Month: January 2023

Cooler temperatures make the final day on the Herbert Hoover Dike very pleasant. But a worsening blister on my right foot is becoming very unpleasant.

Cool Weather

I pack up and leave well before anyone else in the park is even awake. It is late by my standards at nearly 7:30. But apparently early for the RV Resort crowd.

I have to hike nearly half a mile back to the trail. But this time there is far less traffic on the road. I can also take the time to see the things that I missed in the dark last night.

As I get back up to the trail, the wind picks up because I’m at the top of the dike now. The Dyke acts like a funnel making the wind much stronger than down on flat ground.

And it is more noticeable today because the temperature is much cooler. I knew what was going to be cooler but I decided to wear my shorts anyway. I do not regret the decision.

There isn’t a cloud in the sky so the sun will be strong. At some point soon I’m going to have to stop and apply sunscreen. But for now I just like a long basking in nature.

More Road Walks

Within just a few miles I can see construction up ahead. I start to get a thinking feeling that I’m going to be stopped and have to turn around and road walk.

I consult the app at the structure that is ahead of me. And indeed the dike is closed for construction at this point. But the good news is there is a bridge right nearby so I won’t have to backtrack.

It takes a while to find a place where I can descend from the dike down to the road. It is a very weedy slope, but there is a section that has been mowed for a pipe to go down the slope to the canal.

This road walk looks like it’s on a small road and not the highway. That would be very nice. The road winds through a series of RV parks and trailer parks. It ends at a convenience store right on the highway. Then a bridge on the highway takes me back to the trail.

I am already hungry by the time I reach the convenience store, so I stop and grab an egg salad sandwich and an ice cream cone sandwich. I doubled them both down while I’m walking.

More Dike Walking

The dike here is not paved on the top. He is just double track lime rock. But it is still easy hiking.

The area surrounding the dike here seems more remote than further south. There is far more marsh between the dike and the actual lake. And there seems to be far more land between the dike and the highway that I can see off into the distance but barely hear.

I stopped for a quick break to adjust things in the pack, and I noticed that there is a hiker about a mile behind me. Oh my goodness another hiker finally.

I keep going but I turn around frequently to make sure they are still there. Oddly, I seem to be pulling away from them instead of letting them catch up.

Within an hour I can no longer see them. Maybe they were just a local person out for a walk and not a hiker. What a letdown.

There are many boaters on the canal bass fishing. I can probably see one or two boats the entire time I am on this section of dykes. Just as one boat leaves, I can see another one approaching.

Blisters

I definitely have a blister on my right foot. It is warm and hot and painful while I’m walking. It is on my right foot. And it hurts exactly where my foot hurt as I was exiting the Everglades heading to the rest area on I-75.

I think this blister started to form way back then. I can see a white section where I know the skin is delaminating. But it is very deep and not likely to burst the roof of the skin.

But that doesn’t mean it’s not painful and that doesn’t mean it’s not going to get worse. I have been using socks that I don’t normally hike in so I am guessing that is also one of the contributing factors. I switched to an older pair before setting out this morning hoping that will improve things.

I have been wearing thinner socks but I think I need to switch to a thicker sock tomorrow. I will give this older sock more time for the rest of today. But I do try and stop and dry my feet out at least every 2 hours.

Blister is right under the center of the ball of my foot. All of the blister treatments I have with me right now are ineffective for this kind of blister. It is also the first time I have ever gotten this type of blister. I am used to blisters on the toes and heel.

these shoes also have an odd opening. Instead of the really thick padding at the top of most shoes, this one is just thin stretchy material. They are comfortable but it also means they are a magnet for rocks. I really wish I had my gaiters now that I am walking on lime rock.

Head to Another Town

The campsite I was planning on staying at is only a mile from the end of this section of trail. When I get there, it is one of the best campsites I have seen on the dikes. It has a very large camping area about the size of a football field. A covered picnic table is at the edge.

I am beginning to worry about the blister so I think I need to go into town to see what I can get for treatment. It would be nice to get some alcohol to dry out my feet. And some padded insoles might actually help relieve the pressure.

The shoes I brought for this trip are also shoes that I do not normally hike in. These are slightly lighter in weight but also have less cushioning in the soles. At some point I might want to trade out shoes again. But the main reason I brought these shoes is that they are white. Gilligan wears white shoes.

I still have plenty of daylight so I go ahead and hike the extra mile to the boat ramp where I can call an Uber to get into Okeechobee. There are a dozen hotels in town so I should not have a hard time finding one.

The main stores in town are Walmart, Publix, and Winn-Dixie. The Best Western is right next to Publix so I decide to pick that one.

It is dark by the time the Uber driver arrived and she has a little bit of trouble finding me in the very large park. I found out after I start riding with her that she doesn’t use the Uber navigation but uses Google maps instead. The Uber navigation shows me as a blue dot and would have prevented her confusion.

I check in, take a shower, and immediately head out for dinner. I am actually going to check out the Publix deli first to see if I can grab something simple. But when I get there there’s a huge line in the deli.

Next up is a Mexican restaurant right next door. It looks good, so I go ahead and stop in there. I ordered fish tacos which actually smell like fish. They were not the best tacos I have had. The refried beans were also not very good. For me to not eat refried beans is a rare thing. The yellow rice was good, however.

The third option was a Chinese restaurant a few doors further down. I go ahead and peek at it just to see what I missed. It was one of those giant buffet places and actually looked pretty good. I wish I had eaten there instead. Oh well, at least I am full.

Emotion of the Day

Today I think I need to pick concern. This blister is not really slowing me down, but it is causing quite a bit of pain.

If I keep hiking on it without changing anything, it is not likely to get any better. I am concerned that it might actually get worse.

The next few days are in pretty remote country isolated from any major towns. If the blister gets worse fast enough, I may not be able to get any assistance. There will definitely be no Ubers where I am going. There aren’t even gas stations.

So I will spend the morning going to Publix or any other store in town to see if I can get something that might help. I will probably buy a combination of things, just so that I have options once I am out on the trail. That might alleviate my concern.

I might as well not carry food around lake Okeechobee. So far every 12 miles has been a town with great food. I am just carrying dead weight.

Leaving Clewiston

The traffic was not as loud last night, so I slept better than the night before. Either that or I was more tired or more used to it.

It did not take long to pack everything up and head out to breakfast. I ate at common grounds again because it is on the way out of town and I enjoyed the coffee. I had an omelet and an Americano this morning, both delicious.

The walk back to the trail was cool and breezy. I am not sure I saw a single blaze within the town of Clewiston. Having an app with GPS coordinates definitely makes it easier to navigate.

Back in the day when all I had was a description via words and an out-of-date map, I was always getting lost. That problem has taken care of itself with technology.

Back the Trail

Back up on the embankment, the fog was obscuring many things that I would have liked to have seen. For instance I could hear the sugar Mill but I couldn’t see it. I like seeing things like that.

There were a few people walking on the trail on their morning walks. But still no other hikers yet.

It took several hours for the fog of to finally break. It was a fairly cloudy day so the sun was obscured somewhat, but I was wearing my long pants just in case. As it approached the noon hour I began to regret that decision. I was getting hot but the sun was still not terribly strong.

I did learn one thing today. I was unsure as to the proper nomenclature for what I was walking on. Is this a dike, a levee, a dam, or just an embankment? Since it is called the Herbert Hoover dike, the official term must be dike. It makes sense to me now, because I can see that the lake level and canal levels are about 8 ft different.

Arriving in Moore Haven

All of these towns are situated on outflows from lake Okeechobee. When you come to a town the trail breaks away from the lake and goes into town to a bridge across the outflow then back around to the trail again.

Approaching Moore Haven, there is a park which is essentially a boat ramp and bathrooms. I decide to duck in to refill water and switch to my shorts. Just having shade is so nice. I guess I am getting hotter than I think. This is not a good sign because I have a long road walk ahead of me.

The bridge over this river is a very long and elevated bridge. It has to be well over a half mile long. Which means that we have to hike a quarter mile to get onto it and another quarter mile to get off of it as well.

I was hoping to get good views once I hit the top of the bridge. But it was a little disappointing.

What was not disappointing was the Mexican grocery and grill the other side of the bridge. I didn’t need any supplies but I definitely needed some tacos. I ate behind the building in the cool shade and they were delicious. I felt rejuvenated now.

A Long Road Walk to Bypass Construction

The trail around the lake has been undergoing construction for the last several years. Road walking has been a common theme.

As best I can tell the next four miles is the only section that I will go through that is still under construction. It is replaced with a five mile road walk. The first two miles around a back road next to a sugarcane field.

The last 3 miles are on a high-speed 60 MPH highway. This part sucks. There is a guardrail on the side facing traffic which means I only have about 8 ft to the high-speed traffic. The good part is that the entire shoulder is paved.

I always walk facing traffic so that I can look at the drivers in their eyes to see if they are paying attention or not. These drivers are all good girls and boys. But some of them are going 80 plus.

I am getting pretty tired on this section, so I look for entrances sugar cane fields where I can get further away from the road and take quick breaks.

