Our Finish on the Florida Trail: 1103.7 Miles Baby!

The Florida Trail rocked!

On the afternoon of Saturday, March 16th, after hiking 1103.7 miles since December 21st, Wise Man and I reached the northern terminus of the Florida Trail. We were taken by surprise by the stone plaque marking its end just on the other side of a humble foot bridge near the historic Fort Pickens. We dropped our packs and stood dumbfounded, barely believing that this was really the end. We had known since we started that this moment would one day arrive but it had always seemed so far in the future, so very many miles away. Now just like that, we were here, our feet having taken all the steps they needed. It was time to change into something fabulous! Hiking over 1000 miles certainly deserves a Rockstar finish. So in between families rolling by on bicycles we changed clothes, arranged Scott's ipad on his backpack for timed selfies, and got to voguing, while a crane looked on from its perch on the nearby creek. I imagine that crane has seen all manner of absurdity here at this lil sign.

Wise Man celebrating to finally be on the beach!

Since having finished, we have experienced a magnitude of feelings about this journey and the insights along its route were many. In an upcoming blog post I will share with you our reflections on the trail. For now, I would like to revel in those final miles leading up to the end.

Trail through Eglin, framed with Deer Moss

Leaving Defuniak Springs, we entered into forest owned by Eglin Airforce Base. This may sound less than romantic, but in reality this land was some of the most beautiful we had seen yet and the trail pristinely maintained. Before these 600+ acres was deemed Eglin it was actually the Choctawatchee National Forest, so allow your imagination to conjure not machinery and landing strips but rather miles of trail lined with fluffy Deer Moss, Yaupon shrubs laden with red berries, a forest floor cushioned with dried Long Leaf and Sand Pine needles, and Live Oaks that craned their branches overhead creating archways through which we walked. Here and there, wildflowers like Iris and Candyweed shown their faces, bright with Spring.

Yaupon (Ilex vomitoria) - Berries are toxic, but leaves contain caffeine and may be steeped in hot water for an invigorating tea. Roasting the leaves enhances their caffeinated properties

Dwarf Iris (Iris verna) - I have never seen an Iris in bloom so low to the ground

Most remarkable about these miles through Eglin, were the streams that ran so clear we could see all the way to their sandy bottoms. When we filled our water bottles, for the first time in over 1,000 miles, the water was not stained brown and when we drank it tasted like it had just come from a mountain spring rather than smelling of sulfur or swamp. And over these creeks were erected sturdy bridges, one of which was the biggest we had seen yet - Demon Bridge. Over the boggy areas we walked plank footbridges and these too carried us around the edges of swamps. Not once did we have to get our feet wet.

Pearl Creek in Eglin - look at how clear those waters are!

Wise Man on Demon Bridge over the Alaqua Creek

One of many boardwalks through Eglin

Eglin was also unique in the ascents and descents it put before us. Nowhere else on the trail had hills unraveled before us like this, over and over again, dipping us down to the shaded cool of trickling creeks and carrying us upward over dry land. As we hiked we sweat in the high temperatures that prevailed throughout this section, the air thick with humidity.

Wise Man crossing creek in Eglin, complete with stairs to help climb up out of the gap.

We understood what all this climbing was for when we reached the highest point on the Florida Trail at a whopping 271 feet.

Highest Point on the Florida Trail - 271 feet

Oh and remember that tornado that touched down in Eglin the night that we were at the Hillcrest Baptist Church? We saw the very place that happened when we reached a hillside just before our first camp for the night at Alaqua Campsite. The trail has already been cleared.

Damage from recent tornado just before Alaqua Campsite in Eglin - damage has already been cleaned up!

Throughout Eglin as well as Blackwater State Forest which was tucked in the middle, we had the assistance and guidance of Kelly and Sean, trail angels here in this neck of the woods and active with both the Alliance and Association. Not only did they help us get off to a hotel in Defuniak Springs, but welcomed us into their home after a long roadwalk through Crestview. While spending some quality time with these two, they gave us the full rundown on what to expect on the trail throughout Eglin. They were so very knowledgeable and kind and so much fun to laugh with well into the eve. And their two dogs made our stay even better. What loves! However, their assistance did not stop in Eglin. Kelly picked us up at the northern terminus and got us off to the airport in the morning where we picked up our rental car. That last evening we also enjoyed the company of Cricket, who will be finishing any day now. Above and beyond, you two. Thank you Kelly and Sean!

