Trail Mile 276 to 381
Big Break from Disney to Manatees:
My sister drops us back off at Forever Florida a little before noon. Speaking of my sister, she’s the reason we are doing this hike. She and her husband retired to Florida last year and I came out for a visit. She took me on one of those tourist air-boat rides and I was enthralled with the magic of the environment. At one point the guide pulled up to an island and said it was the walking part of the tour. The vegetation was almost impenetrable. Everyone gasped in dread, except me. My heart had already leaped onto the land and was longing to explore.
We also notice that most of the trail is sometimes underwater by at least 5 or 6 feet, and in some places even deeper. We can tell this by seeing the water marks on trees.
Pointing at the high water mark.
The cypress knee I landed on!
Random Camp to Roadside Camp
The night is filled with wildlife. Wild hogs come by rooting and grunting. We awake again when what sounds like a herd of deer bound off blowing an alarm. All night too are weird and sometimes creepy bird sounds from the nearby swamp. We love all of it.
Mists rise and we hike fresh. It’s like New Years Day everyday you are on the trail. We see a pair of bald eagles, egrets and our first cardinal. Only an egret is in this photo.
A few miles into our walk, after we get water at Jane Green Camp, we meet Chigger ( the dog), Tigger, Chuck Norris and Sandra Friend.
We have been lamenting the loss of trail friends a bit, we knew this would happen, seeing how we got off trail and all our trail friends are miles ahead of us. Meeting these folks is a welcome surprise. We had met Chuck, Tigger and Chigger at the kickoff and liked them a lot. We had seen and spoken to Sandra at Billy Goat Day. She is the co author of the book and guide we use for hiking this trail. She knows everything about the Florida Trail. We feel pretty blessed in this chance encounter and spend some time chatting.
We hope to go 25 miles today. My hip is fine, my arm is sore, but not a problem. Mark feels strong. We can do it as the path is smooth and fast.
At 20 miles though, we quit. Mark’s shins are fine, but now mine are beginning to get sore and I don’t want full blown shin splints. We are off the closed road and on Nova Road, it’s only two lane, but it does has a lot of evening traffic. We duck behind some trees after Cox Creek in a power line clearance. We try to be sneaky as being alongside a road leaves us more open to harassment and danger, at least we think it might.
More Road Walk then Tosohatchee WMA and Tiger Branch Camp:
Walking alongside a road it is the little things you notice. There is beauty there too, as well as a lot of litter and a bit of death. We see two dead bobcats and a raccoon. Roads are no friend to wildlife. Well, maybe the vultures benefit.
Turning onto a busy highway it’s the noise that eventually wears us down and turns our smiles into frowns. My legs are sore as well, and I’ve got a blister on a toe. First real blister on this trail. Doctoring time. Then we walk on. We have got to get off this road as quick as we can!
By early afternoon we are back on dirt! Hallelujah and amen! The dreaded 30 miles are done.
We ‘shower’ by using a gallon ziploc full of water, taken from Tiger Branch pitcher pump, and then dumping it over our heads. It’s a blissfully warm day and we air dry our bodies and our washed clothes. One perk of being out in nature is occasionally going back to nature! Tiger Branch Camp is really nice with raised wooden platforms and a fire pit and picnic tables. We love picnic tables. (Pitcher Pumps can be tricky, if they haven't been used in awhile or if the leather gaskets are worn. To prime a dry or tired pump give yourselves five minutes of pouring in water slowly and pumping. Don't give up too soon, just because you aren't getting water. Usually it just takes time. Make sure you leave water in the jug for the next camper).
During the night a helicopter seems to be flying a grid. It startles us awake. In the morning planes practice stalling. We think that perhaps they train over this Tosohatchee wildlife management area. Upon entering yesterday, we were directed to call and check in (the phone number is posted on the gate upon entering) and we were told that there were pig hunts happening. First thing in the morning we meet a young man with two hound type dogs equipped with tracking collars. An old female dog finds us later and continues to walk with us. We know to leave her alone, but she won’t leave us. We stop, she stops. We walk, she walks. This goes on for a couple miles. We think she’s done with hunting and would rather hike. Mark understands this as he once was an avid hunter, but would rather hike and just enjoy wildlife now. Thankfully, we eventually bump into another hunter and he offers to keep the dog until her owner shows up. She is electronically rigged so her owner will pick her up eventually. Here she is.