Walking on asphalt all the time it’s hard on your feet. The trailer around the lake is asphalt, so it’s not like the roadblock is any worse. But for some reason my feet are really bugging me today. I am wearing a different pair of socks so I think I’m going to switch to my usual pair tomorrow.

Once I make it back onto the trail, I feel great relief. Relief of not having to walk next to you crazy drivers. Relief of knowing I can stop and rest whenever I want. Relief of knowing I have an endless water supply 100 yd from me.

Let’s Make Camp

It is now about 4:30 when I get back on the trail. There is a campsite right nearby, but it is too early to stop. The campsite looks decent.

There is another one 3 mi ahead near a boat ramp. I should be able to get there in an hour. That would be a good time to stop.

I do take one break to take my shoes off and lay directly on the asphalt. It is not hot at all and in fact slightly cool so it feels good. I take my shoes off to let my feet air out somewhat.

An hour later when I get to the next campsite, I can see it from the trail. I can also see a ton of boaters. This looks more like a party spot than a campsite. There is also a no camping sign right out front.

The register in the app indicates that people have been camping here but it does not look very inviting to me. Let’s look further down the trail on the app. Only 3 miles away is another hotel. Let’s give them a ring.

I find out that they do have a room available for one night, so this is my new destination. It is an hour away and I have 30 minutes of daylight left. I can deal with 30 minutes of night hiking.

My pace is good. I use my watch to check and I’m doing 16 to 17 minutes per mile. Air conditioning motivation can make you hike quite quickly.

The only thing that makes section of trail unpleasant, is it every time it crosses a bridge the trail ends. You are basically just having to walk on the shoulder of the highway across these little creeks. It reminds me of the road walk.

In daylight, the bridges are not too bad, but after dark, it’s a little sketchy. I don’t need to hike with a light but I get it out anyway. Every time I come to a bridge, I shine it on the ground in a waving motion so that I am visible to the drivers. I also have reflective strips on both my pack and my hat.

There must have been at least a dozen of these little bridges on this last three mile stretch. When I get to the last one where the trail turns right at the hotel is straight, I can see that this is a long one.

It is now past 6:30 and fully dark. On the map, the place I am going looks like it’s just across the creek. But in reality I have to go well over a quarter mile along a guardrail to get to an opening that brings me back to the creek where the motel is. This is an extra half mile I was not expecting.

Air Conditioning

The place I am going to is actually an RV Resort that has a few hotel rooms. The Aruba RV Resort. They have a restaurant on site too. Sounds like a perfect stop.

After I check in take a shower I head over to the restaurant. It seems to be a combination of Mexican and Cuban. I like them both. I get a quesadilla with black beans and rice and plantains. A perfect combination.

A quick check of the map shows that I am 20 plus miles from the end of the Okeechobee Trail. This means that tomorrow night I am likely to be staying in a motel again. Am I hiking or touring? Both, I guess.

I was worn down coming into Moore Haven, and run down on the road walk. But other than that, I am in pretty good spirits.

But I keep eating food that I encounter along the way instead of eating the food that I am carrying. That is a love-hate relationship. I love fresh food. But I hate that I have been carrying extra food this far and will continue to carry it even further. One positive is that this restaurant is not open for breakfast. I think I will have a feast of my own just to eliminate food weight.

Emotion of the Day

Relief would definitely be today’s emotion.

Relief that I am out of Clewiston. Relief that I have air conditioning in the shower tonight. Relief that I have had three great meals today. Relief that I shouldn’t have any more road walks coming up soon. Relief that I will probably have a hotel tomorrow again. And relief that the clouds kept the Sun from grilling me like the past few days.

This should have been an easy day. And it was. But now I have more chores to do. I broke my umbrella.

Uber Loves Me

There is a coffee shop two blocks down the road that I wanted to try this morning. I had an Americano, two fried eggs, rye toast, and the first grits I’ve had in the last 2 years.

I have no way of weighing the pack, but I am guessing it weighed about 15 lb. I wish it could be this light all the time. But I always seem to fill it up with too much food, too much water, and too many cameras.

I called for an Uber and it said he was only 4 minutes away. 8 minutes later I see him drive right past the hotel and pull into the next one. The driver last night did the same thing. Maybe that’s a sign that I stayed at the wrong hotel.

It’s only a 10 minute ride out to the park where I was picked up last night, but road construction and traffic slowed us down a little bit. His English was not great, so there wasn’t much chit chat.

I wanted him to drop me off at the same picnic table where I was picked up yesterday, but he kept driving to the restroom areas. So technically I have now missed about a hundred feet of Trail. If the grass was not wet, I actually would have walked back to the picnic table just to pick up from the same spot. But I am not that much of a purist.

Get up to the Trail

They have been doing construction on the earthworks for the last five maybe even ten years. There are still no trespassing signs all over the place. But everyone in the app says that the workers say it’s fine.

I spot a worker at the top of the embankment just down from the park so I make a beeline straight for him so I can ask him for myself. He looked at me like I was an alien. He said the trail was open all the way to the Army Corps of Engineers headquarters which is where I am headed today.

I was exhilarated to be walking on a 12-ft wide paved path high above the lake and high above the highway. The wind was very strong and it was only about 8:30 in the morning so the sun was not yet hot. It was a magical morning.

The worker was driving a car the same direction I was, but I was moving twice as fast as he was. Within 30 minutes, I couldn’t even see him anymore.

I have been eagerly awaiting being able to get some drone footage along the lake. But just as I got far enough ahead of the worker, another crop duster showed up and started dusting a field right across the highway.

His turnaround maneuvers were right over my head. He was probably only 200 yards above me. I could see he was wearing a t-shirt and sunglasses.

The aeronautical engineer in me was excited to see his high G maneuvers and how the plane seemed to just squish through the air. The direction a plane is pointing isn’t always the direction it’s actually moving. And I could observe this as he was flying with his wings almost completely vertical over my head. He must get tired of doing that all day long.

I had to hike at least 2 miles before I was out of range of the plane. I then set up the drone to go through the sequence of maneuvers similar to the ones I have done in previous days.

It is much windier today than previous days, but the drone has no problem keeping a steady position. This truly is an amazing drone for so little money.

I begin to wonder about the nomenclature for the earthworks I am walking on. It is not a dike because there are not differing water levels on each side. I don’t think it’s a levee, because I don’t think it’s purpose is to prevent flooding of the city of Clewiston.

The level of lake Okeechobee does go up and down as they divert water into or out of it. So I am thinking technically it’s an earthen dam. But without knowing it’s true purpose, I will still just call it an embankment. Did I just put you to sleep?

The Miles Roll by

With so little weight on my back I am walking at least 3 miles an hour. My feet don’t hurt, my back doesn’t ache, and I am barely sweating because of the strong breeze. I still need the umbrella because the sun is still quite hot.

I come to the campsite that I was considering stopping at last night. It did indeed take me a full hour and a half even at my brisk pace. It would have been 7:45 or later if I had tried this last night.

I stopped at the picnic table to have a snack and check out the campsite. It is fairly level but does have a gentle slope towards the water. The shoreline has rocks piled against it which makes collecting water easy. I am assuming the other campsites around the lake will be nearly identical to this one.

After I leave the campsite, I have only five more miles back to town. The sun is getting even hotter so I have to be careful with orienting the umbrella to block it fully. The breeze is still keeping me cool but I can feel a little sunburned on the back of my arms.

About halfway back to town disaster strikes. I hear a loud crack and then the umbrella flops around my face like an octopus trying to eat me. Crap I have broken my umbrella.

The umbrella is a very important piece of gear. It not only serves as rain protection along with a jacket. But it is my primary means of sun protection. All of the sunscreens that I could find were large 8 oz bottles. Why don’t they sell it in one ounce bottles.

Without complete body coverings and sunscreen the umbrella is my primary sun protection. I inspect the umbrella and one of the main ribs has snapped in half. Luckily it is broken in the middle of the rib and not at the joint. It is possibly repairable.

I have two or three miles left to go on my walk back to town so I begin thinking of all the different ways I could repair the umbrella. Coat hanger is the first thing I think of. But a coat hanger will bend too easily. I have some tent pigs that are 90° bends of aluminum. They may be too big to securely hold the thin ribs of the umbrella.

But I also have the thin shepherds hook stakes which are about the same diameter as the ribs of the umbrella. Maybe one of those with some KT tape will be strong enough. Then I begin thinking is KT tape even strong enough. I miss not having gorilla tape with me on this trip.

On the way back I am looking for new places to eat breakfast. It is 1 mi from where the trail goes back to the lake to my hotel. I will probably just walk this again tomorrow instead of taking an Uber a whopping one mile. It might be nice to stop and eat along the way.

I don’t really find anything appealing but I do stop off again at the same Cuban restaurant I had dinner at yesterday. I grabbed a cuban and maduros to go. And I cannot resist getting a Cafe Con leche.

MacGyver Gets to Work

Once I get back to the hotel, priority One is another shower. I am hot and stinky.

