I fled to Florida with the idea of spending a lot of time on the water, but winds and cold temperatures combined to limit my paddling opportunities.
So I decided to try hiking the Ocala National Forest.
I drove to Salt Springs, where I walked around and checked out the natural spring at the park. But I couldn’t find the trailhead I was looking for at the campground. After realizing it was on the road to the marina, I headed over there and hit the trail.
There’s a 2.5 mile spur trail marked with blue blazes that leads to the orange-blazed Florida National Scenic Trail. I followed the spur and headed south when I came to the national trail, hiking another few miles before doubling back.
It was a great hike through marshes and scrub oak. I didn’t see a lot of wildlife, perhaps because I was out around midday. But the trail is flat and well marked. I didn’t see other hikers, with the exception of a Popcorn Sutton lookalike on the spur trail and a guy who was sitting beside the national trail smoking a cigarette and drinking a beer. I said boy howdy and kept hiking.
One of the highlights of the hike was sitting quietly beside one of the marshes, watching a flock of sandhill cranes fish the shallows. Overall, it was a great day. Even if it wasn’t spent on the water.
