Movin' On North
It's a very cold, damp, and noisy night in Rodman Campground, and I have trouble getting to sleep. I put on an audiobook and listen for quite a while. Turns out the little backpacking pot makes a nice little speaker box, and give me better sound than the cheap earbuds I’m carrying. I eventually get to sleep, and surprisingly, wake up feeling rested.
The morning is made up of long, scenic two-tracks through forest, and then for several miles along the canceled cross-Florida barge canal. Started under the Johnson administration in 1964, it was stopped for environmental reasons under Nixon, then eventually defunded entirely in 1990. It's now the Marjorie Harris Carr Greenway, a 110 mile long wildlife and recreation corridor, named after the environmentalist(BS Zoology, 1936!) who was instrumental in fighting the canal. I croossed at the Buckman lock, stopped for a mid-day break, and had a nice conversation with the lock master. He told me the lock I crossed was 600 feet long by 84 feet wide, handled an 18 foot water level difference, and that this type of lock was called a mitre lock. It even has sensors to keep the locks from closing on manatees. A very enjoyable and educational rest stop overall!
After the lock, there are a few more miles through restored pine forest(I first notice the trees are planted in rows, then that they are all the same height) and was originally Longleaf pine that had been clear-cut. I read that Longleaf pines covered some 83% of the southeast US, now it's 3%. Ouch.
After the rows of pines, I enter the Rice Creek swamp. Wet, verdant, lush with thick undergrowth and cypress above, it still has low levees in parts, from when it was used as a rice plantation in the 1700s, and they provide a nice, raised dry trail. Three cheers for dry feet! In another portion, an almost half-mile long, narrow boardwalk called Hoffman's Crossing has been built about 18 inches above the water. There is a questionably sturdy railing on one side. Watch your step! I overnight in the swamp at a shelter with two other hikers, and continue north in the morning.
I spend the next day traveling through the Etoniah Creek State Forest, mostly a dry pine area, and pop out on rural residential streets. Tropical Tom, a trail angel who lives nearby, stops as he's driving by and gives me some apples and orange juice, a very welcome treat.
The rural area illustrates our current political environment, with lots of "No Trespassing", "Protected by Smith and Wesson", and "Smile, You're on Video" signs posted on chain link fences. So much for being neighborly. But the morning is still cool, some of the painted and customized mailboxes are quite creative and entertaining, and the 7 road miles pass quickly.
I have lunch at shaded picnic tables in Gold Branch State Park(picnic tables are a coveted luxury on a thru-hike), enjoy the beautiful lakes of the Camp Blanding Wildlife Management area, and head off trail a couple miles for a long relaxed breakfast the next morning. Several people are curious about the Florida Trail, how far I'm hiking and how far I've come, and I eventually join another man at his table. He's learning to backpack, and we chat for a good while over mounds of potatoes, grits, and eggs. I give him references to some online resources that might be of use, and when we part, he buys my breakfast. Much appreciated, thanks!
Currently I'm relaxing at the 18 acre proprty of the non-profit Florida Peace and Justice center. They provide a community center for local events as well as camping for hikers and other travelers. I intended to take advantage of their community kitchen to saute up some veggies and fingerling potatoes, and ended up cooking a big pot of chicken sand vegetable soup for 10. A couple others jumped in to chop veggies, and more to help clean up. Everyone had at least a second serving(small bowls!), and I was pleased. The afternoon looks to be shaping up as relaxing as the morning, and I better get to it. Cheers!
