Trail Mile: 383 to Mile 410
Zero Miles in Lake Mary:
We pack up after breakfast at the hotel. Our room is a mess, as we have gear spread out everywhere. I can’t find my titanium cup anywhere and I kind of freak out. Okay, I actually really freak out. It’s expensive and I’ve had it many years as well and have grown attached to it. I finally let it go and calm down and then I find it. A good lesson in being less attached to things; I didn’t do very well, but hopefully I learned.
We hike slowly today because Mark is having some intense pain in his right shin, so we are calling off hiking for the time being. Again. Mark is getting a haircut while we wait for my sister to pick us up. Hopefully he heals quickly and we can come back out to the trail. Time will tell. I can see him struggling with the decision to stop. He’s always been the invincible one.
Life is good by the pool reading or in the evening watching movies at my sister and brother in law’s house. Mark’s shin is healing, albeit slowly. Many of the tendons in my legs are also tight. We went out too fast last week. We had hoped to catch up to trail friends. It isn't going to happen and that’s okay. We will hike our own hike.
We celebrate our 38th wedding anniversary at my sister’s. Here we are, circa 1981. Yes that’s Half Dome in the background. We love Yosemite.
After four days we are bored with lounging by the pool. Mark's leg is almost pain free and my tendons are almost pain free. The ‘almost’ means we are going to saunter very slowly. It also means we will skip a few miles of paved bike path and begin on dirt. All the pavement recently had been really hard on us. Pavement seems easy in the beginning, but it’s not easy on the body. ( Whenever possible walk beside the pavement).
We notice that there are two main age groups of long distance hikers. Young ones and old ones. I guess we fall into the 'old ones' category. The really cool thing is that the trail bridges the generational divide. We are all on equal footing out here and our past lives, occupations and heritage mean nothing. It is wonderful and we are starting to never want it to end.
Hot humid day from the get go, under cloudy skies. We slept over 10 hours last night and laze around in the camp as we plan on only hiking 10 miles today due to our injuries. It’s nice camping. We see our first Limpkin flying over Blackwater Creek and a couple of kayakers cutting through what looks like bottomless black water.
Looking for shark teeth fossils in the spring.
The hiking is as easy as always and we feel no pain. Just hot. I’m glistening like a glass full of cold water on a hot day. Walking slowly we notice the diversity of these woods. We spot palms, oaks, pines, magnolias, cypress, palmettos and even bamboo. It’s looks like a jungle.
We now owe the trail about 6 miles.
It rains during the night. A cooling, gusty wind sweeps through our stifling tent and it is followed by the drumbeat of rain in the distance. It comes closer and closer and then the drops begin on the skin of our rain fly. Soon the noise is deafening and then it slowly drifts away. It lasts a total of about an hour and this process repeats itself again in the early morning hours. It is beautiful music when you are cocooned in a tent. It would be a rave if you were out in it.
They’ve been coming to this little lake for years and have caught a lot of fish from it. Here is one of today’s catch. A 23 inch large mouth bass. Henry II says in a drawl, “I might sound like a hillbilly hick, but I keep up on things.” He works as a lineman and from our conversation, it is obvious he does have a keen intellect and we thoroughly enjoy our time with them. We tell them how one of our grandsons loves to fish and ask about his lure. He brings us a lure for us to take home to him; a June bug red metallic rubber worm with a tail. It’s all set up and ready to go. After the lack of warmth across the paved foot path we are happy to be back with rural people. We were told in south Florida that the more north we go in Florida the more ‘south’ it becomes. Apparently, that’s true.
Miles hiked in this section: 27 Hahaha!
Lesson Learned: Be flexible with your plans.
Zero Miles in Lake Mary:
We pack up after breakfast at the hotel. Our room is a mess, as we have gear spread out everywhere. I can’t find my titanium cup anywhere and I kind of freak out. Okay, I actually really freak out. It’s expensive and I’ve had it many years as well and have grown attached to it. I finally let it go and calm down and then I find it. A good lesson in being less attached to things; I didn’t do very well, but hopefully I learned.
We stop in at a sports store nearby and Mark gets a Frogg Toggs poncho as his rain jacket is not working for him in Florida, as he sweats too much and the jacket has also become penetrable. We bump into another hiker there. He is named Moose and we chat a while. He’s had lots more wildlife encounters on this trail than us. We must be too noisy as we haven’t had very many at all. My closest encounter was a kamakaze squirrel who leaped across the trail in front of me onto a tree a few feet away. I think it laughed at how much it scared me.
Walking on down the street Mark starts having shin pain again, but in the other leg. My shins feel a bit sore too, so we decide to Uber back to a hotel. Mark gets settled in with an ice pack on his leg and has the movie ‘Wild Hogs’ playing on the TV when I go out shopping for a few supplies and some food for the day.