After that, priority two is repairing the umbrella. I try the angled steak and it is indeed way too big to be effective. I start pulling off pieces of KT tape and taping up one of the stakes to the broken section. I just open and close it a few times and it looks like it is going to last quite a long time. I am relieved.

Now that I have figured out that the umbrella is serviceable but probably not as durable, I contact the manufacturer to see about repairs or replacement parts. It is the same manufacturer as my pack which has the broken sternum strap. So I might as well inquire about both pieces at the same time.

I need to know how long the lead time is to figure out where I would be as a mailing address for replacements. If it is just a few days I could get it as soon as River Ranch Resort. If it is longer than a week then I will have to wait till the Ocala National Forest unless I want to make another post office stop not on my schedule.

After several emails back and forth with the manufacturer, we find out what parts I need and they tell me the lead time is at least seven business days. Boo. It will be several weeks to my next box pickup location after River Ranch Resort. Let’s hope the tape holds.

More Chores

I still have to mail excess gear back to Karen, so I need to make another trip to the Walmart area where the post office is. I take inventory of my food and also make a shopping list for Walmart.

I am probably mailing back close to 1 lb of gear, so I am looking forward to a slightly lighter pack although not as light as today. At the Walmart I find all kinds of interesting things I’ve never had before, so I probably buy too much food.

But one thing I am excited about is finding a single stick of butter. It is Kerrygold garlic and Chive. The only problem is my peanut butter jar is now my cold soak jar. And I have several things that I have just bought that need to cold soak.

I go back to the peanut butter aisle to look for the smallest peanut butter I can find. What I end up finding is cinnamon toast spread. It is a 6 oz jar instead of an 8 oz jar so that is a win. But I am paying $3 for a product that I will immediately scoop out and throw away just to get the jar. Hiker problems.

Back at the hotel there are still more chores. I still have to do laundry. The machines have digital readouts to the remaining time so it makes it easy to run back and forth across the street and know exactly when my laundry will be finished.

But I have several blog posts I still need to write. And I still want to try to process some of the video I have been taking to post during the trip.

I end up wasting an hour trying to get the 360° videos to transfer. But it is such a pain that I just give up. I only managed to get two 5 second clips of some of the water video of the Everglades. That will have to do. The big videos will have to wait until after the trip.

KFC earns my business as the dining establishment for dinner tonight. A chicken pot pie and coleslaw is all I need tonight. I still have half the Cuban from lunch.

I am too tired too pack up the backpack tonight. I have everything thrown on the bed and the dresser. I will pack up in the morning and figure out where I’m going to eat breakfast. I don’t need to leave at sunrise, but I also don’t want to leave when it’s already getting hot.

Emotion of the Day

Disbelief has to be the word for today. After a record setting day yesterday losing things on the trail, I end up breaking one of the most important pieces of gear that I have. The only thing worse would be to have catastrophically broken the pack itself.

I tried alternate methods of sun protection on the last few miles back this morning. The handkerchief under the hat works fine for the neck. The buff around the arm did not work very well. So I really need the umbrella.

I have used umbrellas like this one thousands of miles on the AT and the PCT without a single failure. This new umbrella is the one I selected because it is an ounce later than the others. I guess an ounce lighter also means an ounce weaker.

I miss my old beat up umbrella. I still have a hard time believing that a 20 mile an hour wind is enough to completely snap an umbrella. The PCT was way worse.

Today was a record-breaking day for me. Today I lost more items on trail than I ever have in my entire hiking career. Not exactly a champagne worthy event.

Resume the Canal Walk

My right shin was hurting last night as I tried to go to sleep, so I took a Motrin PM. I slept more soundly than all the previous nights so far on this trip. And my shin no longer hurts. I don’t want to take them too often, but when I need them they really do work for me.

The Motrin had me sleeping until 6:15 in the morning. I wanted to get an early start to give me the option of making it into Clewiston today. But a 7:00 a.m. start is not as early as I was hoping for.

Oddly enough, at 7:00 a.m. the mosquitoes were almost gone. I would have expected them to hang around much longer in the morning. The sun isn’t even up yet but it is bright enough to do anything you want to do without a flashlight.Since the official trail is on the grassy embankment and the dew is in full force at 7:00 a.m., I decide to jump down to the road. It will probably take two hours for the grass to dry.

I can see the footprints of another hiker in the sand. I can’t tell if they were made last night or this morning but they look quite fresh so I’m guessing this morning. Maybe the other hiker is close by.

Cattle and Sugarcane

Once the grass is dry enough, I hop back up onto the embankment and notice that the left side of the canal is all cattle and the right side of the canal is all sugarcane.

I can hear a crop duster approaching in the distance. This one is yellow and sprays a field on the left side of the canal.

But only 30 minutes later another white crop duster shows up and he is spraying a field on the right side. The wind is coming from the right side and I suddenly get a sinking feeling that he is about to spray me with some horrible chemical.

But he only makes two passes and the plane is flying towards me, so I’m sure he can see me with my shiny umbrella. After his two passes he leaves. I am wondering did he see me and decide maybe he better come back to this field later, or did he run out of juice?

My answer comes twenty minutes later when he shows up to resume the same field. But this time he starts from the other side. So both guesses are correct. The end result is I could never smell anything funny so I didn’t get doused with anything horrible.

But less than 30 minutes later I can see sugarcane operations up ahead. They are harvesting a field with about eight combines near me. But two Fields further they are burning the leaves off the sugar cane for harvesting in a few days.

Thick Black Smoke

There is a massive thick black cloud blowing right across the trail. It is 11:00 a.m. and I spot a single palm tree so I decide to take a little break and have a snack under the tree to wait the smoke out to see if it will thin.

It is nice and breezy, so I also decide to pull the tent out and dry it out. Since I had camped in grass last night, it was totally soaking inside and out. Now is a perfect time to let it dry.

I put the single pole up and rig only three lines facing into the wind so it acts like a giant pillow case filling up with air. It should dry in less than 5 minutes.

I turned to munching on some snacks which includes Tapatio ramen noodles. It says they are chicken flavor but I can’t really tell. It just tastes like hot Mexican flavor. I am almost done when I realized that adding some of my refried beans to it would have been a good idea to jazz it up. If I ever find this brand again I might try that.

About the time I finish eating and decide to pack up, I noticed that the tent is blowing funny. One of the stakes has come out of the ground. I go to look for it but it is not where I put it.

The wind must have pulled it up and slung it across the field. I only have one spare, but I really want to find this one. After 10 minutes of searching, I finally give up.

The smoke had started to thin but by the time I get packed up and ready to go, it looks like it’s thickened up a little bit more. This field is probably going to burn all day and I can’t wait all day. I decide to walk through it.

If the smoke gets too thick, I can always go on the far side next to the water and it should not be nearly as thick there. I put on my covid mask to see if it will help.

As I start walking through it, the sugar cane smells just like palmettos do when they burn. I can smell the smoke but I can’t really taste it through the mask, so I think the mask is doing a pretty good job. It’s not thick enough to make my eyes water either. Crisis averted.

Just as I am about to exit the smoke cloud I realize that I’m coming upon the campsite that I was supposed to stay at tonight. The canal here makes a 90° turn to the right which keeps it along the same field that they are burning. So I get to walk through the smoke again.

This time the smoke is much thicker and it does start to burn my eyes. My breathing is still not affected so I’m glad to have the mask. I exit more forcefully than inhale and that helps flush my eyes with smoke free breath . Masks are bad for wearing glasses, but good for eye flush.

It takes about 15 minutes to get through all the smoke and my eyes and nose are running by then. It was probably close to the limit of what is safe to actually hike through.

More Canals

Today is still early, and I still have a lot of hiking to do. And they are nearly all along more canals. But as they progress the trail gets rougher and rougher to the point where I’m basically just walking through coarsely mowed grass and weeds.

These embankments don’t have a road option, so I have no choice but to stumble through the weed stubble. It slows me down and makes me step in funny ways. Maybe it will simulate mountains and spread some of the abuse over a more parts of my body and end up being a good thing

When it is time for second lunch, I find another palm tree. This one is pretty short and it feels like I have a little fort once I crawl under the fronds.

I take off my shoes like I did at the first stop just to make sure my feet can dry out a little bit. Letting your feet dry out a few times a day really makes a difference.

Water Jugs by the Side of the Road

There were two more water caches today. One was in the morning at about 10:00 a.m. and the last one is at about 3:00. The canals here are so polluted with agricultural runoff, that volunteers stage these water caches of 30 gallons of water about 15 miles apart.

I am carrying three liters with me when I fill up. I usually go through at least two between the cashes. They really do make a big difference, especially in the hot weather. Thank you volunteers.

As you pass by each cache, it is courtesy to count the number of gallons remaining and either notify the volunteers or post updates in the app. Or at least I hope they are reading the updates in the app, but maybe they are not.

I can see from previous posts that even with the few number of hikers going through right now, that a gallon a day is being consumed. Once the main bubble of hikers comes through, these cashes will empty fast.

It’s a Jungle Out There

As I am making my update as to the count of bottles, I read the previous commenter’s entry. He mentioned that the next five miles were in grass up to five feet tall and that the road on the other side of the canal would be an easier hike.

