Weather Woes Strike on the Trail: Dog Days of February?

Mid-February is usually a great time to be on the Florida Trail in the central part of the state. This year, Judy and I were looking forward to 8 days of a condition we call “forest drunk.” Forest-drunkenness is a state of deep relaxation, a sense of oneness with all that surrounds us, and a general feeling of joy. When we first decided to hike the Florida Trail from south to north through the Ocala National Forest, we knew we wanted a week in February, because it’s generally cool, dry, and beautifully clear. Here are a few posts about planning this trip:

https://myexquisiteflorida.com/florida-trail-in-ocala-national-forest-all-that-and-a-bag-of-chips/

https://myexquisiteflorida.com/buck-lake-for-full-moon-and-easter/

https://myexquisiteflorida.com/best-laid-plans-for-a-successful-multi-day-hike/

Stepping off

Yesterday our excited selves were on the trail before the sun was fully up. We knew the day would be warmer than we wanted, and hoped the early start would get us to our campsite before the strongest heat of the day. I don’t like hiking in heat, and over the past year it has been more difficult to keep moving when the temperatures reach the mid-80s. Yesterday it was 90 degrees on the trail.

Hiking Style Modifications

2022 was a year of difficult hiking for me. I have really struggled with both distance and heat, and my new boots gave me horrendous blisters the first time I wore them. I’ve put on a substantial amount of weight — not a good thing for someone who wants to cover lots of ground. My brother died in the Fall and that really took the wind from my sails for a bit. So Judy and I had talked about what I can do to be more comfortable.

Oh, my goodness — the first thing is so simple I can’t believe I waited so long to learn it: WOOL SOCKS. They have been a game changer. I found affordable wool socks at Costco and will never hike in anything else.

We added in longer breaks so that I can take off my boots and socks, too. This is a real refresher! We took turns setting the pace and Judy did a terrific job of slowing herself to match my pace.

Struggling

I could feel that I was beginning to struggle and tried to keep positive thoughts in my head. Under full pack weight, I covered more ground than I have in the past year under a day pack. The first five and a half hours were great! Even when I started draining, I was making better progress than the last time we hiked this particular trail. But I simply could not hike the last two miles to camp.

It is enormously difficult to be so close to reaching a goal and simply unable to move forward. I suggested that Judy keep going because she still felt good, and I called my favorite Trail Angel, my husband. Eventually, he got me to the campsite where I set up my tent, enjoyed a fantastic dinner Judy had prepared, took a shower and passed out.

Restful Sleep

Last night was a GREAT night for sleep – I was much more comfortable than the last time I camped, and I slept nearly 12 hours! I woke up very grateful that we had decided to camp at an established campground the first night — that hot shower felt so good the night before that I took the liberty of enjoying another this morning.

Sleep System Modifications

A couple of very small changes contributed to that great sleep.

First, I wrapped a thermal blanket around my sleep pad to see if I could stop it from slipping around, and that worked! No more waking up with my shoulders and back on the pad but my head and legs sticking off to the sides.

I used my pack to elevate my knees which was very comfortable while sleeping on my back, but I’m a side sleeper so that didn’t last long. The pack was quickly pushed to the side of the tent where it stayed for the rest of the night.

The major change was ditching the sleeping bag and sleeping under a light blanket with a sheet on top. Bliss! I was cozy and comfortable all night long and able to roll from one side to the other without getting tangled up.

Temperatures were in the low to mid 50s, so I will need to work on something warmer for colder nights in the future, but I think I would have been comfortable even if it had been couple degrees cooler.

Hiking Schedule Modifications

Because record-breaking temperatures are expected to continue in spite of a cold front that is dropping rain on the trail tonight, we decided this morning to sleep at home and return to the trail tomorrow. We’ve modified our days to allow shorter hikes, and we’re taking our cars rather than having Steve drop us off at the trailhead. We’ll hopscotch with our cars so that we will essentially be car-camping at campgrounds instead of backcountry camping on the trail. We have eliminated the last two days of the planned hike because I am not going to set foot on the trail if the temperatures are going to be in the 90s.

It Wasn’t a Total Loss!

Watch this space for another post about all the positive takeaways from the first day of our hike. I’m really proud of how quickly I physically recovered from yesterday and gratified that my hiking buddy is a quick thinker and willing to change plans. We’ve come up with a better way to finish the hike in these weather conditions, and we’ll be back on the trail tomorrow!