Along the Suwannee River

Trail through Camp Blanding

This Florida trail is truly unique...a patchwork of swamp sloshing, road rambling, and meandering trail, and along its corridor so many helpful souls. We trekked through Camp Blanding where we spied more Spanish Moss than we had see since the prairie section and took a long walk along the Palatka Lake Butler Trail, enjoying its grassy terrain amidst the Long Leaf Pine timberlands and Cypress swamps and were pleased to find a welcoming town at its terminus in Lake Butler. We set up camp for the night outside of City Hall, thanks to Sara and Amy, and took care of all our resupply needs. This set us up perfectly for a walk through yet more Long Leaf Pines in Lake Butler Forest and in Olustee Experimental Forest. Through this section we had the help of two Florida Trail advocates - Janie Hamilton and Billy Luper.

Meeting Janie Hamilton outside of Keystone Heights

Billy Luper of White Springs bestowing upon us trail magic at the Fastway near Osceola National Forest

While night-hiking towards Cow Creek Camp we met Janie at a road-crossing. Janie is the section leader for this area and a long-time volunteer with the trail. She filled us in on what was to come and sent us on our way with Florida Trail memorabilia and well wishes. Just a few days later, when we decided to treat ourselves to a motel in Lake City, she kindly connected us with Billy Luper, trail volunteer and avid hiker. Billy oh so generously helped us with a ride back to the trail the next morning! Thank you Janie and Billy!

Trail through the Osceola National Forest

Oh Osceola, how do I describe thee...you were spongy and muddy with waters high and cold but you were also thick with Saw Palmetto, Long Leaf Pine, sunken Cypress trees and dotted with Saint John's Wort and Candy Weed. The Okeefenokee Swamp literally connects with Osceola - something we did not realize until we took a good long look at a larger map while on break - its waters draining into this national forest. So to say it is wet trail walking through here is an understatement. But the air smelled sweet like licorice from the abundant pine pollen that coated all the waters and our crocs in yellow dust. We became one with these waters and woods as we squished through carpets of moss, sunk ankle deep in its rich mud, and waded through knee-deep water when bridges led us directly into them as if we were walking the plank.

Wise Man getting ready to walk off the plank and into a now very wide stream crossing on the trail

Shin deep in Osceola mud

Walking, er' wading the trail

Saint John's Wort (Hypericum reductum) - Saint John's Wort is renowned for its depression alleviating properties as well as its ability to heal tissue and reduce nerve pain. However it is uncertain as to whether or not this species possesses such properties. Most often Hypericum perforatum or Hypericum punctatum are species that are used medicinally. 

As much as we got a thrill out of Osceola's obstacle course we were relieved to again hit road as we trekked towards White Springs. We were about to jump onto a new section of trail near Randy Madison Shelter until we were luckily forewarned by a farmer toting the biggest bail of hay I've ever seen in a very tiny pick-up truck that we had better only head into those woods if we liked to swim. We like swimmin' just fine but not with our backpacks on, so road-walking it was. The Suwannee was at flood stage just a couple of weeks ago, over 65 feet high, and has since dropped but not by much. So we have been researching our upcoming miles carefully. Wise Man unfortunately purchased our Florida Trail kits on a budget site - floaties and rafts not included.

Judith's White Springs Bed and Breakfast - perfect for two weary hikers!

Judith, Mark, Wise Man, myself, Jeanne and Kathy

In town we found shelter at the White Springs Bed and Breakfast owned by Miss Judith. This sweet woman opens her doors wide to hikers and provided us with a lovely room, laundry and a delicious breakfast in the morning. Here we met members of the Suwanne Bicycle Association, Kathy and Mark and Event Director, Biking Jeanne. Turns out Jeanne had been following our blog since we started and so what fun it was to elaborate on our journey thus far and to hear her tales of biking adventures as well. These three made breakfast special and it was hard to rise from our seats to get moving again.

Amos the traveler

But before leaving White Springs, we made yet another friend...of the canine kind. Meet Amos. Ever hear that song Amos Moses by Jerry Reed? It has been our theme song out here on the trail and we thought it a fitting name for this pooch who followed us out of town. We did everything we could to shrug him off after he trailed us from the Dollar General. We stopped in the Post Office and the convenience store, thinking surely he would forget about us and be on his way but both times he waited patiently for us outside. We stopped in the outfitters on the edge of town to see if he knew of anyone missing a dog or if he knew him to be a resident dog in town. He felt he was a discarded hunting dog that hadn't done his job well. We knew we had a long day of roadwalks ahead of us due to the Suwannee's high waters and did not want Amos to be in danger on the roads. As we made our way out of town we chatted with a ranger, hoping he could take Amos somewhere safe. He simply congratulated us on our adoption. And so we continued out of town with Amos happily following behind. When the roads got busy and Amos didn't seem to understand that he should be on the other side of the white line, we pulled out our bear rope and fashioned a leash for him along with a cloth Nike strap we found on the ground which made a good collar when tied in a knot.

Amos road-walking - he sure liked those cool culverts filled with water!

We worried about just how we were going to care for a dog on the trail or how we could possibly get him somewhere safe. When we hit quiet roads, we took him off the leash hoping he would turn and head back to White Springs. But he just trotted along and when we stopped to break, he did too. We passed farms with dogs and wondered if this one or that one might be a good home but each time the dogs seemed too aggressive while Amos just wagged his tail. Over fifteen miles later, as we grew closer to Suwannee Springs, Amos was still with us. I called a veterinary hospital in Live Oak and was chatting with them about our options which basically consisted of taking him to a shelter. Just then an off-road buggy came bouncing down the road with two clean-cut looking country boys at the helm. They complimented us on Amos and Wise Man asked if they would like to take him home. After explaining our situation they said, they would hate to see him walking all that way and so happily received him. We shed a tear upon having to part with our new friend but it seemed a happy ending.

Amos heading off to his new home

Now after a night camped beneath the stars at Suwannee Music Park, we are taking a zero with one of Scott's good friends from the biz, Bobby Barth. These two were texting and what d'ya know, Bobby lived just around the way! You may know Bobby from his many years with Axe or Blackfoot. He has so graciously spontaneously invited these weary hikers into his home where we are enjoying some R&R.

Wise Man and Bobby Barth - these two toured together in Louisiana Hoodoo Krewe (members of Blackfoot)

Tomorrow we finally get to walk alongside the rushing waters of the Suwannee that regularly carve an unpredicted path through this land. But like this river, our days on this trail have proved to be equally unpredictable and it is our task to go with the flow. Here's to what's to come!