The dike looks freshly mowed like most of the previous ones, so I decide just to stay on the dike. About a mile along this canal I can see that a tractor is actively mowing.

Right about where he is mowing, there’s also a bridge over to the road. I think this means the report that the grass is 5 ft tall is probably accurate for the next 4 miles. I decided to hop over to the road.

The bridge wasn’t marked on the app. And neither are two railroad tracks and another bridge further down. Usually there are too many waypoints in the app for this trail, but in this case there are several important ones that are missing.

Having that info about the bridges to the other side would give people more information as to whether the embankment or the road was the best choice for each section. Regardless, I am on the road for the next 4 miles.

At the end of that section, the trail turns along another canal that is another embankment road canal combination. I am getting tired, so I decide to take the road because the embankment is just too rough on my feet.

Where to Camp

It is starting to get late and I need to decide how far I think I can go today. I am still several miles away from the park that is right at lake Okeechobee. I know I need to make it at least to that point because there are restrooms and water.

From the park it is nine more miles into Clewiston. There is one campsite about four and a half miles away. But but there is only about an hour of daylight left, so neither destination is solid option.

I conjure up a hairbrain idea that starts to gain traction in my head. If I go to the campsite and then walk into Clewiston tomorrow it will be too early to check into a motel. Clewiston is a fairly big town and I don’t relish the thought of walking around for several hours in sweaty clothes.

I decide the best option is to Uber from the park into Clewiston to a motel and stay there two nights instead of one. In the morning I can Uber back to the park and hike 9 miles back into town to a hotel that I have already checked into. This allows me to leave some of my heavier items behind.

This is called slack packing. I will be walking the exact route with my backpack, but with less of a burden. I should be able to do the nine miles in about three hours. This is beginning to sound like an awesome idea.

When I get to the park, I check to see if I can get an Uber ride and one acknowledges within seconds. The decision has been made. While the driver is arriving, I call one of the hotels to make sure they have availability and they do.

I only have eight minutes before the driver arrives, so there is no time to go to the bathroom to clean up. I take a sponge bath right there at the picnic table to wipe off the dirt and change into my sleeping clothes. They are still dirty but they don’t smell like a sewer.

The driver pulls up right as I am packing the last of the items. A quick ten minute ride and we were at the hotel. I check in and shower and decide that dinner is first on the agenda since it is after 6:00 p.m. now.

A Cuban restaurant is three blocks east of the hotel so I go there and have a big dinner that I can’t even finish. Chunks of chicken with beans and rice and maduros (ripe plantains).

I drop off my leftovers at the hotel and head five blocks to the west to go to Walmart.

Lost and Found

As it turns out, I lost a record-breaking three items today. The tent stake flew across the field at first lunch. Somewhere in the last 5 miles my Gilligan hat disappeared. And when I went to check into the hotel, I realized my reading glasses were gone.

But I did have a plus one for the day. During mid-morning I found a pair of sunglasses in the trail. I picked them up and meant to leave them at the park but forgot to leave them when the driver arrived since he got there so quickly. When I go back in the morning I will leave them there and then post in the app in the app where I left them.

I remember losing my sunglasses in the desert on the Pacific Crest Trail. They were prescription sunglasses and irreplaceable on the trail. I had been fortunate to find a pair on the ground while backtracking to go retrieve them, and ended up using that pair for the next 1500 miles.

The pair that I found today were not prescription, but they were nice enough that someone would want them back. I doubt the owner will ever get them back, but at least I tried.

I only lost two total items on the PCT. But on this trip I have already racked up five if you count the first pair of glasses that I broke. Maybe six I am beginning to lose count. But three in one day is a record I never want to break again.

Wally mart

The major task at the Walmart trip is going to be to buy some new reading glasses. But I also need to buy another short sleeve shirt and some new shorts. I was expecting colder weather and need one more shirt. And I should have known better than to think white shorts were a good idea. They look like they have seen more than a thousand Miles already and I’m only at Mile 90 something.

I also need to buy some tools to repair the threaded attachment I put on my tent pole to act like a selfie stick. Apparently the ground where I pitched the tent on last night was so hard that it shoved the threaded rod pretty far into the tent pole. Since the selfie stick is the only good way to use the 360° camera I would like to repair it if I can.

While I am there, I also see shoe adhesive that I have bought before and I know works well. I was looking for some alternate shoes to use as water shoes but didn’t find anything. So I will try and put some adhesive in the front toes that are falling apart to see if that will make them hold up a little bit better. I doubt it will but it’s worth a try.

After I get back from Walmart, I immediately start working on the tent pole.$1 tweezers are not doing the job at all. I don’t think the cuticle pushers are going to work either. So I’m down to the small needle nose pliers.

There is just enough thread showing that I can get the needle nose pliers on the stud and end up getting it out after a few minutes. I am able to get everything back in the proper place and am very relieved that the repair has worked.

I made a small piece of plexiglass to use to protect the thread for this exact reason, but I could not find it in the dark last night and was in such a rush to get away from the mosquitoes. Lesson learned: use the special base because I’m not carrying needle nose pliers with me for the rest of the trip.

Emotion of the day

I think today’s emotion has to be self-loathing.

How do you lose three items on the trail in one day? Not only do I no longer have the use of these items, but I have littered the trail with them.

The tent stake no one will find because it is so small. That one does not bother me other than I am missing a tent stake.

The glasses I’m not sure if I lost them on the trail or in the Uber trunk. So maybe I did not litter the trail with them. That would be good.

But the hat. A big giant floppy white hat that you keep attached right on your chest the entire time you hike. How do you not notice that falling? And it makes you wonder if the person behind me is brave enough to pick up a sweaty hat or not.

I need to be more careful so that I don’t become the actual person that I hate on the trail.

A cool morning a cool breeze and a cool deli make for a perfect departure of the Seminole Indian Reservation

Leaving town

The convenience store and deli that I’m planning to resupply at opens at 6:00 a.m. That’s still a little too dark for me but I get up at 6:00 a.m. and I’m leaving the church at 6:45 just before the sun rises.

The morning is cool but it is still very misty. It’s not really fog, it’s just how Florida is in the mornings. I walk through the east part of town and get to see the reservation schools, hospitals, and other buildings. They are building new buildings everywhere.

I can also see driveways with all sorts of crazy black marks and trash in them which explains where the fireworks I heard last night came from. New Year’s Eve was the day before not last night.

It doesn’t take very long before I finally hit the convenience store that I am wanting to stop at. As I find a chickee outside to take my pack off one of the tribal police pulls up to where I am unloading my pack.

She is interested in the Florida Trail and wants to get into backpacking herself. So I direct her to the Florida Trail Association because she is looking for a group to get started with and not to start out on her own. I let her know that she can probably find a group trip through the Everglades which would be an excellent trip. I hope she looks into it.

When I get inside the store it looks just like the pictures in the app. A large convenience store selection with a deli in the back. I head straight for the deli and check out the menu of breakfast items. A breakfast bowl with eggs, potatoes, ham, onions, and peppers and a side of Cuban toast please.

I do my resupply shopping while it is cooking and pick up about two and a half days worth of food. The breakfast bowl is good but the Cuban bread with butter and smashed on a hot press is even better.

Exit Stage Right

The road out of town starts on a sidewalk but very quickly turns to a dirt road on the other side of the canal leaving town. This is much better hiking than either being in the road or right next to it.

On the other side of the road from the canal are cow pastures and some of the cows are curious as to the big silver object I have circling my head. For this part of the trip I will definitely need the umbrella a lot.

They have the same breeds of cows we have up around Gainesville. I can identify Brangus, Brahma mixed bred, and I can tell there’s even some Charlais blood in there with all the curly hair cuts. The ones with Brahma blood in them are easy to identify because of all the neck skin they have.

By 9:30 it is already getting a bit warm but under the umbrella and the strong breeze I’m not very hot. Without the breeze today I know I would be miserable. The temperature is only supposed to be 85 but 85 under the full sun down here might as well be a hundred.

Don’t Panic

After about five miles of walking out of town on the road next to the canal, the road comes to a sudden intersection where I can no longer be paralleling the main road. I don’t see any blazes at first, so I panic thinking that I should have moved out to the road off of the dirt road at one of the crossings back behind me.

But I check the app and it says this is where I am supposed to turn 90° to the north. And after looking around very quickly I do spot the blazes telling me to turn north here. Crisis averted.

At this point I know I am getting near the end of the reservation. It should be within the next two miles.I spot the water structure that is supposed to be right near the gate. But as I cross it I keep looking for a gate but can’t find one. The trail just keeps on going.

After about a quarter of a mile I stopped and checked the app. Sure enough I am a quarter mile outside the reservation already. There was no gate. I guess there was just a sign.

The Long Canal Walk Begins

Even though the last eight miles out of the reservation were along canals, to me this seems like the beginning of the canal walks. I guess just because it’s outside the reservation.

It is now 45 and a half miles to Clewiston. I have only eight and a half miles to go to the campsite I have reserved from the Southwest Florida Water Management District for tonight. It’s not even noon yet to do no way that’s where I’m camping tonight.

