brando foto

After our week of wandering around Kentucky, Maurin and I hiked a portion of the Florida Trail in the Ocala National Forest. Below are my journal entries and photos.

Fortunately, my parents live only 1/2 hour from the trailhead at Clearwater Lake Recreation Area. Our departure day was a last minute decision so we ended up arriving just as the sun was setting.

The first night the moon was full and bright and we were just biding our time till morning, so I showed Maurin how to spot wolf spiders with a flashlight.

Day 1

We hiked for maybe 7 or 8 hours until reaching Alexander Springs where there is a designated swimming area. The spring water is crystal clear and is a frigid 72 degrees year round which was perfect. We swam for awhile then I washed the sweat out of the clothes I wore that day.

I’m exhausted and want to sleep so these are the things that happened today:
- Maurin and I hiked 10 miles.
- She held a tiny frog (she’s working her way up).
- We saw scrubland, swamps, mini jungles, forests.
- Chiggers like Maurin.
- We both almost passed out a couple times.
- We lost the Florida Trail a few times.
- I got a rash on my butt
- We went swimming in a spring fed pool (Maurin can’t swim underwater).
- We saw a coachwhip
- I made rice and couscous over the fire.
- We saw an armadillo sniffing around our camp.
- It’s October but it feels like July.

One of Maurin’s objectives on this hike was to get over being weirded out by bugs so occasionally we’d stop and I’d try to get her to hold something in her hand. She’ll consider frogs but not roaches.

Day 2

Just woke up about an hour ago. Maurin saw a big deer so I went to the tent to grab my glasses (which were in my boot) and bent them taking them out. Our clothesline didn’t work because it has evidently been drizzling all night. I slept pretty good but woke up occasionally to the sound of animals near the tent.

We’re at Alexander Springs so we are going to shower before leaving. I soaked kidney beans overnight in my water bottle. They’re ready but don’t taste good cold.

Our one pot was occupied so I needed another way to soak the beans overnight so I put them in one of our water bottles that has a wide mouth. In the morning they had expanded but were still loose and would have poured out fine. However I made the mistake of emptying the water and letting them sit for about 5 minutes before dumping them out. I ended up having to chisel them out with the end of our spatula/stirrer/utensil/thing.

We got a late start because none of our clothing has dried. It seemed like it was drizzling on the tent but it turns out to be just the fog dripping of the trees around us. Neither of us have bathing suits so I got in the spring in my shorts and Maurin in her underwear which meant we had a slew of wet clothing.

There was leftover couscous that we left out in the pot. After we ate that for breakfast, I cooked the kidney beans. Initially I thought they just needed to be heated but they were still gross then. I let them cook for maybe 40 minutes on the fire before they tasted right. I knew beforehand that kidney beans make me real gassy but figured it wouldn’t matter since we would be in the woods all day.

My friends Colin and Lisa gave me a bunch of very original spices that I took in empty 35mm film canisters. We used them with everything, specifically the “Vulcan Fire Salt” that we became addicted to before we left Chicago.

The hike starts ok though I felt a little sick in my stomach before leaving. The first hour or so we go through some beautiful but thick pine forests. You can stand on top of a hill and see clearly for 1/2 mile. However that ends soon and we’re back in the god awful scrubs. The brush is so thick that it seems many animals use the trail as evidenced by what seemed to be deer crap about every 200 feet. I’m guessing it’s deer due to it’s size and the occurrence of acorns.

These scrubby areas are pretty ugly. Each time we hit one I keep hoping for it’s end. It’s mostly extremely dense, low lying vegetation, palm fronds with the occasional dead pine tree that’s been stripped of all it’s bark. The Florida Trail itself doesn’t appear to get more than a yearly maintenance at best. We spend probably 25 percent of our time trying to navigate around, over, under or through trees that have fallen onto the path. In the forested areas this isn’t usually bad but in most areas you cannot go around.

So far we haven’t really seen many animals, however at one point we came across a group of huge birds. A couple of them flew off but most of them just ran down the path where we caught up with them later. Shortly after that we spotted what appeared to be bear prints which really freaked Maurin out. I took pictures of them in a couple different spots so I could identify them later. We walk maybe 100 more feet down the trail and come across a huge pile of crap, not like the stuff we’ve been seeing but from something way bigger. I poke it with a stick and it seems 1/2 a day old but I tell Maurin it’s older. We get our bear bells ringing and continue.

Maybe 1/2 hour later we’re crossing over a downed tree and this intense smell comes over us. I start to get scared because I sense that maybe this bear is actually nearby. I encourage Maurin to just keep moving though I’m actually pretty nervous. I’d heard several different people say that bears smell like wet dog and this was pretty close. Whether or not it really was a bear we’ll never know but we were certainly scared like it was.

I didn’t label the tracks because I’m no expert and I don’t want to contribute to internet misinformation. However, knowing the area it’s likely the first ones were made by a black bear; we saw tracks identical to these in three separate locations. As for the cat tracks they’re either bobcats or the Florida Panther. There is so much info on bear safety and “don’t forget, you’re in bear country” signs but I think I’d rather encounter a bear than a panther. I found out later the birds we were following were wild turkeys. They can actually fly into the top of a tree and look back at you disapprovingly.

So we keep going knowing that there are two campgrounds we could possibly hit; Buck Lake or Farles Lake. We arrive at the “intersection” for Buck Lake and there’s a sign that says:

“Attention Florida Trail Hikers – Buck Lake is reservation only!”

So I call the reservation hotline and of course they’re full so, we cotinue on to Farles Lake Campground. Since we started late the sun is goin down on us now. We’re hiking so fast I’m practically eating banana spiders. I’d say most of the day was spent in ugly scrubs so unfortunately, these woods were some of the best we had all day.

