Honeymoon Island…8/25

“The walking and the silence save me. They not only give me the opportunity to slow down to listen and to watch others;they afford me the same opportunity with myself. Silence,  I discover, is not something negative. It is not simply the absence of  speech that happens when I stop talking. Silence is a whole and independent phenomenon, subsisting in and of itself. In the silence, I rediscover who I am.”

  -John Francis

 

Witnessed five very pink Roseate Spoonbills. The air was thick with humidity. A few Ospreys were perched above me in gnarly snags. Hundreds of small crabs hurried past my feet. Prickly-pear fruits were ripe amongst green-leather-like leaves. Not a single person in sight. Horse Flower Mints were in bloom to the delight of colorful butterflies. 

 

 

Planet Walker

 

Planet Walker

 

“While the destination is desirable, the journey and being in the present each moment is the meditation my walking has become. If my goal is to return to the place I have begun, I surmise, I have already left where I want to be and I am already here where I am going. In walking there is a constant sense of place.”                  

- John Francis

Art Loeb Trail

 

View from Art Loeb Trail

I revisited North Carolina and Tennessee recently to visit some relatives of mine.  This photo was taken from the Art Loeb Trail in Pisgah National Forest.

Hiking Pisgah National Forest

“May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds.”

                                                                                                                                                                   -Edward Abbey

 

Sometimes I find great pleasure in  leaving the Land of Flowers behind. I love my home state of Florida but when you climb a mountain your troubles are left behind. On top of a mountain you forget about the silly ways of human society. I love leaving behind the concrete metropolis of Tampa, where the only thing green that thrives are exotic species. Mountains work wonders on some folks. Some people love rivers, some love the beach, I love mountains. In fact I love anything wild, but to paraphrase John Muir mountains speak and wise men listen and when they call you must go. 

This past week I was in North Carolina with a friend of mine. We went into the week with little plans. Our underlying goal was to hike and that is what we did. We hiked numerous trails in Pisgah National Forest. We even climbed to the top of Mt. Mitchell. The time hiking was well spent. 

Skunk Apes and Great Land Turtles Called Gopher

“Observed, as we passed over the same hills, the dens of the great land turtle called gopher.”

William Bartram (1791)

The green swamp is a large chunk of land. Hundreds and thousands of acres of wetlands, flatlands, and ridges abound, perfect playgrounds for skunk apes and great land turtles named gopher.

Driving through Lakeland is similar to driving through any other community that resides next to Interstate-4. There are plentiful Walmarts, McDonalds, Publix groceries, and other common fixtures of modern day Florida. The modern sprawl of Florida makes the state’s landscape boring. A giant church on the side of the road called Ignite has a giant  billboard flashing videos that seek to entice commuters to stop by and learn why their church is better than the other church across the street. It seems odd to see a church nestled amongst retail space and fast food restaurants. If one seeks truth than I suggest they seek the wilderness. 

Today I am meeting my friend at Green Swamp Wilderness Preserve. We meet early and are hoping to have big day hiking. We plan on hiking 20+ miles. Our initial idea for the day was to connect to the Florida Trail found in the eastern tract of the Green Swamp. Near the trail head we realize the water is high and the trail is completely underwater. We consider are options and decide to take a jeep road towards the  McNeil group camping area. As we start we are very thankful for the road we now find ourselves on. Pools of dark tannin colored water dot the road and the edges of the road. Small yellow tickseeds and small sedges are protruding from the dark water. The sky above is very blue and the green needles of the surrounding pines seem  complimentary. We continue down the road, passing  level flatwoods of pines and saw palmettos, occasionally passing a cypress dome. Eventually we begin walking through old pasture land. My friend mentions that we are now in cracker country. Bordering the green fields of bahia grass and dog fennel are the dense stands of bald cypress, places where Skunk Apes may be watching us from afar. Continuing down the road we enter a thick hardwood hammock. Giant Live Oaks and their Sabal Palm allies remind me that we are yet in another habitat. Tillandsia hangs from the arching branches above us and giant beauty berries crowd the edges of the trail. Eventually we find ourselves arriving in the group campground. Numerous cars and the occasional tent are evidence of hardy individuals braving the heat and the mosquitos. 

After leaving the camp we head back down the road we traveled previously. A light rain shower starts as we make our way back to the trailhead. While hiking we talk about future places we hope to hike. 

The next destination on our hiking itinerary is Colt Creek State Park. Colt Creek State Park is a relatively new state park that was recently purchased from the Overstreet Family back in 2006. The 5,067 acre parcel of land is nestled in amongst the Green Swamp. The park has about 12 miles of hiking trails and there is easy access to the Florida Trail. We are not the only visitors in this park. A number of locals are fishing in the lakes that are beautiful additions to the surrounding landscape. We quickly begin hiking are shoes still dry and we begin by following the trail around Mac Lake in hopes of reaching the orange blazes. The openess of this hike make us feel like we are walking through a great valley out west, my imagination seems to think the surrounding trees off in the distance are mountains bordering the edges of the valley. As we hike a graceful Swallow-tailed Kite keeps us company. This graceful companion has no concept of time and seems content with eating the occasional insect. We eventually come to a creek crossing. We look for a means of crossing but there seems to be no way around the dark water. We walk across, our feet getting wet in water that has the aroma of cow patties. We walk across another small ditch and within seconds I get attacked by ‘antses’ that are fiercely protecting their land rights. 