Along the canal there is absolutely no shade from tree cover. But there are water control structures about every mile. Since the Sun is to the south in January, the entire and north side of each structure has a large amount of shade.

I pull off behind the second one I see to have first lunch. First lunch is basically just a bag of potato chips and some beef jerky. But I begin cold soaking some ramen noodles for second lunch when I get to the campsite sometime between 2:00 and 3:00.

Aerial Photography

Now that I am no longer in the National Preserve nor on the Indian Reservation, I can legally use my drone. And walking along the canal gives a nice linear backdrop for some of the maneuvers that it can do.

I stop and get out the drone and power everything up. Now I have to put on my backpacking gear so that it looks like I’m just hiking along.

After sending the drone about 150 ft away from me, I begin a sweep about 40 feet over my head. Because I am using my umbrella you can’t see my head and I can look down at the controller while it flies overhead recording me. That’s one of the hardest things to do is to control the drone while walking and not looking like you are controlling a drone.

I take five or six shots of various maneuvers, some of them performed manually and some of them using the automatic modes. The whole recording session takes less than 10 minutes and when I land the drone I am delighted to see I have only used about 25% of the power. I want to save power to be able to take similar shots at sunset later today.

Station 5/6 Campsite

The comments on the app all mentioned the sulfur smell and taste of the water at the pitcher pump where the campsite is. When I get there that’s one of the first things I do because I am nearly out of water at this point.

I begin pumping the well and feeling the water with my hand to see how cold it is. After four or five pumps the water gets pretty cold. This is a good sign.

I smell my hand and it is indeed sulfury but not too bad. These folks have never had true Florida sulfur water. They are in for a real treat.

I pump them out three liters and let it begin filtering. The next order of business is taking off my shoes to let my feet air out.

Then it’s time to eat my cold soaked noodles. Ramen noodles taste pretty good cold soaked if you use only half of the spice packet. A few other snacks are devoured and I pull out a protein bar to eat while I’m hiking on the next stretch.

I dump a Propel packet into my drinking bottle to mask the taste and it does a very good job of hiding the sulfur. I drink nearly two liters there just to make sure I am well hydrated before I leave. I am filled up with three liters even though two miles up the road is a water cache. My plan is to down another liter and then replenish with the liter from the cache.

By the time I leave the campsite it is a little after 3:30. I know there is no way I can make the 16 plus miles to the campsite I have reserved for tomorrow night. There are no other official campsites between this one and that one. In fact these are the only two campsites officially designated by the South West Florida Water Management District for this 40-ish mile stretch of canal.

So I guess the plan for tonight is to stealth camp somewhere between the two campsites. Two miles after the previous campsite and right at the water cache, I meet two local fisherman and chat with them for about ten minutes. They let me know there is another hiker about 30 minutes ahead of me.

Where to Camp

There are supposedly some old farm buildings about 10 miles ahead. They are not any sort of official campsite but people are commenting that they have stopped there. I am assuming there aren’t any no trespassing signs, but you never know.

But even at 10 miles away that is still pretty far for me to go today. I know at least an hour if not 90 minutes of today will be hiking under moonlight. The moon is 3/4 full and already 45° up into the sky so it is pretty ideal for night hiking without a headlamp.

I just head northward and will see what might come up that looks interesting. After about an hour of hiking the sun is finally set and the sky is a very beautiful red and orange color.

I decide to stop again and take another drone session. I do the similar sequence as before but try and get the sunset in most of the shots. After this session the drone is down to 50% power. This lets me know that with one battery I can probably get three sessions safely before having to recharge it.

I have two more batteries and a charging station but it weighs a half a pound and I decided to leave it at home. Now I see that that was probably a sound decision.

I put the drone away and begin hiking with renewed energy. It is getting dark pretty quickly, but the moon is nice and bright and the trail is easy to see and follow.

On the right side of the trail is the main road. But unlike the middle of the day this part of the road has lots of traffic because there are working farms all around. So camping on the right side is out.

On the left side is the canal. Most of the bank is very sloped but in most places there’s a 20-foot ledge at the bottom that is flat before it goes to the water. I am not sure 20 ft is enough space between me and a pool of alligators.

Just as the last ten minutes of Twilight are burning away, I spotted section on the left of the canal that is much wider than normal. It is maybe 80 ft wide. I think I will camp here tonight.

For the last 20 minutes the mosquitoes were buzzing around my head. But since I was walking briskly and there was a good breeze they were not actually able to bite me.

But as I head down to the water to set the tent up, they find me within seconds. I put my bug net on but it is a race between me and the mosquitoes to see how fast I can put the tent up. The answer is about 4 minutes.

Avoiding the Blood Suckers

Instead of my usual take everything out of the pack and throw it in the tent routine, this time I just throw the whole pack into the tent and then rub myself down thoroughly and jump in as quickly as I can. If you don’t brush off before you get in you can carry 20 or 30 mosquitoes in the tent with you.

Once inside, I unpack only enough to begin eating my empanada that I packed out from the deli. It is cold and completely saturated with grease. It would have been much better warmed but it is good enough cold. I am careful to not spill any crumbs and police the area I am eating over afterwards. I do spot a few that need the human vacuum treatment. I am not too worried about critters tonight.

I don’t think the alligators will attack me to get my cinnamon buns. But I will let you know in the morning. Or maybe I won’t. But if I don’t, then you have your answer anyway.

It is well past dark and I can’t see anything other than the moon, but I can still hear all sorts of creatures. Most of them I assume our birds and they have really strange calls at night. I know they are not alligators or frogs.

The other thing I realize while I lay here is that there’s not a cloud in the sky. The 360 degree camera has a starlapse mode so I decide this is about the best night to try it out. I set it up at the foot of my tent pointing north. I will probably let it record for about 4 hours. I hope the results turn out well with such a bright moon. It will be okay if it uses the entire battery because I probably won’t use that camera too much between here and Clewiston.

Emotion of the Day

I think I will choose disappointment for today’s emotion. But it’s just a lowercase disappointment not an upper case one.

Not having a gate or a giant sign at the exit of the reservation was a little disappointing. The one at the other end was a giant 8-foot high fence and a big heavy gate with really big signs.

I do remember seeing a reservation sign about the size of a speed limit sign. But it looked just like the 100 others I have seen over the last two days. I guess I was just expecting something different.

Having only two official campsites in this area long stretch is also disappointing. It forces you to either have really long days or really short days. I don’t like short days unless they are town days when I’m doing chores.I am also disappointed that even though I got up earlier than any other day this trip that I was still only able to do 24 miles. It is still early in the trip and the days are still short so I don’t want to push things too hard. But Clewiston is still 31 miles away and there’s no way I can make that tomorrow. I had planned for two and a half days and two and a half days it shall be.

Those are all minorly disappointing things. I will take disappointment over a catastrophe any day. That alone is something to be grateful for.

Addendum

I just heard an alligator eat something that didn’t want to be eaten. Is it too late to choose fear?

Road walks are hot. The first four miles were among trees. The last eight miles were in the hot sun. I need a break.

Heading to the Reservation

I got up a little earlier than the other days so I could get into town before it got too hot. The downside to that is there is more dew on the ground earlier in the day.

The first 2 miles to get to the gate of the reservation were double track overgrown with grass. The grass can hold a lot of moisture. I was wearing dry shoes and socks because I did not trust my water shoes. Even though I knew they would get wet.

My rationale was to change into dry socks as soon as I got to a road without grass. And as soon as I entered the gate into the reservation that wish came true.

My feet were slightly damp but not really wet so I decided to hike on a little bit further before changing. The road progressively became more and more open with less shade. My umbrella came out by 8:30 in the morning.

Just before 10:00 I was already getting hot and tired. So when I passed by a very large oak tree I just had to stop and sit a while. I had picked up a therma rest pad that someone had dropped just outside of the gate. It came in handy for this little stop.

I drink quite a bit of water and ate a little snack while I was stopped. The shoes and socks were the first thing to come off though. I put a fresh pair on before leaving because my toes were a little bit tender from being so wet the last several days.

By the map I only had four miles to the center of the reservation. But by my feet it was a full 8-hour day in the Sun. I stopped at the cemetery about a mile outside of town because they had water and a chickee for shade.

The bathrooms were open, so I washed my face and could see that I was pretty sunburned even though I had been using the umbrella all day. I also washed my sunglasses which were filthy. They had a bottle filling station which was very convenient.

Arriving into Town

The last building before getting to the Baptist Church was the Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Seminole museum. I had looked up their website while I was sitting at the cemetery and found out that they were closed both today and tomorrow.

I was sad because that was one of the reasons I wanted to stop at the Baptist Church. I wanted to have time to really explore the museum. It looks incredible from the outside and all the reviews are very positive.

I finally arrived at the church at 12:30 and asked one of the parishioners where I can find the Reverend. She pointed me towards the kitchen.

I was actually planning on telling him that since the museum was closed I was probably just going to hike through town. But now I was having second thoughts.

It turns out they were just starting their Sunday supper and they invited me to join them. You never have to ask a hiker more than once if they would like to eat.