We meet a day hiker and chat a bit and then we meet this young couple.
They are expecting a baby any day. The birth mother was due yesterday, but babies come when they come so their mama and daddy are out hiking. Wonderful couple and we wished them a good life after a lengthy chat.
We walk through quite a few miles of water. It’s kind of fun and refreshing, and also muddy. There are historic homestead azaleas blooming too. We have yet to see wild azaleas blooming.
Seeing these leaves holding hands reminds me of how we aren’t holding hands today. We aren’t even walking together. It happens. We’ve been together 41 years and married almost 38 years. Our anniversary is on Valentines Day. Yes, we are sentimental romantics and after all these years I know we will be holding hands again soon. Let the bear walk ahead or behind. Just don’t poke him. (Permission to print this was granted from the bear.)
It smells good in the wet forest and we hike through all kinds of terrain. I especially love the oaks adorned with Red Baton Rouge lichen and this weird lichen that looks like green foam on the ground. I think it’s called deer moss or reindeer lichen.
I can’t take very many photos on account of the rain and my phone not being waterproof.
Jen, from our hike across Big Cypress, is our trail angel today and she picks us up bright and early to go back to the trail.
Thanks Jen! This is the second ride she’s given us on our Florida Trail hike and she’s also helped a lot of other hikers this year. She’s planning her first long hike on the Camino in Spain this spring. Awesome! She also figured out where we needed to be and got us going down a blue blaze trail that hits the Econ River where the the bridge under construction won’t be an issue.
It’s a nice day, but unfortunately the people along the path give us a lot of stink eye. We even washed our clothes last night, but I guess we still look homeless and weird. I ask a woman at a dog park if there is any water we can have and she dismisses us with her hand and looks away and loudly says ‘no!’. We find the faucet and fill our bottles anyways. Some people do say hi, but very few. It’s very odd, as every where else along this trail people have been friendly. This area is much more swanky though and we are pretty scruffy.
Big Break from Disney to Manatees:
We took a break. A BIG break. We had originally planned the first week of February to be with my sister and brother in law to see manatees, go to Disneyworld and hang out. With Mark’s (I can't seem to call him Hawkeye!) shin hurting and also having cactus spines in his foot we left the trail early. It just made more sense, being that we were off the trail for Billy Goat’s Birthday Bash. (Make sure to attend Billy Goat Day as it is a lot of fun and many trail angels are there to meet for future help if needed.)
Forever Florida to Random Camp:
My sister drops us back off at Forever Florida a little before noon. Speaking of my sister, she’s the reason we are doing this hike. She and her husband retired to Florida last year and I came out for a visit. She took me on one of those tourist air-boat rides and I was enthralled with the magic of the environment. At one point the guide pulled up to an island and said it was the walking part of the tour. The vegetation was almost impenetrable. Everyone gasped in dread, except me. My heart had already leaped onto the land and was longing to explore.
Today is exceptional. It feels so good to be back on trail hearing and seeing birds, feeling the sun on our face and an occasional breeze. We did not plan out our walk today, as we weren't quite sure when we would get dropped off. We just keep hiking across the pine and palmetto prairies and later along an old railway grade through oak and palm hammocks and through a bit of cypress swamp. We hike along a road made of shells and there are crystals inside. Never seen anything like this before.
We also notice that most of the trail is sometimes underwater by at least 5 or 6 feet, and in some places even deeper. We can tell this by seeing the water marks on trees.
Pointing at the high water mark.
We see our first alive snake on this trail today! Don’t know what it is because it doesn’t stick around for introductions or a photo shoot. We thought Florida would be crawling with spiders and snakes, but in actuality we see very few. It probably is partly because it is winter. Winter is prime Florida hiking.
