Day 1, Saturday Dec 3, 2022

Southern Terminus to pine island campsite - 11.6 miles hiked.


What a day!  I got an early start, getting picked up at the hostel I stayed at in Miami around 6:45, and driven to the  Big Cypress  National Preserve Oasis Visitor Center and southern terminus of the Florida Trail, arriving at 8 am.  After dropping off my permit, I headed north on the trail, just ahead of two other hikers setting out about 30 minutes behind me.  The weather was perfect and I was on my way.

Having watched multiple videos on the FT, I pretty much knew what to expect.  Lots of slogging through ankle to thigh deep water as the trail winds its way through the swamp.  I was not disappointed.  Although there were short sections of the trail that were dry, most of this section was under water.  Unlike the AT, where the mud was often sticky and slippery,  the water was clear and cool, and the limestone base was much more secure than I expected.  That said, the going was still slow, as  pushing through water made my pace significantly less than ideal.  I still managed to step in a few holes in the limestone, and pitch myself into the water more than once.  My shoe and socks were constantly wet, but so far, no discomfort.

By noon I had reached the 7 mile camp (basically just a picnic table in a high spot on the trail), where I stopped for lunch.  PB&J on a tortilla, my standard for hiking lunch.   I was feeling pretty good about my progress and planned to hike past my planned stopping point for the day, the 10 mile camp, and look for a spot a few miles further on.  

After eating, I pressed on, marveling at the wildlife I saw.  Lots of herons, egrets, and other birds.  Only one water snake so far, and he was in a hurry to get away from me.  No gator  sightings.  I ran into a volunteer trail crew from the Florida Trail Association (FTA) who were diligently clearing an overgrown section of trail.

I hit 10 mile camp about 3:30 and felt like I had another few miles in me.  The section beyond the camp was a bit more tricky, with many more solution holes in the limestone and the water a little murkier.  I struggled though for another hour, but as soon as I passed another high and relatively dry spot, I stopped for the night.

Stripping off my shoes and socks, my feet finally were able to breathe.  After an hour or so while I pitched my tent and ate, they now resemble human feet instead of unrecognizable wrinkled masses of sausage.  I have fresh socks for the morning so we’ll see how they do for another day.

Tomorrow is supposed to be more of the same, so I’ll only plan to go another 11 or so miles again.  We’ll see how it goes.

Until next time…







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