Starting The Florida Trail (ECT Day 14) – The Trek

“Sitting under the cypress tree, I saw a miracle flying high.

I tuned into the song that she was singing.

The melody was an honest friend and it felt like I was learning to fly.

But I fear I’ll never know the feelin’.

It must be nice. (It must feel good.)

Advertisement

To just be heard.

And it might sound a bit absurd.

I’d sing along with the birds.

I’d sing along if I only knew the words.

I’d sing along with the birds, if I only knew the words…

Advertisement

I’d master every verse until my spirit learned to burst.

Into the morning sun.

While my heart is on the run.” 

– from “Gild the Lily” by Billy Strings,

A Little Recap

Thanks everyone for finding your way to the site! If you’re new here, my trail name is Stevie Wonder and I’m about two weeks in on the Eastern Continental Trail (ECT). After walking the Florida Keys, a few brave companions and I just finished an alternate route I came up. We spent seven days navigating the waters of the Everglades, which brought me up to Highway 41 at the Turner River Launch.

Next up is a 15 mile road walk (the top purple line above) to reconnect with the official ECT route and the start of the Florida Trail!

Turner River Launch to 7 Mile Camp 

• Hiked Today: 21.9 miles (15 Stevie ECT Alternate, 6.9 Florida Trail)
• Total Hiked: 187.6 miles
• Total Paddled: 99.5 miles

The motel stay was a treat and needed for all of us I’d say. We kept our routine from the waterway trip and got up early. And, like then, dad was first up to make coffee and start making breakfast. There was a small grocery store right next to us, and he was inspired to give me a bacon and eggs send off!

After breakfast, I commenced to “town” tasks… organizing my food (I had pre-packed a box for them to bring me), looking at the trail ahead, and generally just thinking through what’s going in my pack with me. Dad kindly helped out by doing a round of laundry, which was down the road a mile or so.

Organized chaos

We were quite efficient with all our tasks and after packing up, went to pick up my laundry down the road around 9:00am or so. Then, it was a short drive over to the Turner River Launch where I’d ended my day yesterday.

After some thanks yous and goodbyes and hugs, the Everglades team split… dad and Don turned right to head towards Naples and start their long drive north. Me, I started walking to the left (east) towards the Big Cypress National Preserve’s Oasis Visitor Center!

Safe waters Sally and Karl… Safe travels Don and Dave!

To those of kean eye and an observant stature, you may have picked up that I have a new hat! Indeed, on the last full day of kayaking, I found it floating in the water. Just out there by its lonesome. I assume one of the fish folk zooming in their super speed boats lost it from the wind, despite it’s nice drawstring. In pristine condition, I felt it would serve me nicely up trail. At first I’ll admit that I was nervous of some Everglades water fleas or something having made a home. Thus, at the motel, I washed with dish soap. That ought to sanitize it, right???

The 49-Gator Road Walk

I wasn’t looking forward to this road walk along 41. It’s pretty busy and vehicles are moving quick. There’s also a lot of semi trucks that use it, I found out. They’re the worst for road walks, although the big pickup trucks with the dual tires always seem to want to speed up right when passing… they might take it for the literal worst!

The shoulder was pretty good throughout today, but I was a little hesitant to walk too much in the grass unless I was really looking ahead in case of snakes. Parallel to the road the entire way is a canal. I spotted 49 alligators in and along the banks of that canal today. No exaggeration. And if I’d started looking and counting sooner, there’d be more. Plus, I wasn’t always on my game, for long stretches when no cars were, coming I was perusing on my phone.

Gator 36 was eating a bird when I saw it. That was a scene. And gator 40 has put leaves on its back to camouflage itself (I assume).

Gator #40

Most stayed out just basking in the sun or floating about, but some thrashed into the water all in a big kerfuffle. Some slid into the water slow and gracefully.

“Pohoan Checkish” – ” Just leave us alone.” What a rosy depiction of the government, I thought reading this sign. They left out all the prior history of them pushing the Seminoles out and to near extinction 🙁 Signage can be very bad.

First trail magic (that wasn’t from my own family at least)!!! Two roadside electric workers saw me, pulled over, and got these cold drinks out of their cooler for me. Best Gatorade I’ve ever had I think.

Nearing the visitor center, I was on the phone chatting with my mother, but also I really wanted to find gator #50! Alas, I failed. And I shan’t fib to y’all about it, you get the truth here haha.

Starting the Florida Trail!

I got to the visitor center at 2:40 pm and went inside. Ranger Caroline (I think that was her name) was a huge help and we chatted about working and living the seasonal life. She helped me write out the permit and I bought a coke too. I finally got that coke! After a little wandering about, filling up water, and downing my drink, I got my southern terminus of the Florida Trail (FT) selfie…

Let’s Go!

Foreshadowing???

Let the orange spray paint blazes begin.

It took 0.8 miles until I stopped dodging puddles and started walking right through them. They were just puddles though for a while. The first 30 miles on this trail are kind of infamous for being a very difficult swamp walk!

One of the many unique things about this area is that often just under the mucky soil and sometimes above, is limestone. It had solution holes and is bumpy too, which is neat, but makes walking difficult…

Another very prevalent feature are the cypress trees (who would think in Big Cypress National Preserve)…

Some had brown needles, hope that’s not a bad sign of something. There would be prescribed burned areas ahead, but that wasn’t this.

And, what I believed were longleaf pines, but I think are actually slash pines…

Baby Dr. Seuss’esque slash pine

The pinelands were where it was typically driest and the cypress where wettest. That’s my amateur anecdotal observation anyways. I got in only one spot today where it was wading through consistent water. This was, of course, my favorite part!

Still not very deep, and it was a short stint wading today.

Advertisement

I made it 7-miles on the FT and thought it was quite pleasant. It’s all super interesting to me, especially going in and out of different landscapes based on such tiny differences in water level.

I was taken aback by my sweet campsite too. It was amazing! Located in one of the dry pinelands areas, there was palmetto (spikey looking plant) all about. They seem to have mowed it down around the camp though.

It felt like I was on a thru-hike again (kayaking was unbelievable, but a different feel for sure)… actually single-track trail and a campsite.

And there you go, nothing bad about this whole swamping business… Well, I made have been a bit scant and skimmed over just how muddy and mucky it really was. Just wait for tomorrow’s post 🙂 As a teaser, here’s when I took my shoes off…

Silty sand had been sucked up like a vacuum caking itself to the insides of my shoes and socks and toes. I tried to clean out as best I could, but already I’ve got two new small blisters. Eek.

As always, I’ll try to follow my hero Lieutenant Dan’s orders (Forest Gump):

“One, take good care of your feet. Two, try not to do anything stupid, like getting yourself killed.” 

Album of Day: “Notes From the Archive: Recordings 2011-2016” by Maggie Rogers