Exceptional Adventures in Paradise
Recently my friend Lisa and I returned to the Yearling Trail after an absence of several months. Steve joined us, which made the day extra special.
Here are some of the sights we saw.
Right at the start of the trail, there was an area of partridge pea that was literally BUZZING. Bumblebees were everywhere, carrying loads of pollen out of the yellow flowers.
TITLE PHOTO CREDIT: “Florida Panther RX 04-04-14” by USFWS/Southeast is marked with CC PDM 1.0
The good news about the National Panther Wildlife Refuge is that it exists at all. This Refuge was established in 1989, and comprises over 26,000 acres of pine forest, oak hammock, and cypress strand habitats on public lands and large private ranches. The bad news is that only a very small portion of the Refuge is open to the public. This severely restricted access is necessary to properly manage the acreage to protect the panthers, so it’s a fair trade. Management efforts include a regular program of prescribed burns and removal of invasive plants. Removal of invasive plants sounds odd in a panther protection scheme, but it is a critical component of habitat management. Invasive plants actually impact how well the burns work to protect the habitat, so managing them is very important to protecting panthers.
Panthers must have huge amounts of land to meet their needs. The pine forests and oak hammocks of the Refuge meet these needs, and provide habitat for the deer, wild hogs, and other smaller mammals who make up the bulk of a panther’s diet. They routinely travel through the Refuge to pass from Big Cypress National Preserve to Fakahatchee Strand State Preserve and back. Female panthers often raise their kittens within the preserve.
There are two trails that are open the the public. One is a half-mile loop and the other is a 1.3 mile loop. If you visit during the wet summer months, you can expect both trails to be flooded in areas, and you may notice vegetation overgrowing the trail in many places. During the dry months, the trails will still have places that are noticeably damp. A visit in January left us with dry feet. Because it was so cool the week we visited, there were not even mosquitoes! In general, you should always bring plenty of water, bug spray, and sunscreen if you plan to walk either or both of the public trails. Leave your pets at home, because they are not welcome within the Refuge.
We saw a few birds on the trail, but the most interesting feature was the variety of plant life. The signage left a little to be desired, but we reminded ourselves that the Refuge is more for panthers than humans, and panthers don’t need signage.
When we left for Silver Springs, rain was in the forecast every day, so we did not take kayaks. As it turned out, rain was not a major issue on this trip. Without kayaks to enjoy the river, we spent much of our trip enjoying the trails and each other.
Continue reading “Camping at Silver Springs State Park”
The hottest part of summer has settled in, and I really don’t want to be outside too much. Instead, I’m daydreaming about the return of more temperate weather. I have about four months to think about what I want to do when it is pleasant to be outside again. There’s something fun to do in every single county, and some things need doing more than once.
Since the start of the pandemic, I’ve camped more than I have in the previous five years, and that trend will continue. But in this same time, I’ve learned some things about what sacrifices I’m just not willing to make. I understand that camping involves living without all the modern conveniences, and that’s fine.
But look, I consider running water a necessity. I need a hot shower at the end of the day and I want to wash my dishes in a sink. I want enough electricity to charge my phone at night because I use it as my camera. Good old Mr. Coffee is the best way to make coffee in the morning. And you know, a flush toilet is a lovely thing. So, unless we buy an RV, I’ll be sticking to campsites with electric and water on-site.
Now that we have THAT settled, here are the five trips I’m daydreaming about.
As soon as the evening temperatures are in the low 70s and the humidity is bearable, I’d love to camp at Fort Clinch State Park (https://www.floridastateparks.org/fortclinch), right at the Florida-Georgia state line. With both river and ocean camping loops, it might be worth spending a whole week to make sure we see everything worth seeing. The park is filled with history and hiking trails and there are shark’s teeth on the beach…I think this would be a great spot to spend some time in September or October.
Steve and I have made several day trips to Lake Louisa. We’ve taken kayaking classes on the beautiful lakes and we’ve admired the many native plants that grow here (and have toured some reclamation and rescue areas with the rangers). It is a beautiful park at the north end of the Lake Wales Ridge. The one thing we’ve never done here is stargaze, and I believe I’d love to see the night sky here. I’ve been in the cabins, and they are beautiful – as with all Florida state park cabins, they have two bedrooms, full kitchens, and no television. Heaven!
I’m a Florida girl through and through and waking up to see frost at Kissimmee Prairie was a shock to my system. But I can’t get the thought of that magnificent prairie out of my mind, and I’d love to plan a trip during a meteor shower because this is a designated dark sky site.