Late in the day a cypress knee trips me. I'm looking around at the late afternoon golden glow on the cypress and palm trunks. It's beautiful, but a big mistake when you are hiking in a cypress strand. I flail out my poles trying to arrest the fall, but to no avail. I splat onto the ground and my left upper arm lands right on a cypress knee (a big bump on the root designed to get air to the cypress and add stability). Ouch. A big goose egg happens immediately. I’m more worried about my hip though, as you don’t walk with your arm. I do a maneuver I recently read online, and hear and feel a little pop. I seem OK and we hike on just a bit farther to a good camping spot. A 15.5 mile day. Not bad for an afternoon walk. Of course the day ends with another beautiful Florida sunset.
The cypress knee I landed on!
Random Camp to Roadside Camp
The night is filled with wildlife. Wild hogs come by rooting and grunting. We awake again when what sounds like a herd of deer bound off blowing an alarm. All night too are weird and sometimes creepy bird sounds from the nearby swamp. We love all of it.
Morning comes and it is a brand new day to explore. Beads of water adorn everything and look better than any diamonds to us.
Mists rise and we hike fresh. It’s like New Years Day everyday you are on the trail. We see a pair of bald eagles, egrets and our first cardinal. Only an egret is in this photo.
A few miles into our walk, after we get water at Jane Green Camp, we meet Chigger ( the dog), Tigger, Chuck Norris and Sandra Friend.
We have been lamenting the loss of trail friends a bit, we knew this would happen, seeing how we got off trail and all our trail friends are miles ahead of us. Meeting these folks is a welcome surprise. We had met Chuck, Tigger and Chigger at the kickoff and liked them a lot. We had seen and spoken to Sandra at Billy Goat Day. She is the co author of the book and guide we use for hiking this trail. She knows everything about the Florida Trail. We feel pretty blessed in this chance encounter and spend some time chatting.
After our goodbyes, we begin the dreaded 30 mile road walk. Everyone who hikes this trail knows about these paved road miles. I don’t think anyone really likes them, but we begin with high hopes anyways. We got this. Smile and hike on. Let us keep a positive attitude. The road is fairly busy and we make sure to stay way off on the shoulder. We stop at the LDS church and get water and dry our gear out on their bleachers, while we have a bite to eat. (We ask first). When we turn onto Deer Park Road we can walk on the flat roadway, as it is currently closed to through traffic, so it's a nice quiet walk.
But after a few hours it does get long and monotonous.
We listen to music and hold hands and share the umbrella. (I left mine at my sister's to lighten my load by a half a pound.) It is incredibly comforting hiking with each other. Even the worst days are made better together.
We hope to go 25 miles today. My hip is fine, my arm is sore, but not a problem. Mark feels strong. We can do it as the path is smooth and fast.
At 20 miles though, we quit. Mark’s shins are fine, but now mine are beginning to get sore and I don’t want full blown shin splints. We are off the closed road and on Nova Road, it’s only two lane, but it does has a lot of evening traffic. We duck behind some trees after Cox Creek in a power line clearance. We try to be sneaky as being alongside a road leaves us more open to harassment and danger, at least we think it might.
More Road Walk then Tosohatchee WMA and Tiger Branch Camp:
Walking alongside a road it is the little things you notice. There is beauty there too, as well as a lot of litter and a bit of death. We see two dead bobcats and a raccoon. Roads are no friend to wildlife. Well, maybe the vultures benefit.
Sandra Friend goes out of her way to find us and give us water and later Chuck Norris finds us to give us a lunch of meatball wraps and chips, plus more water. He has to convince us a bit, as we like to give trail magic, but are finding it harder to receive. Lesson Learned. Walking along a road does have its perks! Thank you Sandra and Chuck. You made our day! Trail people are the nicest people.
Turning onto a busy highway it’s the noise that eventually wears us down and turns our smiles into frowns. My legs are sore as well, and I’ve got a blister on a toe. First real blister on this trail. Doctoring time. Then we walk on. We have got to get off this road as quick as we can!
By early afternoon we are back on dirt! Hallelujah and amen! The dreaded 30 miles are done.
