Blue blaze to the logistics page Blue blaze to the logistics pageHE SUN sets as we hike across the old abandoned road deep in the heart of Ocala National Forest. The beautiful spot beneath moss-covered live oak trees looks like an inviting place to camp, but the nearest water is miles ahead, and we are running out of daylight. We hike faster as we cross a high pine forest “island,” then descend into a lane cut beneath small scrub oaks. Their overhanging branches block most of the remaining daylight.
We cross another road. Ann says she smells a campfire. Could we be near Hopkins Prairie Campground? In the twilight we pass a large, round, water-filled sinkhole about 100 yards across with steep sloping sides. A rope swing hangs from a large pine next to the trail. At a trail junction we see the campfire. I walk over in the dark. “Which way to the campground water pump?” I ask. “It’s about another mile up the trail, but you don’t want that pump water. The water from the sinkhole is crystal-clear and tastes much better.” In the dark we set up our tent next to the rope-swinging tree. Stars reflect in the smooth pond water. Orion shines brightly overhead. The cloudless night shows not a trace of city lights on the horizon. We eat our supper in silence, marveling at the beauty. The eastern horizon begins to glow. Ann goes to bed, tired after a long 16-mile day. I sit quietly, determined to stay up until the moon rises. The Florida Trail traverses over a thousand miles from Lake Okeechobee in South Florida to the Blackwater River State Forest just east of Pensacola. We’re hiking the 70 mile section that runs through Ocala National Forest, generally acknowledged as the best part of this National Scenic Trail. And we haven’t been disappointed. We started on the south end near Paisley, Florida, camping near Alexander Springs our first night. A million gallons of water every 18 minutes come up out of the ground, starting a river right there on the spot. After a hot day hiking a swim in the cool spring waters felt great. The next night we camped on the edge of Farles Prairie, a vast fresh-water wetland covered with tall brown grass. After a rainy day the sunset was spectacular as the skies cleared with the passing cold front. We hiked into Juniper Springs the next morning and enjoyed lounging about in the sun, taking another swim, and making repeated trips to the concession stand. Finally leaving about 1:30, we still had 11 miles to go to our intended campsite at Hopkins Prairie. After miles with no water source, the unexpected sinkhole provides the best campsite of our trip. We start early the next morning with an 18-mile day ahead of us. For the first four miles the trail follows the edge of Hopkins Prairie. The water and marsh grass are alive in the early morning light with birds flying, ducks swimming, and geese calling. Worried about our water supply, I skim an extra bottle of marsh water from the surface before we leave the prairie. We use that to cook lunch, figuring the marsh nutrients will add extra protein to our meal, a gourmet delight of roughly equal parts of vegeburger mix, oatmeal, instant mashed potatoes, and butter cooked into a nutritious luncheon porridge. The pump at Grassy Pond Campground provides delicious water. We have the campground to ourselves, and take turns pouring buckets of cool well-water over our heads. Our final day is an easy 13-mile hike into Rodman Dam Campground where we had left our car. We meet two crews of trail maintainers, one cutting overhanging branches and the other mowing the trail with a two-wheel Gravely tractor provided by the Forest Service. They are all snowbird volunteers who spend the winter in Juniper Springs Campground. We thank them for the excellent condition of the trail. It’s not the same as the Appalachian Trail, but it’s a warmer place to be in the middle of winter.
This is strictly a wintertime hike. Even in January we had mosquitoes at night in three out of four campsites, so take a tent instead of a tarp for shelter. We were not bothered by insects during the day. Temperatures ranged from a low around 40 to highs in the mid 70s. We hiked in shorts and short sleeve shirts and had pleasant sleeping weather at night. Hiking south to north kept the sun at our backs. We left a car at Rodman Dam Campground off Florida Highway 19 south of Palatka. The southern end is reached by continuing south on 19, then turning left on Highway 42. The trail is well marked at the highway with at least three signs. If you get to the small town of Paisley you have gone half a mile too far. The friendly convenience store there makes a good finishing point for southbounders. We met two hikers from Columbus, Ohio, “Kodachrome” of ’93 and “Duke,” who had reached the trail by taxi from the Orlando airport which they said was the cheapest way. The Florida Trail Association (800-343-1882) sells a 1992 guide to the entire Florida Trail ($12.95) and a map of the Ocala National Forest ($3). The trail guide includes “data book” type pages. The two pages for the Ocala sections were all we needed as the trail is well marked with orange blazes. Side trails to campgrounds are blue-blazed. We met two other hikers who were following the trail using a Florida road map. They were fairly anxious about water, as much of the trail is dry. Here is a list of water sources:
Mile
4.9
11.1
17.6
19.6
22.0
28.6
33.0
37.6
38.6
43.1
55.3
59.6
68.3
Location
Creek
Alexander Springs Campground
Buck Lake
Farles Prairie Campground
Farles Prairie north rim (marginal)
Juniper Springs Campground
Hidden Pond
Sinkhole
Hopkins Prairie Campground (poor quality)
Hopkins Prairie north rim (marginal)
Grassy Pond Campground
Lake Delancy Campground (poor quality)
Rodman Dam Campground
Distance from Trail
0
0.5 east
0.1 east
0.2 east
0
0.1 east
0
0
0.2 west
0
0.1 west
0.2 east
0
Most of our water came from campgrounds and did not require a filter. We boiled water twice and used iodine once.
