It's currently 83*F at 2:30pm in Astor, FL the closest town to the hang. Nice temps for soaking in the pond and not too bad out of it. Projected highs Sat and Sun are 81*F with lows in upper 60's.
The temps at the pond are usually 3*-5* cooler than the towns and any breeze really cools the piney woods.
Reports to come after the folks get home and have time to soak it all in.
Enjoy and have fun with your family,before they have fun without you
Heading out the door now. Best-guess ETA, assuming that I don't stop on the side of the road to crash for a bit, is 03:00 to 05:00.
See you there!
"Just prepare what you can and enjoy the rest."
--Floridahanger
image.jpg
Pond is great. Kids are having fun.
Sunrise this morning. Had a great time with a bunch of great people.
“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived." Henry David Thoreau
Just got home & headed for a long hot shower!
I am NOT a summer outdoorsman, but the call of my friends woke me from my summer hibernation and I'm so glad to have joined this trip. Yes it was 90° everyday with typical Florida humidity, hardly a breeze, plenty of bloodthirsty chiggers BUT, the time spent with dear friends around d the campfire more than made up for all that. Pardon me while I go find the Calamine lotion!
Mike
"Life is a Project!"
Made it home okay. Many thanks to Floridahanger for the ride to Palatka following my seat incident. Will have a full report some time this week.
"Just prepare what you can and enjoy the rest."
--Floridahanger
Awesome time this weekend and finally able to put faces to names here on the forum. I hope to make more trips this coming year.
Old Dog and I rode together. We left his house at 8AM +/-.
We reached the Juniper Springs Entrance at 10: 30 or so. Paid the parking and got started walking at around 11 AM. It's a 5 + mile walk from there.It was a little hot, until a nice rain started a mile or so from the pond. We arrived to find lots of people (I think around ten ) already in residence. So much for being first or even early at least four got in as day early. Because over 30 were expected, I set up way off to the right out in the dry lake, where I found two trees and grass instead of brush. I must have been near 1/4 mile from the campfire area. It was quiet, but sure made trips to the campfire tricky with my old memory
The pond was quite a bit deeper (at least a foot) than it was in July. Dale's kids , Alex (a teenager) and Zachary ( about 9 or 10)were swimming and fishing when we arrived. I swear they almost never got out of the pond for the next two days.
People continued to arrive and depart for the next two days. Old Dog and I could count to around thirty and probably missed a few.
I'm sure there will be more pictures coming, but I have a few of Great White, who had a major wardrobe malfunction.GW ward mal.jpgGW ward mal close.jpg. He tried to sew the gaping hole up, but it obviously didn't work well. The repairs were made well before these pictures were taken,
He says the cloth just got rotten from sun exposure. I'd sure hate to have that happen on a long multi-week hike
We hauled *** out Sunday morning and got a shower at the the Park rest rooms. Got back in time to see the last half of the Buccaneer"s loss. A fast five mile hike and then sitting for two or three hours is a good recipe for stiffness.
It was great seeing old friends and meeting new ones.
grinder
Great weekend. I too am not much of a summer hiker but then we've had hikes in February that were in the 90°F. On Grinder and my hike in at around the halfway point I received news of a new granddaughter, Savannah Grace Bishop. Spent the weekend with old and new friends and the pond. Managed to pick up a few bites through the hammock from not using the UQ. Arrived home totally exhausted, Grinder was a man on a mission on the way out this morning, did stay awake long enough to shower and go see the new baby.
Most of us end up poorer here but richer for being here. Olddog, Fulltime hammocker, 365 nights a year.
This is the walk out to Hidden Pond on Hidden Pond Short trail.
I took this photo because it has a scrub jay in it. I saw scrub jays three times and always in pairs.
My camp
These are the dead mosquitos in the bottom of my hammock. They landed on my treated bug net and bit the dust.
Around the fire
Hidden Pond
The shore of the pond
Taking a swim
The morning fog
The prairie
Trying to dry out
Can you find the scrub jay in this one?
The walk home
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