Later in the hike we come amongst stands of longleaf pine with an understory of herbaceous plants. When walking amongst sandhills it is always a pleasant experience.  As we pass by I look for Sherman Fox Squirrels hopping along amongst the bases of the pines. No such luck today. We eventually catch up with a jeep road that takes us through pine flatwoods and cypress domes. The road seems like perfect gopher tortoise habitat. Eventually we see a park ranger in a white truck coming up behind us. He stops to move a fallen branch to the edge of the road. My friends beats him to it and throws it to the way side. He talks to me for  a while about “Mo-skeeters” and I realize that he  is of the type that will talk my ear off if I do not break free from his one way conversation. I tell him that I must be on my way because the insects were swarming my face. He mumbles again ” I know what ya mean boy” and slowly drives away. 

A few minutes later I come across a gopher tortoise crushed in the road. The park ranger had run him over with his truck. The site is horrible because this little guy’s insides are spread out amongst the green grass. I step away from him as someone commonly does when seeing a tragic event. I tell my friend and he takes a look. As he looks the tortoise slowly lifts his head, eyes open, his mouth still chewing green grass. We both step away and contemplate what we should do to end his suffering. My friend considers cutting his head off, I consider crushing him with a fallen pine tree branch. Seconds pass and we go back to the tortoise who now lifts his head again, this time for the last time. We leave the tortoise and head on down the trail. Leaving the tortoise behind to eventually return back to the sandhill. In the sadness of seeing the tortoise pass on, I know that nature is often as harsh as it is harmonious. While some religions will often consider humans to be the only creatures with souls, it becomes utterly apparent to me as I witness the dying tortoise that we human beings come from the same soil as the tortoise. We cannot live separate from the earth. Those who become worried about delivering their soul to the after life are wasting their time. Human beings come from the earth as does every other creature. There is something inherently wrong with the person who solely concerns themselves with the matters of man and religion. 

After leaving the state park we drive over to Gator Creek Preserve. Gator Creek Preserve is a small Polk County Preserve that borders the Green Swamp. We finish hiking in the rain. The rain feels very refreshing on this hot humid July day. We part ways, my friend driving back to Orlando and myself driving back towards the Tampa area. I feel content with the 23+ mile day we completed. To top the day off on my way home I stopped by Hillsborough River State Park to see Florida’s version of class II rapids. 

 

Hillsborough River State Park

Boca Grande

A few weekends back I spent the weekend with family at Boca Grande. On Saturday we spent the day kayaking and swimming in the clear coastal waters. It was a pleasant Florida get-away. 

 

Sunset

 

Kayaks

 

Sea Oats

Sunset Beach

Sunset Beach, Tarpon Springs

A Perfect Florida Day

“The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness”

                                                                                                          -John Muir

 

Today was one of those perfect Florida days. Hot, humid, and simple.

My girlfriend and I made the short trip to Brooker Creek Preserve this morning. After days of rain the skies were blue and the warm sun and its UV rays were inviting. As we arrived at the preserve the temperature felt fairly mild but the air was heavy with humidity. Driving in on the entrance road to Brooker Creek is always an adventure. It is quite common to run across wildlife and I would advise visitors to the preserve to be cautious. Gopher tortoises munching on grass and herbacious plants are common. Occasionally a snake or a deer will cross your path. Today we encountered no such animals entering the park.

In the parking lot we discussed our plans for the day. We decided to do a loop trail. We started out near the visitor center. Walking on the boardwalk we encountered a few birders. They were admiring a red shouldered hawk who was perched on top of a snag. The bottomland hardwood forest on both sides of the boardwalk reminded us of the importance of hydrology in Florida’s landscape. Signs along the boardwalk informed us of the presence of apple snails and the occassional bear. With the exception of a few standing pools, water levels are still relatively low, but the wet season is still a work in progress. Recent rains though have saturated these dark earthy soils. 

On the trail we encounter a few other hikers. One old man reminds me of an old Muir-like character. Most of the other hikers are out with their dogs. As for wildlife the pickings were fairly slim today. Flora was plentiful and a number of wild flowers were making their presence known with their showy flowers, boldly displaying shades of pink, purple, and yellow. Today was a good flower hunting day. 

As we made our way back to the truck the sun was still blazing in the sky. The rain would come later in the day, but for the time being it was nice feeling the sun for a change. Leaving the park we did manage to encounter a gopher tortoise hanging out in front of his burrow. He seemed content taking in the sun. 

After grilling out in the rain and eating some great food we decided to ride on the Pinellas Trail.  Burning off some calories from lunch was beneficial but the underlying goal was to take in some unfamiliar  trail scenery.  Today we were riding along a new stretch from Seminole in the southerly direction of St. Pete. We managed to see some playful dolphins as we passed over a bridge. The dolphins seemed to be having a feeding frenzy in the shallow water, the mullets were jumping for survival, a few simply jumping for the fun of it. In addition to the wildlife the sights and smells of a Florida summer afternoon were all too evident. The smell of a man cutting his grass reminded me of my youth growing up in DeBary. I always seem to associate summer with the smell of fresh cut grass after a summer rain shower. Kids splashing around in backyards, while their parents grilled and drank beers seemed to be a common practice on this Memorial Day. 

All in all it was a perfect Florida day.

Save Brooker Creek Preserve Stickers

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Get them while they are hot!

Brooker Creek Preserve Newspaper Article

 

Brooker Creek Preserve