Tent Stake Tool

It all started with an idea for a MYOG project...a tent stake tool.  For those times when the ground is just too hard to push the tent stakes in by hand.  For just 17 cents at Home Depot, I bought one half-inch PVC 'T' connector meant for a home irrigation system.  

I used my drill to make a small hole in the neck of the 'T' and tied a knotted cord through it to make the tool be twice as useful.  This tool weighs about 0.5 ounces or 16 grams with the cord attached.

The tool weighs just a little more than my blue aluminum tent stakes.  I have found blue to be the best color for not losing your tent stakes in the outdoors.  Forget about yellow, red or orange.  Try finding those stakes on the ground in the Appalachian mountains during the fall.  Blue just doesn't disappear as easily.  For those wondering about multi-use, these stakes are also good for cat hole digging.

The tool and stakes will travel in my backpack in this recycled Tyvek mailer. I have found rubber bands to be incredibly useful and very light weight for backpacking.

So, when pitching the tent while camping...

...I can use the tool to push the tent stakes into the hard ground...saving wear and tear on my hands...

...And in the multiple use department, I can also use the tool to pull the stakes out when taking the tent down...

My tent is an Alps Mountaineering Mystique 1.5, pitched here in my back yard for demonstrating how the MYOG tent stake tool works. 

The tent body weighs 24.5 ounces, the tarp 23.0 ounces, red poles 10.4 ounces, blue stakes 0.4 ounces each or 2.4 ounces for 6, or a total of  3.77 pounds using no stuff sacks.  Not quite ultralight, but lightweight enough for weekend camping trips.

It is spacious inside for one person with the convenience of  two vestibules and two entrances, and with the tarp on, it is very water proof in heavy rains and high winds.  The tent is also bug-free for us Floridians.  With the short end of the tent pitched into the wind for aerodynamics and the aluminum poles supporting the tent to prevent it from flexing in high winds, this is a very secure and stable, small tent.  Most nights camping, I have left the tarp doors open for ventilation and views.  It is also tall enough to sit up to dress or read in.

A tent stake tool like this one is an easy and simple MYOG project for anyone to make.  It has multiple uses and is lightweight and very inexpensive.  It took me longer to charge my drill battery than it did to actually drill the hole and tie the cord.  It is really good for places like stone-free Florida and for those hard forest floors, wherever you may find them.  

By the way, this is the second week of February, winter storms are hammering the north and we have a temperature in central Florida of 82 degrees today.  What's up with that?

Lake Lotus Park

Hiking and fishing on the boardwalk along Lake Lotus

Lake Lotus Park is a 100 acre city park in Altamonte Springs, Florida.  Lake Lotus is fed by the Little Wekiva River as it flows out of neighborhoods and industrial areas and follows along the east side of the park.  The river continues it's flow in a northerly direction past Lake Lotus to reach the main Wekiva River before it reaches the north flowing St. Johns River.  The city of Altamonte Springs bought this piece of land in the southwest corner of the city in 1972 and developed and opened the park in 1995.  This park is perfect for individuals or families looking to de-stress for the day.

Roots are plentiful as are cypress knees

The best thing is the park is peaceful and very beautiful, and has fine trails built over five of Florida's ecosystems.  Here you stroll through the Sandhill, Pine Scrub, Mesic (between wet and dry) Hammock, Floodplain Wetlands and Lake Lotus communities, mostly on a well built raised boardwalk trail.  There is a fishing area and a covered window hut for bird and viewing wildlife further along the lake; shaded benches and sunny boardwalk along the Mesic Hammock and Floodplains Wetlands; and a dry wood chip highland trail in the Sandhill and Pine Scrub communities.
Across the lake are apartments and you can see parts of some homes to the north and west of the lake.  The highway noise is low, despite Maitland Boulevard passing adjacent to the park.  Birds were everywhere, from small jays, egrets and ducks to hawks, as were lizards, squirrels and signs of turtles and raccoons.  There are covered picnic tables with grills, restrooms, playgrounds and the quiet walks through nature.   The lake has floating lotus plants just past the Little Wekiva River outlet and around the north side of the boardwalk.  The hiking trail starts to the east of the central picnic area, and continues about a mile and a half as you walk in a counter-clockwise direction, returning you to where you began.  Shorter cross trails connect you back to the park center.

