The very last time I drove out to the Florida Trail, I spent at least part of the night crashed at a Walmart in LaBelle. In the morning, as the sun was rising, I drove the rest of the way to the trailhead.
On the way are vast fields of orange groves. Since I was a little kid growing up down here, when my dad or mom would take us places, it would give me a thrill to see the rows of trees as we passed by. It would almost create this optical illusion as your eye tried to focus on the rows, but quickly each were replaced in your line of sight, over and over. I remember going to the u-pick and picking the oranges off the trees, down similar rows. Orange groves continue to make me happy even today. Strange how little things like that stick in your head and psyche. It’s part of who I am.
As you may already know, it’s rainy season here in Southwest Florida. Being that said, the last hike offered up all sorts of nonsense. At times, I had to trudge through mud and black water. Not my favorite thing to do, but necessary if I ever want to complete the Florida Trail. I vowed after that last trip I would not return until I had a machete and waders with me. Well, the machete I immediately went out and bought. Walmart special. Flimsy, but I’m not chopping down trees, just trying to get weeds out of my way.
The waders are for the obvious. It sucks having wet boots, and it sucks having them almost suction cupped right off your feet just trying to make it from point a to b. The muck at the bottom of wetlands can be thick and slimey as hell. Lose a boot, and I’m walking barefoot home long before I’d stick my head and hand down into the slime to retrieve it. Gonna be a long walk home.
I still haven’t gotten my waders, but there is a Tractor Supply in Clewiston I might be visiting tomorrow morning. I’ve been checking around. I’m getting full overall waders this time. Yes, is it more gear to carry? Sure, but so worth it. If Tractor Supply doesn’t sell what I need, there’s always Amazon. There are just some things I like trying on before I buy, and this would be one of them.
In the meantime, today I counted up all my Strava miles for the year. It’s August, and granted the year isn’t over, and also, my Strava miles aren’t the complete picture of everything I’ve done all year, but I digress… They are what I have, and they say I’ve only walked between 500 and 600 miles this year. That’s not what I thought it would have been. I pictured my number being way higher than that. I’m so disappointed in myself. I need to work harder. So I am. This is early enough in my training where I still have room to grow. It’s not crunch time. Yet.
Well, but it is another Monday, Tuesday, and it’s late. This means I need to either hit the road so I can find a nice spot to crash at a little closer to my destination at the trail head, or I need to get some sleep now, and get up in a few hours and hit the road. Leaning toward the latter, but I’m notorious for not being a morning person, and if I have no legitimate obligations tomorrow, there’s a chance I’ll hit snooze and sleep in. I need to grab at motivation when I have it right in front of me. Carpe Diem!