I get the experience of being shunned again today. Am I feeling awkward because of my awareness of how I look out of place, with my hiking clothes and make up free face and frizzy hair, or are people actually just looking away from me? It is said, ‘that we don’t see the world as it is, but as we are’. Regardless, I find myself begin to hang my head and feel insecure. Awkward and shy. It’s odd and I force myself to walk tall and smile. I can remember when I’ve looked away from homeless, as I was unsure of how to interact with them, and I will remember today and try to treat people more equitably. It’s another good lesson and I’m thankful to have had it.
Getting back to the hotel with some sandwiches from Toojay’s Deli, yummy, Mark says he realizes he needs to pay more attention to his body and take the time to stretch.
I would say that today has been a very good day.
Change of Plans:
We hike slowly today because Mark is having some intense pain in his right shin, so we are calling off hiking for the time being. Again. Mark is getting a haircut while we wait for my sister to pick us up. Hopefully he heals quickly and we can come back out to the trail. Time will tell. I can see him struggling with the decision to stop. He’s always been the invincible one.
Vacation from our Vacation:
Life is good by the pool reading or in the evening watching movies at my sister and brother in law’s house. Mark’s shin is healing, albeit slowly. Many of the tendons in my legs are also tight. We went out too fast last week. We had hoped to catch up to trail friends. It isn't going to happen and that’s okay. We will hike our own hike.
We celebrate our 38th wedding anniversary at my sister’s. Here we are, circa 1981. Yes that’s Half Dome in the background. We love Yosemite.
Back on the Trail and it Feels Good:
After four days we are bored with lounging by the pool. Mark's leg is almost pain free and my tendons are almost pain free. The ‘almost’ means we are going to saunter very slowly. It also means we will skip a few miles of paved bike path and begin on dirt. All the pavement recently had been really hard on us. Pavement seems easy in the beginning, but it’s not easy on the body. ( Whenever possible walk beside the pavement).
It is hot and sultry as we start in the afternoon. It’s Sunday of Presidents’ Day weekend and when we get to the Shelter in Seminole State Forest it is full of weekenders. It’s a cool three sided shelter that I forget to get a photo of.
We meet Domatello. He hiked the Apalachian Trail and wants to be a triple crowner, so he’s training for a thru hike of the Pacific Crest Trail this summer. He shows us a picture of his Mount Katahdin finish with his buddy. He is still glowing from his accomplishment and he tells us a bit about his hike and his gear. He’s a nice, engaging guy and we give him our phone number, so we can hopefully give him some trail magic along the PCT.
We notice that there are two main age groups of long distance hikers. Young ones and old ones. I guess we fall into the 'old ones' category. The really cool thing is that the trail bridges the generational divide. We are all on equal footing out here and our past lives, occupations and heritage mean nothing. It is wonderful and we are starting to never want it to end.
We are currently camping along the inky Blackwater Creek. It moves so slowly it appears to be solid mirror as it passes. It’s very peaceful. There is little noise, only a plane occasionally overhead, one very loud bumblebee and either a strange bullfrog or a bull alligator practicing its call, and a couple of crazy sounding barred owl. Wait, a tree just fell in the forest too. Maybe it’s not so quiet after all. Mosquitos buzzing should be next. I’m ready!
Blackwater Camp to Sawfill Camp:
Hot humid day from the get go, under cloudy skies. We slept over 10 hours last night and laze around in the camp as we plan on only hiking 10 miles today due to our injuries. It’s nice camping. We see our first Limpkin flying over Blackwater Creek and a couple of kayakers cutting through what looks like bottomless black water.
At shark tooth springs we get some of its crystal clear waters and search for a shark tooth fossil. We don’t find any. We do see our first poisonous snake, a coral snake. It slithered away very quickly so I didn’t get a photo either. ( No need to worry much about corals as they are shy and have tiny mouths. Leave them alone and they will leave you alone too. Just watch where you step. Remember: Red touch black venom lack; red touch yellow kill a fellow).
Looking for shark teeth fossils in the spring.
The hiking is as easy as always and we feel no pain. Just hot. I’m glistening like a glass full of cold water on a hot day. Walking slowly we notice the diversity of these woods. We spot palms, oaks, pines, magnolias, cypress, palmettos and even bamboo. It’s looks like a jungle.
Yesterday Domatello told us that one episode of ‘Naked and Afraid’ was filmed in this state park. It’s kind of funny to think about as they film that show like the contestants are out in the middle of nowhere. Seminole State park might look like a wilderness, but it crisscrossed with dirt roads and there are nearby towns. I wonder how they get rid of ambient noise for those kind of shows. Our son guided once for a famous TV bow hunter. Our son called in the elk the first day of hunting and the hunter shot the elk. Then they filmed a fake hunt for a week to make a story. I bet all these reality shows are a bit like that.
