The River Ranch In N Out (ECT Day 23)
- Hiked Today: 26.1 miles (The Florida Trail)
- Total Hiked: 432.3 miles
- Total Paddled: 99.5 miles
Tick Island Slough to Godwin Hammock Camp
I have been meaning to look up what a slough is for days. According to the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), a slough is “a swamp or shallow lake system, usually a backwater to a larger body of water.” Well there you go. That makes sense too because I’m pretty sure I’ve been bopping around the Kissimmee River for a few days now so these must all be backwater areas to the bigger river system.
The big highlight of the day was my trip to River Ranch. River Ranch is a giant resort that popped out of nowhere. I knew it was coming because I planned to resupply there, but sheesh, this place was bizarre. Getting there was about 11-miles, mostly of nice gravel scenic road through fields and forest. Afterwards, was about 15 miles of good variety including a bad heavily fast-paced trafficked road walk in the rain. But also there was pretty prairie and more of the spectacular oak and palm hammocks I love.
Getting There
River Ranch
Here’s my first glimpse after coming through the fields and forest…
It all got bigger and more touristy the further I delved into the ole River Ranch. There was an emu and some mini horses, an amphitheater, glamping area, RV area, and most important to me… a Starbucks! I couldn’t pass up the ‘bucks and once I saw donuts and bagels, I just shelled out the money. I’ve been pretty frugal so far since I’m on a budget and all, but I lost all control in there!
River Ranch was a hideout for hikers escaping the cold and rainy weather! It wasn’t just me that had found this oasis of warmth and hot beverages. Walking into Starbucks, I spotted someone in the corner wearing a Melanzana hoody (same as the orange and black one in the last pic). That’s a dead giveaway out here for a hiker (Colorado everyone has them, so don’t assume hiker there). That was Cliffhanger and Naomi. Such a treat talking to them!
After splurging on foods at Starbucks, I went to the small general store to resupply. There I met another hiker, Steven. We commiserated with one another over the high prices. It would be one of my strangest resupplies ever: full bag of kettle-cooked barbecue chips, a jumbo pack of cheese crackers (the brand with the elves straight from Battle Creek, MI), a chocolate chip muffin, a slab of fudge, combos, and… a full pack of hot dogs. What was I thinking!?
As I walked outside with my odd assortment of foods, I nearly bumped into Dukes, yet another thru-hiker. Then came Lauren and Van Gogh. They casually and politely asked if I wanted an onion or three? I stupidly replied with, “like a full on onion?… sure what the hell, I can throw that into my dinner.” He kindly gave me the smallest one.
Afterwards
It was hard to pull myself away from the good hiker vibes at the ranch, but I just went for it. My motivation levels have been quite high. Things started off with a little road, but soon I hopped over this stair thing.
I took a break on the other side to try and dry my tent some. Wasn’t really happening though and soon I felt rain drops. Maybe I secretly just wanted to break into the fudge!
After some nice foresty walking, I turned on to a busy road and had to walk the shoulder for a few miles. It was a slog and slanty and it sucked. A car stopped at one point and asked if I wanted a ride up to the trailhead. The driver was actually a hiker and his wife had just picked him up from the section I’m about to hike. He said it was pretty wet walking. Shocker.
Once away from that road though, I thought it was nice. I liked the prairie and made good time getting to camp at 5:00 pm! The site was awesome! And getting there at a reasonable time let me have fun taking some videos and actually eating dinner while still light.
Album of the Day: “Wide Open Spaces” by The Chicks
Finished “The Swamp: The Everglades, Florida, and the Politics of Paradise”
Wow, this book was a great listen, particularly because it was telling the story of the exact areas I was walking through. That’s what I was hoping for and it didn’t disappoint. Overall, the theme of whether “progress” is worth the cost of destruction seemed to stand out to me. When you look at all that history and the costs and how we never seem to get it right… it really makes you understand that we need to work with the natural world rather than try to conquer and tame it. And often the best thing is to get out of its way. The Kissimmee River was a great example of this; once they started restoring the river, life came back to it!
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Comments 2
Pretty interesting scenery going in and out of woods and prairie/grassland/meadow areas…I’m no help with your defining of these areas, sorry lol.
The ladder-like structure used to get over the
fence is a “stile”.
Get some sleep or as John Wayne would say,
you’ll be “burning daylight” when it’s time to
get up in the morning.
Remember: recycling is only a drop in a bucket