My vision of camping

At 30,000 feet in a middle seat, there’s not a lot to do. So I started looking through the magazine, the ones that are always in the seat pockets in front of you.

I normally rarely give them any attention, as the stories they run don’t interest me. However, in this magazine, I find an article in the table of contents on camping. My dreams have been answered! Spending time in the outdoors, enjoying the simple pleasures of nature, has finally entered the mainstream, and can be read about while crossing America by plane.

Quickly turning the pages, I come to a single page on camping. It lists the products that every modern camper should have. Seeing the nicely photographed tent, I should have known better. By the time I finished, I was fully informed of how to truly be “the talk of the camp.”

Oh yes, I’d be the talk of the camp! Starting right off when I started to put up my leopard print tent ($748). Rest assured that I would “never stumble into the wrong tent again.” Unless some other fashion-conscious camper might be sharing our site.

Once I pitched my leopard print tent, it would be time for me to correctly outfit it. With a tent like this, sitting on the ground or an aluminum fold-up stool simply wouldn’t do. I’d need my Pendelton collection stool. The one with “hardwood legs and a leather seat covered in a wool jacquard” ($298).

There I’d be, my tush cradled by wool and leather comfort. Sipping my water from a “pretty cobalt hue” water bottle. The hue “preserves the water inside.” But wait! “This is not a water bottle, it’s a hydration vessel” ($20)

What goes well with that finely preserved water? How about some gourmet marshmallows? Why, “Even your snacks can have style.” With a choice of 78 flavors, “from cinnamon to beef,” your s’mores will never be the same.

And as the flame from your stylish campfire dwindles, it’s time to retire to the comfort of your Pendelton rollup blanket, “because sleeping bags make that unglamorous rustling noise” ($118).

Come morning, when it’s time to break camp, you can pack it all in your “rockin rucksack” made of canvas and leather. Surely all of your camping friends will realize that it’s “classic mountaineering meets urban hipster” ($90).

That’s providing that you can fit all of this in your urban hipster rucksack.

Here it is, $1,280 of the most worthless camping gear that I have ever read about. I’ll keep my eyes out for it when we’re off on our next section hike of the AT. Of course, if I see any of this gear out there, I’ll get you an up to date review.

I’m sorry that I didn’t include any dimensions or weights, but they weren’t included in the article. I guess they’re not as important as looking good on your next camping trip.

Creek Sink Trail at San Felasco Hammock

In this case, however, San Felasco Hammock was a must. I remembered its botanical and geologic wonders, and wanted it to be a part of our new book. John had never hiked there, so I wanted to introduce him to it, too.

Above Creek Sink

I remembered the hills, and the sinkholes. But the Creek Sink Trail was new ground to me – and indeed, looking back on my notes for the 50 Hikes series, didn’t exist back then. With the AT as our most recent comparison for steep slopes, this trail fit right up there, complete with waterbars to fight erosion after a rain. Some of the largest trees along the trails of the state park are on this short loop.

Eastern hophornbeam at Creek Sink

Hiking the perimeter of the main trail system – the Spring Grove Trail and Old Spanish Way to the north of Millhopper Road – brought a new perspective to the hike. Much of it is on broad forest roads, which in these expansive forests, isn’t a big deal. But the most enjoyable part of the walk is still where the trail narrows and squirms between karst features, with sinkholes around every corner.

On a hill on the Spring Grove Trail

We’ll be sharing details about these extremely popular trails soon. Meanwhile, we hope you take the opportunity to enjoy these trails in Gainesville. Just be prepared for ticks – and mosquitoes, around those sinkholes – this time of year!

Sink on the Old Spanish Way

Hiking trail maps from the Friends of San Felasco Hammock Preserve
San Felasco Hammock Preserve State Park

Big Agnes in our Lightheart Duo Tent

With only a few weeks before we’d be at Springer, we began our search, not realizing how few choices we would have. And unfortunately, our thru-hike for two wasn’t a “money is no object” hike. There were some beautiful lightweight bags available from Featured Friends and several other manufacturers, but they were quite costly, $700 and more.

