FT2018 Day 3: Oak Hill Camp (mile 22.7) to Nobles Camp (mile 35.7)

13.0 FT miles

There were two other tents that had set up after I had sheltered in my tent as it got dark last night. When I got up this morning, one had already gone.

It was pretty brisk this morning. Condensation had formed on the inside of my tent from the temperature difference between the inside of the tent and the cold air outside.

I packed up my backpack and proceeded to exit the campground, but got a little disoriented. The path I had taken to get in was a little overgrown, so I had to ask the woman camped near the entrance how to get out.

Finally, I stepped out of camp and back into the swamp. I was a little apprehensive about today’s hike. Just north of the campground was the spot labeled in Guthook as “Black Lagoon” and just north of that was labeled “deep swamp.” Both came with the warning that the water could be up to waist deep.

Back into the swamp

The depth just off the campground ranged from ankle deep to knee deep. It was really cold. I knew that it was shallow enough that it would warm significantly in the sun, but in the early morning my feet were going numb. The fish didn't seem to be handling the cold water well either. I was constantly passing dead or floundering fishes.

I knew I had most likely about 7 miles of wading to do today, which was much more than I did during  my previous two days in Big Cypress. After leaving Oak Hill Camp, there was no break for about 4 miles.

Follow the blazes.

I did pretty well with the majority of that stretch. I didn't feel too tired and I was still holding up well mentally. It was about 3 miles in when I started not having fun.

The swamp had invaded my shoes. They were filled with the fine mud/sand that makes up the swamp and it was starting to accumulate under the arch of my foot which made walking very painful.

I didn't want to walk the last mile to Ivy Camp with painful feet, so luckily I found a Cypress knee that was large enough to sit on (barely). I dug the swamp out of my shoe and rinsed out my socks since they were already soaked, but also caked in swamp muck. That last mile was much easier after that.

The Florida Trail. 

Vlog 1

I got to Ivy Camp just as Day Late was leaving, and ate lunch. To give my back a break, I was eating while reclining on my side. It was when I went to sit up that I realized how tired I was.

I should have been tired. I had just waded through water for four miles straight. And, I probably had about 3 more miles to go.

Swamp shoes.

The good thing was that after I left Ivy Camp, the water had warmed up quite a bit. It was warm enough that the snakes had started to come out. I saw my first water snake. It was one of the harmless water snakes as opposed to the venomous water moccasin. It came to the surface to look at me, then swam deeper into the vegetation.

Harmless water snake.

The water itself started to get shallower as I went on as well, some places being more muddy than swampy.

The clear water of the cypress swamp.

The last stretch of swamp.

Soon after I crossed a pine island, the trail joined a swamp buggy road. Swamp buggies are basically vehicles with big tires that can operate in swamps. While on the road, I dipped in and out of the water, so it wasn't a constant wade.

Swamp buggy road.

Vlog 2

Soon I reached the I-75 corridor and headed to the interstate rest stop. I was very dirty and carrying a huge backpack. I got the feeling that people were trying to figure out if I was homeless or not.

I used the facilities, bought several items from the snack machines, and disposed of some trash. I wanted to hose down my shoes and socks, but all the outdoor taps needed a special key to turn on and no one was working the info booth to provide it.

I put my dirty shoes/socks back on and headed towards the other side of the interstate. I had about 5 more miles to go to get to the campground I had in mind and it was getting late in the afternoon.

Luckily, the trail on the other side of the road (though still technically in the Big Cypress National Preserve) was a dry, dirt road. I was able to move much quicker, but my body felt very tired. It was a struggle to go those last few miles. I could see alligator haul-outs, but not the alligators themselves.

The trail north of I-75.

Trail signage.

I pulled into Nobles Camp with some daylight to spare, so I rested at the picnic table for a while before setting up my tent. Day Late was already there. He said that when he was walking down the road earlier that he saw about 8 alligators hauled out. I could have used some more water,  but I decided to wait until the Cypress dome down the road tomorrow to grab water since the gators seemed all be in the water now.

I ate dinner, then hopped in my tent as soon as the sun went down. The temperature was dropping rapidly and I could tell it was going to be another cold night.