I am now hiking territory that is somewhat familiar to me. More of the trail looks the same than different. But that doesn’t mean that everything looks the same.

New Tent in the Rain

Last night was the first time sleeping in this tent in the rain. And I learned that I need to change the way I pitch the tent in the rain. I woke up to an inch of water in the corner of the tent by my head.

This Zpacks Plex Solo tent is a single wall tent. That means there is only one layer of material. A double wall tint would be usually an inner tent of netting and then an outer tent that is a rainfly.

This tent has a 4-in bug-netting sewn all the way around the perimeter of the tent. The bathtub floor is sewn to the netting and then the netting is sewn to the tent body.

Depending on the height of the pole you use to pitch the tent, the bug netting perimeter can either be angled up or angled down.

Last night I had the pole almost vertical so the tent was at its tallest. This means that the tent body was slightly higher than the top of the bathtub floor.

So when it rained last night, as rain would shed off the tent body, it was running inside the tent along the netting. I need to make sure that when I set up the tent, that the tent body is lower than the bathtub floor perimeter.

Other than that, the tent did great in the rain. I am really starting to like this tent. The material is extremely lightweight and extremely strong. It also dries out far faster than nylon.

Early Start

I was able to get packed up and moving by 7:00 a.m. this morning. I still have the majority of this prairie to circumnavigate before climbing up the sand hills. I came along prairies makes me nervous because of the chance of water.

The first few miles were fine. There were only a few muddy spots that were easy to go around. But the last half-mile proved challenging.

With just a half a mile to go, the trail comes to a section of the prairie that is low and wet and just goes out to another prairie that is also low and wet. This means that there’s no stepping around it.

So I took my shoes off and waded right through it. The water was cold and it wasn’t really muddy so it was quite refreshing. I walked in my flip flops for a while to let my feet dry a little bit. When I thought the water was done, I stopped and put my shoes back on.

But at the very last section before leaving the prairie, there was another large area of water. I couldn’t go around this one either without about a half mile detour. Homie ain’t got time for that.

I took my shoes off again and waded through it again. But this time it was a bit muddy so it took a lot longer to clean my feet and dry them off. It is still early in the morning so I don’t need the pick me up, but having cold wet feet definitely gives you more energy.

The rest of the morning is uneventful. Most of the trail is on high sandy scrub terrain. The only obstacle is brushing against wet oak twigs and leaves.

Juniper Prairie State Park

I reached the state park about 10:30 in the morning. They charge you $9 if you want to go into the park and use the picnic tables and bathrooms. Or for free you can use the bathroom at the ranger station and fill your water bottles at a spigot. They will also let you charge your electronics inside the building.

I choose option b and found a sunny place on the side of the road where I can have first lunch and dry some of my gear out.

The tent comes out first because I know it was soaking wet. My down jacket comes out second. I probably should have dried out my sleeping bag, but I didn’t want to look like a bum on the side of the road right next to the ranger station.

I was there for about 45 minutes feeding and soaking up the sun. I was able to charge my battery and phone to nearly full in that 45 minute period.

From there, the trail immediately goes into the Juniper Prairie Wilderness. Wilderness areas mean that they cannot use chainsaws or any other machinery for trail maintenance.

That usually means the trails are more of a nightmare. When Karen and I came through this area about 10 years ago it had just been burned and was like walking on the moon.

But this time the vegetation has regrown quite rapidly. I wouldn’t say it’s pretty, but it’s a far cry from what it was 10 years ago. And there’s no crazy blowdowns or other maintenance issues. It’s actually a pleasant trail.

Hidden Pond

This pond is one of the neat areas in the wilderness. It is a spring fed pond that has a nice sandy bottom. It is great for swimming but it is also great for ticks. I have not seen any ticks yet on this trip so maybe they just aren’t out yet.

There is a couple with a dog swimming there when I arrive. I go to the far end and roll out my mat and begin making second lunch. I also pull out my sleeping bag this time and hang it from a tree so that it can dry in the breeze.

After another 45 minute break, the sleeping bag seems pretty dry. Drying it out will make a big difference in my comfort tonight as it is supposed to get pretty chilly.

Hopkins Prairie

This is another location that is etched in my memory. Karen and I came hear about 10 years ago to the official campsite. The water source is a hand pump that spits out the most foul tasting water I’ve ever tasted. So let’s try it again.

The trail leading up to the prairie is very recognizable. It seems like only yesterday that I was here. The only thing that makes it look different is that I’m hiking it in a different direction this time.

When I get to the campsite at the edge of the prairie, the prairie also looks exactly the same. The camp host is the first campsite, so I stop and talk with him because he is outside with his dog. I tell him I am just passing through but want to get some water. He directs me to the campsite where the pump is.

The camp is only about half full. The really choice spots overlooking the prairie are the ones that are taken. The ones further in the back in the woods earn nearly all vacant.

I make my way to the famous water pump and it’s exactly as I remember it. It’s a weird hand crank thing instead of a lever that goes up and down. I pump some water and already I can smell the horrible metallic smell. I splash some of the water into my mouth and it tastes even worse than it smells. I will not be getting water here.

But I do stop at a picnic table and have another snack before moving on. I am only about 13 miles from where I need to pick up my box tomorrow. I can’t go too much further tonight because they don’t open until 10:30 in the morning. It is 4:30 now so my plan is to hike another hour or so to get me two or three miles closer.

It shouldn’t be hard to find a campsite. The ground is pretty dry but there are also lots of grasses. The grass is growing thick clumps so it would be really uncomfortable to try and camp on.