The walk around the outside of the boardwalk took less than an hour, but it was a peaceful hour.  While it was a little warm for winter, there were few bugs.  (I noticed bat houses located throughout the park.)  And there were no crowds for a Sunday afternoon.  A billboard shows photos of local dragon flies and butterflies.  You could easily spend a few hours here decompressing.

Mesic Hammock, benches are just around the corner

The park is used as an outdoor education center with interpretive programs offered throughout the year and Lake Lotus Park is staffed with trained park rangers.  Parking is across Maitland Boulevard just off Magnolia Homes road with a free tram ride over to the park on the weekends.  Entrance is free daily, they are closed Wednesdays.  Check out Sandra Friends trail description and park pictures on Florida Hikes!
To find Lake Lotus Park, take the Maitland Boulevard exit on I-4, just north of Orlando, go west 3 miles, after passing over highway 434, turn left onto Magnolia Homes Road, and left into the parking area.

Petzl Tikka 2 LED Headlamp Review

I am quite pleased with the performance of my Petzl Tikka 2 LED Headlamp.  For night time book and map reading in the tent, it works great on the low light setting.  You may have to tilt it up or down slightly to reduce glare on your Kindle screen.  I have not used it on the high lamp setting yet, I found did not need that much light around the campsite or for trail walking.  The headband was comfortable and adjusted easily while wearing it on my head for reading and close work.

Petzl Tikka 2 Headlamp

For night time hiking, I stuff the headband under my belt and aim the light from my waist.  It has worked well for a short walk along a trail, though on a longer walk I may need a more sturdy way to attach it to my waist or belt.  I have also carried it in my hand, like a flashlight, and have been pleased with the headlamp's performance.  While the bright setting was too bright for my slow trail walking style, it may be too dim for running or bicycling with no other lights.  Those lights sold for running and bicycling usually have almost twice the brightness of this one.
There are also accessories available like the Adapt Tikka 2 system that includes different light fixture parts (on the back) that attach to shirts, belts, helmets, just about everything.
As for the battery life, I'm still on my first set of AAA batteries, so I'll have to say it seems to be doing well.  We'll see how that goes after a few sets of batteries, though the user reports online look good.  I generally carry a spare mini flashlight (0.4 ounces), so I won't be stranded on an over night backpacking trip due to dead batteries.  For longer trips, I'll just replace the batteries before I start.
I see how the strobe selection can be used for calling for help, but I wouldn't walk with it in strobe mode at night.  For a kayak or canoe at night, the strobe will keep you seen by most other watercraft.  Walking along a highway in daytime, the strobe will help you to be seen by motor traffic.
I do wish the headlamp had a lower light setting, like 5 lumens, or a red LED lamp for after dark chores around the camp.  The Tikka 2 headlamp has 40 lumens of light or lights up 95 feet on the bright setting and 10 lumens or 42 feet on the low setting.  That's about an hour and a half of battery on high and two hours on the low setting to use the manufacturer's information.  It would also be nice if the headband was easily removable without having to cut the plastic frame.
My older ultra-mini headlamp had only one LED and 3 light settings plus strobe.  While it wasn't bright enough for night time trail walking, it had a low enough power to not blind others in camp, and had a clip for placing on a hat bill when you removed the headband.  I found out the year after I bought it that the coin batteries it used cost a lot more than the whole headlamp did, just for replacements.
At 2.8 ounces, or 80 grams with 3 AAA alkaline batteries this headlamp is lightweight enough for me.  With lithium batteries it may weigh a little less.  REI has it listed online at 2.9 ounces.
At REI the Petzl Tikka 2 was just under $30, which is an OK price.  It is an ounce lighter than my trusty old AA mini-mag flashlights (at 3.8 ounces each) and seems to provide the illumination that I need for overnight backpacking trips.  In time, I'll acquire a headlamp with a red LED or lower light levels.

Hiking during Florida's hunting season

Hunting season and Hiking season are held at about the same time during Florida's best season to be outdoors.  That means wearing a blaze orange vest or an orange hat and making noise while hoping for the best when hiking or backpacking.   Alas, if you are considering hiking in a water management area, wildlife management area, state preserve, state forest or national forest (like the Ocala National Forest), hunting is permitted and there will be people shooting firearms.  That is unless you are hiking in a place where there is no hunting allowed.

