Thursday, May 20
The Hike!
What a success! Our hike was wonderful. Weather could not have been more perfect, and Nick and I learned a lot about gear, ourselves, and long-distance hiking.
Due to the fact Nick and I had Scout training at the end of the week we were planning to hike, we ended up hiking the Saturday before our big week. So Saturday April 3 we hiked the 14.5-mile Baldwin Trail going from the city of Baldwin to west Jacksonville. Bikers absolutely filled that paved trail. We saw no other foot traffic, except for two runners. And we were able to maintain a brisk three mph pace the entire way.
Since Sunday is the Sabbath, we resumed hiking on Monday, starting midway between Lake Bulter and Starke. Monday we logged 16.7 miles and camped by Keystone Heights Airport. Most of the trail Monday was straight and flat, so not much trouble. Our original plans were to hike 19 miles Tuesday and then 17 miles Wednesday. But because we wanted to spend Tuesday night in Iron Bride Shelter in Etoniah Creek State Forest, we committed ourselves to hike 24 miles Tuesday. And we did! We even got to stop at Lake Johnson in Goldhead State Park to go for a swim. It was the most difficult day of the week for sure, especially since a whole 8-mile section was all roadside, but we made it to the shelter that night. And good thing too - we could hear the hum of the mosquitos outside the screened shelter as we fell asleep.
Wednesday was pleasant. We slept in late and took the day easily. At 1:30 we met my mother and sister outside Rice Creek Plantation for lunch and to pick up the food we needed for the rest of the week. We then proceeded to the "Rice Creek Hilton" shelter a couple of miles away to spend the rest of our afternoon and evening.
Thursday we continued to enjoy Rice Creek and managed to stir up a turkey and spot several bear tracks. It honestly made me worry somewhat, because I forgot to have my mom bring us rope to hang our bear bag. But Nick wasn't too concerned, which I suppose is justified. After all, he does know karate. On one of our pre-trip hikes, we marched through Caravelle Ranch W.M.A. trying to avoid the eighty-seven trail puddles - we counted. But the Thursday of our hike brought us good tidings of less water on the trail. The sky was less merciful. An incoming storm Thursday afternoon suggested we seek refuge at Rodman Campground just north of Ocala National Forest. A friendly family of campers even offered us their left over dinner and a tent for us to use, rather than the picnic pavilion. As it turned out, we received little rainfall, but the kind gesture was nonetheless preferable in sustaining us through the night.
Friday, our final day on the trail, was enjoyable and relaxing. We spent our 16 miles within the woods of Ocala National Forest. It was both Nick's first time and mine in the Forest, and it was a consistent ramble over gently-sloping hills that we faced. In the afternoon we even stopped for an hour to use an outhouse, water pump, and take a nap in Lake Delancy campground. After our stop we proceeded to CR 316 on the west side of Lake Kerr, where we met Nick's brother Nathan. And once we ascended the last hill and spotted CR 316, we took off on a sprint! We had made it! We reached our goal! We hiked 100 miles in one week!
Looking back, preparation stands out to me as one of the main lessons learned, and as a main contributing factor to our success. You know what they say, prior planning prevents poor performance. And may I add, it ensures one heck of a trip.
Due to the fact Nick and I had Scout training at the end of the week we were planning to hike, we ended up hiking the Saturday before our big week. So Saturday April 3 we hiked the 14.5-mile Baldwin Trail going from the city of Baldwin to west Jacksonville. Bikers absolutely filled that paved trail. We saw no other foot traffic, except for two runners. And we were able to maintain a brisk three mph pace the entire way.
Since Sunday is the Sabbath, we resumed hiking on Monday, starting midway between Lake Bulter and Starke. Monday we logged 16.7 miles and camped by Keystone Heights Airport. Most of the trail Monday was straight and flat, so not much trouble. Our original plans were to hike 19 miles Tuesday and then 17 miles Wednesday. But because we wanted to spend Tuesday night in Iron Bride Shelter in Etoniah Creek State Forest, we committed ourselves to hike 24 miles Tuesday. And we did! We even got to stop at Lake Johnson in Goldhead State Park to go for a swim. It was the most difficult day of the week for sure, especially since a whole 8-mile section was all roadside, but we made it to the shelter that night. And good thing too - we could hear the hum of the mosquitos outside the screened shelter as we fell asleep.
Wednesday was pleasant. We slept in late and took the day easily. At 1:30 we met my mother and sister outside Rice Creek Plantation for lunch and to pick up the food we needed for the rest of the week. We then proceeded to the "Rice Creek Hilton" shelter a couple of miles away to spend the rest of our afternoon and evening.
Thursday we continued to enjoy Rice Creek and managed to stir up a turkey and spot several bear tracks. It honestly made me worry somewhat, because I forgot to have my mom bring us rope to hang our bear bag. But Nick wasn't too concerned, which I suppose is justified. After all, he does know karate. On one of our pre-trip hikes, we marched through Caravelle Ranch W.M.A. trying to avoid the eighty-seven trail puddles - we counted. But the Thursday of our hike brought us good tidings of less water on the trail. The sky was less merciful. An incoming storm Thursday afternoon suggested we seek refuge at Rodman Campground just north of Ocala National Forest. A friendly family of campers even offered us their left over dinner and a tent for us to use, rather than the picnic pavilion. As it turned out, we received little rainfall, but the kind gesture was nonetheless preferable in sustaining us through the night.
Friday, our final day on the trail, was enjoyable and relaxing. We spent our 16 miles within the woods of Ocala National Forest. It was both Nick's first time and mine in the Forest, and it was a consistent ramble over gently-sloping hills that we faced. In the afternoon we even stopped for an hour to use an outhouse, water pump, and take a nap in Lake Delancy campground. After our stop we proceeded to CR 316 on the west side of Lake Kerr, where we met Nick's brother Nathan. And once we ascended the last hill and spotted CR 316, we took off on a sprint! We had made it! We reached our goal! We hiked 100 miles in one week!
Looking back, preparation stands out to me as one of the main lessons learned, and as a main contributing factor to our success. You know what they say, prior planning prevents poor performance. And may I add, it ensures one heck of a trip.
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