Eventually I find a good spot and can set up underneath a small sand pine tree. I set up the tent this time taking note of the angles between the bathtub floor and the outer wall. I don’t get the downward droop that I’m looking for all the way around but nothing is going upward so I am pleased with that.

Pick One Emotion

Definitely nostalgia today.

From the time I woke up, until the time I made camp, everything looked familiar to me today. I probably spent more time thinking about previous hikes than being in the moment thinking about this one.

That’s not necessarily a bad thing. But I am out here to make new memories and not just to think about old ones.

My air mattress is still leaking and I did not sleep well last night. Today has been a tiring day. Hot, too.

You Have to Sleep to be Able to Hike

Last night I did not sleep well at all. The air mattress is still leaking and it was very hard to get comfortable. My back is a little sore and no matter if I’m on my side or back it just isn’t comfortable.

The leaking air mattress doesn’t contribute too much to the discomfort in sleeping. In my case it’s just trying to alleviate the pain in my back.

I did wake up at one point and felt refreshed. I was hoping it was late in the morning and I slept soundly through most of the night. But when I checked my watch it was only 11:00. This is a far cry from morning.

I don’t think I slept for more than an hour at a time but I did get some amount of sleep. In the second half of the night my back was hurting less so it was easier to fall asleep.

I started my morning routine at 5:30 and was able to start hiking at 7:00. I now have to walk through the boy scout camp about 2 miles and another 1 mile to get to Paisley this morning.

The walk through the scout camp is gentle rolling hills. There are wild oranges all over the place. Though I know they will all be sour, I still have to taste one from every tree just in case I find one that isn’t.

When I get to the main area of the scout camp, I can see that they are having some sort of camping event. There must be a hundred tents all over the place. It brings back memories to when I was in scouting.

The trail stays barely in the woods all the way around the edge of the large field. I could see them, but they could not see me.

Quick trip to Paisley

When I got to the town of Paisley, I couldn’t decide if I wanted to go the half a mile to the Dollar General or not. I don’t really need any food. But I rarely turn down ice cream or chocolate milk.

I decide to go ahead and swing in to grab a few walking snacks. The half mile walk isn’t too bad. And it will only add 1 mi to today’s distance.

The Ocala National Forest at Last

When I turn off the road from Paisley back into the woods, I am officially in the Ocala National Forest. There is a garbage can at the trailhead which is always a welcome sight. There is no bathroom or water, but I am set in both departments.

The Ocala National Forest is two major habitats. It is either palmetto and pine with or without field grasses, or it is sandy scrub oak. Any lakes or prairies usually butt up to the palmetto and pine habitat with more grass.

The morning goes quickly, but by 9:30 I’m already getting tired. I take a 30 minute break at 10:00 a.m. just to rest my feet and catch up on my energy. I ate an ice cream cone and a protein shake in Paisley so I’m not sure why I feel so tired.

I have a little more energy after my rest, but it seems to last only an hour. The sun is out with only a few scattered clouds, so it is getting pretty warm. I want to try to go until 1:00 or 1:30 before I eat second lunch. But by 12:30 I need to rest.

I make a tuna wrap and snack on some other food that I bought in Paisley. The shoes and socks are off and the thin mat is rolled out. If I was to fall asleep and take a nap I would not be disappointed.

I get rolling again at 1:30 and I have more energy now. The miles click away effortlessly. I still have energy from my lunch.

Shortly after 2:00 is when I start in on my afternoon coffee. I like to start drinking it at 2:00 with the plan of finishing it by 3:00. This should give me plenty of energy up through 6:00.

I have hiked this section a few times before, and many things look familiar to me. The whole National Forest itself has a vibe that is easy to connect to. The vibe feels the same as it always has.

Time to Find a Campsite

I know that I should hit Farles prairie sometime between 5:00 and 5:30. There’s a huge camping area there with a water pump and lots of picnic tables. But it will be a little bit early and I know I will want to keep going and find a campsite on the other side of the prarie.

This prairie has multiple lakes that are pretty good in size. The map indicates that there should be camping areas about every mile all along the shorelines. I will pick whatever one I come to when it is near 6:00.

When I get to the lake, I find that the water pump has no handle. But the ground around it is wet so it must be operational somehow. I fiddle with it a little bit and find that you can manually pull the rod up and get it to spit out water.

Luckily, my water filter bag has handles on it that I can hook on the spout of the pump. This lets me use both hands to pull the rod up and it requires two very strong hands to do so. I am able to filter 2 and 1/2 liters of water which should get me most of the way through tomorrow.

For some reason I have it in my head that the trail goes left around the first Lake. But the blazes clearly indicate it goes to the right. Looking at the map confirms I need to go right instead of left.

The lake is high enough that some of the sections of trail around it are very muddy or under water. I can see that people have been blazing trails through the brush to not have to walk through the mud so I follow their lead. My shoes do get a little muddy, but not too bad.

Just before 6:00 I do find a clearing towards the lake that looks like it would make a great campsite. I decide this is where I will stop for the day. The trees at the campsite are pine trees which are no good for bear bags. 20 yards away are some oaks that I can use for this purpose.

Emotion of the Day

I think I need to pick exhaustion.

I have plenty of food, so I shouldn’t be tired for lack of food. I am doing only one coffee in the afternoon but maybe I need to have a morning coffee as well. It is possibly the quality of food that is contributing to the fatigue as well.

In Paisley I bought some cheese and your typical junk food as walking snacks, a roll of cookies, a small bag of Cheetos, and a tube of Pringles. These are all simple carbohydrates.