Wear your blaze orange vest when hiking during hunting season.

You may remember I brought this up last year when hiking the Kratzert Tract along Lake Monroe, I had left my orange vest at home and ended up borrowing one from some very friendly hunters.  You also may remember my wife was not too happy with me about hiking in hunting season.
Florida hunting season dates for 2013 vary by zone with General Gun Season (AKA: Deer Season) running through January 20 in zone C and through February 17th in Zones B & D.  Central Florida lies in zones C and B.  Quail hunting runs through March 3.  Then there is turkey and gray squirrel hunting and all those other animals like Coyote that people are allowed to shoot almost year-round.  You must look at the State Hunting Date site here to get an accurate picture.

The good news for hikers is that hunting is not allowed in State parks, State recreation areas, county parks or county-owned land like the Lyonia Preserve in Deltona.  The other good news is a lot of the state parks hiking trails were built and are maintained by the Florida Trail Association volunteers.  I had a little experience with them last fall, and I am impressed with the quality of the trail work.  You have to understand the Florida year-round growing season, with almost continuous plant growth because there is no winter weather here and few freezes.  This results in almost constant trail maintenance.  Otherwise, the trails here would just disappear in six months.
So here's a list of hunt-free State parks with hiking trails, many also with primitive campsites along those trails.  While none in the state have very long trails except for Mayakka River State Park, you can still backpack out and enjoy a night of camping with a good bit of walking to and from the trailhead.  These parks are listed on the Florida Trail Association web site.  All overnight camping will require reservations.
Torreya State Park
Suwannee State Park
Wasington Oaks Gardens State Park
Bulow Creek State Park
DeLeon Springs State Park
Hillsborough River State Park
Little Manatee River State Park
Wekiva Springs State Park
Rock Springs Run State Reserve
Lake Kissimmee State Park
Mayakka River State Park
Seabranch Preserve State Park
Collier Seminole State Park
Get out and enjoy!

Outdoor Blogger Network

I was just added to the Outdoor Blogger Network web site under the Hiking and Backpacking section.  This broad based site covers almost everything outdoors from fishing to hunting, birding to conservation, kayak & watercraft to photography, and much, much more.
Please click here to check out the site.

I'm listed under Lightweight Backpacking

I'm on page 13 of the Hiking and Backpacking section for now.  I am with good company on the site with bloggers I read regularly, like Section Hiker, Stick's Blog, Brian's Backing Blog, Guthook Hikes, The Smoky Mountains Hiking Blog and others that I follow, plus there are so many new writers to read.
This is so cool, where I am now featured on two networking sites, the Outdoor Blogger Network and on the Hiking Blogs Directory.

Thanks to everyone who has visited me through the Outdoor Blogger Network!

My gratitude and warm thanks go out to Rebecca Garlock and Joe Wolf with the Outdoor Blogger Network, and Philip Werner with the Hiking Blogs Directory!  Big thanks to readers of these sites who checked out my blog and keep coming back!

Happy Winter Holidays!

I'll be spending quiet time with family and friends throughout this winter holiday season and will get back with fresh posts after the New Year's holiday.

A Florida-style Christmas tree on the Seminole-Wekiva rail trail at the Jones Trail Head.
Tree courtesy of "Heathrow Biker Chicks."

May you and yours enjoy the finest tidings of this special winter holiday season.
Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Staying Organized

In backpacking, staying organized on the trail usually means using multiple color and style stuff sacks to keep your stuff organized.  I learned that trick in 1971 while packing for Philmont and have used it for decades.  In ultralight backpacking, that usually means using various-sized zipper-type plastic bags or odor-proof bags to store tools, food and "smellables" along with a stuff sack or two.  With fewer bags, I've had no problem finding anything yet.

Red Mesh Stuff Sack - My "pocket items".