Not to be a sham ourselves, I confess we accept some trail magic in the way of a car ride and picnic from Annette. We had just left the Seminole State Forest and are walking along a busy road and Mark’s leg starts hurting again. He is limping along in obvious pain. I am wishing we were out in the woods where we could just stop, maybe even make camp for the day. Then she appears with a huge smile. She really wants to help us in anyway she can, and it shows. She immediately offers to give us a ride a couple miles to get us off this busy road. It seems like an answer to prayer and we don’t even hesitate. She also gives us some comfrey salve for Mark’s leg and an amazing picnic. Let me tell you, this angel makes some incredibly good goat cheese. Best we’ve ever eaten and we’ve eaten some very good goat cheese. Thank you very much Annette.
We now owe the trail about 6 miles.
Hiking on through mostly pine and oak trees we camp at Sawfill Camp. Mark actually jumps in the nearby pond. I sensibly take a shower with a gallon ziploc, but later wish I had jumped too. Next time. We are told that alligators are most active morning and evening, so midday is the safest. (We are later told it is dangerous to go swimming in random ponds and one should swim where other people swim as alligators are territorial). It feels hard at first to just sit here and do nothing, but we manage just fine. The sun is beginning to set and we have our food high in the sky, as we saw a lot of bear sign this afternoon.
We used the two tree method today because there wasn’t a suitable single branch. Here are some directions shared by the blog http://momgoescamping.com/how-to-hang-a-bear-bag/
She has 5 ways posted. Check it out.
Two Tree Method
Materials:
1 rope at least 50 feet long, OR two ropes at least 25 feet long
1 carabiner (We just slide rope through strap on bag before the second throw)
Steps:
1. You will need to find two trees which are 12-20 feet apart, and each have a branch which is at least 15 feet high.
2. Throw one end of the rope over a branch. Tie the end to the trunk of the tree. If you are short on rope, make sure you tie it high up on the trunk!
3. Throw the other end of the rope over the second branch.
4. Using a carabiner, attach your food bag to the rope between the trees. We just attach our bags clip to the rope.
5. Pull on the loose end of the rope to hoist the food bag into the air between the two trees.
6. Tie the rope to the second tree. To retrieve the food bag, slowly untie one end of the rope and loosen it so the food bag gently comes to the ground.
Sawfill Camp to Clearwater Lake:
It rains during the night. A cooling, gusty wind sweeps through our stifling tent and it is followed by the drumbeat of rain in the distance. It comes closer and closer and then the drops begin on the skin of our rain fly. Soon the noise is deafening and then it slowly drifts away. It lasts a total of about an hour and this process repeats itself again in the early morning hours. It is beautiful music when you are cocooned in a tent. It would be a rave if you were out in it.
We decide to hike only to Clearwater Lake Recreation Area today as we are still babying our injuries. It’s about 6 miles. It’s cooler today and we enjoy our short hike. We saunter across a Boy Scout Camp and really appreciate that they let the trail go across their property and that is routed right by a water spigot. The water has an iron taste, but so did my grandparents' place and so I’m immediately swooshed back to childhood memories of summers spent wandering oak and pine woods back in California.
The lake is great. We canoe and swim and have a fun time visiting with the guys in the other boat on the lake, Henry II and his son Henry III. Both the men are southern gentlemen full of warm hospitality. “No ma’am”, says Henry II when I ask if I should worry about gators here. He’s been swimming ponds and lakes here his whole life and says that it’s really only in spring that the gators get testy. That’s their mating and birthing season, I think. He says that there are less gators up here than we saw down south. He says what we do need to watch for here is ticks.
They’ve been coming to this little lake for years and have caught a lot of fish from it. Here is one of today’s catch. A 23 inch large mouth bass. Henry II says in a drawl, “I might sound like a hillbilly hick, but I keep up on things.” He works as a lineman and from our conversation, it is obvious he does have a keen intellect and we thoroughly enjoy our time with them. We tell them how one of our grandsons loves to fish and ask about his lure. He brings us a lure for us to take home to him; a June bug red metallic rubber worm with a tail. It’s all set up and ready to go. After the lack of warmth across the paved foot path we are happy to be back with rural people. We were told in south Florida that the more north we go in Florida the more ‘south’ it becomes. Apparently, that’s true.
We also see a lot more of these pretty yellow vines today and I think they are called Yellow or Carolina Jessamine.
Miles hiked in this section: 27 Hahaha!
Lesson Learned: Be flexible with your plans.
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