Gentle to Alabama Rollen: End of the Florida Trail (ect day 61)

• Hiked today: 26.1 miles

• • Black water connection (23.1 – 45.4)
  • Alabama Connector (0 – 3.8)

• Total hiking: 1,314.5 miles
• Totally paddled: 99.5 miles

Weather: 48-72 ° F, sunny, clear blue sky

Height: 81 – 246 feet

“Like a long lonely stream

I continue towards a dream

Move, move

Like a branch on a tree

I go on to be free

Move, move

Because there is a place in the sun

Where there is hope for everyone

Where my bad restless heart has to run

There is a place in the sun

And before my life is finished

I have to find a place in the sun

Like an old dusty road

I get tired of the cargo

Move, move

Like this tired disturbed earth

I've been rolled since I was born

Tighten up, dress ”

– “A place in the sun” by Stevie Wonder (1966)

Blackwater Shelter 2 to burned point

No condensation overnight! A great way to start the day on which I don't have to deal with a dripping wet tent fly.

I got going around 6:00 a.m. and kept it quite stable two hours later until the second breakfast. The walk in the early morning continued the general national forest (this is actually a state forest, but similar atmosphere), which was beautiful. Good way makes me happy.

For my second breakfast stop, I was able to hang directly along a beach of the Blackwater River. The trail goes directly, so I thought I would get my time better here on the river as long as I can. There was a tempting rope swing, but no urge was developed to go a bathroom so early a day. 😊

The sun felt good on my back and the sound of water from a nearby reef was pleasant. I didn't have a bit of a mobile phone service, so I spent some time here to watch my offline cards for the Alabama department!

Post Second Breaky is when I think I have the most energy during the day. Probably no coincidence that follows my coffee. Today it was a grand Mocha Supreme, which means that I added a hot chocolate package.

I noticed that the terrain held a gentle rolling pattern. Very gradual, but surely enough up and down. Did I imagine that or was this a sign that I went from the flat coasts to the inner mountain regions?

In addition to the flowering trees, I saw many of these species that I saw as cedar in my head …

I have more insights into the Blackwater and it was beautiful. It is really a shame that it does not follow much of a section for a significant part.

For the lunch break, I voted well to stop at Hurricane Lake! A pontoon boat was floating near the shore along the dam and I had to talk. You have “border”, he said, from whom I had never heard of. When I asked, he said that it was a general term for solarfish, perch and bluegill. I grew up with all these pan fish. Interesting.

The afternoon would continue the up and down -mini roller coaster ride. I pretended to help me get Mountain Trail legs. After all this apartment, I am a bit nervous when I actually achieved a real gain in height.

Around 3:30 p.m. I saw it, a yellow fire. What is that? I saw a lot of orange, some blue, but yellow? Alabama! That's right, guys, we made it until the end of Florida and at the end of the Florida Trail! Woohoo.

I did out there for a while, just took a break and took a break on everything to think about the experience so far.

“Life moves pretty quickly. If you don't stop and look around every now and then, you could miss it. “

– Ferris Bueller in Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)

Hiking and paddle over 1,400 miles in a state. This is something. From my first research is the only other state with more continuous long-distance kilometer miles of California. According to Farout, the PCT has 1,719 miles in Cali. In addition, the Ice Age Trail in Wisconsin has around 1,200 miles. The longest CDT would be Montana at 971 miles, but only if you include it back and forth at the border of Idaho. Otherwise, it surprisingly takes New Mexico at 777. There is also the Arizona Trail, which is about 800 miles. So yes, Florida is impressively long!

“Give it in” O “for further

– Gerste Lightfoot in “Onward” (2020)

An interesting thing of this ect trip to end something that I am proud of and feel like a great performance, but to get ahead. The journey is still starting!

True to the call, I started Alabama Road Walk on the street. However, there were mainly two traces of the National Forest Road, not so that parts of Florida that I had gone through. And in fact the first 28 miles Alabama is in the Conecuh National Forest, so it should be pretty nice here!

Unfortunately, so much of the forest was charred that I was furnished in a slightly ash -fitting bed of pine needles. Not ideal, but it was flat, and it is once important inside!

Outside for everyone

For those of you who are new on the website, I would like to highlight the cause for which I collect donations while I hike the ect … to increase access and increase equity outdoors! I hope you help me to support the outdoor network (OEN) in your work that take practical, measurable steps, including access to adequate equipment, training and best practices for cultural integration. They sow and support local membership groups of the base all over the country.

Please donate my fundraising campaign on my LIVELY page. My goal is to collect 1 US dollar for every mile that I hike on this route, or about 6,000 US dollars. However, I fall back and need your help!

Take a look at this YouTube video, which explains what it is with OEN.

Take a look at the Oen website.

Take a look at my earlier contribution entitled “The Outdoors” for everyone and go into why this thing is something special for me

And thank you for being followed!

Album of the day:

“Tapissersery” (1971) by Carole King

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