OTL Part Two: Electric Boogaloo

15 More Miles on the OTL

Another Saturday, another training hike for me and Leslie.  It's crunch time now, as we leave for Scotland in less than two months!

Just in case you didn't believe we were really on the OTL

This time we picked a much better day to do a long hike on, with a high in the mid 70's instead of in the 80's like the previous hike.  We also traveled west to east this time, beginning just outside the Corbett Wildlife Management Area and ending at Riverbend Park again.

The first section from the Hungryland Slough Conservation Area parking lot out to the beeline went through an area that had been platted for a subdivision, but was being restored to it's natural state of prairie ponds and pine flatwoods.  We walked along trails carved into the remains of the dirt roads that had been removed; wide open lanes slowly being reclaimed by the forest that are surrounded by pines and scrub brush.  We saw quite a few deer in this section, but unfortunately they were too quick for us to get any pictures.  

We came out onto a dirt road along the C-18 canal that connected with the Beeline Hwy, which we had to walk along for about a mile until we reached the entrance to the Loxahatchee Slough Natural Area.  

Anyone need a hit?  Found along the Beeline.  Classy.

The Loxahatchee Slough is another area being returned to its natural state after having been a farm for a number of years.  This section was my favorite part of the days walk, as it passed through a number of different sections that each seemed to be their own habitat.  

Some of the varied terrain:

Another sign post

     

Leslie with tree

We came out of the Loxahatchee Slough area on the C-18 Canal again.

Bridge over the C-18

Our lunch stop was shortly after the bridge, where the data book promised benches and a water pump. Both were there as promised, but the water smelled so strongly of sulfur it was not at all pleasant to drink (ask Leslie).  Luckily I had brought enough water that I survived without filling up.

The next section was cypress swamp, that eventually deposited us along the C-18 again with Jupiter Farms on one side of us and, across the canal, PB Country Estates on the other.  Another mile or so along the canal brought us into Riverbend Park.  It was another couple miles to get to the front of the park and the car we had parked in the morning.

Overall this was good trip.  The only negatives were the walk along the Beeline highway, and lack of palatable water (i.e., didn't smell like farts).  The variety of the landscape was a definite plus, as Florida is not too exciting a place to hike.

****Again, thanks to Leslie for most of the pictures****