FT2018 Day 57: Tom Thumb (mile 1025.2) to Wild Azalea Campsite (mile 1049.5)

24.3 FT miles

Waking up early today was hard. Both bed and sheets at Kelley’s house were incredibly soft. I still had a lot of journaling to do, as I had been slacking the past couple days. I wrote a little bit, then reset my alarm and went back to sleep.

I slept another 30 minutes, then got up started packing. Kelley was not awake yet. Last night Sean had texted the offer that the three of us and Dan could go out to Cracker Barrel together in the morning.

When Kelley emerged for the morning, she had told me that she had gotten a text from Sean that Dan was not up yet. Nor should he be, really. He had said that he did a couple 50 mile days towards the end and on the final night he had gotten only 2-3 hours sleep. I was surprised he was functioning at all.

Kelley drove me back to the Tom Thumb at which she had picked me up. We were going to stop at the McDonalds next door to pick up some fatty breakfast, but they were closed for construction, despite several signs saying they were open. Instead, we went to the catfish house across the way which thankfully served more than just catfish.

Then, I started the long road walk on US 90. It was a double digit roadwalk again, with about 11 of the miles on US 90. At first there was a sidewalk, which was nice. Of course, that ended quickly. Then, I started getting my hat blown off by trucks again. Occasionally, I could use the dirt road that followed the utility poles, but at other times it wasn't accessible and I had to go back to walking the shoulder.

The miles dragged by so slowly today. When I saw a parking area that made a nice buffer between me and the highway, I stopped for lunch, despite it still being early. There was some nice grass and shade, so I took a long lunch.

Lunch break.

As I was packing up, a car pulled up. It was Kelley and Sean, and they had Dan in tow again. They were taking him to the airport and had been looking for me along the way. We chatted for a little while, then went our separate ways.

I hiked a little further,  until I hit the tiny town of Holt. I was finally able to turn off the highway, but I still had a couple miles of roadwalk left. Kelley and Sean, on their way back from dropping Dan at the airport, honked at me as I drove past again. I also passed a small airstrip along the way.

Restaurant in Holt.

Yellow River Airstrip.

Unceremoniously, the trail dipped into the woods and into Yellow River WMA. I was very happy to be in the shaded woods, on a trail, and away from cars. I also had been needing to “use the bathroom" for a while.

The trail through the woods was nice. Not quite Eglin nice, but it was fairly easy to follow and the first part of it was nice and dry. There were a lot of roots and tree stumps to trip over, and I did quite a few times. I never actually fell though. The trail maintainers also attempted to make log crossings for the streams, though they were not as nice as the boardwalks in Eglin. I had become really spoiled in Eglin.

The Florida Trail .

Log crossing.

I was a little worried in this section because the app listed several swamp areas. Until now, that has meant ankle to calf deep wading through muck. It honestly wasn't too bad, it was more muddy than anything. I was able to hop from root to root and not get my feet too wet and dirty. Then, I got to a stream without a lot crossing. I was going to have to ford it. I came so close to keeping my feet dry!

After I had gotten such a late start to the day, I decided that I would random camp rather than push to get to the next designated campsite. After all, I was finishing up soon and should be winding down the miles. However, I had hit such a good stride that I decided to go for it. Of course, I have gotten into great hiking shape just as I am finishing the trail.

Vlog 1

I stomped into Wild Azalea Campsite after dark. As with the last couple times I camped, there was a tent already set up. It was Rambler again. I have to stop sneaking up on him at night