I washed my hands and face and put on a clean shirt so that I wouldn’t offend anyone too badly. But I still had my filthy white shorts on. The mule was an assortment of home cooked foods, all of which were fantastic.

They have water spigots, electricity, and a shower that the hikers can use. They also have a hiker box and a little goodie bag they give to all hikers. It is a very welcoming environment.

This is the first year they have publicly advertised their services to hikers. I hope some inconsiderate hiker doesn’t make them change their minds.

Hiker Hunger

Normally this early in a hiking trip, I would not be very hungry yet. But this trip has been different. It seems I already have full hiker hunger even only 4 days in.

This is one of the rare times that I am coming into a resupply point and have almost no food left. I frequently stumble into town with one or one and a half days worth of food. By the time I hit the store tomorrow I will be down to maybe just a few pieces of dried fruit and a little bit of granola.

Normally I would be overjoyed at the thought of arriving in town with no food. This is because usually when you have no food your pack is really light. But I have so much camera gear with me that my pack doesn’t feel that light at all. And the fact that I am about to do 40 plus miles on canals that have undrinkable water means that I will be carrying a lot of water.

A Day of Chores

Since I had been given a full course dinner, there was very little I needed to do except for all my chores. And in this case it meant posting 3 days worth of blog entries that have been queued up since I did not have cell signal.

I would interleave other chores in between the postings. First up was take a shower and rinse the filth out of my hiking clothes. The shirt looks good and smells good. But the white pants still look awful.

The second chore was to take inventory of my food. I have to resupply at a gas station tomorrow and I need to try and figure out exactly how much I need to buy for the long canal walks I have ahead of me.

Emotion of the Day

Today would be a toss up between exhaustion and gratitude. But I know there will be many exhausting days to come so I am not going to use that one just yet.

Gratitude is the better word for today. I really was planning on passing through today. But after I met them I just couldn’t leave. I have literally been doing chores all day long. If I had skipped the stop and pressed on I would not be doing those chores until I got to Clewiston which is still 55 miles away.

I am grateful that I was encouraged to stop and do my chores.

Today I really saw the big Cypress. A mere seven miles on the map, but it was a nine hour journey.

Will the real Big Cypress please stand up

I found out today that what I was hiking through over the previous two days was only a taste of what the Big Cypress has to offer. I ended the last two miles of yesterday with a continuous water walk and the first seven of today were exactly the same. There were two small islands to stop and eat and take a break but that was the only dry land until the last mile before the interstate.

The first stretch from where I camped at Oak Hill Camp was 3.6 miles. It took me four hours to get there. There were two other smaller pine islands along the way, but they were very densely vegetated, which made them inaccessible.

The first two miles were great. I was having a fantastic time. But by the last one and a half I was looking for a place to rest.

I had started out with my coffee in the drinking position on my pack. But within thirty minutes I had completely emptied that bottle. An hour later I realized it was going to be a long trip without water. I had to figure out something.

Since there was nowhere to stop and take off my pack, I ended up loosening the straps as far as they would go to get the pack as low on my body as I possibly could. The pocket where I had my drinking water was the highest pocket I have and the one farthest away from my body. I needed to let the pack droop as much as possible just to be able to reach it.

With a little contortion I was able to fetch the bottle and switch it with the coffee bottle. That one liter of water lasted me the rest of the trip to the next island.

Island Hopping

Since it was almost noon and I had run out of pocket snacks, I decided to stop at Thank God Island. That is literally the name of the island. Ivy Camp was supposed to be better and only a half a mile further. But I was ready to stop.

The island was very small and as far as camping goes, could probably fit three tents in there. But there was no picnic table or fire ring and I was hoping for a picnic table.

I sprawled out on the ground and leaned up against a tree as I made another bean burrito. This time I used my fresh commercial refried beans instead of the bulk ones that were several years old hoping they would taste better.

They were thicker flakes and took longer to rehydrate and they didn’t really taste any better. But I managed to eat the whole burrito. Other various snacks rounded out lunch.

When I moved on after lunch, it was only about 30 minutes before I hit Ivy camp. I decided to stop to check it out and was amazed to see a bench there. If I had known about the bench earlier, I might have pushed onto Ivy camp instead of stopping at Thank God Island.I just had a quick drink and kept pushing on. I am only a few miles from I-75 and I am looking forward to an endless supply of water, a bathroom, and vending machines.

The entire day was either wading, or slogging through mud. What would have been a pine island twenty miles ago was now just a place that got almost dry, but not dry.

They say if the water levels are low, that more of the trip is soul sucking mud like this. I am grateful for a high water year.

The last mile to I-75 was following a buggy road where there were deep puddles followed by long stretches of slippery mud. It wasn’t very fun hiking but it was faster than wading.

Interstate 75

I knew that once I got to the interstate rest areas, that I would have to go some distance to the underpass to be able to cross. On the map it looked very tiny. In front of me it looked like it would take forever.

I was still wearing my water shoes because I didn’t want to switch until I could clean my feet. The last quarter mile to the North side of the interstate I could feel the toes on my left foot getting sore. There must be enough sand in that sock to be wanting to cause a blister.

I get to the north side rest area and there are a ton of picnic benches and a spicket by each picnic bench. This is Nirvana. I can wash my feet with as much water as I want.

I find one that has the most shade and drop my pack. I tried the spicket but it is dry. So I try another one and it is also dry. I tried four spickets before I finally realized… hey dummy, they’re all off. So I grabbed my water bladder and immediately headed for the restrooms.

To be able to use actual facilities for a change was very nice. But when I went to fill up my water bladder, the water flow was barely a trickle. I filled it for ten minutes and ended up with about two liters. This will have to be enough.

Back at the picnic table I immediately strip off my shoes and socks. There was way more sand in my socks than yesterday, so maybe the Dirty Girl gaiters are not as effective as I once thought. Even though there is a lot of sand, it is far less than the day before. I still deem them a success.

With so little water, I decided to filter it so I can use the hose to trickle water on my feet and not try and splash it. Whatever water I don’t use for washing my feet I need to filter for drinking tonight. I only shake out the socks but I wash my feet and legs thoroughly. I want them to be clean and dry.

After ten minutes of walking around barefoot, my feet are dry so I put on my dry socks and shoes. In the meantime, I have found an outlet where I can begin charging my battery bank.

Next on the agenda is the vending machine. I purchased a Gatorade, an ice cream sandwich, and vegetable chips to munch on. I also buy another bag of vegetable chips and a cinnamon bun for tomorrow.

Making Plans for Tomorrow

I am only seven plus miles from the Seminole Indian reservation. The reservation is over 20 miles of trail, and you are not allowed to hike at night or stop to camp. The only exception is a Baptist church in the middle of the reservation that will allow you to camp behind the church. If I can get a hold of the reverend and get permission, I think this needs to be the plan for tomorrow.

I look up his number and text him to ask if I can camp behind his church tomorrow night. I wait for ten minutes but no response. By this time I am rejuvenated and start packing my gear to head out. Whether I stay at the Baptist Church tomorrow or not, I need to make a few more miles tonight before it gets too dark.

As I begin hiking out, I decide to call Karen. But when I try to call her I realized I am still in airplane mode. I think I know why I have not heard back from the reverend yet.

I switch out of airplane mode and immediately make sure that the texts go out first thing. After I see that they have all been sent, I then call Karen. We talked for about 5 minutes. I am sweating and she is watching football. Sounds like we are both in our own Paradises.

After I finished my call, I check messages and have heard back from the reverend. He would be delighted to have me camp behind his church tomorrow. This is good news.Now to decide how far to go tonight. There was supposed to be a camping area near the I-75 exit but it did not look very inviting, so I moved on. The next official campsite is 5 miles up the road and I think that is where I’m going to try to head tonight. But I only have 3 miles worth of daylight so the last 2 miles will be in the dark.

If I was super motivated I could go another 2 miles to the gate of the reservation and camp there. If I camped at the gate and left camp by 6:00 a.m. then I could make it to the church in time to go to Sunday service. They serve a meal afterwards, so this is a motivating factor.

Night Hiking

But as I hiked along in the early evening, the sun was setting quickly. I will definitely be hiking in the dark tonight. But 2 miles or 4 miles in the dark is still not decided.

The sun had set about two miles from Nobles Camp. The last mile I was walking in moonlight. I did not need a flashlight at all. But as I approached the campsite, the clouds began obscuring the moon. With less moonlight it was harder to hike even though on a double track dirt road.

I made the decision to check out Nobles Camp and if there was space, I would stop here. No one was at the campsite. It was completely empty.

With less moonlight and an empty camp site my decision was made. Let’s make camp here.The usual routine ensued. Put up the tent. Get dinner cooked. Then throw everything in the tent.

During my nearly one hour stop at the rest area, I had gotten dry and cool. After rushing five miles to get here, I was hot and sweaty again. The entire walk here was mosquito free, but they found me within one minute.

I ate my dinner while walking around in the field where there was a slight breeze just to get away from the mosquitoes. Bears are in this area so I did not want to eat in my tent tonight.