So why is the top bag sitting in my day pack a bright red mesh stuff sack?  Because that bag holds my "pocket items".  The items I will carry in my pockets for the trip.  When I arrive at the trail head and before getting out of my car, after spraying the bug spray on my legs, and slathering sunscreen on my face, I fill my pockets and leave the empty red stuff sack in the car.
This stuff sack keeps me from the panic of looking for my "pocket items" at the last minute, and allows me the time to organize them at the end of the previous trip.  It is so much better than reaching for my knife on the trail but not finding it.
Weight-wise, I add this amount to my clothing, hat and shoes for total "carried weight", like with skin-out weight.
So, just what goes in my pockets?
Pocket knife
Bug spray
Sun screen
Handkerchief
Liquid hand sanitizer (very small to small sized, trip dependent)
Moist towelettes (2 or more in small zipper-type bag)
Compass/thermometer (or a more detailed compass for navigation, trip dependent)
Small wallet for essentials (packed that day)
Car key (house keys left at home)
Snacks (packaged that day)

Pocket items.  Missing is the sun screen, it is on the list to be replaced.

I also carry money in the stuff sack for trail head parking fees.
For pockets on the trail, I wear a long sleeve nylon fishing sport shirt with big front pockets and a pair of nylon trail zip-off pants with leg pockets, and side and rear pockets.  Everything has a particular place.  For example, when I need to check the compass direction I reach for my left chest pocket.  My knife is always in the right side hand pocket, and so-on.
Rewind to the 1980's...I used to wear a photographers vest in place of a day pack for my hikes.  It was quite convenient.  My poncho went into the back pocket, I carried a water bottle on a strap over my shoulder, and my camera gear and everything else found a home in the vest pockets, of which there were several.  I wore this vest through the early 1980's to the mid - 1990's on occasion until I moved on to a choice of backpacks, hydration packs or a waist pack.  It was a nice warm layer on cool days but not too hot except on the very hottest days (I'm talking about hiking in Kentucky, Tennessee and North Georgia).  I must have been a character to see hiking along with my stuffed vest, hiking boots and heavy camera gear.  But I'm still using the same pockets to hold the same things some 30 years later.  My, how life has changed and how it hasn't.
Back to the present...At home at the end of a day hike, I remove my water bladder and any other water bottles and wash and dry them, make a list to replace anything I've used, get a clean handkerchief and then empty my pockets, putting all that back into the red mesh stuff sack to be ready for the next trip.
Of all my organization tricks, this one seems to serve me the best.  It allows me to add water and food, grab my day pack and go quickly.
For backpacking trips, I expect things to take longer to be organized, but my "pocket items" are already done.  I just move the stuff sack from one pack to the other.  The bright red color helps me to make sure it is there before I cinch the top and go.

Solio Bolt Solar Charger

My first interest in purchasing the Solio Bolt Solar Charger came from pictures out of hurricane Sandy's recent destruction in the northeast.  The photos were of hoards of cell phones being plugged in bunches on sidewalks, piled in window displays, grouped in cars, stacked at lunch counters...jammed anywhere there was electrical power available to recharge their phones.

Hurricane Sandy cell phone charging jam

We have power outages in Florida, from natural disasters like hurricanes but also from storms and failed electrical transport equipment.  Maybe in the future even from a computer hacker.  When two critical neighborhood transformers blew this week, my wife's first question was, "Is your new solar charger 'toy' charged?"  "Yes," I smiled. "It is."

So why this model?  I had been looking online at solar chargers for some time and found this one was relatively inexpensive, selling for $65 online.  The Black Friday REI sale took 25% off the price, so I ordered it.  For my $45 I got a reasonable solar charger and a lithium battery, which is said to hold a charge for about a year.  The manufacturer says you can usually get two full cell phone charges from a full battery, then either plug the charger back into your computer USB port or an electrical outlet or setup the solar panels in full, unobstructed sunlight to recharge it.  It weighs 5.3 ounces or 150 grams, about what my cook kit weighs.  Add in the 0.6 ounce cable for a total of 5.9 ounces.  Unfortunately, the Black Friday sale is over.  Here is the REI link for the Solio Bolt.  The Solio website is here.