I have been eating keto for so long that maybe my body really doesn’t like trying to go back to carbohydrates. It is almost like an egg timer. For 30 minutes after I eat a high carb snack I have decent energy. But after that 30 minutes, I might as well not have eaten for hours.

When I did eat cheese this morning, that did seem to last for an hour or more. Maybe I need to try and focus more on high-fat foods rather than palatable foods.

Whether it’s coffee, fat, or sleep, I need to figure out a change to my routine if I want to try and do 25 miles every single day. And that is my goal from this point onward.

Getting a new pair of shoes from Karen yesterday it’s made all the difference in the world in the comfort of my feet. All this time I have been walking in shoes that were a half size too small. These feel like I’m walking on pillows.

Gearing up Again

One of the main functions of meeting Karen in Orlando was to be able to switch out some gear. I had sent her two emails with a list of gear that I needed her to bring.

Some of the gear was different pants to hike in. The white pants that I chose for this trip are just not appropriate for hiking. Even after washing they are still filthy. They’re also a little on the thick side and retain a lot of moisture.

I had her bring just about every pair of socks I have too. I am still sticking with five pair, which is way too many for a trip like this. But I’m still unsure as to the health of my feet so in this case more options is definitely better.

I now have a full supply of tent stakes with a spare. Along with some new parts from Gossamer Gear to repair the broken sternum of strap. And I will need to use the sewing machine for a total of about 10 seconds.

The town of Paisley is just a little over a day away and has a Dollar General for resupply. But it’s less than 3 days past that to my next resupply box. So I picked up just a few things at Publix to push me beyond Paisley all the way to my box.

To my delight, even with a little extra food the pack is lighter because of the things I have been able to get rid of. A 2-lb drone being the main difference. But there is probably at least a pound and a half additional that I have been able to shed. There’s probably a pound alone in the freaky heavy flip flops I got a few days ago.

Time to Get Hiking Again

The trail resumes right outside the front of the hotel. It is still on a trail that is a sidewalk on the side of a road. But throughout the next six miles it does become a dedicated trail in the woods for portions of that length.

They have built an entirely new bridge over the Wekiva River that now includes a dedicated pedestrian and bicycle bridge. It really is far nicer than it was 10 years ago when I was here.

The morning is cool, but not cold, and the miles just tick away. Before long I am at the edge of the woods again.

Seminole State Forest

For nearly the entire rest of the day I will be in the Seminole State Forest or Seminole Wildlife Management area. The State Forest requires a day use fee of $3. I am expecting to see an iron ranger but all they have is a QR code and a link to their website. You have to pay your fees online.

The QR code will not work on my phone, so I go to the website they have listed. The website is geared towards reserving campsites which I am not doing. The sign said I could pay the day use fee at this website but I can’t figure out how to do it. Oh well, they miss out on their $3. What the heck is wrong with an iron ranger?

This is an active hunt weekend and they have signs posted all over the place. I am wearing my orange hat and red shirt so I feel safe. In fact it is over 3 hours before I see the first hunter. And I never saw anymore after those that I saw.

It is a real mix of habitats today. There’s some palmetto and pine. There’s some scrub oak. There’s some swampy cabbage palm areas. All of the wet trails have boardwalks over them except for one near the end of the day. I was actually eager to take my shoes off and walk through it just to cool off and wash my feet.

I like this section with Karen about 10 years ago. I remember many aspects of the hike. One of which was a very unpleasant road walk on State Road 46. I am delighted to find that most of that walk has been eliminated.

There is also another section that I remember when you skirt around some houses in a neighborhood. I remember the house and I remember the trail.

But this time the trail is very different. It looks like the home owner has had fun decorating the trail. He has built small tunnels that look kind of like Chickees. He has chairs and all sorts of first aid supplies inside one of the tunnels. It almost seems like a kids fort.

As I am leaving the tunnels after taking many pictures, I run into the homeowner decorating the fence further down. We spoke for about 20 minutes and I learned that he is the one responsible for the reroute off of the highway. Good for him, he is now my hero. He offers me food or water but I don’t need anything since I have just left Orlando this morning.

This is another person that you kind of want to just sit here and talk to him for hours. But I need to make sure I make it out of the State Forest before night fall so that I don’t violate the day use policy.

Not long after leaving him behind, it begins to rain slowly. It rains just enough that I need to use my umbrella and my feet get slightly wet. It rains on and off for the rest of the night.

I anticipate getting to the Boy Scout camp right at 6:00 p.m. when daylight is disappearing fast. The plan is to enter the Boy Scout camp and then find a random place to pitch the tent for the night.

I do end up finding a place within the first half mile in the camp. The rain has let up, so it is perfect time to set up the tent. Once it is set up everything goes inside including me. I can cook dinner from the vestibule of the tent.

For now the vestibule flaps stay open, but after I am done cooking the flaps will get buttoned down. The forecast shows a decent chance of rain all night long. It will be my first night of rain on the trip so far.

Emotion of the Day

Relief is the first word that comes to mind.

When I tried on the pair of shoes that I had Karen bring that I planned on hiking in, they were a little small in the toe box. I could feel my big toes pressing against the toe box. This usually means that you’re going to have very sore toenails and probably bruise them. If they were a half-size larger they would have been perfect.

But the extra pair I had her bring fit like a glove. They are very good hiking shoes, but they are orange and blue and I love using them as city shoes. Since I have just over 700 mi to go this should be the last pair of shoes that I need for the trip.

