Green Swamp backpacking!

-


It isn’t always sunshine and roses. Sometimes it's fog and rain drizzle, but eventually the sun comes out to play…

To be honest, I was quite alright with the weather conditions, because the forecast had plenty of sun and warm weather in store for our weekend in the woods. The last time I’d been to Green Swamp was for a trail race; one that I had loved so much I had hoped to be able to repeat it. Unfortunately, the race organizers (from out of state) decided to not return to Florida, so the opportunity never presented itself again. Lucky for me, I found an awesome hiking group that planned this weekends backpacking trip at Green Swamp – the very area I had hoped to see again. 



We only had about 3.5 miles to hike to our campsite where we pitched our tents. Sadly, no actual concessions were to be found 😉

I had just purchased a Sawyer water filter but decided to carry-in all my water for these two days, despite having a water source near our camp. After evaluating the murky “lake” I was quite glad I was not depending on it – the water filter would have worked I’m sure, but my sense of adventure doesn’t yet go quite that far.


Our legs were still fresh so we strapped on our day packs and hiked another 8 miles on the Florida Trail to the river, which provided ample opportunities to capture flowers and work up an appetite.


 

No sightings of alligators today, or any other wildlife for that matter. A few fish swam by, that was it.



We returned to camp quite hungry. The ones left behind had started the fire, and I placed my foil-packed dinner on the grate. I had wrapped it up and tossed in the freezer the night before, and it thawed during our hike to camp. Within minutes I had a steaming portion of Publix’s pot roast and rice. So very delicious, I’ll definitely repeat this one!


The evening was concluded by a firey sunset that evening, and we sat by the camp fire for a few more hours before turning in to catch some z’s.

The next morning came much too fast and I had not slept all that well. My tent wasn’t on level ground and I had to adjust my mat and sleeping bag several times during the night. But all that is usually fixed with a nice hot cup of coffee & breakfast. We didn’t stay long after that, and most of us were packed up & ready to leave by 9:30 a.m.  
I’d call it another 100% successful backpacking trip. Where will I go next? 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Circle B Bar Reserve

-
Image
Circle B Bar Reserve sits on the shore of Lake Hancock in Polk County. It’s actually a former cattle ranch which I found hard to believe when I saw all the water surrounding us. I can’t do this place any justice. Not with my pictures and definitely not with my words. It’s chock full of wildlife and a good set of binoculars would have served me well to get a better view of all those amazing creatures and I also should have taken the bigger lense for my Canon camera. You’re guaranteed to see a variety of birds, turtles, and gators…..lots and lots of gators. In fact, the preserve is home to the famous hump-back alligator. We think we saw him resting on an embankment, but who know how many big alligators call this place home. Check humb-back out in action  here! Enjoy the pictures but make a trip out to the reserve yourself. And don't forget your camera! Where did I head to next? Keep reading....
Read more

Citrus tract, Loop A

-
Image
I almost ended up on a solo hike and I was kinda ready for one – but looking back I’m very happy that Rachael showed up…….. I’m often spooked by wildlife and I simply can't stand the amount of spiderwebs I encounter on the trails lately. On the trails they’re most often perfectly camouflaged and you do not realize they’re there until you’re in them, face first. A web-collision on the trail is much easier to handle if you have a hiking buddy because she/he can look you over and make sure you don’t end up with a hitchhiker on your body….. This weekend’s hike took place on Loop A on the Citrus Tract in the Withlacoochee State Forest. After signing the trail log we started at the Holder Mine campground on our 8.5 mile excursion. And so off we went onto loop A, the shortest loop of the four that make up the state’s longest backpacking loop trail in a single contiguous forest. I went ahead of Rachael, armed with a long skinny branch to defend against the hard to s...
Read more

Green Swamp West backpacking

-
Image
Green Swamp backpacking/camping, take three! I feel like I really know this place now; this was my third time backpacking and spending the night at the Concession Stand campsite and it’s easily a place I’d visit solo. All pieces fell into place – great company, beautiful trails & perfect weather. What more can you ask for?  Green Swamp offers FREE parking at the trail head and lots of it. Make sure you stay clear of the horse trail and check hunting dates before heading out to this area; most of the area is closed to backpacking during certain hunts. T hose live oaks…..aren’t they just amazing? These giants have been through all the crazy weather that Florida can dish out, but they remain beautiful and strong. My first tent from Eureka has really served me well but I have recently upgraded to a Zpacks Duplex with the optional flex poles. I’ve yet to take it out on the trail and I’m a bit nervous to switch to a completely new shelter, but there’s o...
Read more