Solio Bolt Solar Charger and included USB cord

In reading users online posts, I can tell there are varying levels of success in both charging devices from the Solio Bolt and in recharging the units battery.  I expected my mileage to vary due to different phone types and the local tilt angle of the sun, but I was surprised at the wide angle of solar alignment the Bolt can handle during charging.
So after our first full battery charge, we have charged my wife's Google-style HTC smart phone, once, while it was turned on, leaving 2 flashes of light or about 40% charge remaining (20% per flash).  If that is true, it took 60% of the battery to fully charge her phone one time.  Since she has to recharge daily to use all her smart phone functions, it may be difficult to keep up with her needs during an extended power outage, much less keep my phone charged also.  We tried charging her phone on the remaining battery the next day and got a 75% charge.  Enough to work, but not 100%.
I'll test it with my work phone next, a Blackberry Curve.  Fortunately for us, both phones work with the included micro-USB cable that came with the solar charger (my Kindle Touch works also).
My work-provided Blackberry phone charged, and while still powered on, charged and charged until the Bolt was discharged after 6 hours.  About 4 hours in, I looked at the Blackberry charge meter and it was full but the unit was still charging.  Bad for sharing.  Then I recharged the Bolt battery and tried again, this time with my work phone turned off. The phone completely charged in one hour, but it did not turn off the charger.  For all future phone charges my suggestion is the phone must be turned off.  This left a 60% charge in the Bolt battery.
My Kindle Touch drained the Bolt's entire battery and got about an 85% charge.  I had turned the wireless off.  Long enough to finish a story or check email since the Kindle charge can last a month or more.

How it works:  the Solio Bolt has two solar panels, hinged to open them both to the sun.  The included pencil allows you to prop the unit up to the right tilt height for the local sun (the pencil is slick and may need to be roughed up a bit to actually hold the Bolt in place).  Check here for your local sun tilt level and scroll down to fill out the form.  It also has covered USB plugs, a micro and a regular-size plug on the battery unit.  The micro USB connector is for incoming charges, like from your computer or an electrical outlet.  The regular-size USB port is for outgoing charges to your devices.  When the Bolt unit is being charged, the single LED button on the back glows red, turning off at 100% battery charge.  To charge your device from the Bolt charger, connect the outgoing USB cable, then press the single LED button once.  It will flash the charge level and then begin charging your device, flashing green as it charges.  This may take a minute or so, but in our case the phone came to life, just like it was being charged in an electrical outlet. Once charged, the green flashing light goes out and you press the LED button again to turn off the charger, then disconnect the cable.
From the website:
Max Wattage: 5 Watts
Discharge Rate: Fixed 5V, 1,000mAh
Charge Rate: 5-5.5V 450mAh
Charge Time via USB port/wall charger: 4 hours 30 min.
Charge Time via Sun: 8-10 hours
Battery info:
3.7V/2,000mAh Li-Poly - User replaceable at end of life (average 3 years)

Solar charging the Bolt on top of my garden composter.  Note there is no shadow from the pencil.

To charge in the sun, I used a place in our yard where the sunlight was unobstructed (it won't work under polarized glass and is reduced under pool enclosure screens and intermittent shade).  I just used the included pencil that comes with the unit and aligned it so there is no shadow from the pencil onto the front of the unit.  My results were the Bolt was almost fully charged when I checked it at sunset in 4 hours.  Since the sun had already dropped below the treeline when I got to it, the unit was not charging at that time.  It read 4 flashes or an 80% charge and started with 3 flashes or 60% charged battery.  The unit should completely charge the battery from no flashes to full 5 flashes in the sun in about 10 hours.

Note pencil shadow after 3 hours charging...even though the sun's alignment had changed, the unit was still charging!

For recharging by the sun on a moving backpack with varying degrees of shade, my expectations have improved.  I did figure how to dangle the charger at near the correct tilt over the back top of a backpack using mini bungees and cord locks.  There is the tree cover, either solid or intermittent shade, usually both,  that can hamper charging.  During breaks you can position it properly on your pack or on the ground.  The unit does charge sufficiently and I expect it would charge more so in the desert southwest or even above treeline, than in the southeast subtropical scrub.  Please let me know your real-life results.