Then we arrive.

Farles Lake – what a piece of crap campground. This makes Big Foot Beach Wisconsin look nice. The campground straddles a clay forest road. 1 1/2 acres on the North side where Farles Lake is and 1 1/2 acres on the South side where the “campsites” are. The most prominent signs says “FEE AREA” and there are a couple bathrooms and a manual water pump. The waterpump turns out to be the only useful thing here; the bathroom is a glorified portojon, the mens room had a huge spider web connecting the “toilet” to the wall with an enormous insect carcass in it. I checked the “ladies” for Maurin’s sake and honestly thought I’d find a dead body. No body. The clincher was in the signs:

“NO CAMPING APRIL – NOVEMBER”
“NO OVERNIGHT CAMPING”

These are things that weren’t posted on either the Florida Trail or the Ocala National Forest websites and poses an unpleasant surprise to through hikers. At this point we’ve hiked maybe 10 miles, Maurin won’t move until I decide what to do and the sun will be gone in an hour. The solution of course – guerrilla camp. After Kentucky I realized I do not like doing this but we had no other choice. I chose a spot in the corner under some trees that was as hidden from the road as possible though if you knew where to look you’d spot our “not camouflage green” tent. So I finally find a use for my leatherman. I cut about 20 green palm fronds off and make something of a forest veneer. I start a fire but then realized I was so stressed out I wasn’t even hungry; same with Maurin, so I put it out. Just as soon as the sun went down we went to sleep – well we laid down at least. A couple people came by to use the well and they probably didn’t see the tent but it still had me a little paranoid. Neither of us slept well. Maurin was concerned about a Forest Ranger coming by but I was more worried we’d have some local rednecks pay us a visit. I’d had that exact thing happen when camping as a kid so I guess I get a little freaked out mainly because we’re technically not supposed to be there.

I woke up at least once an hour, each time startled at the shadow cast by the full moon over the palm fronds on the side of our tent. Initially it freaked me out because we’d fallen asleep before the moon had come up. When I saw how bright the tent was inside I thought someone’s headlights were pointed at us. After I saw it was just the moon it put me at ease temporarily. Each time I woke up I could estimate how much time had lapsed by the length of the shadows as I knew it represented the position of the moon above us. However at one point I woke up from a dream where someone was telling me that at this particular moment I would love the moon and the stars. I actually started to leave the tent before I fully realized it was a dream.

Day 3

So I get up at 5am and leave the tent thinking that we’ve got to pack up and get out of there before traffic builds on the road or before the park rangers make their rounds. Judging by the moon and the mosquitoes it will be another hour or 2 before sunrise so I lay back down. After getting back out of the tent at the first sign of dawn I take our packs out of the tree and wake up Maurin. We start packing our things and there’s not a soul around except the occasional pickup truck or dump truck. Then out of nowhere there’s this guy. From seemingly nowhere he sort of casually strolls over to the bathroom where he spends a few minutes then just walks back down the road from where he came. I’m trying to think of all the scenarios that would put him there but nothing really adds up.

So finally we get all packed up, load up on water and hit the trail again. According to my map we were to go through Farles Prairie but before that we spent an hour in an area that had a recent controlled burn. The new growth had already started creating an eerie contrast of black and green. Unfortunately this would be the highlight of our day. Farles Prairie is not scenic or beautiful. It is hot, ugly and barren. Maurin and I at separate times both commented that it felt as if we were going in circles, probably because the scenery was boring and ugly for so many hours.

Considering we left early it put us in the middle of the prairie in the middle of the day which really killed us. We stopped at one point and ate some trail mix but other than that we hadn’t had an actual meal since the morning before. Between the stress and the desire to just press on we were starving ourselves but not really feeling it yet.

After about 5 hours of hiking we were starting to lose it. There was a point where I was so out of it that I felt I could black out any minute. I was losing the ability to concentrate and was starting to stumble from not lifting my feet all the way off the ground. I knew that it was careless but I just wanted to “get there” and be done hiking today. I could have stepped on a rattlesnake without even seeing it.

We purpose to stop and rest and Maurin is freaking out over the flies. This whole trip we have just been haunted by flies all day and it was really driving us both mad. She also points out that I am covered in chiggers. For some reason I lift up my shirt and Maurin notices there’s a tick on my stomach. He was skinny so he didn’t get me however I had two big bites where he was trying to latch on.

So on top of being dizzy from the hunger and the heat, being sweaty and filthy, physically and mentally exhausted, now we’re covered in parasitic insects. This trip is no longer fun. Most of the trail is ugly, the viable areas to camp outside of actual “recreational areas” are very slim due to the brush like terrain. Evidently some recreation areas aren’t even available anyways and I really just want a hot soapy shower.

After another hour we get to SR40 and Maurin is in a fit. She dumps her pack in frustration and sits. So we take a break.

Then we start again. There is a sign:

“Juniper Springs – 1 mile.”

I think it was more like 3 but then again I hiked it feeling like I was about to die the whole time.

When we arrived at Juniper Springs Recreation Area I was a little delirious and Maurin was in lower spirits than I’ve ever seen her. The very last part of our hike was in an area that had been cleared of all its trees due to the hurricane season from a few years ago so there was absolutely no shade. We were on our last drop of water and my stomach felt like a clenched fist soaked in battery acid. I knew that with what we had it would take at least an hour of preparation before we could eat anything so instead we headed straight for the little on site convenience store where they rent out canoes and sell snacks. I had two GatorAdes, a bag of Snyders Pretzels and Maurin had a GatorAde, Hot Potato Chips and an ice cream sandwich.

We camped there that night and it felt great knowing we’d be leaving the forest the next day.