So, thinking economically, we chose the Thermolite fill, 15 degree Cabin Creek from Big Agnes. At 5-1/2 pounds, it was bulkier and heavier than we’d planned but it was shipped to Sandy’s nearly empty apartment just in time to head out on the hike. And it cost less than $300. Since we live in Florida, we realized that our winter hiking wouldn’t often involve snow, so we didn’t go with the additional warmth or weight savings of the down. We couldn’t justify the expense.

Big Agnes at Plum Orchard

New to both of us was the Big Agnes design – no fill along the bottom of the sleeping bag. Instead, there are pockets for two self-inflating air mattresses, sold separately. That gave us separate comfort choices. Sandy had a full length Thermorest she’d used for many years, and I bought a brand-new smaller, oval model to replace the closed-cell foam I used for our first week on the trail. As I broke down the inside of our tent each morning on the AT, I could easily tell her side of the sleeping bag from mine. Hers was noticeably more comfortable.

While Big Agnes was roomier than we needed – cutting a foot out of the footbox would have helped us keep warmer – we were very satisfied with its performance. We were probably just about at its comfort limits when we awoke to snow just before arriving at Max Patch. Although it filled most of the body of my pack, being so large, it certainly was a spectacle! When we stayed in shelters, other hikers would come over and ask questions about it.

Big Agnes in the Smokies

After using it on the AT for 350 miles, we were very satisfied with our purchase. As the weather was warming up, our friend Gutsy let us take over a couple of their more lightweight matching bags as we headed up to Harpers Ferry for the second stage of our hike.

Big Agnes works perfect in Primrose, our vintage VW camper. It fits just right on the folding bed. No messing with sheets or blankets. In the morning we just stuff it in the cloth storage bag and raise the bed back into the bench seat. In fact, a couple of weeks ago we woke up snug and warm inside Big Agnes and Primrose, which has no heat … and our windshield was covered in ice.

Hiking at Pat’s Island

I’ve noticed the sign along SR 19 about the Yearling Trail many times, but never stopped to see what it was about. Shortly after turning off the main trail we came to an old cistern, which is now not more than a concrete lined depression behind a board fence. It was the site of Reuben and Sara Jane Long’s homestead when there was a village here in 1876.

Cistern at Long homestead site

We were walking along an old stagecoach road through the hills under the pines. There’s not much left except the dirt path, until you come to a side trail to the Long Cemetery. There, on the hill, we saw the graves of Reuben and Sara Jane and members of their family.

The Long Cemetery

The Long’s son Calvin hosted Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings at his homestead here in the 1930s. She got her ideas for The Yearling from their children’s adventures. Pat’s Island is the name of the island of longleaf pines in the Big Scrub on which their family, and several others, lived and farmed. We saw a marker for the site where Patrick Smith, the postmaster, settled in the 1840s; the island is named for him.

Sinkhole on Pat’s Island

The Trail goes by a deep sinkhole where the families once got water, collected from dripping limestone in the bottom of the sinkhole. If it was dry they would use their rainwater cisterns, or had to go to Silver Glen Springs, two miles east, to get water.

False earthstar

As we walked along the loop, we saw a very unusual looking earthstar fungi and then a teeny tiny gopher tortoise making its way across our path. Fire had destroyed many trees along the loop. First from a prescribed burn that went wrong, and then from careless campers. The fires claimed thousands of acres, which altered the landscape, and it will be like this for several generations. I’m not sure who I’m more upset with, the careless campers, or the Forest Service folks who have a policy against fighting fires in the wilderness area no matter how they started.

Charred pine forest

The Yearling Trail loop rejoins Florida Trail. You exit to the Pat’s Island trailhead, which is a two miles drive along a single-lane forest road. Earlier, we saw someone had pulled up into an open spot to camp in their van. A future spot for Primrose?

Tiny gopher tortoise

Heading home after four days on the road, this trip ended our hikes for the next book.

Pretty prairie in Juniper Prairie Wilderness

Our plans had been to hike Hopkins Prairie, but nature kept us at bay. First, soaking rains on the days we’d planned to camp there. Then, a fire that swept across the Florida Trail and consumed 10 homes near the prairie. Finally, as we hiked with friends the day before our final hike for “Five Star Trails Gainesville and Ocala,” they told us that another fire had hit Hopkins Prairie, wiping out blazes and markers they’d just put in to replace the ones lost the month before. That was enough to set us on a course into the Juniper Prairie Wilderness.