We ‘shower’ by using a gallon ziploc full of water, taken from Tiger Branch pitcher pump, and then dumping it over our heads. It’s a blissfully warm day and we air dry our bodies and our washed clothes. One perk of being out in nature is occasionally going back to nature! Tiger Branch Camp is really nice with raised wooden platforms and a fire pit and picnic tables. We love picnic tables. (Pitcher Pumps can be tricky, if they haven't been used in awhile or if the leather gaskets are worn. To prime a dry or tired pump give yourselves five minutes of pouring in water slowly and pumping. Don't give up too soon, just because you aren't getting water. Usually it just takes time. Make sure you leave water in the jug for the next camper).
Tiger Branch Camp to Fern Camp:
During the night a helicopter seems to be flying a grid. It startles us awake. In the morning planes practice stalling. We think that perhaps they train over this Tosohatchee wildlife management area. Upon entering yesterday, we were directed to call and check in (the phone number is posted on the gate upon entering) and we were told that there were pig hunts happening. First thing in the morning we meet a young man with two hound type dogs equipped with tracking collars. An old female dog finds us later and continues to walk with us. We know to leave her alone, but she won’t leave us. We stop, she stops. We walk, she walks. This goes on for a couple miles. We think she’s done with hunting and would rather hike. Mark understands this as he once was an avid hunter, but would rather hike and just enjoy wildlife now. Thankfully, we eventually bump into another hunter and he offers to keep the dog until her owner shows up. She is electronically rigged so her owner will pick her up eventually. Here she is.
We meet a day hiker and chat a bit and then we meet this young couple.
They are expecting a baby any day. The birth mother was due yesterday, but babies come when they come so their mama and daddy are out hiking. Wonderful couple and we wished them a good life after a lengthy chat.
The walk is magical and all in thick woods of palm, oak and pine. It’s a jungle out here! We stumble upon a giant of a tree. Not quite sure what it is an will have to look it up later. Could it be juniper? Or ????
(Google says it is Juniperus Virginiana or Juniperus silicicola, commonly called Red Cedar, but it’s not really a cedar)
We walk through quite a few miles of water. It’s kind of fun and refreshing, and also muddy. There are historic homestead azaleas blooming too. We have yet to see wild azaleas blooming.
We take a half mile detour midday into the town of Christmas. If you don't mind convenience store food, one could resupply here and the owner is very hiker friendly. We eat pizza while our phones and backup battery is charging. We also chat with some local men. One is a big barrel chested man with shorts on and bare feet. He says it’s too cold for snakes right now. He has a few teeth and friendly sky blue eyes. His friend is small and wiry, same toothless, friendly grin. He’s a bit quieter than his buddy. We chat quite a while. Politics too. They think TV makes politics worse and the citizens need to be taking back the power from the politicians. They also like the idea of a long walk like we are taking. We wish them a good life.
Sandra Friend (author of the Florida Trail book) and one of our trail magic benefactors offers us a ride and a night off the trail, but I am feeling awkward and shy again and we end up pushing on to hike further into the woods. Sometimes I am ridiculous and I wonder if I may regret this later. (if the door opens to something unexpected go through, as this decision ends up haunting us).
In the woods we chat with a snowbird out walking his pomchi (Pomeranian and Chihuahua). He tells us tales of his little dog and other dogs he’s had until the mosquitoes come and begin biting us. Then we all hurry away. You can out walk a mosquito and we do so until we get to some delicious tangerine trees. Yum. Yum. First yummy citrus trees we've found alongside the trail. The mosquitoes continue to follow us all the way to Fern Camp. They are buzzing around the outside of the tent right now. This is only the second time on this trail that we’ve had a lot of mosquitoes. Timing is everything. I think it was about a 17 mile day. (Fern camp has a fire ring and picnic table and is a nice spot).
Fern Camp to Uber Ride:
It is rainy. Yesterday it was cloudy all day and we didn’t take the time to dry out our gear, so we were damp all night and it looks like we will be damp again tonight. Ugh. We should have dried it out when we were sitting in Christmas charging our electronics.
Nevertheless, off we go into a magical land of palms and oaks and bogs and mosquitoes, while a slow drizzle falls.
