Osceola NF and Suwannee Section Florida Trail

Earlier this year I hiked 45 miles of the Florida Trail. I have been eager to backpack longer distances now that the weather has finally cooled down here in Florida. I decided to repeat what I did before but in reverse then add additional miles. The “plan” was to go 90 miles but after talking to two hikers on the trail, I chickened out on the last section due to heavy storm damage from Debby, Helene, and Milton hurricanes in the final section that have altered the trail. It was questionable whether the whole section was open. Even in the section that I hiked, there were lots of trees down with root balls to be stepped around and fallen trees going everywhere.

There was evidence of LOTS of work by volunteers in clearing the trail.

I ended up hiking ~60 miles over 4 days. Osceola National Forest was much better than last time. A major portion of the trails were flooded at that time including a long section up to my butt. This time is was almost completely dry except a couple of small sections. While there was still mud in some areas, I could walk the edges to stay dry. Some of the previous flooded trail was now soft moss that was pretty nice on the feet!

Love that I saw these pitcher plants. They are carnivorous like Venus flytraps.

The rest of the hike was either along the Suwanee River or just inland.

Had to laugh about several of the creek crossings. The app of the trail suggests walking on the log to stay dry. Because I’m a gymnast who has trained to balance with a heavy backpack. I’d rather get wet then slip, especially while solo hiking.

John picked me up at Graffiti Bridge (Suwanee River Bridge). It’s an old bridge that people come from all over to take pictures and/or spray paint the bridge. It was remarkably PG rated with most of the graffiti about who loves whom or what school was the best. Apparently it is famous with bikers who bring there bikes there for a photo shoot. There were 3 different bikers there taking pictures while I visited and one took this picture of me.

The worst part was that last morning that got down to 24 F. Sleeping wasn’t that bad (I bought a new sleeping bag that is designed for those temperatures), but packing up and hiking in the morning was rough. I couldn’t carry a big coat so I wore everything I had plus wore socks as mittens. There was a frost for a few hours until it warmed up. Did you know tents are heavier with frost?!

The whole hike was like an expensive resort with a silent retreat (I only met 4 people on the trail the whole time). I practiced mindfulness as I focused on the present moment to find the next blaze and watch every step so I didn’t trip on a root or branch. Instead of yoga, I stretched by taking ridiculously high steps climbing down and then back up every tributary along the Suwannee River. Like a fitness camp, I lifted weights by carrying my backpack the whole distance. What a deal!

Jennings State Forest

Temperatures were pretty good for hiking (high 70s in the day, 50s at night) so it was time to backpack again. Jennings SF has a really great trail that is well maintained and signed. It is ~12.8 miles long. I started in the middle and traveled each direction staying at campsites along the way.

With the entry trail and several extra “wanderings”, I hiked ~30 miles over the 3 days. However, when I did 15 miles a day on the Florida Trail last year it was mostly flat ground. This path is known for being one of the most challenging elevation changes in Florida and is used by some as preparation for the Appalachian Trail. Not near as difficult, but difficult for Florida. My calves are tight and tired after hiking this trail.

Lots of bridges over small creeks.

One danger was the fallen nuts on the trail like walnuts and acorns. I had to hike a bit slower here.

I started on Sunday and saw several people day hiking. One lady I spoke with was about my age and had just finished the Appalachian Trail a few months ago (https://www.youtube.com/@carrieprewitt ). Very cool and impressive! On Monday, I saw no one. Tuesday I saw a guy in the last quarter mile from the car. Very relaxing.

The hike is mostly along a stream with black water (tannins). The good part is that I could filter water so drinking water was never a problem.

I was amused at one spot called Keebler Corner with a bench to relax along with this tree (but no cookies!).

I camped at two different campsites. The second was great (Chapman Campsite) right on the river. Imagine having this whole campsite to yourself.

Very enjoyable trip and worth doing again in the future.

Hurricanes and Cumberland Island

I’ve visited Cumberland Island last year (1, 2) and enjoyed it so much that I made reservations months ago. Unfortunately, Helene and Milton both affected the island. The park was closed during my original dates but I was able to get in after the second hurricane. Trees were down around the island. The park was able to clear the main road of the trees but most of the north paths were closed. Turns out that this is a wilderness area and they are not allowed to use chainsaws to clear hiking trails. It may take awhile to open those paths.

One amusing issue was that the 3.5 mile path back to the campsite had a few small trees across the path and lots of little debris. So energy was required to hike, carry the backpack, and to high step over the debris and walk around / go under / or climb over the bigger stuff.

I was the first person after the storms at my campsite so I had to pick up debris there so I could safely walk around plus a good spot for my tent. The campground was less than half full. I’m assuming many people canceled.

I didn’t spend much time on the beach since it was very windy and cool most of my visit. I spent a little time early on when it was warmer but unfortunately I got lots of bites from sand fleas. My feet looked like I had measles.

