in just this location).

We arrive at Billie's Swamp Safari for lunch and are pleasantly surprised to discover a first rate tourist attraction.  Lunch is delicious.  We hang out waiting for a package we sent there to arrive.  It never does and we hike out around three when the clouds roll in and cool off the heat.  We meet up with  Sunset, with his cute accent from South Carolina,  and enjoy visiting all the way to Big Cypress RV Camp.  It’s a beautiful place and we shower and wash our clothes and camp out with our Florida Trail friends.  (This might be a better place to mail a package as Billie's does not have a drop for packages after hours, while the RV place does. Call before sending package.  In retrospect though, we would just shop at the convenience store on our way out of town, as we don't have any dietary restrictions.  Getting our package from Billie's turned into a bit of a fiasco).

Some flowers along the way:

Lesson learned: Courage is measured by the strength of the fear you  overcome, not  necessarily the actual danger.  

Miles Hiked: 48

A short slideshow of this hike.

https://youtu.be/Ztd5oIF68vA

We flew into Miami and a trail angel took us to the trail head.    First weekend in January is usually the kickoff date for the Florida Trail and makes it easier to get a ride.  Check out the Florida Trail facebook pages for more information.  I am told that UBER will take you to the southern terminus of the trail as well, but it will cost you a lot.  There is no easy access with public transportation, and hitchhiking would probably be quite slow as well.  

This is a lovely section of 48 miles of trail.  The Big Cypress miles are wild and remote and can be very wet or, as in our case, very dry.  Be prepared. The section from Interstate 75 to Billie's Swamp Safari  is along quiet, tree covered dirt roads with easy accessible water, just watch for alligators.  The paved road section to the RV camp is also easy walking with minimal car travel.  In using the Guthook app make sure to open and read every entry along the list, as well as other hikers' comments.  We did not do this in the beginning and missed information that would have proved useful.