Pawpaw in bloom

Seeing crispy trees on Pat’s Island, all these years later, did nothing to cheer me up. When we got to a ridge where the charcoal-smeared oaks sprouted new young leaves, it helped, a little. So did the scrub-jays that came out to greet us, staying wary but close enough to watch. Up and down over the scrub ridges, the prairies were as beautiful as I remembered them. But my heart sank each time we found another oak hammock burnt to a crisp, and towering burned sand pines.

Dead trees in the Juniper Prairie Wilderness

Reaching Hidden Pond, we were dazzled by its beauty. Although the water is way down, it’s still an oasis in the scrub. Circling the pond, I was incredulous: the oak hammock was pristine. No crispy branches here. No burn. Wherever the 2009 fire started, with a campfire that wasn’t properly extinguished, it was most certainly not here.

Hidden Pond

Finding Hidden Pond as beautiful as it has always been was the delight of the day and the cap to our 9-month project of canvassing trails throughout this region. It brightened my perspective on the way back, where the sizzled oaks didn’t grab my attention as strongly as the sweeping prairie views.

Hidden Pond campsite

Florida Trail Gateway Community sign at Winter Springs

We carried Sandy’s trike down the three flights of stairs and put it in the back of her Jeep. It fits easily in the Jeep, without being folded. Only the trike seat needs to be removed due to its height. Removal is easy: one quick release, two twists to the knobs, and it’s done.

Richard’s recumbent

Neither of our trikes are outfitted with racks yet. The ones designed by the manufacturer are rather pricey, and limit the folding capability. So Sandy took a small Eagle Creek bag so she get to her phone and camera easily. We’ll be looking for a better way to carry things as time goes on, as we ‘re dreaming of one day ‘Bikepacking’ somewhere.

Black Hammock Trailhead sign

Starting from the Black Hammock Trailhead, we headed north under a canopy of trees. Just before the climb over the SR 434 bridge, we stopped so Richard could make a few adjustments on Sandy’s trike. I’m still learning the trike world, so having Richard along on our ride is a great benefit. As he’s been both a recumbent rider and shop owner for many years, most recently running Riverside Recumbent, his experience is invaluable for us newbies. After each adjustment, he explained to Sandy the what , where, and why of what he had just done.

Bridge over SR 434

This was only Sandy’s second trike ride, but she quickly became a natural. Another benefit of trike riding is that it is very user-friendly. Checking on her in my rearview mirror, I saw she had the camera looking straight up, shooting video of the canopy of trees going by. You sure can’t do that safely on a two-wheeler! Another time she was just videoing Richard and I riding along the trail in front of her.

Cross Seminole Trail

Stopping for a water break under the shade of a tree at Central Winds Park, we enjoyed yet another advantage of trike riding. Not only were we taking a break, but we were comfortably seated, watching everyone else go by.

Trailside spiderwort

Here Sandy turned around to head back toward the trailhead, while Richard and I rode just a little further before making our u-turn. I was wondering how Sandy might be doing when I looked up and saw her riding back toward us. After a brief stop at the trailhead, she came back up the trail to meet us.

Trike 101

Advantages:

• A comfortable riding position. Gone are the neck, back, hand, and butt pains.
• Safety. It is nearly impossible to fall off a trike! Even if you quit pedaling, you don’t fall over. No matter how slow you ride, you are always stable.
• Comfortable riding position! Yes, I’m saying it again! Instead of sitting on a small hard seat, you are riding along on a soft and cushy chair, leaning back, in a reclining position, with your legs slightly elevated. And if your trike is nicely equipped, there’s even a headrest.

Disadvantages:

• They are not what you are used to riding. The riding position is comfortable, but it’s nothing like being on a standard bicycle. Being in a seated position, you can not rely on any help from gravity to propel you along. Each pedal stroke is like pushing on a leg machine at the gym. You can’t let just your weight do the work.
• Going up hills requires much more work, and quickly lowers your speed. Going downhill is another story. Due to your more streamlined position, downhills are fast.
• At high speeds, a trike can be a bit more twichy. With two wheels in the front followed by a single rear wheel, your center of gravity changes.
• U-turns require more room, because of the long wheelbase and the extra front wheel. With practice, three-point turns are easily learned. Backing up only requires you to pull backwards on the front wheels, a skill that is quickly mastered.
• Trikes are wider and lower than the standard bicycle. This is either pro or con, depending on your point of view.
• It’s a Florida state law that a motorist must pass a cyclist with a 3 foot clearance. It’s the same 3 foot requirement, on a bike or trike. A trike sits lower than a motorist’s mirrors, which can stick out more than 3 feet. I avoid roads the best I can when they do not have at least a small amount of curb.

