Florida Trail: Blountstown to US 331

Trail Miles:  877  to 973

Blountstown to Hillcrest Baptist:

The hike today is all road walking as the trail in this area is covered in fallen trees.  The devastation from Hurricane Michael is very apparent with blue tarps on roofs and huge piles of debris along the roadside.  Yet the people are some of the friendliest we've met. 

We talk to a logger who came in immediately after Michael and started clearing roads, for free, so emergency services could make it in.  He says the government doesn't help much, it is the people who get stuff done.   Others tell  us about the trouble with dealing with FEMA and insurance companies.  It seems  kind of apparent walking down the country roads that those who had personal funds were able to get there roofs repaired and the fallen trees removed, but those with small homes and what appears to be less financial means,  are left living in pretty dire conditions.  

Brother Wilton (who is huge) from Hillcrest Baptist church finds us along the road midday and snaps our photo and promises us a delicious dinner when we make  it to the church.  Unfortunately, I have more tummy troubles and we take  a wrong turn, so we end up running late.  Thankfully though,  Wilt saves the day and finds us  and brings  us back to the church where Songbird and Amanda and Brother Tom greet us warmly.  It is a wonderful meal and sweet conversation.  

Mark is feeling poorly for the second night in a row and I’m worried my tummy troubles might be something more.  I’m questioning our ability to finish this hike once again tonight. What a doubter I am turning out to be.


Zero Day at Hillcrest Baptist:

The Hillcrest Hilton

Mark is feverish again in the night and we decide to take a rest day.  He sleeps while Songbird, Amanda and I go to church.  The people here are very warm and welcoming.  The pastor even preaches on how we should let the love of Jesus flow through us to ALL people and he prays that other churches will realize this calling as well.  It is a breath of fresh air in this current 'us versus them' politics.   

I have most often in life gotten a good reception from people. My smile has opened doors.  Along this walk though, looking homeless, my smile has sometimes been returned with glares  or an awkward smile and a looking away. In the beginning it made me feel a bit rejected and dejected.  It doesn’t anymore, or at least not much.   I realize too, that  how I respond to others can be a real blessing for them.    I’ve also learned how to feel less awkward talking to people who look, speak and live differently.  I’m very grateful to the trail for these lessons.  There has been an inside shift that has leveled the playing field somehow that is the most profound.  I didn't even realize I needed to level the playing field.  Bottom line is  I've learned that we really all are of the human family. We are one race of people created in the image of our creator.   

Look who showed up today?  Our dear trail family member Sunset drove down from  South Carolina.   You might remember him from earlier in our hike.  We met him down in Big Cypress and hiked with him and Songbird for a few weeks.  

He has returned to help us get over the finish line.  He also brings  lots of goodies and his wit and warm smile to kick us into high gear. Yippee!  He also has his car.  We have many road miles  ahead of us as we walk around trail closed by Hurricane Michael.  Finding a safe camping place might be difficult. We are going to do the whole hiker trade key program that Greybeard raves about and that will allow us each evening to  drive to a safe camp spot or a hotel.

 It works like this: one couple will drive ahead and drop off two hikers who will walk southbound.  The other two will drive back, park the car and walk northbound.  When we meet somewhere in the middle of the day's trail mileage, we will pass the keys.  When the south bounders get to the car, they will drive back and pick up the northbounders.  Then we will all go and camp together somewhere safe.  For a few days it will be here at the church.  No sweeter and safer spot than Hillcrest Baptist. 

We are all excited to do something different and have lighter packs, as we will only need snacks and water for each day’s walk.  Hopefully Mark is much better by morning and we can begin.


Hillcrest Baptist to Hardees:

First day of our new trade key program for the road walk.   Road walking is a bit absurd, but if you have to walk a road, you can’t find a friendlier place than Calhoun County.  We get lots of waves and smiles.  There is even a pit stop for hikers randomly set up along the road. Now that is neighborly! 

We’ve been told that this is the poorest county in Florida and yet the people here are very grace filled.  Perhaps  when your  hands are less full of ‘stuff’, it’s easier to let the love flow.  All we really know though is that people here are nice to us.

I accidentally snapped this photo and it kind of sums up my physical state today. 

I’m still having tummy troubles and while Mark didn’t have night sweats last night, he still is quite fatigued.  We are struggling physically, but feel pretty determined to just stoically keep walking to the finish line.



Hardees to Sand Road:

Mark had the sweats again last night and I awoke with female problems and cramping.  Thankfully the church has a place to wash up and supplies. The doctor suggested a hysterectomy over a year ago.  I guess I shouldn’t have put it off.  I question how I can walk like this and seriously think I will have to quit.    I am pretty sad and then I fall fitfully back to sleep.  

When the sun wakes me up I decide I will not quit.  I will just walk until I drop. An ambulance will have to drag me off this trail, and I am only half kidding.  We want to finish this whole trail and be thru hikers.  Period.  Full Stop.  At least once.  We may never hike a whole long trail again as a thru, but, ‘Lord willing and the creek don’t rise," we will hike this one. 

We drive forward and drop off Sunset and Songbird and then we go back to Hardee’s and park the car.  I am a bit dismayed that we will hike all those miles we just drove. It’s a long way!  Then it dawns on me that we’ve  hiked a really long ways already.  We  started in South Florida in the Everglades.  Somehow I hadn’t really visualized it, but using the car is somehow making the distance real.  Just taking one step at a time you can really cover some miles.  This is very empowering, not just for walking, but I realize for other pursuits in life too.   

We pass a bunch of roadside graves.  It reminds us that death is coming.  We decide our job is to live fully today. Life is a gift, how you live it and with what attitude is up to you.