Emotion of the Day

I think today’s emotion has to be amazement. I was amazed at how many miles this morning were 100% in the water. I am also amazed that I am ahead of schedule this early in the trip.

I think part of me is also amazed that I never saw a single alligator in the Everglades. Not that I am disappointed or anything. I only saw two snakes and only one of those I am sure it was a water moccasin. I guess I am amazed that the only wildlife I saw was either birds or fish and very little else. And by fish I mean minnows.

I mentioned in a previous post that I was bringing 10-year-old running shoes for the water. I was nervous that the adhesive would fail since the shoes would be wet for 4 days straight. The adhesive failed. In fact, a lot of things have failed.

Mr Mosquito Says Hello

I always bring earplugs when I’m hiking to drown out the sounds of nature. The sounds of nature are very welcome during the daytime but not at night when I am trying to sleep.

If you hear a mouse at night it sounds like it’s as big as a fox. And if you hear a raccoon at night it sounds as big as a bear. The slightest critter noise will keep me awake all night.

Tonight the earplugs were keeping the mosquitoes from sounding like a formation of bombers. When I woke in the morning there were about 200 swarming at the top of my tent. The few that rode on me when I got in the tent did not bother me too badly all night.

I purposely waited until sunrise before I started getting up just because I knew the blood suckers would eat me alive if I dared get out of the tent. So most of the morning activities were done inside the tent.

It was a very dewy morning and the inside of the tent had lots of condensation from my breath and the grasses all around the tent. So I had to be careful moving around because if I hit the wall of the tent I would get soaking wet. I only hit it a few times which was pretty good.

Cold Shoes, Cold Water

Putting on dirty clothes is not too bad unless it’s really cold outside. But putting on wet socks and shoes is never pleasant. I did not wear my gaiters yesterday and did not think about digging them out of my pack until everything was all tidy and ready to go.

The worst part about wading yesterday was all the sand the managed to get inside of my socks. I don’t mind saying between the socks and the shoes because that is inevitable. But sand inside your socks just balls up into big gobs of itchy goop. If not for the coolness of the water I would be concerned about getting blisters. I would try it again today without them and see if today was any different than yesterday.

Let’s Get Going

Because I was purposely going slower this morning I did not break camp and start hiking until about 10 minutes after 7:00. The temperature definitely was not what I would call cool but it wasn’t really hot yet. I was actually concerned about being too cold on this part of the trip. But it is the usual Florida problems too much heat and humidity.

It was a similar mix of wading, mud, and palmetto’s compared to yesterday. I guess this is what the Everglades is all about.

By 10:00 a.m. I hadn’t gone very far and I was already getting tired. The Sun was not up very high but I had to use my hat and sunglasses toward off the heat. I managed to find some bushes to hide behind in a dry spot to take a break. I ate the pastry that I picked up in Miami and it was fantastic. Someone needs to make freeze dried pastries.

I knew I would be hitting another campsite around 1:00 so that was my goal to stop for lunch. But at around noon I noticed my left shoe looked a little weird under the water. I stopped and pulled my foot out of the water and saw a massive twigs and weeds in the front of the toe area. The front sole of the shoe was coming unglued.

Wardrobe Malfunction

I am literally halfway between the only two roads that access the Everglades and my shoe is failing. Did I mention that I was worried about the adhesive failing on constantly wet shoes? Let me mention it again.

I cleared out the debris and took a closer look at the shoe. The sole had already delaminated about two and a half inches of the front of the shoe. This is not good.

I have an hour before finding a place that will be comfortable to try and repair the shoe. I try all sorts of different foot motions in the water to try and keep the sole from flapping down. Nothing is very effective and every five or ten minutes I have to stop to clear more debris.

For the next hour my mind is conjuring up all sorts of possible fixes. I have tape with me but tape is not effective on wet things. I have rope with me and can probably tie some crazy knot to keep the front of the shoe together. But then I finally realized that I purchased a new sewing repair kit a few weeks ago that is strong enough to fix shoes. I think I have needed some sort of sewing kit on every long distance hike I have ever done.

Gil the Cobbler

As soon as I get to the campsite I unload the pack and grab the water reservoir to go get some fresh water. As soon as I get back to the picnic bench I immediately take my shoes off and wash out my socks.

I had already stopped earlier this morning to rinse sand out of my socks and a mere 3 hours later they are just as full. I think I need to dig out the Dirty Girl gaiters and give them a try this afternoon.

After cooking a burrito that I could hardly choke down, I managed to find some other food items to snack on. Dried fruit is really hard to beat. Parmesan crackers are pretty top notch too.

After my feet have dried and I’ve eaten enough, it’s time to try to fix the shoes. The sewing kit has a really strong curved needle and I am surprised at the heft and strength of the thread that comes with it. It is definitely strong enough for shoes.

After threading about two feet of thread I tried jabbing the needle into the toe of the shoe. It is very difficult to do but I do manage to get it all the way inside the shoe. The idea is to curve over to the mesh of the shoe, then come outside and tie the tip of the shoe down with the cord.

It took about 15 minutes to make four ties of the toe to the shoe. After a quick inspection it looks like it might work quite well and last for the rest of the trip. Let’s hope it does.

Swamp Buggies

Within the first 5 minutes after hiking away from the campsite it looks like my repair is working well. The toe is not moving and it is not catching any debris.

A few minutes later I can hear an engine approaching. It is very slow and low not like a boat or a motorcycle or an ATV. But it also doesn’t sound like a truck.

The trail crosses a buggy road and then I realized that’s what I’m hearing. I swamp buggy is headed my way. I think I will stand here and wait for it.

Within a minute the buggy approaches. It is sort of like a pontoon boat welded to the top of a truck chassis. They are sitting at least six feet off the ground and just mozzying down the road at about 5 miles an hour.

When they see I am taking pictures of them they stopped to chat. Apparently two of them have just flown in by private plane to a small airport perhaps a quarter mile away. They are having a boys weekend in the swamp.

They ask if I have seen any creatures and I tell them I have only seen one snake about an hour ago that I think was a timber rattler. It acted like a cotton mouth but it looked like a rattlesnake. It did not rattle but it had its mouth wide open. It was also in the water which is unusual for rattlesnake.

I realize I had taken a picture of it so I show it to them and they identify it as a juvenile cotton mouth not a rattlesnake. I have never seen one that color before.

They offer me a beer before they leave but I decline. I am still nursing a very small caffeine withdrawal headache which I am trying to fix with Chinese tea. Even though a beer would be very refreshing it would probably not help my headache.

Fear Mongering

The next official campsite is about 6 miles away maybe 7. It’s about all the miles I have left in me for today so I am hoping I can get to it at least an hour and before dark.

As the day wears on the terrain is a bit rough and I am not going as fast as I had hoped. When I stopped to check the map I see that they say the last 2 miles before the campsite are very wet and have zero dry ground. As long as I can get there by 3:30 I should have plenty of time to make the water crossing to the campsite.

But as the day wears on 3:30 comes and goes and I am not at the beginning of the water crossing yet. Now is where your mind starts playing tricks on you. You start playing what if scenarios in your head as to the latest possible time that you can start the crossing.

The couple who wrote the guide for this trail have a habit of warning people about ordinary things. Earlier in the day they noted a solution hole that was protected by an alligator and should be avoided. When I get there it is a whole only about 3 or 4 feet across way too small for any kind of an alligator of any consequence to still be there after 5 years.

The current water crossing ahead of me is no exception. They warn that you shouldn’t start unless you are positive that you have at least two hours to cross it before the sun starts going down. For me that limit would be about 4:00 p.m.

Since I am down to one headlamp it is warning I take more seriously than I normally would. But the last campsite before the water crossing is not very good and stopping for the day at 4:00 p.m. sounds like hours upon hours avoiding mosquitoes.

I get to the beginning of the water crossing at 4:03 so I decide to go for it. I had stopped about 10 minutes earlier to switch all of my water into the one bottle I drink out of while I hiked. I also ate a quick snack and put two other snacks in my belt pocket so that I could still drink and eat in the water.

With just the short break to switch around the supplies I have regained enough energy to start out at a really good pace. In addition to that the water is not very deep and doesn’t really slow me down much at all.

I keep an eye on the GPS and notice that only 45 minutes in I am already halfway across. Piece of cake. The only problem is the northern mile is definitely deeper and slower than this other mile so my pace does low do around 1 mi an hour.

As long as I can keep up one mile an hour and don’t have any situations to slow me down I should be able to make it before dark. I am also looking at the treetops trying to identify the species I know are on dry land in case it gets too dark too fast and I have to bush whack to an unknown island camp.

Camp at Last

Luckily I make the campsite well before 6:00 p.m. I go back to the Cypress swamps to collect water first. I have a lot of things to wash and I am now completely out of water. So water is my number one priority.

After that is done, I immediately set up the tent because the mosquitoes are already circling me but not biting too bad yet. The next priority is food so I begin cooking dinner and grab a few snacks while the water is boiling. Just as soon as the water is ready I pour it into the dehydrated dinner and zip it up to rehydrate.

