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Post by rwtb123 on Dec 6, 2015 13:38:12 GMT -8
As it is getting to be ideal conditions for exploring Florida wilderness areas I thought I would start a thread on anything and everything to do with the Real Florida(also known as Wild Florida).So this is the place to discuss hiking,backpacking,paddling,camping in Florida or land management,wildlife or environmental issues.This is where I am going to report my trip reports until I get a camera and take high quality enough pictures to merit including in the storytelling forum.So my first report is to Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee NWR on Sunday,Dec 6th:
It is getting to be pleasant hiking weather here in South Florida so I thought I would report on my Sunday hike at Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee NWR which together with the Everglades & Francis S. Taylor WMA adjoining it to the south comprise much of the northern and central Everglades.I just realized it has been 8 years since I have done a trail report around which time I was doing 30 mile day hikes with a backpack along the levees in these two areas in the summer everglades humidity or long bike rides with a backpack combined with shorter hikes.As recently as the year before last I was doing 17-20 mile day hikes along the NWR levees but stopped when the area I was hiking was closed for repairs (unsurprisingly this levee is still closed as of today).
So even though I have a lifetime pass due to my donation level I had not been out here for awhile and it felt good to do a 6 mile hike along the everglades levees.The vast sawgrass marshes,the canals and levees,the herons and vultures, and the big sky views with storm clouds rolling in and distant showers visible , it was all still there just less humid ,more breezy ,pleasant hiking conditions compared to many of my memories.I also did about 1/2 mile along the cyprus strand boardwalk at the visitor center which is one of the last remaining examples of the vast cyprus strand that historically ran along the eastern flank of the everglades but has largely been lost to agricultural and suburban development(as has much of the eastern flank of the everglades).
Also,it was no surprise I saw more wildlife(ie birds) along the canal/levees on the ride back alongside suburban nurseries including wood stork which I think at one time were endangered but are seen all the time around here in recent years.
Sorry no pictures but I do plan to get a camera and start back up more wilderness hiking and backpacking.
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Post by rwtb123 on Dec 8, 2015 8:26:57 GMT -8
By the way Facebook people how is Panama Rob doing?I recall he posted amazing Florida wildlife photography and was always a strident voice for limiting human use of Florida wilderness to provide habitat for threatened and endangered wildlife.
By the way I did a short walk/hike at Green Cay Wetlands yesterday.This is a managed thriving wetland where you go if you actually want to see or photograph wildlife,plants and a sample of various South Florida ecosystems all while staying on a boardwalk.I plan to do a report detailing the birds,plants and ecosystems I encountered but am procrastinating...
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Post by ashepabst on Dec 9, 2015 6:42:29 GMT -8
any good cougar stories for us?
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Post by rwtb123 on Dec 9, 2015 8:51:00 GMT -8
They are actually known as panthers down here similar to how water moccasins are known as cottonmouths.As they are nocturnal and elusive I have not encountered any though I often see their tracks in Big Cypress National Preserve, a large Cypress swamp bordering the Everglades to the west that the Florida Trail runs through.They are endangered in Florida due largely to habitat loss with perhaps a population of 160 remaining at present in South Florida wilderness areas.Unfortunately,most human encounters with the Florida panther are as roadkill on the many roads that bisect their remaining habitat.There is a 26,400 acre Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge on the northwest corner of Big Cypess with limited general public use that helps preserve habitat for the florida panther. www.fws.gov/refuges/profiles/index.cfm?id=41545And for you photographers out there along with Fakahatchee Strand to the south and the nearby Corkscrew Sanctuary these swamps are also home of the rare Ghost orchid of which approximately 2000 exist with 5-10% blooming each year in late summer. blog.carltonward.com/2012/07/03/ghost-orchid/www.usatoday.com/story/travel/destinations/2013/07/12/ghost-orchid-naples-florida-corkscrew-swamp/2512359/
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Post by ashepabst on Dec 9, 2015 15:29:04 GMT -8
neat! I didn't know orchids were epiphytic. beautiful flower!
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zeke
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Peekaboo slot 2023
Posts: 9,876
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Post by zeke on Dec 9, 2015 15:48:11 GMT -8
Rob underwent a quadruple bypass in the fall, and is doing well on his recovery. He seems to be spending his invalid time with family in Panama City. I hear from him from time to time on FB, and he seems to be in good spirits. We shared eats and beers with Roger, last Spring I think it was.By the way Facebook people how is Panama Rob doing?
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VAN
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Posts: 133
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Post by VAN on Dec 9, 2015 18:05:12 GMT -8
Don't have much to add right now, just wanted to say YAY Florida! We always get such bad press. I've been a lot of places and am going to follow (and contribute to) this thread. Had fun introducing my mouse loving, Disney employed spouse to all the wonders of "old Florida".
We're headed back to Little Talbot MLK weekend for some car camping. I think it will be our 4th time there. Hoping to do an over night backpack at least one night before NYE a little closer to home. Maybe Ocala or Little Big Econ. What's everyone's favorite state park?
