Just returned from a 4 day trip to Florida with my daughter Thumbs. Left the beagle home as one creek / park didn’t allow pets.
We backpacked into Hidden Pond one night under a bright moon; camped along the Florida Trail near Juniper Springs another night and car camped a 3rd night. Love Ocala NF and the dispersed camping opportunities. Except for Hidden Pond I wasn’t sure specifically where we would end up each night but it worked out great.
We paddled the creeks / rivers you may be familiar with if you’ve ever been to Hangcon at Doe Lake.
* Juniper Springs - narrow, shallow and oh so wonderful
* Silver Springs - monkeys, turtles, birds and even a couple manatees
* Blue Spring - manatees and more manatees
My 17’ Old Town Penobscot canoe is probably a better fit for Minnesota lakes but it did just fine. Bit of bumper car with obstacles on Juniper Creek but it just made us laugh.
Our hammock gear did an admirable job with temps in the upper 30s at night. My only surprise was the moisture in the air at Hidden Pond. I started out without the tarp and my top quilt had a layer of moisture on it by 10pm. Deployed the tarp after that and did ok. I did warm up a hot water bottle for my daughter as she was cold. Found out the next night her UQ suspension had a knot tied in it so she had air flowing under her the prior night.
If you haven’t been to the area and have kids, these are some good options. I would have loved a trip like this when I was younger. Heck it’d be a great trip if you’re just a kid at heart.
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