Curing a Case of Itchy Feet on the Florida Trail

Christmas is not my favorite time of year unless children are involved and unfortunately that was not the case last year. I found myself the week before the most recent big day feeling a little out of sorts and with a bad case of itchy feet, and not caused by any fungus among us. Despite hiking my fair share of trail this past year, most of it was day hiking with few overnighters and never more than 2 nights on the trail at a time. The solution was obvious and a little research revealed that one of the favorite sections of the Florida Trail was a 100+ mile section through the Ocala National Forest and most importantly, it would not require wading through alligator and snake infested swamp. Throw in some inexpensive flights to and from Florida in January and my plans for an extended hike soon fell into place. I reached out to my Appalachian Trail friend, Red Beard, who lives in Florida and he confirmed that this was a beautiful section and expressed interest in hiking too.

Days 1 & 2  Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

After flying into Orlando, I was picked up by Robyn for an overnight stay at her comfortable Airbnb. This kind lady drove me all over the neighborhood for various errands and was a delightful host, even driving me to the Amtrak station the next day where I met up with Red Beard. I was most impressed with the train ride to Palatka, especially the roomy seats and pleasant view from the window with occasional glimpses of the terrain we would soon hike. Lovely local Trail Angel, Janice, who I had met on the Florida Trail Facebook page, had volunteered to drive us the several miles to the Rice Creek Trailhead and we were soon hiking 2 miles to the Rice Creek “Hilton” Shelter,arriving shortly before sunset.

It was a great 2 story shelter with a convenient screened in dining area, a great bonus because of the numerous pesky skeeters. It felt wonderful to be the recipient of much human kindness over the past 2 days and to be wrapped up in my comfy quilt  and sheltered by my trusty tent again. 2+ miles today!

Day 3

The trail traversed lush jungle and a swampy environment to begin the day. Mosquitoes were plentiful and I soon regretted my decision to not bring my head-net, though it was bearable if you kept moving. No mountains to climb here in Florida so we were able to keep a pretty good pace. There were fun boardwalks over really wet areas until we crossed State Rd 20 and reached a flooded ditch. We tried walking up the road a ways to circumvent the water but were eventually forced to remove shoes and socks and wade through.

At lunchtime we hopped over a fence to take advantage of some shade on an adjacent sandy road. It appeared that if we followed the road we would intersect with the trail again, but after about 1/2 mile came upon a long stretch of standing water and had to backtrack. After midday, we began to experience the forecast record breaking heat and had to rest under a shade tree along the the road approaching Buckman Lock. It was definitely a scorcher! It became confusing which way the trail went as we approached the Lock with its many serious “No Trespassing” signs. We eventually reached the lock without threat of arrest and were greeted by the Lock attendant who closed the lock and escorted us across, then unlocked a gate for us to exit the area.

We briefly stopped at the pleasant St Johns South Campsite and received trail magic bottled water from the only camper in residence. The remainder of the day was a pleasant shady 5 mile walk along the canal. Our campsite for evening was at the luxurious Rodman Campground with picnic table, flush toilets, and welcome hot showers. 15.3 miles today!

Day 4

The hike today started out with a walk along scenic Kirkpatrick Dam Rd and some interesting birds were spotted as well as numerous fishermen and women trying their luck. The trail eventually took a sharp turn along the the Rodman Resevoir and officially entered Ocala National Forest.

The trail passed through both Pine and Oak forest and was very pleasant, though the temperature quickly soared and we were again forced to take frequent and welcome breaks.

Our destination today was the infamous 88 Store, a local honky-tonk and trail oasis.

We had sent food resupply boxes here, so intended to take advantage of the owners generous offer to camp for free out back. Some interesting characters were in attendance at the bar and I enjoyed chatting with some fellow hikers. who I named Mr & Mrs Solar since he was in the solar energy business. Another shower was available for a $5 fee. I was glad to pay for that luxury and support this hiker friendly business. 15.6+ miles today!