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Post by rwtb123 on Dec 9, 2015 18:49:28 GMT -8
Jonathan Dickinson State Park near Hobe Sound for hiking or backpacking and John D. MacArthur Beach State Park for kayaking.While Dickenson has two remote campsites and miles of the Ocean to Lake segment of the Florida Trail I actually prefer to start from Riverbend Park west of Jupiter and hike the newer section of the Florida Trail connecting to Dickenson.When it first opened I was doing a 18 mile out and back weekly and going up to 25 miles extending it into Dickenson.But now it is a bit too discovered and even has a parallel bike trail open .But it would make a great overnight/weekend backpacking trip.There is even a remote lake about 1/2 mile off the trail that I view as my secret lake.
For kayaking the Loxahatchee River runs between those two parks I mentioned and with an outfitter in Riverbend is very scenic (even designated as such)and probably the most popular kayaking destination in the area.But I actually prefer MacArthur with its lagoons and islands that are a haven for shore birds.Plus you become a Friend of the Park for $50 and get free kayaking privileges for a year with their rentals.I paddled almost every day for a few months a few years ago to get really good at paddling.
I've been around here long enough to know Little Big Econ is your favorite ,lol.I've never been there but do like Ocala NF a lot.And for cycling I like the hilly Sugarloaf Mountain/Mt Dora area up your way which I cycled around a full day before heading to Ocala NF(and doing a 15 mile night hike to start out an out and back of the Florida Trail in the NF).And of course the Suwanee region with its springs is great for cycling (as well as paddling/backpacking which I have yet to do)with a number of state parks for bases.
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Post by rwtb123 on Dec 9, 2015 19:16:52 GMT -8
Rob underwent a quadruple bypass in the fall, and is doing well on his recovery. He seems to be spending his invalid time with family in Panama City. I hear from him from time to time on FB, and he seems to be in good spirits. We shared eats and beers with Roger, last Spring I think it was. That's good news!
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null
Trail Wise!
Posts: 578
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Post by null on Dec 12, 2015 14:52:38 GMT -8
I'll be headed to Apalachicola in January. Totally new section for me.
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Post by rwtb123 on Dec 12, 2015 15:22:58 GMT -8
rw, love your thread. I live in GA and have spent a lot of time in FL. Just love it. Be sure to let us know next time you visit the real wild old Florida... I'll be headed to Apalachicola in January. Totally new section for me. I have fond memories of cycling the remote dirt roads of the NF and backpacking Bradwell Bay.Of course, the entire NF section has a reputation as being wet though a bridge or two have been put in since I was up there.By the way, recent rains have brought water levels up to about average at least here in South Florida.
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schlanky
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Lead singer, driver of the Winnebago
Posts: 452
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Post by schlanky on Dec 15, 2015 9:40:06 GMT -8
What's everyone's favorite state park? St Joseph Peninsula with the right temperatures in the off season. (my profile pic is from there) Torreya. Not wild about how the numerous side trails make it where you never really feel like you're that far "out there," but there's some nice scenery (particularly the rim swamp) and every park employee I've ever met there has been great. The past five years or so, I've done winter/early spring trips in Florida and very much enjoy the scenery/terrain that's different from everything I normally hike in Alabama/Tennessee. It appears that a lack of time and money will prevent a return trip to Ocala in 2016, but I'm hoping to hit one of the two above again before Florida gets all hot & buggy.
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T4
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Post by T4 on Dec 16, 2015 11:51:36 GMT -8
Hello fellow Floridians (and Florida lovers),
I've spent most of my life bouncing around the woods and waterways of Central and Northern Florida.
I recently bought a house just steps away from the Florida Trail as it enters Seminole State Forest, and looking forward to doing some weekend backpack trips over the winter. Will certainly post up some trip reports as I can.
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Post by rwtb123 on Dec 16, 2015 13:05:44 GMT -8
Welcome ,great area for wilderness exploration.
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Post by rwtb123 on Jan 17, 2016 14:08:51 GMT -8
I did a 6 mile hike into the everglades on the Loxahatchee NWR levees today and the conditions were ideal and the everglades were as alive as I have seen in awhile.The temperature was low to mid70s with a strong breeze as close to spring as we get here in the tropics and I hiked out into a weak approaching storm front band where it appeared to be raining heavily to the northeast but only a few drops where I was.Speaking of rain we have had a few days with some showers particularly the last 24 hours and the water levels were way up as a result.So everything was greener with more wading birds and vultures being more playful as they waded and glided in the thermals.
Last week I also did a 6 mile hike here and everything was drier and seemed more dead.I was over in the impoundments which are series of levees and wetlands where they practice management techniques for possible introduction into the everglades proper and encountered two gators that were just zoned out or sleeping out of water which is highly unusual .As one was right on the levee as I approached and seemed oblivious to me I was concerned it was habituated because otherwise they are quick to spot you and splash into the water.So I backtracked about a 1/2 mile to avoid it.
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