Next comes unpacking. Everything not involved with washing my feet or eating my dinner goes in the tent. Mosquitoes are starting to bite now.

The last thing to do is wash my socks out to remove all the sand and then wash and dry my feet. When I get the socks off I am relieved to see that the gaiters have done a fantastic job of keeping the sand out of my socks. There is still the same amount on the outside of the socks but less than 5% inside the socks as compared to yesterday and this morning.

I deem Dirty Girl gaiters to be effective. I am glad I brought them but I wish I had used them since the first day.

The second to the last thing to go in the tent is me, and the very last thing is my food. I will eat inside the tent to be safe from the mosquitoes. I do not have the sleeping pad or sleeping bag rolled out yet so spilling food would not be a disaster. You don’t normally want to eat inside your tent and you surely don’t want to spill food inside your tent but at least Dyneema is very easy to clean.

The last thing to do is to change into dry clothes and get the sleeping bag set up. I notice that on this tiny little 1/8-in thick foam pad that I am not very uncomfortable. I could possibly use this as my only pad.

I am also glad that I only have a torso length inflatable pad so it does not take so many breaths to inflate. I also only inflate it about halfway so that it just gives me enough support under my back but doesn’t feel like I’m on a water bed.

Once I get it inflated, I realize that it is way more comfortable than just the thin pad alone. It is only a few ounces so I am glad to have it. Without it I would have to be shoving things under the small of my back to prevent back issues while sleeping on firm ground.

Emotion of the Day

The strongest word for today has to be Relief. Once I realized my left shoe was failing and that it was failing because of my own stupidity, I was feeling dread and guilt at that time.

But after seeing the repair was working well and likely to last a very long time I was definitely relieved. After inspecting it again tonight I really do think it is going to last. But I am noticing the other shoe is starting to delaminate in exactly the same place. Though it is only at the very beginning stages.

I have only seven more miles to cross I-75 and that is supposed to be the end of the wading. As long as the other shoe can last seven more miles shouldn’t need to have to stop and repair it. And my feeling lucky? Maybe that can be tomorrow’s emotion.

No surprises today, which is an excellent way to begin a two month long journey. It’s an excellent start so far.

Fuelling up

The hotel was busy this morning, but I noticed a huge pile of mail at the front desk, so I felt relieved and decided to go grab some breakfast nearby. I had spotted a French bakery nearby on maps and so I headed out. The bakery was only two blocks away but I started out in the wrong direction at first, so it took a while to get there.

Upon arrival, I knew I had made the right choice. There were two counters full of pastries and sandwiches. I had eggs Benedict and fried potatoes that came with it. It was the first potatoes I have had in nearly two years and worth every carb.

After a refill of Americano, I hit the counters to grab a sandwich and a pastry to pack out. The Cuban sandwich I ate for lunch, but the pistachio pastry I am saving for tomorrow.

Back at the hotel, I was able to pick up all of my packages and head to the room to pack up. Now the excitement is building.

You pack differently for travelling by transit versus hiking, but I got everything set for hiking even though I knew I had at least two Uber trips coming. This is a decision I would later regret.

I need to go buy an isobutane cylinder before I can head out, so I call for an Uber since the mall area is six miles away. I love walking in cities, but not that much.

I headed for Dick’s Sporting goods first, even though I know they probably do not have any. As expected, they didn’t.

But across the highway is a Bass Pro Shops that does have them. It is less than a quarter mile away, but the highway is the Turnpike and you can’t just go straight across. I have to walk up nearly a mile to cross, then back another mile. Time to get hoofing.

I was able to get what I needed right away, so now I am finally set to take off Leaving Miami. I did not try to prearrange a ride to the trailhead with a local Miami trail angel because I was unsure of my schedule.

I saw on Facebook that at least two other hikers we’re also starting today, but much later in the day. Uber is not so bad.

In just five minutes, I had an Uber driver pull up and I am finally off. Time for a one hour drive to the middle of the Everglades.

The driver was from Nicaragua and his English was good, but a few times we had trouble understanding each other. My Spanish is horrible, and we were too far from Miami to ask Siri or Google to translate. We both did the best we could.

He had never been to the Oasis Visitor Center, so I think he was excited when we got there. We took pictures, then a quick bathroom break and he was off.

Time to Begin

The moment to begin had finally come. I filled my water bottles and took more pictures and took some videos. I wanted to over-capture the moment at the start of this hike.

Other big hikes like the Pacific Crest Trail, I only took a few pictures at the beginning and end and always regretted that I did not take more. I took plenty this time.

The trail starts out as crushed shells but quickly turns to grass as it heads along the air strip. Now I am finally truly hiking. I am elated.

The Peaceful Everglades

Within minutes, I left the crowds at the visitor center behind. I saw fewer than six people on the trail past the visitor center to where I camped. I am not sure why, but I think I was expecting more.

That’s one reason why I like to do these hikes. Each time I hike, it is my own unique experience and not someone else’s internet post or book. This trip is mine, and mine alone. The time of year, day of the week, weather, and time of day all make a hike a unique thing from anyone else’s.

The Everglades are Wet

I don’t think I was a half mile into the hike before it turned to wading through water time. I could see beaten paths around the water, but there is no point in trying to avoid it. It is better to embrace it right up front, as this is what the hiking will be like for the next few days.

By the second or third mile, it was full blown knee to thigh deep water among the cypress and it was beautiful. When the water was only a few inches deep, it was often warm. But when it was flowing, or more than six inches deep, it was quite cool and very refreshing.

The only thing that made the hiking difficult was the hidden limestone under the mud. The limestone dissolves and erodes uniformly as the density of the rocks vary. This means it is easy to step into a foot deep hole, so the going is slow.

But one discovery I did make that seemed to reduce the effort was to keep my toes up and pretend I was skiing. Just not having water push down on the tops of your feet makes up for the effort of pulling your toes up. It feels like cross country skiing. You just glide through the water. As long as the rocks are not bad, the wading does not slow you down much.

I did not see any wildlife today other than a few birds and little fish in the water. But one thing there is an abundance of is bromeliads. They are in every cypress tree and some of them are huge.

Another discovery today is that pine trees prefer dry land and cypress trees love water. Sounds obvious, I know. But it makes a difference when you can look at the trees a half mile ahead and know what the next section of trail is going to be like. It helps to figure out when you will even be able to stop and take your pack off. There is nowhere to set a pack down in the water.

Seven Mile Camp

As the name indicates, seven Mile Camp is right near mile 7 from the southern terminus. It is on a large pine island and has a picnic table.

Picnic tables are one thing I take for granted when hiking in the east. The Appalachian Trail has hundreds of them, and they are frequently found at official campsites on the Florida Trail. But the entire length of the Pacific Crest Trail has just a dozen or so that I can recall.

Besides cooking, picnic tables are also a great place to wash your feet. I waded out Into a Cypress dome to get water to wash my feet with. Back at the picnic table, I used probably a full liter of water just to wash my feet, socks, and shoes. They will still be wet in the morning, but they will no longer be filled with sand.

I knew the mosquitoes were going to be bad on this section of the trip so I decided to set the tent up immediately so that I would have a place to hide from them. There are a few small clearings at the campsite so I selected one off to the side.

The next chore was to start cooking dinner. The sun was nearly down and the mosquitoes were out in full force. Since I had eaten a nice sandwich for a late lunch, I decided just to make a burrito for dinner and not cook a full meal. The mosquitoes were biting me even before I finished cooking.

Remember earlier that I said I regretted configuring my pack for hiking before taking my Uber trips? This is the part of the story where the regret begins.

I always carry two flashlights when hiking. It is too easy for one to malfunction or run out of power. So I always carry a second small one as a backup.

This is when I discovered that my primary light, which hangs from my pack strap, was now missing. I am guessing that an Uber driver has a really good flashlight now.

This is the first time I have ever lost one, but I guess this counts as a malfunction. I will have to figure out when and where to get a replacement.

Emotion of the Day

Relief is probably the first word that comes to mind. This section of Florida is new to me and no matter how many times you read about it, you have to experience it to really figure out what it’s like.

Everyone makes a big deal about the wading through water, having to deal with the solution holes, and not to mention the threat of alligators or other swamp monsters. The mud is supposed to suck the shoes right off your feet.

But I actually enjoyed wading through the cool water. The solution holes did not gobble me up, although one of them did make me slip and fall to my knee in the water. I have not been eaten by an alligator and I still have both of my shoes. So I guess I am relieved that none of these bad things actually happened.

But it’s also relief that the trip has finally started. Flying to Miami and getting my supplies this morning was not really hiking, even though it is a necessary part of the trip. But now I am actually hiking and that is why I am out here. Even if only 7 miles today, there will be more tomorrow and many more in the days, weeks, and months to come.

I guess I am also relieved that I can’t hike after dark with only one light. I like to find a campsite before dark when the terrain is difficult. And swamps definitely count as difficult. So I guess I am relieved that I will not be tempted to try and hike in the dark until I get a second light.

But I am not relieved that I no longer have my favorite light. That part makes me sad. But now there is anticipation to getting a new one.