I am just relieved that I should now have comfortable shoes for the remainder of the trip. And I am relieved that I can tell a difference in the weight that I took out of the pack. If I can moderate the food that I carry as well as the water that I carry, the rest of the trip should be more enjoyable.

And that is a major relief.

This section is not at all what it sounds like. I was expecting 30 miles of walking on sidewalks. More than half of it is still in the woods

Back on Trail

One of the advantages of a hotel are better options for coffee. In this case, Starbucks. Just as I did before, I got a Starbucks coffee and drank very little of it. The rest is going into my coffee bottle for this afternoon.

Another quick Uber trip to Oviedo, and I am back at the pizza shop. Traffic is pretty brisk as people are rushing to work. It is right around 8am.

After only two blocks, the trail heads into a wooded section. There is a 20 to 50 ft buffer of woods between the trail and people’s back yards. You can tell this is an abandoned railroad. These are my favorite kind of urban trails.

Every few miles, there is a creek of some sort to pass, and the original trestles are usually in place or replaced with something more elaborate.

At road crossings, the trail has the right of way. The cars have stop signs. This is an uncommon thing on rail trails, but it is a nice touch.

Where the road crossings are really large, like SR 17-92, the trail has a dedicated pedestrian bridge over the road. I did not count them, but I am guessing there were eight or ten of them today. The most famous of them is the bridge over I-4, which is a very large suspension bridge.

Sidewalks Eventually

About half way through the day, the railroad bed does run out and sidewalks return. But it is still a designated bike path, the Cross Seminole Trail. The sidewalks are still over twelve feet wide, but they now follow roads instead of back yards.

I was expecting a convenience store on every block, but this is still primarily residential. It never really got very commercial until the last mile before crossing I-4.

But even in this second half, sometimes the trail would leave the roads and enter a remote pathway under power lines, for example. These are not cool and shaded, but they are quiet and more scenic as long as you can ignore the endless string of giant poles.

Getting Lost

You would think it is easy to follow a bike path in a city, but sometimes not so much. I got lost twice by missing turns. I went a quarter mile past my turn each time I missed one, so I had about one bonus mile today.

When I got back on track, there was signage indicating the turn, but they are easy to miss when the same sidewalk keeps going. The second time was even when I was expecting for a turn to come up . I think I was just expecting a larger intersection for the turn.

The same thing happens on the wilderness trails, too. You may miss a double blaze telling you to turn, or there may not be a blaze. But usually in the woods it does not take long to realize you are not on the correct path. It just takes a little longer on sidewalks.

Services on the Route

This section is famous for it being among many services so you don’t have to carry any food. But it is hot enough you do need to carry some water.

About half of the services are convenience stores within a block of the trail. Most of these are early on.

The other half are strip malls that have walk in dining options. Most of these are in the second half.

There are also some water fountains, or bottle filling stations near the end. There is a park early on with a public restroom with flush toilets. Fancy.

One of the places I have been looking forward to stopping at is a place called Mama’s Empanadas. My schedule puts me there right at noon. How perfect! But when I get there, the business has closed. A post in the app indicates she retired last month and closed for good. Disaster!

There are two convenience stores within a block, but there is also a new Subway next door, so I go there. It is a far cry from yummy empanadas.

Near the end of the day I stop in a Jason’s Deli for a cookie and a drink. It is getting quite warm today. I had some sort of pomegranate drink that was good, but the mountain of ice made it even better.

Finish the Day

The plan was to reach the Lake Mary Marriott at 3pm. Karen was to leave at 1pm to get there about 3:15 or so. But in typical Karen fashion, she left at 12:30 and got there at 2:40. I think she is some kind of Uber German.

When I get her text, I have just backtracked from the latest missed turn and am about 1 mile away. I have only about 3/4 of a mile across the I-4 bridge connector, then a quarter mile up the road. The day is almost done.

Crossing the pedestrian bridge is very cool. The ramps up and down squiggle all over the place. You get a good view for about a mile all around up there.

It doesn’t take long to get to the hotel and I can see Karen’s FJ Cruiser and Karen inside of it. Home, at last! At least home for the next day.

Emotion of the Day

Definitely excitement.

From the very first steps in Oviedo all the way to the hotel parking lot, it was just an exciting day.

It was exciting to be hiking on a very top notch rail trail in the morning. I was excited to be eating empanadas for lunch, even though I did not end up being able to.

It was exciting to finally hike the Orlando hike I have heard about for decades.

And it was exciting to be able to be with Karen again after only three weeks, but it seems like much longer.

I passed through so many different Land Management areas today that I have no idea how many they’re actually were. There was some water and mud to deal with but not a terrible amount.

Not a Good Sign

During the evening, it was obvious that my inflatable mattress had an official leak in it. As I was packing up my gear, I found a small 3 inch segment of a blackberry vine with a few thorns on it. It was right underneath my air mattress. Mystery solved.

So now I know I officially do have a leak and I know the general vicinity where the leak will be. This at least will let me pinpoint where I need to look for the leak. These things are nearly impossible to find when they are small.

This little piece of thorny brush must have come from the bottom of my backpack. It hitchhiked in as I was setting up camp. I use my backpack as a base underneath my pillow for extra loft. But it also butts up right against my air mattress. I will have to be more vigilant when setting up camp next time especially after dark.

But other than that it was an uneventful morning. I got roasting about 5:30 and was up and moving well before 7:00.

The Orlando Wetlands Park

I took the high water alternate last night so that it would put me near the Orlando Wetlands Park. It sounds like the perfect place to walk through during the morning hours.