My Blackberry USB Outlet Charger

Currently, solar panels like this one are designed for a relatively fixed location.  To change them to a mobile receive-sunlight-from-all-angles design would require a market for that specific use, one I think is coming.
The north-bound through-hiker cure for the AT would be to carry a multiple-outlet USB wall charger, and to recharge the solar charger battery (or any USB devices) while shopping and washing in a town at an electrical outlet every 5-6 days.  Then you would have two power recharges (one for your phone every other day) and if you kept your phone off between towns you may get many days between charges.  There's also your GPS, camera, e-reader or tablet to be charged, along with headlamps, video cameras, water purifiers, i-Pods and who knows what so plan well and test in advance how you will charge everything before a long backpacking trip.  My Blackberry USB wall charger weighs 0.8 ounces or 22 grams, so it is quite lightweight. You could also solar charge on clear sky zero days, but then we don't usually plan for (or get) many of those days when ultralight backpacking.

Esbit Stove Windscreen

Last winter I created a MYOG windscreen for my included-in-the-box electrolytic galvanized steel Esbit stove.  While not the high performance efficiency of the super hot Caldera Cone system, or very lightweight (stove itself weighs 2.9 ounces), it does work much better now when it is windy out.

Esbit stove fits inside GSI cup inside Snow Peak 700 pot, plus pot holder and lighter.
I carry my tea, coffee and honey in there also on day trips.

 The details: I cut two shaped pieces from a used aluminum 8" pie pan from the recycle bin, and bent them over a straight edge to hang the tabs over the triangle-shaped open sides of the standard Esbit stove.  I use the stove at the halfway opening to securely hold my 4.5 ounce Snow Peak 700 titanium pot and I cut the pieces to fit this.  The shields are ultralight weight at a total of 0.1 ounce or 2 grams.

Up to 4 Esbit tabs can be stored inside the folded stove, bagged for smell.

I also cut a piece for the bottom to protect picnic tables and the ground from burns.  All sheets are sized to fit inside the closed stove for compact packing plus hold up to 4 full-size Esbit tabs.  It all fits inside my ultralight 2.9 ounce GSI Outdoors cup packed inside my cook pot (tabs are packed in a Ziplock bag to keep the Esbit fishy smell contained).

Folded wind shields fit on stove bottom

In use, the main difference is I could actually light the Esbit tabs when it was windy, where I couldn't light them before.  I'm defining windy as about 15-20 mph winds, typically what you get in central Florida.  In a gale (39-54 mph) I doubt it would work at all.  I used a mini-Bic lighter held sideways, using my first finger at the business end to get the flame closest to the Esbit tab (without burning my thumb off).

Folded tabs hold shields in place.  Note shield below the stove.  Air flow is open at bottom around tabs.

I was also able to light the tabs with a paper book of matches by taking one side off the windscreen, laying the lit match beside the tab and replacing the screen part.  This was always the side away from the wind.
With the windscreen, the tabs burned well, boiling my water before the half-tabs burned out.  The one I timed on a windy day was a half tab at a rolling boil at 7 minutes, 10 seconds.  A full tab usually lasts about 16 minutes with the shields, but your mileage may vary.

Windshields are ultralight weight and allow significant airflow through the stove bottom.

My other home-made, circular, aluminum wind screen didn't work as well, perhaps cutting off too much air to the bottom of the stove.  I really didn't spend much time messing with this round screen, but I kept it for future use.  I was also trying to make my tabs last and not burn them all up while testing.
I have been using one half an Esbit tab per one cup of boiling water and always had a little leftover tab.  I found the leftover tabs to not burn as well when piled together and after reading the Esbit MSDS, I decided not even to touch it, when possible.  I let it burn the remainder.  The MSDS tells me that Esbit is a very toxic chemical called Methenamine, not to be messed with other than cut with a knife for outdoors cooking in the open air.  Material Safety Data Sheets are required of businesses who deal with chemical compounds and are the go-to documents for environmental and work-related safety issues. They can be trusted.
Typically on a day hike I brewed a cup of tea bag coffee or made a hot herbal Zinger tea to wash down my trail munchies while enjoying the view at the halfway point.  I'll be using this stove for boiling water for bag cooking my dinners and drinks, usually 2 cups of water, with one full tab.  Esbit makes the perfect ultralight weight fuel for my use.
I did find the same stove made in Stainless Steel on Amazon in case you are interested.  I do plan to keep my stove for lightweight day hikes and emergencies.
Brian Green on his blog made an excellent titanium MYOG Esbit stove here.  Cutting plans are at the end of the full instructions.
REI (and many others) sell a 0.4 ounce folding Esbit stove, if you would prefer to purchase one.  It is well-rated, but I'm sticking with what I already have until I buy the classic ti-tri Caldera Cone system sometime next year.  I want the ti Caldera stove for the ability of burning wood as a fuel in an emergency.