There are a lot of dogs along this hike and many of them are on chains.  They stand tethered and bark and bark.  It reminds me that sometimes I live like that.  Complain, complain, complain. Instead I should change the circumstance, or change the attitude.  All these road miles seem more about who  I am becoming and less about what I am seeing.   The road miles don't seem absurd today, they seem instructive and I am thankful to walk them.   They are developing grit in me and hopefully, a lasting positive attitude.    

The whole roadwalk is immediately elevated with this realization and the miles fly by.  We visit with hurricane clean up crews along the road and fishermen.  If you didn’t already know, this state has lots of lakes and we pass quite a few today.  A little shy of halfway, for us, we meet Songbird and Sunset and hang out in the shade for a while.  

Then off we go and the miles continue to fly by.  We stop at a Chevron station and have a lakeside chicken dinner.  I down a cold coffee and we finish the last 7 or 8 miles at a 3.5 mile pace, which is really fast for us, but Sunset and Songbird are faster, as always,  and they have to wait for us at the pick up spot in the gathering darkness.  

We drive back to Hillcrest Church in the dark and fall tiredly into bed.



Sand Road to Seven Runs Trailhead: 

We have trail tread today.  

But first clean up and goodbyes at the Hillcrest Hilton. This church has been incredibly welcoming and we can’t thank Tom enough for his hospitality in feeding us everyday and keeping things cheery.  Tom lost nearly everything in the Hurricane and he’s currently living in his camper at the church.  Thanks again Tom. 

We then bid a sad farewell to Amanda.  She is heading north to the Appalachian Trail and we leave her at a truck stop along the road.  This is very hard for Mark and I to do.  It seems irresponsible, but this is how Amanda gets around and she insists.  

We have grown fond of our trail daughter Amanda. She’s twenty years old and plays with the world like it’s on a string.  After hiking two months on the AT, she’ll be building trail in Utah and then she says she’ll come see us.  She loves old things , (like us and her 1970 era backpack) and knows a lot of information about antiques and long dead musicians.  She walked a month on this Florida Trail all by herself and had  amazing adventures.  Especially across Big Cypress.  She has taught me a lot about being frugal through ground scoring (picking up things on the ground that someone else lost), dumpster diving, and thrift stores. She knows how to live well on very little money.  My favorite trait of hers though is her honesty and her ability to think the best of other people.  We really look forward to seeing her again. 

Mark and I drop Sunset and Songbird off at the Sand Road and we drive Sunset’s car forward and park near Seven Runs trailhead. Today we are walking southbound, which is actually to the east and the other two are walking west toward us.  

It is a beautiful day.  Cool, crisp and with well maintained trail winding through springtime woods. We happily hike along.  It’s easy to be happy when things go our way. 

At seven miles we meet our friends.  After eating lunch together we depart with Sunset already snoozing. 

They can laze around all afternoon because they will be waiting for us again.  They missed the trail off highway 20 today and ended up mostly walking the road, which ends up being a bit shorter than the trail.

We do walk a bit of road when we cross the half mile long bridge over Chocwatchee River.  As the vehicles whiz by me at 60 mph, I realize I no longer flinch.  I’m finally desensitized.  Thank you Florida Trail!  

We see turtles and fish in the muddy water.  After the bridge we take a residential road back to trail.  Dogs bark.  I do still jump a bit at dogs, but I’m getting better.  When we get back to trail we discover water where the trail is supposed to be.  I guess these ponds are high because of all the rains they’ve had this winter.  Time for a re-route over forest roads around the water buried trail.  We 'practice' a pause and realize it’s harder being happy when things don’t go your way.  Oh well,  it will only add about a half mile to our day’s mileage and a dirt road is nice walking too. 

When we hit trail again, we discover the trail on the south (east) side of the river is not in as good of shape as the west side.   Many spots are very overgrown and we do grumble a bit more before we take hold of our attitudes.  At one point this part of the trail must have really gotten some love as there are a lot of nice boardwalks.  It’s slow walking now though, fighting the bushes for a place to stand. We also walk through part of the first American Road in Florida.  Cool.   

The shadows are long when we come out of the thicket of trail and towards our rendezvous spot.  My left shin is hurting and I’m walking slow. 

Our friends pick us up and whisk us off to Sand Ponds Campground. 

The Hillcrest Baptist Hilton was great but we are  somehow happy to be back in our one room condo. 

Seven Runs Trailhead to US 331:

Nineteen miles of glorious trail today. It is also our turn to walk north bound, although it is really due west.

Florida Anise!

Crystal clear running water bubbles cheerfully alongside us as songbirds sing in the air.  The most common songbird we’ve heard in Florida is the Cardinal.  It is often hard for us to find them in the trees though, which is surprising since they are bright red.  Mountain Laurel and lupine are blooming in many places today.  Spring really has sprung.  Could a day be any more perfect?  Only if I hadn’t fallen a few miles from the end and ripped the skin on my arm.  Oh well.  Everyday has its troubles and it’s glory.  Embrace it. 

We highly recommend the miles between these two trailheads and wished we had more time to linger.  There are many campsites and lots of clear, cold water.  While the walk along Lafayette Creek is slow  with roots and cypress knees, it is still very satisfying.  

Currently, we’re happily  cruising along at 60 miles per hour to a trail angel’s house where she has dinner for us and a place to clean up and get ready for another day of adventure on the Florida Trail.  Tomorrow we enter Eglin Airforce Base.  Woohoo.  

Tomorrow we also open the final map on the Guthook Florida Trail App.  Wow!  We've got this.





Miles hiked this section:  96
Total Miles hiked on Florida Trail:  973
Lesson Learned:  Friends are the best and don't give up.

(Hillcrest Baptist is a wonderful spot to rest and this section obviously had lots of resupply shopping opportunities for us, since we were road walking.   When the trails are open again, I am sure that there will be some major differences.)