Fresh fall air fills my lungs. The air is almost sweet in taste due to such freshness. Crossing the Dunedin Causeway this morning I could not wait to get inside the gate at Honeymoon Island State Park. In fact I arrived too early. I had to wait almost 15 minutes before the gate keeper let me and four other cars in. I was the lead car. The others behind me were strangers. I quickly drove to the Osprey Trail trailhead, the others drove towards the beach.
As I start the trail I am greeted by plentiful arrangements of Horsemint. The cool fall air keeps my senses keen, though the glowing sun is slowly creeping skyward and its rays are becoming well known by the back of my neck. It will warm up later, but I think this breeze at least for now will remain constant.
A few moments past 8 AM I hear the call of an osprey. The osprey is holding onto a snag, his or her nest within view. I quickly find myself in gopher country. The trail and its surroundings become open and sandy. The mighty land tortoise lives on this beachy paradise. Prickly pear cactus dot the open patches of sand, their fleshy fruits gleaming in the sunlight. The fruit looks delicious, but I will leave these treats for the ‘ol land tortoise. To my right I continue to see weathered snags, some are leaning. A fringe of mangroves is hiding near the snags, these same snags are governed by neatly kept osprey’s nest. With the snags to my back I begin to notice that I am surrounded by an army of pines. Wax myrtle and saw palmetto are the foot soldiers in this army. There seems to be increasing freshness, the sound of man further dimenished.
A small Mocking Bird in a small snag carries on with a melody, while a Pileated Woodpecker carries the rhythm. An adult osprey now departs for the gulf. Though the music of nature is simple, nothing we compose truly compares. The pines and the passing wind, along with their avian allies remind those willing to listen that nature is the true grand symphony. Tiny birds flutter across the trail and some of their companions dive for cover like shooting darts as they become aware of my presence.
Its hard to ignore the osprey architecture that has been developed in the snags. Its easy to understand why the trail is called the Osprey Trail. Their lookout towers here are plentiful. So are the mosquitos. At a mile in I reach the junction of Pelican Trail and Osprey Trail. I continue now down the Pelican Trail. I walk now from pines to mangroves. As I leave the mangrove swamp I enter the dunes filled with sea oats. At this point as I sit down on a bench facing the water I am at just over a mile in. My troubled knee seems ok for now. Numerous egrets and herons feed in the shallows. A pair of opspreys patrol the sky, their eyes piercing downward in hopes of snagging an unlucky fish.
Watching an American Egret is truly a lesson in patience. As I watch, it stands motionless as if it is a statue. I know its patience will be rewarded. Time does not exist in his world nor do deadlines. Humans are a funny bunch. Have you noticed how we are always in a hurry. We rush here and there yet the rewards of life are often found when you slow down. Nature is never in a hurry. Why must we be rushed? Believe me the economy and technology have nothing over what blossoms before me today.
I sometimes notice a sense of rush even when I hike. There is often a feeling involving the following…How many miles did I do?…What is the best strategy?…etc. You can probably relate to these underlying demands. Today is different. I am slowing down to observe my surroundings. It happens naturally when you have time to be engulfed by nature. Acclimating to nature is easy, but it often takes time to change your state of mind. I continue for a stretch along the coast.
At one point I come across a strange ecotone. Slash pines and mangroves are shaking hands. As I make my way back towards the Osprey Trail I come across an active gopher tortoise burrow. No one seems to be home so I proceed back into the pines saying a quick goodbye to the mangroves and the salty coast.
My hike comes to an end as I reach the picnic area where the trailhead begins. I walk past my truckand walk towards the beach. This section of beach is rocky, covered in chuncks of limestone. It gives the feel of being remote, the condos loom in the distance. As I sit down I realize my knee is feeling the hike. I guess my knee needs more time to heal. As for me though I am relaxed and thinking to the future. A trip around this island in a kayak would be an experience. A trip to Caladesi Island might just top it all off. For now I will sit with the lazy Gulf, the water reminding me that there is no need to be in a hurry.




