Cricket, Sean, Kelly, Wise Man, and Bot outside of Waffle House in Crestview

When we emerged from the Eglin forest and onto the roadwalk that led us into Navarre, we caught our first glimpse of the shimmering bay and the long bridge that would carry us across to Navarre Beach. It was then we realized just how very far we had come and that Fort Pickens would soon be a reality.

Navarre Bridge over the bay

He hooted and hollered and sang as we crossed the bridge in the midday sun and celebrated with cold sodas at a Tom Thumb convenience store on the other side. From here we walked through a colorful beach town with houses both big and small and an array of lawn ornaments dressed up for Mardi Gras, all the while feeling simply high that we would walk this skinny strip of land to its western tip.

Wise Man walking on bike path through Navarre Beach

So many celebratory lawn ornaments...were they really for us?

It wasn't long before we reached Gulf Islands National Seashore and \turned onto the beach where the walking became increasingly more difficult. The tide was in and so the soft white sand was deep and with our heavy packs we sunk even deeper with each step. We persevered as long as we could and then returned to the road where we still had a good view of the ocean waves.

Approaching beach walk

Gulf Islands National Seashore

Walking beach on the Florida Trail

Later that afternoon we reached Pensacola Beach and turned onto trail through the sand dunes and forged our own path towards the Bayview Campsite. Because the dunes are always shifting, there were blazed posts generally marking the route, however it was up to us choose to go over or around the heaps of sand and salt spray loving plants. Looking out from the tops of these mounds the landscape sometimes more resembled an alien planet than the beach.

Yay! Pensacola Beach

Walking through the dunes on the bay

That evening we sat at the benches near camp and gazed out over the salty waters that lapped at the shore. Across from us were the lights of mainland Pensacola. The winds blew strong and we were so chilly we had to don hats, jackets, and long pants. We had come a long, long, ways from the swamps of the Everglades. The immensity of our journey now undeniable. We sipped celebratory beverages, having procured our ingredients from mainland Navarre and carried them all the way here.

Final campsite on the trail at Bayview Campsite

We slept through the night despite the billowing walls of our tent from the gusting winds and the spraying rain from a storm overhead. In the morning it still rained and the wind blew fiercely, the temperatures having dropped significantly. We bundled up and hiked on over the dunes, civilization looming on the horizon. However still we appreciated the Spiderwort, Sea Rocket, and Wild Rosemary that called this isolated wild place home.

Wild Rosemary (Conradina canescens) - a different genus than our cultivated rosemary, although still a member of the Mint Family, evidenced by its fragrant aroma

Sea Rocket (Cakile) - a member of the Mustard Family, leaves are edible and taste somewhat spicy

Proceeding through the town of Pensacola, we continued to walk in rain, but it mattered little, this was our last day and it seemed everything had a glow about it even in the confines of town. It really started to glow when we resumed our beach walk. Periodically we slowed down and searched the shores for treasures, pretty seashells and sea creatures.

Gifts from the ocean

Bundled up but happy to be on the beach

Wise Man searching the beach for sea glass

In our last miles we hiked giddily, skipping and running down the trail....We made it! We passed looming historic structures but they could barely keep our attention. They were not what we were here for. In the last mile, however we slowed it down, way down. Every footfall held weight. We held hands and dropped some tears, not for reaching the end but for the immensity of what we had been through in the last nearly three months and the connection that we had strengthened to each other over that time. The Florida Trail was a jungle of a trail...but we navigated it like Tarzan and Jane!

Love at the northern terminus

Thank you all for supporting us in our journey and for hiking along with us virtually. Knowing that we were not alone out there in the swamps meant the world and gave our hike greater purpose. The community surrounding this trail is truly unique and we were welcomed into it with open arms. A special thank you to our families that supported us in our endeavor! Thank you Mama Weis for mailing those packages of much anticipated food and gear and slipping in some treats!

Mama Weis and Wise Man

We may have set out on foot alone but we completed it with the help of all of you!!!

Thank You ALL!