[at-l] re: Deer Hunting on the trail

[ATnavi@aol.com (ATnavi@aol.com)]

Call me stupid...and lucky.

As some of you know, I'm out hiking three days a week, working on my hiking book. This past Sunday was an excursion to the St. Francis Trail on the St. Johns River. I'd never been there before, but knew it was in the Ocala National Forest. According to the map, it looked like it was in an official Wilderness Area, and a local friend who'd hiked there assured me she'd never seen hunters there. When we got there, I realized the orange vests I always carry were missing from the car. Ah well, the measuring wheel is blaze orange. So on we went.

Didn't see a soul the first half (3.5 miles) of the trek. Lots of mosquitoes, however -- we're still waiting for the first cold snap. The trail rounded a bend onto an old wagon road and sure enough, pickups. Hunters. All over the damn place.

We spent the next 3 miles being VERY nervous. I suggested we talk loudly, and I supposed that helped when we came up on a fellow in khaki using the roof of his pickup as a "blind." I've never seen so many guns in one day in my life. 

Luckily, none were discharged in our direction.

Lesson learned: never, ever, ever, leave the house without the orange vests!

Cheers, Navigator