FT2018 Day 30: Campsite near forest road (mile 457.3) to campsite on canal embankment (mile 479.6)

22.3 FT miles

Today was a very early day. I was making two long stops today and still needed to do as many miles as I could. It was another cold night with a very bright moon, which made walking before sunrise very easy. The footpath was obvious, even in the dark, and well maintained. The moon put out so much light that I didn't even need my headlamp.

Technically, the moon was a Super Blue Blood Moon. It was a rare occurrence when the moon was a supermoon (close to earth), a blue moon (2nd full moon of the month), and a blood moon (lunar eclipse). From what I had briefly read, it didn't look like it would be easy for the east coast to see the eclipse, so maybe I was just looking at a Super Blue Moon. It was very pretty, with the moonlight filtering through the pines.

The moon looking like a spotlight.

Eventually, the sun came up and I made my way to the 88 Store, a trail-friendly store in a section that otherwise lacked conveniences. Previous hikers had said that the store doesn't sell much more than beer and the conversations you overhear can get uncomfortable.

The 88 Store.

I got there not long after opening. I bought a couple of drinks (not beer), a bag of chips, and sat on the front porch. The front porch had outlets and the store had Wi-Fi. My phone was badly in need of a charge and I could do some uploading. I slowly sipped my drinks and waited while my phone charged and uploaded.

Sitting on the porch of the 88 Store. 

In the meantime, people trickled into the store. This place is definitely the local hang out. It was still pretty early in the day (on a weekday) and there was already a group inside smoking and playing pool. I was content on the expansive porch. Since it was cold, a man (I'm assuming an owner) came over and turned a heater on for me. My electronics could definitely have used more charge, but eventually I had to get moving.

Vlog 1

The area I was walking through the rest of the morning, and into the afternoon, was gorgeous. It was all pine forest. In some places the pine forest was pretty dense for a Florida pine forest. I had stopped for lunch earlier than I had wanted to because I had found a spot in a nice dense section that I couldn't pass up.

Florida Trail sign.

The Florida Trail .

Foot travel, thanks.

Looking up.

Dense pines.

This guy wanted to hitchhike on my pants. He was evicted.

More pine forest.

Eventually, the pine forest gave way to other trees, including the huge oaks. At one point I passed a sink hole surrounded by them, and it was a beautiful spot.  After a while, the oaks and mosses started to dominate the trail again.

A tangle of oaks.

Sinkhole.

Tunnel of oaks and moss .

Just as I was noticing this, I turned the corner and saw a huge expanse of water. It had to have been Rodman Reservoir. I went up to the shore and took a look. It was an impressive body of water. It was listed as a water source on the Florida Trail app, but I would have had to have waded out a ways to get at the good water. Thankfully, I had passed a campground several miles back where the camp hosts had given me a couple bottles of water.

Rodman Reservoir.

I walked along the shore of the reservoir,  through a tunnel of Spanish moss. When I emerged from the road, I saw CopperTone’s camper van. I had seen him earlier, doing a southbound day hike and he was very apologetic that it didn't leave any food for me further up. CopperTone is awesome.

The trail-famous camper van.

I walked over the dam, and got a nice view of the river on the other side. There was a pretty little park and it looked like the dam’s outflow was a good fishing spot, as it was lined with people carrying fishing poles.

Crossing the dam.

The river side of the dam.

After the dam, the trail went back into the woods. I had to navigate over something that looked like a moat to get through. What was beyond it wasn't much better. The trail was flooded and the blazes were faded. I was really glad that I wasn't doing this in the dark. After navigating around the water for a while, I realized there was no way of avoiding the water and plunged right through.

I got to the exit point for Rodman Campground and headed towards the gate house. It was just after 5 pm, and I was a little worried about the office being closed as I had a package to pick up. Luckily, the office was open until 6 pm. The woman working the office invited me in to organize my resupply. She also gave me more water and told me I could use the campground’s bathhouse to shower before moving on.

Rodman Campground entrance. 

Vlog 2

After taking a hot shower, I kept going on the trail and was headed to a canal embankment. I took a look at the route. The trail paralleled the road, but I knew the footpath was underwater. I ended up just taking the road to the next turn. I was headed for a canal embankment which I walked until the area just before Buckman Lock. I would deal with the lock crossing in the morning.