The regular path went right along the St Johns River flood plain. After dealing with enough water and mud yesterday I decided I will still keep doing the high water routes when they are available.

But this particular alternate route I am also altering myself. The trail officially skirts around the east side boundary outside the park. I am going to walk right through the center of the park and then rejoin the alternate on the north side.

As expected, when I get there the views are amazing. There are millions of birds everywhere and they’re at the peak of their feeding time.

I see a few other photographers out there and stopped to chat with two of them. They let me know that there is a SpaceX launch about to happen in 5 minutes. Bonus time two SpaceX launches this will be cool.

I go ahead and pull up the YouTube SpaceX channel and turn the volume down very low. My timing is perfect because the countdown is at 3 minutes.

When the countdown reaches about 30 seconds, I can already see the rocket has been launched. I guess there is a significant delay on the YouTube live streams.

This is the launch of a GPS satellite and it looks like it’s on a polar orbit because it turns sharply north instead of going out east over the ocean.

There is not a cloud in the sky except for a few near the horizon. The view is incredible because of the sunrise behind it. The polar orbit also means the boosters will be landing in the ocean and not back on the pad. Because of this I don’t ever see the re-entry Burns I only saw the launch.

That was the best 5-minute delay of the trip. I can hear a very large gator bellowing behind me so I think I shall end the delay and keep moving before he gets me.

Small Preserve Lands

The rest of the day is going to be crossing many small management units. There is the Chuluota Wildlife Management Area, Charles Bronson State Forest, and many others that I can’t even remember.

The trails on most of them are quite pleasant. They are either through moist cabbage palm areas that might have mud and some watery areas. But most of these areas have boardwalks to avoid the water.

Not all of them have boardwalks, so there is some mud. It was not so bad that I had to take my shoes off but, my shoes did get wet several times.

If the terrain wasn’t moist, then it was high and dry. Palmetto pine or scrub Oak was the rest of the vegetation in these areas. In both cases the hiking is good.

One small area near a neighborhood had recently undergone a controlled burn. The black ground lasted for nearly a mile of trail. Palmetto’s in pines where the bulk of the vegetation they had just burned.

The Econ River

The last management area is along the Econ River. That is a shortened version of the actual name of the river. I cannot spell the actual name. Just add a random number of O’s and E’s and that’s the actual name. (Econlockhatchee)

This is another section of the Florida Trail that I have hiked many years ago. It is one of the reasons that I took the east route around Orlando instead of the west route closer to home.

It is a white sandy trail with scrub and oaks. The river itself is slightly tannic and meanders back and forth like a snake. The trail is a good 20 ft above the level of the River high atop Sandy bluffs. It is very scenic.

I like this section because it reminds me of a miniature version of the Suwannee River. The river is not nearly as wide or deep or dark. And the bluffs are not quite as high. But it has a very similar vibe.

The challenge for today is that one of the bridges are out. The app says that the trail is closed and that there is a rerouted trail that goes a little further away from the river. But when I get there, there are no trail closed signs posted.

I stick with regular trail and I’m glad that I did. When I get to the site of the bridge that is out it is definitely a location that needs a bridge. It is a bridge not really over water but more of a bridge over a ravine. The ravine is about 15 ft deep.

The bridge itself is completely gone. But the debris from the bridge has been stacked lower in the ravine about 8 or 10 ft above the bottom. That is the route I chose to cross the ravine.

But there are two other routes. There is a fallen tree across the ravine that is quite wide at about 20 inches. It would be very easy to cross on. The problem is it’s a full 15 ft above the ravine and would not be a fun experience if you are afraid of heights.

The last option is to go upstream and cross where the ravine is much shallower. I didn’t want to do that because it would just harm the ravine to scramble down it and up the other side.

As I am getting near the exit of the park, I finally meet more hikers. The first one I meet is Max, the hiker I met back at Kissimmee Preserve State Park. I recognize his tent and call out to ask if it is him. He is going to the REI tomorrow so he will likely pass me again and maybe we will cross paths again in a week or so.

The other hikers are camped just near the end of the park before it turns into suburbs. It is a couple who are trying to figure out the logistics of getting across Orlando. The hotels here are very expensive and on the weekends they are doubly expensive. This is where points from an established chain like Marriott comes in handy.

I chat with them for about 15 minutes and then head on my way because it is almost 6:00 and I have about thirty minutes of daylight left. My intent is to finish the hike to downtown Oviedo and Uber to a hotel near the UCF campus. This will leave me 17 miles for tomorrow to get to Lake Mary by mid-afternoon

Hitting the Suburbs at Last

I finally hop out to the roads and begin walking the sidewalks. I am probably only two or three miles from Oviedo. So half of my walk will be in light and the other half will be in darkness.

Since I will be on sidewalks or rail trails from now on, the darkness does not bother me. I should have street lights every once in awhile to help light my way.

Within a quarter of a mile I come to a convenience store. I am not terribly hungry or thirsty, but I would like an ice cream cone. So I stopped in and get a Nutty Buddy. It is the perfect snack to munch on while I hike on the sidewalk.

The rest of the hike into town is uneventful. The sidewalks are easy to navigate and the air is cooling a bit.

When I finally get to the park where I was planning to stop, I see that it is not easy to figure out what is the official parking area. But there is a pizza shop on the corner of the intersection so I make that my new destination.

The restaurants near the hotel are going to be closing in a little over an hour. This pizza shop is open for another 2 hours. I think I will just stop here and order a pizza to eat and then Uber into the campus area.

