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  1. #11
    Senior Member sswens's Avatar
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    Nice Report and the bears whooo buddy.. Thanks for sharing!

  2. #12
    Senior Member Fronkey's Avatar
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    I sure do miss living in Florida. Thanks for the the story and photos, really makes ya appreciate that place even more.

    Quote Originally Posted by MAD777 View Post
    I think the bears are the least of a hiker's problems in Florida - I wish the mosquitoes and spiders would run like that!
    And Water Moccasins. I am convinced that they are pure evil and they have been my worst enemy since I found one in my pool at the age of 6.


    Fronkey

  3. #13
    Senior Member FLRider's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by weaver2469 View Post
    Nice report, don't know how you Floridians deal with that kind of heat. Of all things to notice in this report, I loved your choice of bear warning songs. Here is the best all time version of Whiskey in the Jar. Enjoy.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8anuunWPIY
    The heat, well, I'd say you get used to it, but that's not entirely correct. I've been here in FL for more than a decade and an half, and I'm still not entirely used to it. I've become reconciled to the fact that I'm going to hate the weather for four to six months out of the year, but I haven't really gotten used to it.

    Still, I work in a kitchen at night that gets as hot as 114+ by the entrance door (the coolest part!), and I've learned that the human body can operate at those temperatures, as long as it is fed water constantly. You sweat it out, even at 100% humidity, and your body will regulate itself. It's just tough, is all. Same as sub-freezing temperatures up north. It requires a skill set to survive.

    Whiskey in the Jar was just what came to mind first; it's one of those songs that's just more fun with friends. Even if they don't know any of the lyrics, the clapping during the chorus is easy enough for anyone to do, even after their sixth beer. I didn't know that Jerry Garcia had covered it, but that's a pretty good version. Personally, I prefer the Dubliners' classic live recording, followed by the Dropkick Murphys and The Pubcrawlers' versions.


    Quote Originally Posted by sswens View Post
    Nice Report and the bears whooo buddy.. Thanks for sharing!
    Thanks! Sometimes, things get a little more interesting than you bargained for out there. Thankfully, nothing untoward happened; it sure could have.


    Quote Originally Posted by Fronkey View Post
    I sure do miss living in Florida. Thanks for the the story and photos, really makes ya appreciate that place even more.

    And Water Moccasins. I am convinced that they are pure evil and they have been my worst enemy since I found one in my pool at the age of 6.

    Fronkey
    No problem. It sure is different from anywhere else I've lived. For that matter, I miss Winter; but I suppose, living in Minnesota, you've probably had enough of that already!

    Cottonmouths are some of the most aggressive little ***holes that I've ever met. They don't just bite you; they chase you down and try to kill you. Oddly enough, though, I've not had a problem with them in Florida; it was when I was living in CT that they were a problem!

    Hope that hip of yours gets better soon!

  4. #14
    Senior Member FLRider's Avatar
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    Video! Finally!

    I finally figured out how to post to YouTube. Here's the video log of my trek:


  5. #15
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    enjoyed the pictures

    I enjoyed the pictures very much but being a native Floridian and now married to a Cape Cod yankee I'm being taught to avoid the heat in the hot months. glad you did have a good trip though.

  6. #16
    New Member tlhoward's Avatar
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    Great trip report and video. I almost headed over that way from the Jacksonville area this weekend, but decided to delay my trip a couple of weeks. Any good online resources you recommend for the ONF area?

  7. #17
    Senior Member FLRider's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by jima59 View Post
    I enjoyed the pictures very much but being a native Floridian and now married to a Cape Cod yankee I'm being taught to avoid the heat in the hot months. glad you did have a good trip though.
    Heh. Yeah, it took me quite a while to reconcile myself to the heat down here when I first moved to FL. You never really get used to it, but you learn to coexist with it eventually. Kinda like a case of the flu that doesn't go away for six months...


    Quote Originally Posted by tlhoward View Post
    Great trip report and video. I almost headed over that way from the Jacksonville area this weekend, but decided to delay my trip a couple of weeks. Any good online resources you recommend for the ONF area?
    Yeah, check out the Ocala National Forest website, and the Florida Trail Association website. Both have resources which will help with your trip. The FTA will charge you for their information, including the trail data book, but the fee isn't exorbitant and goes to maintaining the trail. So, it's in a good cause.

    If you intend on doing the FL Trail through the forest, be aware that several of the water sources mentioned in the trail book are either very hard to get to or nonexistent due to drought conditions right now. Also, wear long pants--I know that sucks in this heat, but I have the chigger bites to prove that it's a good idea.

    Make sure you keep an eye out for spiderwebs across the trail; more than once, I straightened up from ducking under a deadfall right into the web and had one of the suckers hanging from my hat. Not fun. I didn't get bitten, 'cause they usually won't bite you unless you squeeze them, but it sure didn't help my blood pressure any.

    Don't expect any cell service anywhere in the forest; I don't have signal from the western edge of the forest all the way almost to I-95 when travelling along SR 40. I didn't have any at all when hiking the trail. I also didn't see another soul on the trail proper. The only time I saw anyone was at the campgrounds/springs areas. So, expect to be self-sufficient. I know that usually goes without saying, but...well...I'm saying it...I'm not sure why...

    Let me know if you have any specific questions, and I'll try to answer them as best I can.

  8. #18
    Senior Member lilricky's Avatar
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    Yeah, the Yearling Trail turnoffs are only marked by 4x4's painted brown. They have little double yellow blazes on them, but are way too easy to miss if you don't know what they are. I've been thinking about making some signs, maybe 4x6, to put on the 4x4's to make it a bit more clear. And the banana spiders, another good reason to hike with a buddy, let him take the lead!

  9. #19
    Senior Member FLRider's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by lilricky View Post
    Yeah, the Yearling Trail turnoffs are only marked by 4x4's painted brown. They have little double yellow blazes on them, but are way too easy to miss if you don't know what they are. I've been thinking about making some signs, maybe 4x6, to put on the 4x4's to make it a bit more clear. And the banana spiders, another good reason to hike with a buddy, let him take the lead!
    Yeah. On reflection, I figured that's what it was. What fooled me was two things: the "Jeep Trail" marked on the section map and the fact that the Yearling Trail is marked in a reddish color on the section map. I figured that, since the blaze color was different, and it sure looked like it could be a jeep trail, it was probably that. My own fault; I didn't actually read the blaze since I was in such a hurry. I should've double-checked the data book when I came to it, as well.

    And, yeah, since the spiders have been here since the dinosaurs, they'll outlive thee and me. Still, they ain't fun to run into out there!

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