The biggest complaint I hear from most people is “they’re too low to the ground,” and the fear that motorists won’t notice or see them.

It’s been my experience that more people see me now than they did when I was on my two-wheeler. Not only do I have at least one tall neon yellow flag attached to my seat, but I’m also riding ‘something different.’ Motorist have been sharing the roads with bicycles for so long that they often don’t even notice them. Many of the accident reports read “I didn’t see them”.

Ride on something people aren’t use to seeing, with neon flags (and, if you’re smart, some neon clothing), and you’ll get noticed. I’d much rather have them say “what the heck is that?” than “what bicycle, I didn’t see any bicycle.”

Just remember, no matter what you ride, YOU must watch the road better than any driver. They have a steel blanket around them, and you do not!

C4-A (aka Bean City) campsite is affected by this closure

As of May 1, 2013, the Army Corps of Engineers has closed yet another segment of the Florida National Scenic Trail around Lake Okeechobee, this time from John Stretch Park to South Bay. The section will not reopen until a water control structure is replaced, as late as late 2014.

Section hikers, thru-hikers, and backpackers in general should stick with the western side of Lake Okeechobee when hiking the Florida Trail. Closures on the eastern side have made the trail impassible and roadwalks are dangerous through this area due to the amount of high-speed and agricultural traffic that traverses the only roads that parallel the dike.

This closure affects our planning for the 2013 Big O Hike, held during Thanksgiving week. With nearly 1/3 of the dike currently closed due to multiple ongoing construction projects, this year’s hike will focus on the portions of the Florida National Scenic Trail around Lake Okeechobee that are open to hiking at the time of the event.  Additional field trips to nearby trails may be added.

For those interested in attending the 22nd annual hike, please join our Big O Hike mailing list for updates!

See a map of all Lake Okeechobee closures, as provided by the Army Corps of Engineers.

With five hikes left for Five Star Trails Gainesville and Ocala, we headed to North Gainesville, staying at the Best Western Gateway Grand as we spent two days hiking nearby. We made plans to visit with Ruth and her husband on our way back south.

Hiking with friends in the Ocala National Forest

Ruth and John “live in the Forest” and I mean “in” the woods, at the edge of civilization. Following her directions we drove and drove down a paved road through the Ocala National Forest with little of anything man made in sight. Finally even “Navigator” herself started to wonder if we had missed the turn. Surprised to still have cell service, we called Ruth, who told us we were almost there.

Turning off the pavement, we headed down a washboard road, where Sandy told me “I’m glad we’re not in your Honda.” Pulling in the driveway, Sandy’s Jeep felt right at home with their Jeep Wranglers. Later John would surprise me with the car he backed out of their garage.

Our numbers grew as two more friends asked to join us: Linda, who along with her husband Bill, maintain much of the Florida Trail in this area. They live near Marjorie, a spunky senior who hikes thousands of miles every year. We’d just met her, too, during the Panhandle Trace hike. Marjorie doesn’t drive, so she rode with Linda to meet us.

Not far from Ruth’s home, the pavement ended She began navigating us on the dirt forest service roads to near Lake Delancy. Thankfully, due to recent rains, they were recently scraped and in excellent condition.

We met Linda and Marjorie not far from Lake Delancy, at the south end of our planned hike. Leaving one vehicle there, we went back north to the trailhead near the Rodman Dam.

Today’s hike would serve two purposes: it would become a chapter for the new book, and it gave us the chance to GPS another short section for the new Florida Trail Guide we’ll publish before fall hiking season.

Leaving the trailhead, we skirted Rodman Reservoir with broad views across the lake. On the shoreline were huge old hollow cypress logs, once trees, that now rested along the banks. From there we walked south through tunnels of scrub habitat to Penner Ponds. A blue-blazed trail loops around the other side of the ponds, making a nice loop from the Rodman trailhead. Ruth mentioned that the ponds were named for a Confederate soldier who lived here and was buried nearby.

