Jay B Starkey Wilderness

If you want to make memories, lace up your shoes and get out there!

That’s been my motto for the past few months, as I seek to fill the time left open by not being able to run with other outdoor activities. Hiking and backpacking has turned into a new passion and I’ve been loving every second of it.

This hike took place at Jay B. Starkey Wilderness park in New Port Ritchey a few weeks ago, just an hour’s drive north. Unlike most of my other hikes, this one was a solo outing. Just me, the sun, and my new Moment macro lens. Let’s suffice it to say that I have a lot to learn about this new piece of equipment!

I started around 8:30 am and only found a few footprints in the sand other than my own:

It was a cool morning from the first real cold spell that had hit Florida in 2018. But as always, once the sun rose the temperatures quickly soared. 

I couldn’t wait to try out my new Moment macro lens, but the breeze moved most objects out of focus :/

Fail....

Fail.....

Better – but not what I had hoped for. It’s called Christmas Lichen and you can find it growing on many trees here in Florida. 

But at last, I was able to capture the detail of a leaf in the way I had wanted. I’m sure there’s further room for improvement but not too shabby!

I finally gave up and tucked the lens away. I didn’t want to lose it on the trail and continued on toward the turn of this 9+ mile loop. For the rest of my trek I simply enjoyed the silence & sunshine. 

Starkey was ravaged by wildfires last year and there is still plenty of evidence as I walked past the charred tree trunks.

The trails are well marked and even without a map you’d have a hard time getting lost here (unless you’re not paying attention, and then even a map won’t help you).

And no, I did not spend the night that day, but good to know that I could!