43 mile Citrus challenge, 2/15/2019

I wish I could find more colorful words to describe this 4-day adventure in the Citrus tract of the Withlacoochee State Forest but this brain of mine, permanently tired from a 50 hour workweek doesn’t produce more than a half accurate account, so bear with me…….

Sunshine state of mind

This was my first chance to find out if my body would tolerate a multi-day backpacking trip. Usually my hips freeze up even after only a long walk, and my lower back promptly aches the next morning. Pushing 43 plus miles over four days would either “make me or break me” as the old saying goes, but what did I have to lose? Absolutely nothing. I typically don’t let the “what if’s” hold me back from having fun even if it means enduring some discomfort. Worst case scenario I’d use up all the Advil in my first aid kit. No risk, no reward. Or, as the Marines put it: pain is weakness leaving the body. AmIRight?

Here’s a map to give you an idea of where exactly we logged all those miles in a counter clockwise fashion:

Day one: Holder Mine Recreation area, 11.5 miles

It was chilly when we started our hiking adventure early Friday morning. Probably the reason I overpacked on clothing for the weekend and thus ended up with 31 pounds on my back. Two of everything plus a puffy jacket turned out to be complete overkill and it weighed me down unnecessarily. Note to self: don’t be such a baby over one cool morning when the forecast is not demanding a winter jacket. 

I decided to stay somewhere in the middle of the group, hiking at a very comfortable pace. We stopped for several small breaks along the way and I did not miss any opportunity to stretch.

(Photo credit: Kathy Porupski)

And while Florida hiking might be mostly flat, our fauna and flora is far from boring. We hiked among pine, cypress, oak, maple, southern magnolia, gum, and hickory trees. And, let’s not forget that this forest is part of the Trailwalker Hiking program, the Great Florida Birding Trail, and the Florida National Scenic trail!

We settled down for a nice long lunch break at the horse cistern on loop B. Adventurous hikers could filter drinking water here, but I’m kinda glad we carried our individual water supply for the day. I wouldn’t hesitate to jump in to cool off though…..

Despite taking our time we arrived at our first campsite much earlier than anticipated, just around 1:30 p.m.. I didn’t mind because it gave me plenty of time to find a decent spot to pitch my tent, unpack, and get everything in place for the night long before sunset. It was the first time using my new Zpacks Duplex tent and also the first time pitching it with flex poles instead of trekking poles. It took many adjustments to get that “tight” look and I could not pitch it as high as I wanted, no matter the amount of adjustments. I’m probably doing something wrong, but nonetheless I was comfortable and dry during the night and that’s what matters most. 

The group eventually gathered around the campfire where we prepared our dinner and chatted until dark. I crawled into my sleeping bag just before 9 p.m. hoping to fall asleep quickly, but that didn’t happen. And it wasn’t because I was in pain or uncomfortable but because we were two days away from a full moon and my Zpacks tent being practically see-through did not filter out much light:

Perhaps I need to pack one of those airplane eye masks? As usual, I tossed and turned for most of the night and I don’t think I slept for more than five hours total. But surprisingly it took only one cup of coffee the next morning to get me up and going.

Day two: Primitive campsite PCZ-B, 14.6 miles

I’m not gonna lie, I was a bit nervous. This was our longest day with the most mileage. My hip and lower back were OK thanks to one round of Advil, but another long day of hiking would surely add some aggravation. Or, would it? 

The sights along the way were again nothing short of amazing and the terrain changed from flat, open pine forests to thick, green rocky areas with interesting elevation changes. If you really want a good description of what we encountered, read about it here. 

Temperatures climbed quickly into the mid 70’s and the sun was out in full force. Luckily, we again took quite a few breaks. Each time I made sure to sit, remove my shoes, and stretch. There was no rush; I knew that I needed to take my time to avoid unnecessary strain on my body. And much to my surprise, we arrived at our second campsite and I wasn’t screaming in pain or anything even remotely close to that. In fact, I wasn’t any more sore than after the first day. Could it be that my body was already adapting to the increased physical demands? Could it be that my body was able to adapt faster because of years of marathon training? We were treated to trail magic that afternoon, including 2 refreshingly cold beers. I’ve always found that alcohol has a beneficial muscle relaxing effect and again, I had no issues getting comfortable in my tent. 

Day three: Primitive campsite PCZ-D, 8.3 miles

I woke up happy. Very, very happy. Wouldn’t you if you didn’t feel any ill effects of a 22 mile hike? I could have hugged someone, that’s how excited I was. The biggest issue I had was the sore spots on my collar bones from my new backpack, but it could not have bothered me any less. This was an issue of making adjustments, that’s all.

After a cup of coffee and oatmeal for breakfast I was off with the first group of hikers. It turned out to be a hot one, and the group spread out enough to where I was often almost alone on the trail.

Thanks to the organizers of this trip a BBQ dinner with beer and wine was waiting for us at the campsite. Now that’s awesome. 

Not only that, but we stayed at Mutual Mine campground and enjoyed running water and toilets. Hooray for not having to dig a cat hole for once and the opportunity to really freshen up even if it was only taking a bird bath in the bathroom sink.

We had lots of flat, open space for pitching the perfect tent with plenty of space in between.

And I don’t know what this Garmin badge really means but hey, I just walked for three days straight and whatever it means, I’ll take it!

 I had expected to crash pretty hard that night since we had racked up over 30 miles and I hadn’t had a solid night’s sleep, but that moon just wouldn’t quit....

Day four: Mutual Mine Campground, 9.7 miles

Where my daytime hiking energy came from I have no idea, but even when we set out on our last day of hiking I felt like I had just begun. Must be all that fresh air! And without much ado we started our last section of this loop hike, quite excited that we were closing in on the finish line.

Also: file this picture under “stuff I won’t take on the next hike”. Too much stuff, too much weight, and not all worth it. The camp chair was nice, but the weight on my back was no fun. And since my hip feels better now I won’t take the foam pad AND the inflatable. It’s very comfy to sleep on extra cushion but it’s not an essential item for me anymore. Bye bye! I’ve also decided to leave the flex poles at home on the next trip; turns out that using my trekking poles for the tent setup is actually perfect. That's the thing though about buying new gear.....you won't know exactly how it's going to perform until you try it. 

Overcast skies kept us comfortable for the first half of the morning before the sun made it a scorcher.

And at last: Jeep cave! I had heard about this place a few weeks ago and sketched a plan in my head for a solo hike to find it. Now it’ll be even easier to return another day since we hiked right to it.

All in all this was a perfect outing on the trail. I’ve grown stronger and more confident in my long-distance hiking abilities. That Appalachian Trail section hike plan I have stored away in my head for 2020 is now that much more “real” if you will. 

Takeaway lessons:

One: You don’t need all this sh*t (or, less is in fact LESS) – unless you want to carry a heavy backpack. Then by all means, go for it. 

Two: Fire ants don’t give a rat’s a** about DEET – they really don’t! It’s the second time I was “attacked” by these vicious biters and each time I had applied DEET. So there’s that.