FT2018 Day 37: Madison Shelter (mile 611.3) to White Springs B&B (mile 622.3)

11.0 FT miles

I was able to lie in for a while at Madison Shelter. I was only walking for half the day, to get to the town of White Springs. It was a good thing too. The exertion of yesterday meant that my feet were still painfully swollen. I knew the fluids would move out once I got moving for the day, but my first few steps were painful and awkward.

I slowly packed up and enjoyed one last rock in the rocking chair. Then, I did a cursory sweep with the broom to get the sand off the floor, then headed out of Madison property.

Enjoying the rocking chair one last time.

Madison Shelter .

I resumed my street walk for a couple miles until I hit the Bell Springs Tract of the Suwannee River. This river was made famous by a song written by Stephen Foster. It became so popular that the river became a tourist destination.

The ironic thing about this is that Stephen Foster has never been to the area. The name was found on an atlas after the song had already been mostly written. Even more ironic was that when I got my first glimpse of the river (through quite a few trees), I had officially seen it more times than Steven Foster himself.

The Suwannee River. 

I continued down the trail, which went up and down along the river bluff. It was a grey, overcast day with a lot of humidity. It made walking not particularly fun and meant rain was coming. There were a lot of benches and picnic tables along the way.

Picnic table overlooking the river.

Bridge on the trail.

Ferns and a fresh blaze. 

While walking the river, I noticed something on the ground and stopped. Between the PCT and this trail, I have become pretty good at registering when there is a snake on the ground and not a stick. This one camouflaged well into the leaves. My first thought was that it was a rattlesnake, so I looked at its tail to be sure. There was no rattle, so I was confused.

Snake on the trail.

I guessed it could still be some type of pit viper. Even if it wasn't,  I didn't want to disturb it too much. It was just chilling and not being menacing. I tried to walk around it without disturbing it too much. It pulled its head back slightly in mild annoyance, but not enough to make any kind of strike. It just continued to chill.

Snake and human parted ways and I kept walking until I hit the highway into White Springs. I was going to cross the bridge, and take the park trails into town. After I crossed, curiosity about the snake became too great so I sat on a picnic table bench and looked it up.

Highway bridge and old railroad bridge over the Suwannee.

City limit of White Springs .

The snake was unmistakably a timber rattlesnake. I rechecked the picture I took. Sure enough, there was no rattle on the tail, but it was still venomous. Luckily, it had happened to be pretty chill. I briefly looked up “timber rattlesnake no rattle" and found a video of one that had the exact same tail as the one I saw, with no rattle. I guess it is a thing.

Vlog 1

I walked the humid trails again until I came out into White Springs next to the school. It was a little after 1 pm, so I went to grab lunch at the town’s one restaurant, Fat Belly. It was a BBQ joint. Given how many pickup trucks were outside, it must have been a good one.

Fat Belly's.

My meal at Fat Belly's.

I opened the door and came face to face with a bunch of police officers sitting at a table near the entrance. They stared at me. I then looked around the restaurant to see if I needed to see a hostess to be seated. That is when I noticed every head in the restaurant staring at me. It was like something out if a movie.

I immediately sat down at the empty table near the door and everyone turned back to their business. A waitress came over with a menu and let me know that all meals come with sweet tea. Really wanting soda, I asked for a Pepsi instead. I don't know if this was insulting or not. Eventually I ordered a pork sandwich, served on garlic bread, with waffle fries. Despite hiking over 600 miles, I had trouble finishing it.

After lunch, I headed over to the town’s only accommodation, a bed and breakfast. There were two barking dogs outside that ran to the gate to bark at me. I let one sniff my hand. It was satisfied, and that seemed to satisfy the other dog as well. I was able to gain entry.

It was an old Victorian house with a coded entry. It was locked. I called the phone number listed in the app. No answer. I decided to go pick up my resupply package from the post office and try it again.

Part way there I found a bench and decided to call again. This time I got an answer, but the woman said the house was booked. Crap. I had planned to charge electronics and was badly in need of uploading blogs. There were campsites in the Stephen Foster Cultural Park nearby, so I started looking to see if any had electricity.

Then, I got a call back from the B&B. It was the woman I had spoken to earlier. She was the daughter of the proprietor and was helping out while her mom was on vacation. She had gotten sick and was tired and out of sorts. The house was fully booked for Friday, but today was Wednesday. There were actually no other bookings.

Relieved, I walked back to the house where she invited me in and apologized. She let me look at the rooms and I chose a corner room that had its own bathroom/shower. It honestly didn't matter in the end as I had the run of the whole house and would walk through other rooms as a shortcut anyway.

White Springs B&B.

My corner room.

I took my shower, did laundry, and started unpacking/repackaging my resupply. I wanted to get some miscellaneous items, so I asked my host where I could get them. She told me the Dollar General. We ended up chatting on the porch for a little bit and she told me about a neat old house by the river that is now abandoned and supposedly haunted. She used to work at the restaurant when it was open and suggested that I check it out.

It was a grand, old building in a state of deterioration. It was kind of sad as it was an impressive, stately brick building right on the river. I walked around it, taking pictures, then left to go to the Dollar General.

The grand, abandoned, and reportedly haunted Telford Hotel.

Abandoned pool at the Telford Hotel. 

The Dollar General was like no Dollar General I have ever been to. It was a fully stocked grocery store, selling actual name-brand foods. I was only going to get a few items, but loaded up on junk. The cashier noted, “You came in here hungry, didn't you.”

Informational sign about the town.

The water tower.

This store sells critters. No doubt pronounced "creeturs."

After that, I went back to the house and repackaged my resupply downstairs so that I could chat with my host at the same time. We sat and talked in front of the TV while I tortured one of the dogs, Taz.  I had all this good food in front of me and I wasn't giving him any. And, he was waiting there patiently with puppy dog eyes like a good boy. I am such a cruel person.

Way later than intended, I went to bed and my host went to her cottage, leaving the 113 year old house to me by myself. 

Vlog 2