[at-l] trip report

[pvpvpv at earthlink.net (Pat Villeneuve)]

Hello, everyone!

I'm back on list to file this trip report. This weekend Blaze and I joined a Florida Trails Association hike through Bradwell Bay. The outing was labeled "The Swamp Stomp," but I think "The Big Slurp" would have been a more accurate description. It did have some dry areas with spectacular scenery, but the short of it is that it took us six hours to slog through eight miles of "trail." The hike leader's advice? "Look for open water first, then the blazes." Wearing nylon pants and gaitors and armed with hiking poles, we proceeded forwards and sideways and sometimes just down. Only the first hiker got a view through the stained water. Everyone else was left with a soup that looked like melted chocolate. (I withheld the urge to drink.) The chilly water was thigh deep on me, but some unfortunate hikers ended up soaked to the waist. "Aiyee!" announced every slip into a hole. (Imagine negotiating the rocks, roots, logs, and holes "blind.") Where the water receded, we fought boot-sucking mud. "Keep moving, keep moving," I thought every time the hiker in front of my slowed. It was not a quiet hike: <slurk, slurk, slurk> <sploop!> "Aiyee!!!!!" 

The day was blue, and the temperature rose into the 70s, but the canopy and cool water made for a comfortable hike. We made a vow not to tell others what we did on Saturday because "they just won't understand." I suspect y'all will. Although Backpacker magazine listed this as one of the 10 most difficult hikes in the United States, I did not break a sweat. It was an exhilarating experience, however, and it required a different set of skills. It was easily one of my all-time favorite hikes.

Give Me Chocolate


PS In response to the inevitable question, it's near Tallahassee where Florida turns to the panhandle.