The first time we camped here, we were impressed with the trails. We camped on an interior site (next time we’ll try for a site open to the prairie) and enjoyed our morning campfires while we waited for the sun to warm things us. I wouldn’t mind another cold weather camping trip here…it made the hiking super enjoyable and the days were warm enough that we could enjoy sitting in camp reading or playing games.
I want to camp at Collier Seminole State Park anytime I can, and thoroughly explore the Everglades and 10,000 Islands. I’d love to return to Delnor Wiggins Pass, too, and spend another day at the beach. When I camp there again, I will be sure to do a “wet hike” through the Fackahatchee Strand. I think this might be the most exciting area of Florida.
If I ever leave Central Florida, this is the area I’d love to investigate as a new home. Naples, which is congested and very expensive, is not at the top of my list, but I’d maybe look around Ochopee. I know, I know…it is soooo hot there so much of the year. But those swamps make my heart so happy!
I want to camp my way across the Panhandle from West to East, starting at Perdido Key/Big Lagoon and ending as close to Cedar Key as possible. Two or three nights at each site, maybe over a two- or three-week time period. This would be a lovely trip for late spring, when there are orchids all over the dang place at Tarkiln Bayou and pitcher plants are blooming in the Apalachicola National Forest. Is this part of the state more exciting than southwest Florida? I honestly don’t know. Perhaps a back-to-back trip is in order to compare the two.
In the meantime, I’m going to be enjoying the pool and planning some new camping menus. How do you get through the long, hot summer?
I was surprised at how much there was to see on the two short loop trails that traverse Sweetwater Preserve. The preserve encompasses 125 acres of watershed along both sides of Sweetwater Branch Creek, a waterway that flows out of downtown Gainesville.
If you look at a map of Sweetwater Branch, it is obvious that the natural water flow has been changed so that the creek now flows in very straight lines. Because of this and the fact that the creek flows through areas that were once landfills, Sweetwater Wetland Park has been developed to treat this very dirty surface water using natural processes — Sweetwater Preserve is just upstream from Sweetwater Wetland Park. This improved water eventually flows into Paynes Prairie, where it is further filtered by many plants before it enters the Floridan aquifer.
When you look at maps for these trails, you will notice two distinct loops: the East Loop and the West Loop. We started at the West Loop, parking at the end of SE 16th Avenue. There is not a parking lot and there are no restrooms here. The trailhead is clearly marked, though, and it was shady. It was very hot, so the shade was welcome.
The West loop was, to my way of thinking, a hot mess. The trail was not clearly marked and appeared to cross over itself many times. The only part I felt confident about was the northeast part of the trail that closely followed Sweetwater Branch Creek. But the creek was beautiful (in spite of being terribly polluted by its travels through former landfills) and looked like a spring run, the plants were beautiful and the light filtering through the trees was relaxing, so I’d come back if given the chance. If you go, watch out for poison ivy…it’s everywhere on this loop.
A very nice footbridge crosses the creek and joins the West loop to the East. And, oh, that East loop!
The trail on the East loop is very well marked, and the numbered posts matched the map we had found online. We stopped at the sinkhole pond to cool off and enjoy a short break. While there, we admired the googley eyes someone has placed on the informational kiosk. There are not many kiosks that cannot be improved by the judicious application of googley eyes. We listened to a bullfrog calling for friends, adjusted our packs, and walked on.
The trail feels longer than the listed 1.2 miles, and travels through numerous habitats, including sandhill, hammocks, the sinkhole lake, baygall (shallow wetlands), seepage stream, upland and floodplain forests, and mesic flatwoods.
It was along this trail that I finally got to see a pawpaw that was bearing fruit. My family used to sing a little song about pawpaws, and so ever since I was a little girl, I’ve wanted to see a pawpaw. I’ve managed to find the plants, and I frequently see them blooming in the spring, but this was the first time I’ve seen the fruit. They were not ripe, but I broke one open to see the inside. It looks like they would be pulpy with large seeds. Maybe I can go back and find out!
Once water from this preserve leaves on the downstream flow, it enters Sweetwater Wetlands Park. In this park, the sheetwater flow of Sweetwater Branch is being restored to a more natural state. As it flows across the park, it is also cleaned up before it hits Paynes Prairie. I hope to see this park next time I’m in the area. Maybe it will be as impressive as Orlando Wetlands Park. These projects create not only cleaner water, but opportunities for all of us to appreciate how resilient nature can be if we get out of the way.
