Hike to the Center of Florida

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What would I do without the adventurous folks from Suncoast FTA? I’m pretty certain I would NOT leave the beaten path and go bushwhacking criss-cross through the burned forest in search of a geocache signaling the virtual center of Florida. Because that’s just what we did.

We had quite a chilly start of the day; temperatures hovered barely above 45 degrees and yes, that’s COLD here so don’t laugh!

But the sun warmed the air quickly and we soon stripped all our  warm layers and enjoyed the sun. 

After approximately three miles we reached a trail junction where we stopped for a snack break. From here we left the "official" trail and followed our leader's compass. That’s definitely a skill I need to learn and master. 

This is what the forest looks like two weeks after a prescribed burn. It pretty much turns the area into somewhat of a ghost forest:





 Tip: When stepping over fallen logs, watch out for wildlife hiding underneath….

 And while “prescribed burns” are set intentionally to improve and maintain habitats, it definitely destroys some of that as well. Here’s what’s left of a snake that could not escape the fire….

We found two burned shells of gopher tortoises as well and it was a sad moment in an otherwise exciting hike. We used some of the orange and blue trails, some horse & forest trails along with a 3-4 mile section of “bushwhacking”. Probably the most interesting course to date! And, we found that geocache:




Where did I head to next? Keep reading....

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