Nevertheless, off we go into a magical land of palms and oaks and bogs and mosquitoes, while a slow drizzle falls.
We are second guessing our decision not to go to Sandra’s last night. We start discussing the 800 miles to go to hike the whole trail and the time it will take. Our original plan was to walk to the Orlando area, then we thought maybe we could do half the trail, roughly 550 miles. We were going to take it slow, sight-see along the way. Recently though, we got the bug to do the whole trail. Differences of opinion start to emerge on how we need to adjust. And it’s raining. Tempers flare. One of us wants to focus and stay on trail and hike and the other wants to sight-see as well. But who is who?
Seeing these leaves holding hands reminds me of how we aren’t holding hands today. We aren’t even walking together. It happens. We’ve been together 41 years and married almost 38 years. Our anniversary is on Valentines Day. Yes, we are sentimental romantics and after all these years I know we will be holding hands again soon. Let the bear walk ahead or behind. Just don’t poke him. (Permission to print this was granted from the bear.)
It smells good in the wet forest and we hike through all kinds of terrain. I especially love the oaks adorned with Red Baton Rouge lichen and this weird lichen that looks like green foam on the ground. I think it’s called deer moss or reindeer lichen.
I can’t take very many photos on account of the rain and my phone not being waterproof.
We come out of the woods onto a busy road and a sign says there is a re-route for the Florida Trail, with an arrow pointing north. No other blazes or information is available. Just, 'go that way'. A jogger gives us long drawn out directions of another way and we start out and then it really begins to bucket rain wholeheartedly. It’s not cold, but it’s very wet. My OR helium jacket is drenched, Mark’s is too and we really don’t know where we are going. Did the jogger say turn here or there? I pull out my phone and try for an Uber. We did this once on the Arizona Trail and it worked.
It works here too and Doribel gives us a ride and shares in a great conversation as we drive to a hotel in Lake Mary. Thank you Doribel! We wish her a great life and then enter a clean world where we wash and dry our clothes and plan our adventure for tomorrow.
Econlockhatchee River:
Jen, from our hike across Big Cypress, is our trail angel today and she picks us up bright and early to go back to the trail.
Thanks Jen! This is the second ride she’s given us on our Florida Trail hike and she’s also helped a lot of other hikers this year. She’s planning her first long hike on the Camino in Spain this spring. Awesome! She also figured out where we needed to be and got us going down a blue blaze trail that hits the Econ River where the the bridge under construction won’t be an issue.
We are slack packing today so our loads are light and the sky is clear. It is a beautiful morning, but quite warm. Were we really water soaked and cold yesterday afternoon? Timing is everything. The trail along the river is beautiful and there are actually small ups and downs and even a little waterfall and the trees around it are full of bird houses.
We hike a little under 10 miles before exiting the woods and begin our trek across towns on the Cross Seminole County paved bike and foot path. It’s an amazing cross county path and we are impressed that funds were allocated for it. Way to go Seminole County. It’s urban walking at its finest and our first stop is the Town House restaurant. Yippee. Great place, good food and nice people.
It’s a nice day, but unfortunately the people along the path give us a lot of stink eye. We even washed our clothes last night, but I guess we still look homeless and weird. I ask a woman at a dog park if there is any water we can have and she dismisses us with her hand and looks away and loudly says ‘no!’. We find the faucet and fill our bottles anyways. Some people do say hi, but very few. It’s very odd, as every where else along this trail people have been friendly. This area is much more swanky though and we are pretty scruffy.
We stumble into our hotel at 6:30 pm, foot sore, but happy. Hot tub time after about a 22 mile stroll.
Total miles hiked this section: 105
Total miles hiked on Florida Trail: 381
Lesson learned: Timing is everything!
Saw cardinals in this section. We don’t have those in the west coast!
A 5 minute slideshow set to our theme music for this section of the trail: ‘Further On Down the Road’, because we walked a lot of road!
(The assigned camping spot for this urban section looks great and hotel prices are steep in this area. Obviously, there is full service resupply in the urban cross county walk. You do not need to carry much at all.)
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