I order a Margarita pizza which is normally just olive oil, garlic, basil, sliced tomatoes, and mozzarella. But they offer the option of a red sauce. I am so intrigued by the idea that I go ahead and order it that way.

If you are a fan of real Margarita pizza, never order it with red sauce. The highlight of the Margarita is the garlic and the basil. When you add red sauce, you totally mask those two incredible flavors. I basically had a basil and tomato pizza.

The Uber ride to the hotel was also uneventful. Since I have already eaten, showering is the first chore. As soon as I am clean, fixing the inflatable pad is the next chore.

I begin filling the bathtub with warm water. I then inflate the pad to the full amount per the repair kit instructions. Submerging an inflatable pad that is 3 inches thick underneath water is a very difficult task to do. And then looking for bubbles to appear that aren’t just air trapped on the surface is doubly hard.

I am concentrating on the area where I found the twig and where I think the leak should be. But I am not finding any bubbles. After ten minutes of wrestling with this thing in the tub, I do end up finding the leak at the very top of the pad. This is the location where it touches my backpack.

I mark the location, but keep looking over the rest of the pad to check for any other leaks. I think it took nearly 30 minutes to check both sides of the pad thoroughly. But luckily I only found the one leak.

Following the instructions for the repair process was actually more difficult than I was expecting. You are supposed to adhere a glue dot, press it down firmly, then remove the backing and put another patch on top of that.

But following their directions, the side of the glue dot that I removed the backing from is not even sticking to the pad. Maybe I understood it backwards and I’m supposed to be sticking the other side to the pad.

The other side is indeed more sticky, but I think I’ve already ruined this glue dot. Luckily, there are two in the kit so I use the other one. This one sticks quite well. In fact, it sticks so well it’s hard to stick to the pad without sticking to everything else.

After a few minutes, I think I have a secure patch. As long as this is the only hole in the mattress it should be good for the rest of the trip. But now I have used both repair dots, so I cannot afford to get any more holes unless I can get another repair kit. REI does not sell them, but Amazon does. So now I get to play the logistics fun of figuring out where to ship a new repair kit.

Emotion of the Day

This may not be exactly an emotion, but today feels like a comfortable old shoe.

Even though the Econ River is the only section of today that I have hiked previously, the rest of the trails seems like the trails I normally hike in Florida. Lots of pine, lots of scrub, a little bit of mud, and a few boardwalks.

But the Econ River itself was exactly how I remembered it. It is a really nice section of trail.

Today was the first day I actually felt like I was hiking the Florida Trail that I know.

I am glad that the big road walks are done for the next several weeks. But the mud and water are still present.

Let’s Get Rolling

I have a long Uber ride to get back to the trail. I also still have many more miles of walking on the roads.

The hotel restaurant opens up at 7:00 so I am there at 7:01. A quick omelet and a glass of milk and I am headed across the street to the grocery store to get a few things for the next few days.

By the time I get back to the hotel the Uber driver has already arrived and been waiting on me. When you schedule one in advance they get there super early. The price is also slightly higher.

We have a good talk on the ride out to the fruit stand location. The driver is familiar with the fruit stand and puzzled why I want to go there. This is when we get to talking about long-distance hiking and the Florida Trail in general.

Road Walk Four SR520

If you remember from yesterday’s post, this is a sequence of five roads to be walked. State Road 520 is another busy four-lane road that goes between downtown Orlando and Cocoa. I have to hike about 6 mi of its length to the intersection with 528.

The shoulder is pretty wide and the traffic is fast enough that I spend more time hiking the grass shoulder of this road than any of the others.

There are a few culverts that have trees that provide some shade. There are also a few entrances to ranch and hunting areas. And some of these ranches are still part of the Deseret Ranch.

I take a break at the gate of a hunting club. One of the members is coming out as I am eating something and offers me a water. We start chatting a little bit about hiking. Even though he doesn’t know much about the Florida Trail he knows that this time of year he sees a ton of hikers go by.

Road Walk Five, SR528

When I get to the junction of the two state roads, there is a large amount of construction in the area. The benefit to a hiker is that there are extra barriers to protect me from the traffic. The downside is that the ground is torn up and softer.

Much to my delight, I find out that the road I’m going to be walking on is actually not State Road 528. It is actually Yates Road which is an access road that runs parallel to 528. Another hardly used country Road that is a pleasant Road to finish off this road walk with.

I take another break just before entering the next section, which is another Wildlife Preserve. It is the Tosohatchee Wildlife Management Area. You are required to phone the office when you enter and when you exit.

As soon as I enter The Preserve, I am greeted with about a quarter mile of wading and mud. I threw away my water shoes in Cocoa Beach and now have a pair of flip-flops.

I switch into the flip-flops as soon as it is apparent that I am not getting out of this unscathed. Within two steps I can tell the flip-flops are not going to work either.

With each step, the back of the flip-flop is firmly stuck in the mud. I try out all sorts of variations of twisting or contorting my foot as I step forward to try and release the vacuum of the mud. A few weird angles definitely do help but it also definitely slows me down.

When I am not even a quarter of the way through the water, I decide to take off the flip-flops and just go barefoot. I am definitely moving faster barefoot. I am relieved to find out that the water is cool and not warm. In fact, it is quite cold and on the verge of being painful.

Most of the rest of the Preserve is decent dry land for good hiking. But there are five or six muddy places or sections of water that need to be walked through.

