Who knew that walking in knee deep water could be so fun and beautiful?
Backpackers: Ed Tucker, Carl Fisher, and Brian Lewis
January 19, 2016 – Miles: 7 Ed and Carl drove from Green Bay WI to Orlando FL and took a bus to Miami. Brian flew on a red-eye express from Seattle to Miami. We all met at a hotel in Miami and awaited pick up by Mirian, a trail angel Carl found on-line. She met us at 10:00AM to drive us to our trailhead at the southern terminus of the Florida Trail. She dropped us at 11:15AM and after getting our permit we hit the trail at 11:40PM. In the first 10 minutes we hit water and from then on it was 80% walking in the water – some of it crotch deep – but mostly ankle to mid-calf deep. We finished the day at 7 Mile Camp and got water from the swamp.
January 20, 2016 – Miles 9.7 There was lots and lots of water walking which was grueling and tiring. There were a few high spots where we could take pack off breaks but most breaks were standing in place. Fortunately, it was sunny all day long with a pleasant temperature. We camped at 13 Mile Camp.
January 21, 2106 – Miles 9.7 We spent 9+ hours on the trail today to cover only 9.7 miles because we were in water 98% of the day. We only took three breaks due to lack of dry ground. The bottom of the swamp was very murky-trying to suck our shoes off with each step and wearing us out. We camped at Ivy Camp.
January 22, 2016 – Miles 10.1 We started the day swamp walking for 4 or 5 miles during which we met our first hiker. Just as we arrived at a highway (I75) rest area it started to rain. Fortunately, the rest area had a large covered area with vending machines and bathrooms. We were able to clean up, eat, and charge our phones as we waited out the rain. The rain let up a bit at 1:00PM so we took off for our final 4 miles of hiking. Almost immediately the rain started coming down harder and then it was pelting us. We arrived at our intended destination for the night only to find it under 6 inches of water, no feasible place to pitch our tents, and the hardest rain yet. We decided to push on and hope for a spot next to the road we were following. We finally stopped about a mile short of the Seminole Indian reservation (where camping is not allowed) and set up our tents on the road (which is also not allowed but we had no choice). Brian set up his tent in the pouring rain, Carl waited a bit and set up in steady rain, and Ed waited it out and set up when it quit raining. Carl pressed hard during the rain with wet feet and got blisters which last the rest of the trip.
January 23, 2016 – Miles: 10.1 Most the day was spent road walking under a clear sky. The walking wasn’t hard but the constant pounding lead to blisters on both of Carl’s small toes. We arrived at a RV camp with cabins at 12:30 and decided to stay. We asked the clerk about a place to eat and she offered to go get food on her break at 1:00PM so we ordered both lunch and supper. You’ve got to love trail magic. We were able to dry out equipment, get a nice shower, and have a couple of great meals.
January 24, 2016 – Miles:18.0 We started walking at 7:15AM and 2 miles later we stopped at a convenience store / restaurant where we had breakfast and bought food for the next 4 days. All day was road walking and we saw no other hikers or cars after leaving town. About mid-day we came upon 3 boars-one on our trail-which ran away from us. We also came upon our first alligator sighting in the canal, which occurred at our destination for the night. We are camped near Deer Fence Road.
January 25, 2016 – Miles: 16.3 Today was just a long, straight walk north. We made no turns which was the only thing special about the day. We did talk to a fisherman who offered us fresh fish and beer-which we declined. Our plan is to go into Clewiston tomorrow to stay in a hotel.
January 26, 2016 – Miles: 12 We did lots of walking through sugar cane fields and by a sugar cane factory. The day would have been 3 miles shorter if we had only started the day on the other side of the canal. Oh well. We are staying at the Best Western and had BBQ for supper after resupplying at Walmart.
January 27, 2016 – Miles: 0 No hiking today. Lots of rain and severe weather making us glad we were in a motel and making the decision to stay one more night easy. The rain was so hard that we ordered pizza for delivery so we didn’t have to go out into the weather.
January 28, 2016 – Miles: 8 It was still raining when we headed out and it did not let up so we decided to get a cabin at Uncle Joes and cut our miles short for the day. The cabin we stayed in was musty and damp, however, it was dryer than outside where there were thunderstorms until 7:00PM. Carl slept on a couch out of an RV as his bed because it was his turn on the “roll away” bed.
January 29, 2016 – Miles: 17.5 It was an uneventful walk today – windy, highs in the 60’s, partly sunny. We only spent about 200 yards on the true Florida Trail due to construction-the rest of the time we were on highways (not fun for walking). Carl got new blisters on his toes from all the road walking. We stayed at a campsite at the side of Hwy 27.
January 30, 2016 – Miles: 14.8 An excellent day for hiking as we were on formal trail all day and had a nice lunch at Duck Pub where we spent a bunch of time relaxing and charging our phones. Ed and Carl were able to resupply with wine. We camped at Indian Prairie Campsite in a nice spot off the high banked trail which has a picnic table – a luxury when backpacking.
January 31, 2016 – Miles:16.5 Easy hiking today, before and after lunch. There were two highlights for the day. First highlight was lunch at Lightskys for a Sunday seafood buffet which was a bit pricey but with an excellent selection of seafood. Second highlight was after lunch about a mile down the trail where we encountered a trail closure with no walk around. Therefore, we went around the fence which a blockage of less than a mile. When we were about half way across a security guard came up in a car to stop us. We begged him to let us through. He agreed to call his supervisor so Ed and Carl were forced to walk all the way back while he made his call (Brian was further ahead and stayed put). Fortunately, the supervisor said OK if he escorted us so he didn’t have to arrest us. We camped near the Kissimmee River Access.
February 01, 2016 – Miles: 14.1 The morning miles were all easy but that changed around 11:00AM when we started walking in and out of water until we reached camp at 2:30PM. It was very hot (in the 80’s) and very humid and we were all tired. Brian got 4 or 5 unusual looking blisters on his legs. We guessed a reaction to something so Carl gave him my anti-histamines, band-aids and alcohol wipes since Carl is getting off the trail the next day. We camped in Chandler Slough East.
February 02, 2016 – Miles: 14.1 The first 1.5 miles were wet slogging through a marshy landscape. After that we were on roads until we hit Cracker Trail Country Store, Ed and Carl’s destination for the trip. The first guy we asked for a ride to Okeechobee agreed for $20. We are staying in a Budget Inn hotel and tomorrow will catch Amtrak to Orlando where Ed’s wife will pick us up.