FT2018 Day 18: Illahaw Camp (mile 278.0) to Jane Green Campground (mile 292.8)

14.8 FT miles

I woke up before dawn, but didn't get up until well after sunrise. I was going to have a much shorter day today. There is a two day long roadwalk coming up, so I was going to head to the last available campsite before the roadwalk, then start it the following day.

I packed up my things and went to attempt a shower again. While the hot water tap on the sink got really hot, I could still only get the shower to be warm. Like last night, the temps were probably in the upper 30s and a shower that was only warm was not going to cut it. If I waited a few hours for the outside temps to warm up, it probably would have worked out, but I felt like I needed to get going for the day. I filled up on potable water and got back on the trail.

After a little while I reached a stile and climbed over into Bull Creek WMA. The trail through Bull Creek was fairly easy to follow, which was a welcome relief from my trail-finding adventures of the previous days. It continued to wind through palmetto prairies, occasionally dipping into pine-wooded areas.

Bull Creek WMA. 

Trail marker.

Vlog 1

For a short while, the trail transitioned into a sand-scrub landscape where the trail markers wound through it almost like a hedge maze.  It was in this section that I found a dead, desiccated alligator on the trail. Like, right in the center of the path.

The Florida Trail. 

RIP alligator.

A well blazed section.

Further down the trail was a neat little piece of history. I passed a trail marker that said something about a railroad. I didn't give it much thought and continued looking for blazes.  I noticed a ditch next to the trail that was a corridor of palmettos. It was perfectly straight and continuous. Could this be the remnants of a railroad?

I continued down the trail and started to notice a ditch on the other side as well. Wait, was I actually walking the railroad? I didn't think it was possible since I kept weaving in and out of large trees.

Occasionally,  the trees and vegetation would become spare and the reality became obvious. I was walking a train-sized, straight, flat route surrounded by a depression on each side. I was walking the railway. I thought about it and realized that the last year of operation was 86 years ago. That was plenty of time for the trees to grow.

Walking the railway ruins.

Passing cypresses.

I walked the railway ruins for a couple miles. At one point, the trail exited the railway and walked through the forest, where the high water marks on the trees were over my head. Was that naturally how high the water got in the wet season, or was that from Hurricane Irma?

Dark bands on the trees showing the last high water level.

The trail rejoined the railway for a short while and ended at a Florida Trail sign that was twin  to the one I had passed earlier. This time I took note. It read “Union Cypress Company Logging Railroad, 1912-1932.”

Information.

After that, I wasn't too far from the place I had wanted to camp. As I continued walking, the trees started to grow thicker and became a jungle of cypress and palms. The area got a little more damp as well, but there were a lot of footbridges in the area. Thanks, trail crews!

The Jungle Trail. 

 Thanks, trail crews!

Just before camp were a series of bridges over the beautiful Sawgrass Creek and it's gorgeous afternoon reflections. I was admiring its beauty when a saw a shape moving in the water.

Sawgrass creek.

Bridge over Sawgrass creek.

It had been a while since I had seen a (live) alligator, so I figured it was the tip of its snout moving through the water. That it until it turned at a 90 degree angle to look at me. I was looking at a river otter head. I took some pictures and then got out my cell phone to film it. It posed for me on a lot for a few seconds before disappearCreek.

River otter!

I then walked to my camp. I had seen a pick up truck parked just before Seagrass Creek, so I thought I might have a neighbor for the night. Luckily, the camp was empty. Even luckier was that the pitcher pump (which was last reported as broken) was working so that I could easily refill my water supply. I took my time setting up my tent and eating dinner since I had much more time than usual to spare. Then, I sheltered in my tent as it got dark and cold.

Vlog 2