FT2018 Day 17: Dry Pond Campground (mile 255.9) to Illahaw Camp (mile 278.3)

22.4 FT miles

I did what I have been trying to avoid so far on the trail, I started hiking before first light. I'm hitting a weird stretch of the trail where some of the campgrounds are privately owned, and one long stretch that has nowhere to camp at all.

The only place to camp in the general area that I would be walking today is on the property of Forever Florida, a trail-friendly eco tour company. They also have a restaurant. Not only does a cooked meal sound good, but I would like to support companies that support the trail. By letting the trail go through their property, I'm sure they are saving me from another horrific road walk.

Unfortunately, their restaurant closes at 3 pm, and I am still 18 miles away. So, that is why I started hiking in the dark. It was a long shot to make it there in time anyway, but this would improve my odds.

If I looked carefully, there were small signs of a beaten trail in this section. I still had to move very slowly,  using the most powerful setting on my headlamp to sight the blazes. Despite all this, I would still lose the blazed trail on occasion. I would look at every tree in the area where the next blaze should be to try to find it, or get out my GPS to follow the plotted route as best I could.

Eventually, the sky started to lighten and I was able to do a better job of sighting  blazes. Again, even though they were visible, some of the blazes were sneaky.

Finally, I made it out of the hammock and back into palmetto prairies. I was making my way through these prairies most of the day. The trail differed throughout the prairies. Sometimes it was a clear, single track path, other times it was overgrown or ankle-breaking uneven. Still other times, it followed jeep trails that consisted of deep, loose sand/clay. The trail was easier to follow on these roads, but kind of tiring to walk.

Sunrise and palmettos.

The trail through palmettos and pines.

The trail through grass.

Under the interstate.

The trail through pines.

In the early afternoon, it came time for my road walk of the day. I had to connect the prairies I had been walking with the Forever Florida property. It wasn't as scary of a road as I had been walking lately, since it seemed to see less traffic.  However, when a vehicle did come, it was usually a truck that was barreling down the road. Despite my best efforts, my hat was blown off 3 times.

Another day, another road walk.

I was thankful when I reached the end of the ranches and the very beginning of the Forever Florida property, because the trail immediately cut away from the road. It paralleled the road for a while, but I was totally OK with that as my hat stayed attached to my head.

When I got off the road, I check if I had enough signal to call and ask permission to use the campground on property. I somehow had 4G LTE. I had just check about a mile back and had nothing.  I called the office and officially got permission to stay at their site.

I was glad that I was able to get the phone call out because otherwise I would have to make the mile round trip detour to the visitors center to ask in person. It was already later in the day than I had hoped (I definitely missed the restaurant hours) and the detour might have made it a battle to get to the campground with daylight to spare.

Signage in Forever Florida. 

Since I didn't have to make the detour, I had a little extra time to play with. My feet were swollen, so I took the last 4 miles slow and easy. I even stopped for a short break,  and to take my shoes off with about 2 miles to go.

Pines and palmettos. 

Finally, I reached their “primitive" campground. It had a shelter with picnic tables, a simple wood structure that was probably used as a kitchen (there was a sink with potable water) and another wooden structure with bathrooms. The structure itself was kind of crude,  but beyond the door were nice flush toilets, sinks with hand soap, and paper towels.  I check another door and there was a bathroom/shower combo with a toilet, sink and a full shower.

Golden hour.

"Primitive" camping.

I ate dinner as the last light faded and went to use the shower. It was already getting very cold again. The shower got warm, but not hot enough for me to go in considering the outside temperature. I decided to go huddle in my sleeping bag, which was the one place I could be snug and comfortable in the cold.

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