At Penner Ponds

We entered Riverside Island, an island of longleaf pine in the Big Scrub, and walked through it for many hours, taking several breaks along the way in small patches of shade. We wished for benches along the way, but realized their lives would be probably be short-lived with the prescribed burns used to maintain the forest. We used logs to sit on, instead.

Hiking through the longleaf pines

Sandy can tell the difference between one longleaf forest and the next. I’m still nowhere near her level of observation powers. I preferred the longleaf pine forest we walked through on the Panhandle Trace, with golden wiregrass as far as the eye could see. Here, the understory was open in some places and had patches of scrub or sandhill plants in other places. We paid more attention to plants today, taking the time to do photography and to point out wildflowers to our friends, like the roserush and green-eyes and the many pawpaw along the trail.

One of the many pawpaw we saw on the hike

With about six miles behind us, we saw a FedEx truck on a forest road and said, “we can’t already be there!” but we were.

Sandy and I had earlier talked about being dropped off next to Penner Pond, and taking the blue blazed loop trail around the pond. But after four straight days of hiking, we were too sore and tired to do it. So Linda drove us back to Rodman to get our car.

Sandy and I do a lot of hiking with just the two of us. Sometimes we think out loud as we walk along, but we often hike in silence, listening to the sounds of nature around us. Having friends along is a nice change. We chat among ourselves, compare hiking stories, and work together identifying plants and flowers. The time seems to go by quickly when we’re out hiking with friends; in fact, we have enough fun that we never even look at the time.

Roserush in the sandhills

After the hike, it was back to Ruth’s for showers, and a tour of their “little cabin in the woods.” The cabin was built for the previous owner from local “lightning struck” trees. A portable saw mill was set up on site and the logs were sawed as needed. The critical trimming and finishing was done by hand, using an adze. Screen porches along two sides allows you to feel like you’re outside, without feeding the local insect population. They have cut their own little trails through their woods.

Before dinner, John fired up his little Fiero and took me for a spin. It’s been a project of his for several years. It’s a fine looking vehicle, and one that’s rarely seen on any roads these days. John’s looking for a new home for it. Between the holes and washouts found along a dirt road, it’s just out of place on the backroads near their new home.

If only my garage were larger….I’d owned a Fiero over twenty years ago, but not a GT like his. Oh well, Primrose got the last available spot in the garage, for now.

Dehydrated okra, an unexpected delight

After a wonderful home-cooked meal including vegetables from Ruth’s organic garden, we sat out on the porch. Listening to the sounds of frogs in the distance, we spent the evening talking about hiking and other adventures. The next morning, driving in the fog, we were fortunate enough to see a large black bear along the road on the way to our next hike!

Hiking with friends on the Florida Trail

After our experience becoming tick bait several days before, we made a point of wearing our Dirty Girl Gaiters for all of the other hikes. When our friends saw us wearing them, they loved them: Sandy in her “Shagadelic” print, and me in my “All Legs” print.

We had them take a photo so we could share a review. Sandy’s been wearing hers for nearly two years, including our time on the AT. Mine are almost a year old now. You can see in the photo they’re still serving us well.

Our Dirty Girl Gaiters

What’s the point of these odd looking things, you ask? Stretched over the gap between sock and shoe, they help keep out sand – which we’re always kicking up while hiking Florida’s trails – and insects, especially ticks and chiggers. Of course, it doesn’t hurt to spray them with bug spray for extra protection.

Unlike the old fashioned “snake gaiters” and those black ankle gaiters that were held on by laces, these are simple to put on, and effective. After you have your socks on, slide these over your ankles before lacing up your boots or shoes. Once you’ve laced the boots, press the gaiter against your heel to attach the Velcro fastener, and slip the front hook under your laces. The material stretches and hold them tightly in place.

We carry a spare strip of Velcro in our first aid kit. After hundreds of miles, we have only needed to replace the Velcro on one shoe each.

Day after day we have worn them. They are easy to put on and so comfortable that you forget you have them on. After some of our hikes, when we’d stop for lunch, Sandy used to ask me if I was going to wear my Dirty Girls into the restaurant.