Most of my time was similar to last year’s visit. I visited Plum Orchard and took the tour again. The Tiffany lamps are still amazing. This time we learned more plus got to visit a volunteer’s room. Two volunteers live in the servants area, keep the house clean, and guide 3 tours every day for two months at a time. It would be interesting thing to do.

I wandered the Dungeness area again but spent more time at some of the smaller ruins and building this time. I was amused by the workshop and storage area where old bathtubs were stored.

I may or may not have visited an area called “The Chimneys”. This is where the enslaved people working at one of the mansions lived. The government has maintained the chimneys that are the only remains of the homes. However, the land is still private (though expected to transfer to the park in a few years).

The animals were out again. LOTS of wild horses.

I saw armadillos, deer, turkey, feral pigs, squirrels, and butterflies!

And, because it’s the south, lots of large live oaks along with Spanish moss that weren't affected by the storms. Both a challenging and a relaxing trip!

This is Only a Test

It’s almost fall in Florida...or at least I can dream that the temperatures are dropping. In preparation for more backpacking over the winter, I did an overnighter in Ralph E. Simmons Memorial State Forest. I camped here before. I’ve bought some new gear, handmade some stuff, and learned a few things on youtube I wanted to trial.

The first thing I don’t want to use much is “how to camp and hike in hot weather”. With low 90s and high humidity, I sweat a LOT when hiking. I wet a bandanna and put that around my neck. I have a water filter now, so I didn’t need to haul all my drinking water. I kept the top layer off the tent so I was sleeping within the mosquito netting but otherwise open. Most of the night I just slept on the sleeping pad with a sheet. Way too hot for a sleeping bag. I survived.

Most of the other things I trialed are fairly small but I came out with a list of things to fix. Some of it falls under TMI. Did you know you can buy a backpacker’s bidet (no picture!)?

It was actually more hiking than I expected. After rejecting a further campsite, I backtracked to the first campsite so I ended up hiking ~5 miles to get to a campsite only 1.6 miles away. The 2^nd day I took the 5-mile portion of the loop that was closed during the last visit. It was definitely more difficult. It was wet where you had to walk through the water at times (I’m experienced with that). The picture below is from the trail. It was buggy (but I got to use my new head net). And the blazes were quite spread out with a VERY weak trail (high grass) so I lost the trail more than once. It took me much more time to hike this portion since I spent so much time peering around trying to find the trail. An adventure!

Some cool pictures from the trail or from the tent.

Extra Time in Massachusetts

 There was enough free time built into the Road Scholar trip so we could do some trips on our own, have a meal together, and talk around the fire in the evening (when we could stay awake long enough!).

The group walked to downtown Rockport. Motif #1 is supposed to be the most painted building in the United States. It was Labor Day weekend so the area was full of tourists, but cool. BTW, the weather all week was perfect. No rain and 60s to low 70s. Heaven compared to Florida weather.

I did my morning walk thing every morning. The first was to find a geocache near downtown. It was in an area that I had no idea existed. I love when geocaching takes me to unexpected places like this for sunrise.

The 2^nd morning was quite interesting. I was walking before the sun came up and saw something move on the sidewalk in front of me. When I took a picture, the flash came on before the picture when I realized it was a skunk! The actual picture is a blur as I moved quickly away. Otherwise, I found another geocache. The walk took me through town where I could see all the granite fences, buildings, and even curbs.

Granite was another big industry in town with quite a few quarries that are now waterholes. This was one that I saw the next day.

The hike to this quarry took Mark (fellow ONU’er and geocacher) and I under this bridge. It was great fun to stomp, scream, and clap to hear the echos under the bridge. Sure, we’re adults and even senior citizens.

Geocaching in the morning on the next day was a bit frustrating. I searched for quite a while using the flashlight on my phone since it was still dark in the woods. After I gave up and was leaving, I saw it immediately. Anyhow, here’s a granite home that’s now a museum.

For our free time afternoon, I talked most of the group into doing the weird stuff I like. The Paper House was enjoyed by all. The walls and furniture is all made of newspapers. Lots of work here!

We both geocached and hiked at a local state park. The park was on the ocean plus had a granite quarry too.

Why, though, was the most memorable part the granite statue we called “Sasquatch Taking a Dump”. I am SO cultured.

Our group dinner that evening was quite memorable too. The plates of food were both excellent and amazingly large. Most of us boxed up the leftovers and had it for breakfast the next day (I can highly recommend lobster ravioli as breakfast food). One of our ladies ordered a single order of key lime pie. It was so big it fed 6 of us perfectly.

Three of the group joined me the next morning for a hike through Dogtown. Lots of history here plus boulders that had different words carved into them. The humor was that the trails are not well marked and we weren’t quite sure where we were most of the time. At one point we found a rock that said “Be On Time” that we were sure was our tour guide speaking to us. We made it back in time after a 4-mile hike through the woods.

The final hike was a different section of Dogtown. This one had a marsh. Lots of good hiking during the week in perfect weather.