Stopping to dry and clean your feet and put your shoes back on takes 10 or 15 minutes each time. So I am losing at least an hour today to the mud.

It’s Christmas Time

You exit The Preserve through a gate that begins another short road walk about a mile to State Road 50. This is the location of the town of Christmas. Is named after a fort that is nearby but not along the trail.

The post office it’s probably the biggest draw for this town even including the fort. The post office is inundated with letters from around the country wanting a postmark from Christmas, Florida. All I want from Christmas is a sandwich and maybe some ice cream.

It is a half-mile walk down the highway to get to the nearest convenience store. When I get there I order a sandwich to eat there and another one to pack out for tomorrow. For tonight it is a Cuban and for tomorrow it is roast beef.

For the rest of tonight and most of tomorrow, I will be going in and out of state forests and Wildlife Management areas. For tonight I want to get as close to the Orlando Wetlands Park as possible. I want to be able to walk through it tomorrow morning at sunrise.

To position myself to do that, I end up stealth camping at the edge of a pasture. I am locating my campsite after sunset but while there is enough light to see the ground. There are a few prickly bushes where I am setting up but I am prepared for that with my 1/8-inch foam pad to protect the inflatable pad.

I am still full from the Cuban sandwich so I don’t even bother cooking dinner tonight. I only have one lemon candy just to have something sweet.

The temperature is dropping quickly but it’s not supposed to get terribly cold. I do not put on my leggings but I am wearing my puffy jacket and gloves. That should be all I need for tonight.

At some point in the middle of the night, I noticed that the air mattress needs a little more inflation. I am figuring since I blow it up with hot air and the cold night chills the air, that it loses a little inflation just because of the temperature drop.

But an hour later when it has deflated even more, I come to the conclusion that I must have a hole in the mattress. Great, something else to repair.

Emotion of the Day

Relief is the emotion for today.

I feel relieved to know that the worst road walk for the next month is over. I am relieved that I was able to figure out a solution to not having to camp in the middle of it. And I am relieved that it did not backfire on me. I always had a fear in the back of my mind that I would have a hard time finding an Uber driver to drop me off in the middle of nowhere.

I feel relieved to know that I am still on schedule, even though I have been moving slower and taking more zeros than planned. It is definitely easier to hike when you don’t have a destination you have to meet at a specific time. And even though I do have a destination, it is good to know that I am still on track to getting there on time.

That’s not a typo. Deseret is a very large cattle and citrus Ranch in the area. The next 30 plus miles will be walking on roads. It is going to seem like a desert.

Campsite Bonus SpaceX Launch

There was an unexpected bonus to staying at this campsite last night. It is sparsely populated with pine trees and for the most part very open. It is also only about 40 miles from the Space Center.

Last night was a launch of a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. I had a great view of the entire sequence. You could see both boosters separate from the main rocket and do their firing maneuvers to come back to the lunch pad. I couldn’t see them land but I could see the final deceleration burn.

Road Walk One SR 192

After the 1 mile out of the campsite to the parking area, the road walk begins for the day. State road 192 that leads to either St Cloud or Melbourne.

It is a pretty high speed road with a decent amount of traffic, but at 7am, the westbound traffic is not too bad.

The road is four lanes of traffic with a bike lane sized shoulder. The grass shoulder is very wide and very flat. I am able to walk on the pavement about 90 percent of the time. About fifty percent of the drivers move over into the other lane so I can stay on the pavement.

The grass is covered with hard frost when I start the walk, but by a mile in, it is turning to water. My feet are getting a little damp, but not bad.

I had in my mind that this part of the roadwalk was six miles. After three miles, I passed a road with a sign indicating the Deseret HQ was six miles down that road.

Only twenty yards past that road, my Spidey senses told me to stop. The road sign said Deer Park Rd, which sounded familiar, so I checked the map, and sure enough, this is my turn. It would not have been a good start to the day to have to backtrack on a highway.

Road Walk Two Deer Park Road

This road is a country road with not too much traffic. It would turn out that the ranch owns everything on either side of this entire road.

It begins with houses and pasture. The pastures are huge and I can see cypress domes scattered throughout. I know there are cattle here, but they are very far away because these prairies are huge.

For the first half of the road it is easy to find the shade tree about every half of a mile. On the second half of the road they are a mile plus apart. And by then it is getting quite warm so the north half of the walk was far less pleasant than the south half.

About 5 mi up the road there was a water cache and a bench on the side of the road. It was the only bench on the entire road. I sat for 10 or 15 minutes and had a snack.

Shortly after leaving the bench, a truck pulled alongside me and stopped on the side of the road. I was expecting them to ask if I needed a ride. But to my delight he asked if I wanted some oranges and beef jerky. Oranges would definitely hit the spot right now so I grabbed two red navels out of the back of his truck.

I chatted with him for a while and find out that he is the owner of the fruit stand that’s on State Road 520 at the end of the next road walk. I was planning on camping on the road before State Road 20 but who knows. I should have time to actually get that far today.

This Ranch is so huge that they label they’re farming operations as units. Most of the units are for cattle but some of them are for citrus. I have no idea how large this Ranch actually is. But from my perspective it looks like an entire county.

I have to stop pretty frequently on the road walk in the afternoon. It is getting warm and I am getting tired. I’m saving my secret weapon, my coffee, 2:00 p.m. when it should have the best effect. I should be at the end of this roadblock at about that time.

On one of my stops I decide to take the insole heels out of my shoes. There are some discomfort under the front part of the heel that I’m hoping goes away if I remove them.

