Actual Trail on the Florida Trail! (ECT Day 20)
- Hiked Today: 31.2 miles (The Florida Trail)
- Total Hiked: 351.4 miles
- Total Paddled: 99.5 miles
Indian Prairie Campsite to Chandler Slough
No mosquitoes this morning! I felt safe exiting my tent shield pre-dawn, so was moving before 6:30 am. The morning walk was what it has been for the last few days, straight on a two track next to a canal.
The big thing that I was looking forward to today was a mini resupply and town visit. Since leaving the Turner River canoe launch (about 6 or 7 days ago), I have been making my way through my pre-packed food supply. I must have gone a little overkill, but I also picked up random snacks along the way, mainly at the church. And I wasn’t feeling great and not eating for about 24-hours in there. Thus, it stretched til now.
I hadn’t made up my mind whether to just get the few items I needed for another day til there was another store (requiring a slight detour), or to do the full thing for about 5-6 more days. Once inside the Doller General, I went somewhere in between with my purchases. I’ll have to stop again to supplement what I got, but I went for some good deals and whatever caught my fancy.
Next, it was down to the Ridge Market Cafe. The cook was hanging outside when I got there and said she’d be right in. I got my battery plugged in, ordered a breakfast burrito and coffee and I was content. I tried to make it a quick stop… a nice little boost. Two days in a row of hot food! I’m not complaining.
Smiles Before Miles?
I did have a goal for today though, so was boot scoot and boogying the rest of the day. You might be wondering, why such big miles when my feet are all beat up? Why big mile days at all? Wouldn’t it be more fun to take your time? I haven’t been living by the classic smiles before miles motto, have I? Here’s a little insight into my thinking…
I have very rarely pushed this hard mileage wise during my other thru-hiking experiences. In the Keys, I started off with such a bang because I’d pre-booked campsites and had trouble finding decent priced places to stay, so just tried to be quick about completing that part. Definitely not normal for me, those were some of my biggest days ever.
Since the kayaking trip, I got it in my head to time my hike to make it to White Springs, FL for the Florida Trail Association’s Florida Trail Fest. I looked up ahead and started ciphering to see how many miles I’d have to hike to time it perfectly. That’s why I’m doing more than normal, although I think I got to a point now where I can steady out and get into a better rhythm. I hope! I promise I’ll be slowing er down here at some point!
Leaving the Lake Behind
Leaving Buckhead Ridge, I soon turned away from Lake Okeechobee. Thankfully, in my opinion. I didn’t have all that great an experience walking around the lake. Mainly, my frustrations were due to the lack of lake viewage. This would be a similar theme for the next stretch, being close to the mighty Kissimmee River but seeing very little of it.
After crossing over the Kissimmee, I followed along two track and various roadsides for a while. There were some good finds on the stretch though…
Could This Trail BE Any Prettier?
The last five miles of the day, I finally got some single track trail!!! Oh man was I ecstatic about this. And, it was beautiful. I started snapping all kinds of photos, just loving it.

If it weren’t for those very Florida-esque plants and trees hiding throughout, the fields would look just like those in the Midwest.
Album of the Day: “Good Together” by Lake Street Dive
Podcast Episode of the Day: Important Speeches in American History, “Martin Luther King Speech – The Three Evils of Society
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Comments 5
Fun! You found a real trail! Love the video thru the trees!
Cool wild pig and piglet siting and longer than 7 second videos! Thanks for sharing.
Hey Jenny, Yes! I found a little work around to make videos slightly longer.
Each morning when I read your story I get a little chuckle. Today I had a laugh because the first pic of the bird looked to me like it was towering over trees and I thought “oh my, they grow them big in Florida!!” 🤣
Always love the animal pics but the baby pig was special!
So glad for good trail. It’s funny how you appreciate things so much more when you don’t have them for awhile!
I really enjoy your posts! May you have much joy on your hike! 🙂