Florida Trail Thru-Hike Day 5 “Water Slogging”

The packs feel much better today after a few alterations and a few less pounds. As I walk through the woods taking in the beauty I wonder what lay ahead what condition the trail is in after the rain. The terrain was quickly changing from higher grassy areas to “Green Tunnels”. We kept passing small puddles, a hint of what lay ahead, then we come across a small boardwalk made of 4 x 6’s as a little stream passed under us. We then splash through a few wet areas with water just under the top of my boots, still dry socks so far.

Then we came to Blackwater River, I’ve never seen it before but it looked very high with a very strong current. I see handrails stepping down into the river but all the steps are under water. After we cross over Blackwater River, it wasn’t long before we came to a section of the trail that was under water. You could see the orange blazes marking the underwater trail. Into the water we go quickly it gets over my boots and up to my knees, not too bad but now I have soaking wet boots and socks. Shortly after walking across a little dry land we come to another water crossing this one looks like an underwater ditch I poke around with my bamboo walking stick and realize it quickly gets over three feet deep. I start heading in as the water reaches my waist and camera bag I turn around back to the dry land. Is this normal? Is it even passable? I can see the other side its only twenty maybe thirty feet away. I don’t mind swimming when dressed for it but usually I would much prefer to stay dry. I don’t even care to walk to my truck in the rain. This was not the way I wanted the day to go, I knew water slogging was part of the trip but I wasn’t ready for it today. I go over all possibilities in my head. What do I do now? I have no clue how bad the trail is ahead, if this is supposed to be a little stream under normal conditions with waist deep water slogging ahead?? I just imagine the update on the Florida Trail right now “Trail Closed South of Blackwater River Due To Extremely High Water”

In I go as the water reached my waist I had had to pick my camera bag off my chest to keep it above the water. Diego was swimming right along side me with his packs and all he was doing great untill we reached the other side he got in a hurry and tripped me up knocking me down into about a foot of water getting my camera bag wet. After about another 100ft we came across another underwater section this one went on out of sight the orange blazes and their reflection in the water zig zaging through the woods marking the underwater path. (If I was with it a little more I would have taken a Photograph here and what a beautiful image it would have been.) This one was even deeper as I sank in all the way up to my chest holding my camera bag out of the water, and Diego swimming along side me like a champ as we weaved through the underwater forest. So on we go in and out of the water till we come to some land that climbs uphill hopefully leading to dry land for the rest of the day.

We head down the trail a little further until I realize we are heading downhill again, thoughts of more underwater forest are discouraging, but then I see a boardwalk hop up on it and realize its over 6 inches of water, why a boardwalk over 6 inches of water after water slogging through chest deep water?

We eventually reach the campsite for the night it is at the end of some dirt roads at the edge of the Blackwater River. Blackwater River is very high and only about 6 inches below my tent so I put a stick at the edge of the water to see if its rising or receding. After getting a campfire going and hanging my clothes to dry my mind starts to wonder about all of the difficulties I am going through, not the water slogging but the extremely heavy packs, the risks I am taking with my electronic gear, I can feel the toll on my waist its a different pain not just sore muscles. I just chalk it up to a rough day and head on into the tent for a very needed night of sleep.