Day 5

Some 4-wheelers zipped by the campsite after I retired to my tent last night and it was a bit noisy up at the the bar, but eventually all quieted down and good sleep was to be had. For some reason I felt a bit discombobulated this morning and had trouble getting going. I told Red Beard to go ahead since he was ready to go, and I’d catch up later. I wasn’t paying attention to where he picked up the trail and thought I was following him up a sandy track from our campsite. After not seeing any orange blazes and a quick check on the Guthooks app, I realized I was off trail. After backtracking, then my slow pace and frequent breaks, I never did catch up to Red Beard until reaching our destination that evening. Passing through scrub oak and pine habitat I spotted noisy flocks of the endangered Florida Scrub Blue Jay. They were easily recognizable as Blue Jays but without the typical crest. I stopped for lunch at a bench at the intersection of the side trail to Salt Springs. I was trialing some hiker recommended Altra Lone Peak trail runners on this trip and though they had been comfortable day hiking, were not working out for long distance hiking and carrying a loaded backpack. Though I didn’t feel them, I developed 3 large blisters on my toes, one underneath a toenail which  I was obviously going to lose. Some quick blister surgery and judicious taping and I was ready for some of my favorite parts of the hike, as the trail passed through Hopkins Prairie.

I have always associated the prairie environment with the Midwest but was so impressed by the beauty of the Florida Prairies.

I saw 2 large stunning birds resembling Herons but with red heads. Red Beard later told me they were probably Sandhill Cranes. Our campsite tonight was the National Forest Hopkins Prairie Campsite and I witnessed a nice sunset over the adjacent lake before retiring for the evening. 14.2 miles today!

Day 6

Finally the heat had abated slightly and the hiking was pleasant today. One of the highlights of today was a nice long stop at the popular Hidden Pond. We had been crossing paths over the last few days with a couple of young guys out for a section hike. Red Beard dubbed them the Bumblebees since they both wore yellow shirts. The Bumblebees were also taking a break at Hidden Pond and took a swim in the clear and cool pond.

Our next stop was Juniper Springs where we had hoped to get a campsite but it was full on account of it being MLK weekend. We did stop at the camp store and I enjoyed a huge bag of salty potato chips and big bottle of ginger ale, foods I rarely eat in every day life. Forgot how much I crave salty foods when long distance hiking. Our packs were really heavy as we left Juniper Springs on account of a big water carry. We were able to find a stealth site next to a swampy pond. Red Beard started a small fire to keep the mosquitoes at bay while we cooked and ate dinner. It was a little disconcerting to see the huge number of bear turds around our selected campsite, though both of us were using bear canisters and set them a good distance away from our tent sites. 12.8 miles today!

Day 7

Lovely day again passing through Farles Prairie and around several lakes. We caught up with the Bumblebees at the Farles Prairie recreation site and took a break with them at the canoe launch site.

We made plans to try to camp at Alexander Springs since a phone call revealed vacancies even though MLK day. Really cold weather forecast for tonight probably causing some cancellations. We were able to secure the last campsite upon arrival at Alexander Springs and were offered a trail magic ride to the Springs and camp store in the back of a pick up truck. After enjoying another chips and soda snack, I decided to take a dip in these beautiful Springs. The water was so clear and refreshing. Evidently the water stays 72° year round.

Red Beard introduced me to some thru hikers he had just met and asked if I minded if we shared our campsite with them. Carter was a young veteran who had also hiked the AT and told us of his acceptance to hike the Continental Divide Trail this year with the Warrior Hike group, a veteran hiking group that helps soldiers walk off their war experiences. His lovely hiking partner, Lotta was from Sweden. They were a super nice couple and we enjoyed conversation and some laughs. 15.5 miles today!

Day 8

What a change in weather! It was cold this morning! The best solution for beating the cold is to start hiking, so that is what we did. The day did warm up and was quite pleasant with lots of boardwalk hiking.

We planned a short day today since we would reach the southern end of Ocala National Forest and the opportunity to go into the small village of Paisley. We needed to resupply and Carter and Lotta had recommended that we stop at the Italian Restaurant just off the trail. Clearwater Lake campground was very pleasant although we were assigned the furthest campsite from the entrance in the nearly empty campground. It was very scenic on the lake.