Black Bear Wilderness

Close in to Sanford, FL is a 1650 acre area called Black Bear Wilderness.  It is along the St. Johns river in Seminole County and recently reopened after some water facility construction there.
Only a 2.8 mile walk out and back, it offers quite a lot of wildlife and proved to be exciting for my friend Walt and I early on a November Sunday.

Bromeliades overhead

The trail starts in a hydric hammock with lots of shade.  Bromeliads hang overhead in the oak trees.  Pine and palm trees line the path.  Pileated Woodpeckers fly from tree to tree overhead.  Large dark birds fly over the wetlands to either side of us.

Boardwalk

Stream crossing

A boardwalk has been placed to cross a stream and the low area around it.  When the historic levee picks up a few yards further, the walking is dry.

Eagle Scout Project and the historic levee

We were just past this bench when Walt saw a bear running down the trail TOWARDS us.  I grabbed for my camera right as the bear saw us and turned around.  By the time my camera turned itself on, the bear was already gone from sight, cutting across the canal on the right.  Walt saw two other bears running the other way and thought this bear was just confused.  Either way, tough luck on a bear photo today.

Split Cypress Tree

It was now a quiet walk with both of us on the lookout for any other life.  A few more Eagle Scout benches lined the way, some with backs, some without.  Sitting at them would present you as a meal to the mosquitoes.  We did see quite a bit of bear scat along the trail.

One of many Cedar trees with Walt walking by

Many cedar trees rose from the levee, one was partially hollow.

Nice Trex walkway

We came to a road crossing in the wilderness.  A new deck had been built around the facility that we'll cover in a few minutes.  The walkway led to the river and canals and went over alligator flag plants.

Riverside canal 

Along the river side trail

Once we crossed the canals on the walkway, a dike picked up along side the St. Johns river and we followed it to the north for quite a ways.  We saw lots of birds along the way including a barred owl.  The canal left of us had cypress knees and algae in the water next to it.

Otters!

Walt saw the otters first.  The two were playing by a tree in the canal at the end of the trail.  Once they got tired of looking at us looking at them, they slid underwater and popped up every few minutes to follow us from the canal on the way back.  Once back onto the levee we had a glimpse of another otter before it ran away.  By the way, the "End of Trail" sign is missing since Walt was here a couple weeks ago.

St. Johns river

Weekend river traffic was light today.  We found a frying pan and grill along the shore and an abandoned trash can.  They just forgot to take their trash with them.

Some kind of new facility?  In a wilderness area?

So, what kind of water facility is this anyway?  They have cameras and a speaker to yell at you with, but no one seemed to be watching.  We did see an alligator sunning itself over to the right but it was too far away for a photo.

The facility road is buried under water

The road to the facility was heavy with gravel and guardrails but it goes underwater at the bottom of the rise.  Did they not think about the water height before building it?  How do "they" build a service road through a wilderness area anyway?  My emails to the St. Johns Water Management group are still unanswered.

Turtle.  It looks like a box turtle.

An Ibis posed for us on the return trip.  

The historic levee with wetlands on both sides.

To get there, exit highway 46 at Sanford from I-4.  Drive west toward Mount Dora.  At Orange Blvd., turn right and follow one and a half miles to New York Avenue.  It comes up quick!  Follow New York Avenue to the left to where it ends at the Black Bear parking entrance and Michigan Avenue.  Go early for wildlife viewing!

Good Company

I consider myself very lucky in Family and Friends, always having support for my projects and career.  It has been the same in my life as a blogger also.  I submitted my site link to Phillip Werner at SectionHiker.com to add to his Hiking-Blogs.net directory group and he very quickly did so.

Hiking-Blogs.net directory site

Over the years Phillip said he has grown tired of looking for hikers sites, reference sites and gear companies online and keeping up with bad links so he made his own directory site which automatically organizes groups and erases bad links, and viola!  Then he gave his directory to all of us.  Talk about a visionary leader.   What Phillip has done is place us all on the same level playing field, whether we have been blogging for years or weeks.  It pulls us from the vastness of the Internet wasteland, and places us into a group of like-minded writers talking about ultralight backpacking.
What I like about the directory is that almost all the sites I follow are on there already, and are just a quick search away.  What is neat is there is a feature to vote for your favorite sites which will move them up in the site ratings.