Within 5 minutes of walking in this new arrangement I can tell it is a step backwards. The pressure is gone under my foot but my achilles tendon is getting more pressure. I think in this situation it’s better to have the pressure under the foot and have the tendon feel its best. So I stopped and put the insoles back in.

Road Walk Three Nova Road

Nova Road has a lot more traffic than Deer Park Road. It is also a two-lane road but it’s obvious that it is a connector between two cities. There is both automobile and semi trailer traffic.

The shoulder is fairly narrow here in the grass is somewhat sloped but it is walkable. I am able to spend about 60% of the time on the pavement and 40% in the grass.

At the first shaded area I find on the road I stopped to drink my coffee. I had a small snack too.

This road walk is about 7 miles long. I can’t go a full 3 mph while walking because of my achilles tendon. But I can manage two and a half without too many stops.

I actually mixed two different instant coffees in my bottle today. One of them is a Trader Joe’s with cream and sugar and the other is my typical Cafe Bustello.

Normally cream in instant coffee will not dissolve in cold water, but this Trader Joe’s dissolves extremely well. The Cafe Bustello Cafe con Leche will not dissolve in cold water. I may have found a new addition to my standard hiking foods.

The coffee today is doing its job quite well. I’m not sure if I even took any breaks other than maybe 60 seconds to adjust gear or grab a snack or water. I have no aches, I have no pains, I am just a hiking machine at this point.

About halfway through the Nova Road hike, it is obvious that I am going to reach 520 well before dark. I begin to wonder if the citrus stand will still be there by the time I get there. I am hoping he is so I can get some more oranges.

SR520 Leads to Cocoa Beach

The plan the entire day was to find some place along Nova Road to camp. I am eyeing every potential site along the road with a discerning eye.

The only spots available are trees which are only 50 yards away from the highway. You are definitely not well hidden. You are also definitely not going to get more than 10 minutes of sleep.

I am certain that this road see some form of traffic all night long even at 4:00 a.m. and any vehicle moving down this road is going to wake you up. I wear earplugs to drown out noises at night. But there is nothing that’s going to drown out the road noise this close to the highway.

Since the fruit stand is only about 10 mi from Cocoa, I begin to think that it would be quite easy to either hitch or Uber from here to Cocoa. And if it’s easy to get to Cocoa, then what’s another 10 mi to go all the way to Cocoa Beach?

After a few minutes on the Marriott app, I find that our favorite hotel next to Ron Jon’s has availability and for just a few Marriott points. It would be nice to do laundry and soak my feet in the ocean tonight.

When I finally get to the end of Nova Road and look to my right, I can see that the fruit stand is still open. I am there in less than 5 minutes eating fresh boiled peanuts.

Fruit Stand Man

The fruit stand operator is an awesome person. Not only did he stop on the side of the road earlier in the day to give me oranges and beef jerky, but he refuses to take payment from hikers for anything.

After eating a bag of peanuts and another Orange, I am ready to put my plan into action. I tell the fruit stand guy my plan and he offers to drive me as far as Cocoa. It sounds like this plan is going to work out after all.

He has a steady stream of customers, even for the 20 minutes or so that I am there eating his peanuts. Nearly everyone buys peanuts and one other item.

After talking about it with him later, I find that tomatoes are the trigger item. If he ever runs out of tomatoes during the day, people will begin to lose their shit when they find out he doesn’t have any more tomatoes. He could run out of any other item and people will not care. But a lack of tomatoes could start world war 3.

Luckily today he still has about a half a box of tomatoes. And people are still buying them even as the sun is sitting.

He decides it’s time to pack it up so I help them pack up all of the produce into his truck. Within twenty minutes, everything is packed up. Now comes the hard work.

He has rows of signs each direction on the highway telling the drivers what goods he has today. I think getting all of the signs took well over 45 minutes. The big signs are held up by rebar driven in the ground. He has a special tool to help pull them up. Even with the tool it is very difficult to do.

It is pretty dark by the time we have gotten all 10 sets of signs. But we are now headed in the direction of Cocoa.

It has been at least 25 years since I have been to this part of Cocoa. It has grown significantly. It is hard to recognize as the same city until we get right near the downtown Center.

We passed through downtown cocoa and then I realize we are on the next causeway to Merritt Island. I asked him if he realizes he just passed US1 and Cocoa and he says yes he’s planning to take me all the way to Cocoa Beach.

I was not expecting that at all. What started out as an easier way to get an Uber has turned into a full-blown delivery. The graciousness and the compassion this guy has is just overwhelming. He really does love hikers. He talks the talk, but he walks the walk even better.

He ends up dropping me off right in the Ron Jons parking lot. I only have to walk to the other side of the building to get to the hotel. Within minutes I am showered and clean.

The first order of business is to buy some flip flops. The second order of business is dinner which I eat in the hotel restaurant. The third order of business is laundry. When I find that the dry cycle is 45 minutes long I initiate the fourth order which is to walk in the ocean water.

All the chores are done but it is nearly 11:00. There will be no blogging tonight. There will only be slumber.

Emotion of the Day

Definitely gratitude.

One person made a very big difference in the outcome of my day.

This should have been one of the less pleasant days of the entire trip. Along hot road walk and camping next to a highway, unless you want to do 30 miles worth of road walk in one day.

But fruit stand man fed me and kept me company and refused payment. He drove me 20 miles in the opposite direction of his home at the end of a long work day. And he again refused payment.

If you die and go to heaven and find a fruit stand up there, make sure you stop by, eat an orange, and shoot the breeze for a while. You will not regret it.