After setting up camp, we hiked about 2 miles into town and worked up quite an appetite for some restaurant food. I had a humongous plate of eggplant parmigiana that despite hiker hunger kicking in, I couldn’t finish. The waitress packaged up the leftovers and I thought I’d eat it for breakfast. We had another mile to walk to a laundromat since we planned on wearing every article of clothing for tonights cold weather and our clothes were less than fresh after all the hot weather of the last few days. One more stop for some resupply and some hand warmers at a hikers favorite store, The Dollar General, then the 2 mile hike in the dark back to our campsite. Forget saving the leftovers for breakfast, I ate it all before going to bed! Low trail miles today but we more than made up for it walking into town. 10.1+ miles today!

Day 9

I heard something that sounded really big rustling around our campsite last night and morning light revealed a hog had been rooting around the perimeter. We had decided not to push for an early start since it was going to be really cold. The hot chocolate mix I had bought yesterday to add to my coffee was delicious and very warming. We exited Ocala NF and crossed some farm fields and then a Boy Scout Camp before entering Seminole State Forest. We had been told a few days ago by a hiker we had named Preacher that we would have some sandy forest road walking today, and sure enough he was right. It wasn’t nearly as bad as he had made it out to be though. We saw more homes and farms today, though no traffic on the forest roads. We also passed through a controlled burn area that was obviously recent as you could still smell the faint smell of smoke.

Sulphur Springs campsite was a rustic campsite with a fire ring and picnic table and though you would not expect clear, delicious water from a spring called Sulphur Spring, it was the best water of the hike.    15 miles today!

Day 10

It was cold this morning, I think just above freezing at 33°. No time to dawdle this morning, so I pushed off before Red Beard to try and warm up. My hand warmers still had a little heat, so I had my hands looped through my trekking pole straps and clutched the warmers in my pockets, head down and hiked on. After about 5 minutes I heard a lot of clatter to my left and as I looked up, saw the rear end of a bear as it quickly ambled off into the woods. There had been so much bear scat evidence in the area but this was my first and only sighting! Always an extra special treat to see some wildlife! Red Beard caught up to me when I stopped at the beautiful canoe launch at Blackwater Creek.

A few more miles and we reached a three sided shelter similar to those found on the AT. We eventually exited the Wekiva Preserve and began my least favorite part of the trip, a walk across the huge construction site of a new bridge. Lots of traffic and noise. Fortunately the trail then took a turn and we followed the Seminole-Wekiva Bike Trail through a residential area. It never warmed up enough today to take off my puffy jacket or leggings, so unexpected for Florida. Although we had intended to walk 3 more miles to Lake Mary Blvd, when we reached the Publix supermarket we decided to call it done. There were no budget lodging options further on, so enjoyed lunch from the deli counter and Ubered over to a Budget Inn. This was a fantastic hike and I so enjoyed seeing another part of Florida that I was unaware existed. Definitely think I want to hike some more on the Florida Trail and if a thru hike didn’t involve some swamp hiking might consider that possibility. Will have to do some more research on that. I also really enjoyed Red Beard’s company and am eagerly looking forward to following he and his daughter’s Pacific Crest Trail thru hike in a couple of months. 13 miles today!

Day 11-14

More train and bus travel to spend my remaining time in Florida visiting my brother and sister-in-law in Naples. No time for rest yet:  Andy and I took a 9 mile bike ride in Seminole Collier State Park, a long beach walk on Marco Island, and then we all bumped in to my musician friends, Tim and Rebecca who are The Nouveaux Honkies and just happened to be playing at, of all places, a local Chili Fest.

A fantastic New Orleans style band called Buckwheat Zydeco were up after them. Listening to their outstanding music and I began to feel that familiar itch in my feet again and couldn’t help but let some of  that good feeling and energy accumulated over the last 2 weeks out, by doing a little booty shaking with the crowd. Life is a great adventure! Keep on hiking and dancing my friends!😁