Please Vote

I am listed somewhere around page 7 but that doesn't matter as much as the increased traffic I have been regularly getting from the directory (which I very much appreciate).  I also have one vote on my site which is really neat.  I would love to have more votes so please sign up and vote for my site and the other sites you follow.  So if you blog about ultralight backpacking and are not listed here yet, please submit your site.  And if you don't already, check out SectionHiker.com for excellent backpacking stories from New England and great gear reviews.

New Weather and New Gear

Fall is here!
Thanks to Hurricane Sandy passing us by, Florida is enjoying a respite from the summer's 90 degree heat.  Saturday it was in the low 70's and Sunday it dropped to highs in the low 60's.  Low temperatures are in the 40's with humidity in the 30% range for a few days this week.  The windows are open and the breeze is cool.  It can stay this way!  For the northeast US, however, they didn't fare so well.  Sandy was a monster storm and has heavily impacted a huge land area with multiple problems.

Florida Trail Maintenance Crew - Seated:, Jon, Virginia, Scotty, Rachael, & Lou Standing: Americorp Park worker Dan, Connie, Bryce, Park Ranger Jeff, Brian, Doug, Jim & Bo
Photo courtesy Rachael.

Saturday was trail maintenance day at Wekiva Springs State Park where the Florida Trail Association handles all the trail work with volunteers.  I volunteered for trail maintenance work.  The group broke into two crews, one built a bridge and the other crew cleared the trails with a mower and cut back plants and branches.  Rachel did a fine job leading both groups.  The work went well and both crews had finished by lunch time.  We had a nice lunch at the trail head and it felt nice giving back.  I plan to volunteer with the FTA throughout the winter.  The weather was overcast and cool enough to make it enjoyable to be working outside.  You can say my desire to backpack and sleep outdoors is now very high!  
The Florida Trail monthly meeting is next week and the program is local author Sandra Friend, who wrote the great hiking books I blogged about back in June.  It will be good to meet her, hear about her trips and see the slide show.
So my gear has been trickling in a few pieces at a time.  Two items that didn't get ordered at this time were the tarptent Notch and the new hiking shoes.  I'll be using my current Alps Mountaineering Zephyr tent and New Balance trail running shoes through the winter holidays, at least.  Two items that had to be returned were the Sunday Afternoon Hat (didn't like the look), and the small containers because I received a much larger size than I expected.  I'm looking at getting a Columbia Bora Bora hat soon and will pick up the right sized containers locally.
The Gossamer Gear Kumo backpack is pretty neat!  I'm trying different load combinations now to get the pack setup right.  The wider pack straps are the first thing I noticed and they were quite comfortable, even with the pack not loaded right.  The weight-defying features like using the EZC2 line instead of web strapping work just fine.  I also received the Thermarest Z lite Sol sleeping pad and was trying to fit it inside the pack with all my gear.  It was too thick to place on the back pad area of the pack (pushed everything out too far) and inside the pack it fills it up quickly.  I'm trying to use the supplied sit pad for the pack frame.  Online, I've seen these Z Lite pads strapped on the outside of ultralight backpacks, and will try that next.  My sleeping quilt fits nicely stuffed into its own just-larger-than-grapefruit-size sack.  Everything seems to fit fine once I get the pad figured out.  My cool weather clothing is Polar Plus, so it takes lots of space to pack but seems to compress enough to fit.  I'll have a packing list finished in the next few weeks.
I did get some OpSacs for food and smellables, Body Glide for blisters, a new 1.2 ounce knife and a Sawyer Squeeze water filter.  The Body Glide worked fine on my feet Saturday, but I don't usually get blisters with my trail running shoes.  I'll let you know how the Sawyer Squeeze works when I use it on my next trip.  I do like the simplicity of the Gerber LST knife, it fits my hand and pocket well and it is SO light at less than one third the weight of my old Swiss Army knife.
As for the upcoming trip, I'm planning an overnighter in Florida by the end of the year, provided my friend can go at that time.  The emails are flying and I'll let you know when I know.