“Why not?” I’d say. “I’m already wearing all nylon clothes, with zip-off legs and rolled up sleeves. Heck, the gaiters are probable the best looking thing I’m wearing!”

A closer look

Bang for the buck, Dirty Girl Gaiters can’t be beat. You could pay twice as much, and still not find a better product. And let’s face it, when it comes to hiking clothing, making a fashion statement isn’t easy. Until now.

Created by ultramarathoner Xy Weiss for runners, these dressy gaiters keep popping up on major trails around the United States as more hikers find out about them. Now it’s your turn! Check out all of the options on the Dirty Girl Gaiters website.

Camping with Primrose at Blackwater River State Park

Being an old Boy Scout and leader I take for granted all of things I’ve learned through over forty years of camping, so running into fellow campers with little or no camping experience has given us the idea of more sharing reviews of the gear that we use regularly and, now, the campgrounds we’ll be visiting in our travels with Primrose.

Common area in the middle of the loop

Our first big shock: at Blackwater River State Park, camping on the grass is prohibited! We know because our friend Linda set her tent up in the grass on the campsite instead of on the “official” gravel camping area. The ranger came by and told her to move it.

Setting up a tent on gravel comes with many challenges, as we found out as we helped several of our tenting friends set up. After several bent tent stakes, we realized that there was a thick pad below the rocks that was nearly impenetrable. Luckily, everyone was using free-standing tents. Once their gear was inside, there should be enough weight on the tent floor to keep it from blowing across the campground in the wind. However, weighting down your rain fly is a bit trickier.

Setting up a tent on gravel. Neither easy nor recommended, but required at this campground!

That first night additional lengths of line were added so the stake could reach off the gravel pad. I suggested leaving that stake for last and placing it in the grass under the cover of darkness. Other lines were tied to picnic tables and coolers. Thinking more about it, I remembered an old trick for use in snow or soft sand. Ziploc bags were filled with gravel from the pad and then the line was tied around them.

While camped at Blackwater River State Park, we heard of at least three air mattresses with leaks. Could it have been that sharp gravel under the tent floor? In our little group, an experienced car camper came to the rescue with an extra folding cot for a friend whose mattress deflated the first night. Along with the comfort of not being on the gravel, another wonderful feature of a cot is being nearly a foot off the ground. It makes life a little nicer when you don’t have to get off of the ground when hiking daily.

I’ve used folding cots for years on large-scale bike rides, where your gear is toted by truck to the next campsite. Often the rules state NO cots. But mine, unlike a big heavy army type cot, folds compactly and fits inside the approved-sized duffle bag. A car trunk can carry a lot more that you backpack. So why not add a folding cot to your car camping gear?

In Primrose, of course, we had no problems. Due to our late attempt at booking online reservations, we had to change campsites four times in six days, but that’s not quite the hassle with a camper van as it is with a tent.

Bathhouse area in the campground

The bathhouse was well-maintained and always clean, although the showers were not well-designed as a puddle kept appearing on the floor of the changing area instead of going down the drain. We’d planned to leave a comment card to mention that and the tent camping issues, but the cards disappeared after several days and were never restocked by the ranger who checked the campground several times a day.

The sites vary greatly in size, enough so that you’ll want to look at their online (through the Reserve America reservations website) before booking one. Trees were cut down to create the sites so very few of the sites have any shade. If you plan to spend as many nights as we did (in one site), bringing your own pop-up canopy to set over the picnic table would be a smart idea. Some of our friends did that so they could have an outdoor kitchen and gathering place.

Huge gravel site

It was a short walk down to the Blackwater River on the nature trail, with access to a beach that most of the day users never see, unless they walk the entire nature trail system and not just the Juniper Lake Loop. The trail to the ranger station seemed like a much longer trek, but it was in the pine forest and a pretty walk.

Nature Trail on our loop

Although it is beautiful, we wouldn’t recommend Blackwater River State Park to tent campers, since it’s not at all friendly towards tent camping. They really do need a dedicated grassy area for tent campers to enjoy pitching a tent under the pines, with basic electric outlets and a shared water tap and no gravel under the tent. But if you have an RV, a camper, or a van, it’s a wonderful place to camp.

Pretty beach on Blackwater River