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[ft-l] Darly just sent this in.... Joan finished Map 42



Darly Wells just sent this in. I thought I'd share this with the list.  It
definitely sounds like this is starting out to be an adventure!

---------------------------

Joan Hobson walked out onto Alligator Alley (SR84 / I-75) on Tuesday,
January 18, at 5:30pm.  The trail was very wet and muddy.  With her were
Wayne Sargent (Miami), Larry Meyers (St Cloud) and Daryl Wells (Tampa).
Judy met up with Joan at the I-75 rest area on Tuesday.  They were going
to camp just north of Alley on trail that night.  Joan was resupplied at
the rest area.  She was glad to trade in her camp stool (needed to sit
in the muddy areas) for her crazy-creek type of chair.  Joan was always
the first up (around 5am) and the last to go to bed (around 9:30pm).
She cooked over her alcohol can stove or the fire every night.  She
scooped up ground water and poured it into her water bottle as she
needed water.  (The bottle had a built-in filter).  This helped her
eliminate the weight of carrying extra water.

Before starting at Oasis Ranger Station on US41 and heading north, Joan
and two other women hiked north from Loop Road on Thursday and Friday.
This is when Florida had the cold snap and this area is very wet.  One
of the woman fell down a few times and got soaked and could not get warm
and it sapped her energy.   Joan and Judy went to US41 and got help from
3 men stopped at the Ranger Station about midnight.  They brought Joan's
hiking partner out.  She was taken to a hospital in Naples for
hypothermia.  She was discharged on Monday afternoon.  Joan started out
the trail north of Oasis Ranger station on Saturday without having
dinner on Friday night and just a few hours of sleep camping off of
US41.

Joan continues to hike steadily along.



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