Florida backpack and canoe trip

[TallPaul]

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.

https://youtu.be/1XG2cQ2ThmM

[TallPaul]

Here are a few pics from the trip.



IMG_7890 by Southeast Backpacker, on Flickr


IMG_7680 by Southeast Backpacker, on Flickr


IMG_7820 by Southeast Backpacker, on Flickr


IMG_7345 by Southeast Backpacker, on Flickr


IMG_7686 by Southeast Backpacker, on Flickr


IMG_7689 by Southeast Backpacker, on Flickr


IMG_7777 by Southeast Backpacker, on Flickr

[juanchoman]

Glad to see you had a great time in our neck off the woods.


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[old4hats]

Thanks for the tour!

[Otter1]

Thanks for taking us along!! That is a healthy cottonmouth.

Man it was all wonderful, but especially great to see you and your daughter out there together. Soak it up.

[carmen2kayak]

Looks like a wonderful trip. The Old Town Penobscot is a great boat. Cherish the moments with family and nature.

[JSH]

What a great trip! Know being with Thumbs made if even more special. The weather looked great too. Did you see only one cottonmouth? Paddling beneath those overhanging trees would have given me the creeps.

Traveling by canoe must have been great fun. Great chance to talk as you floated along. Thanks for sharing.

[OutandBack]

I enjoyed the video and pics thanks you.

[twentybelow]

Thanks for sharing your adventure with us. Very much enjoyed the pictures and video. I hope to hit some of these spots on future trips to Florida. You guys rock!

[TallPaul]

Glad to see you had a great time in our neck off the woods.
It’s a beautiful area. It helped being in the low 70s and sunny all 4 days

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks for the tour!

Appreciate it Old4Hats

Thanks for taking us along!! That is a healthy cottonmouth.

Man it was all wonderful, but especially great to see you and your daughter out there together. Soak it up.

I wondered what kind of snake that was - it was big. Surprisingly that was the only one we saw though I’m sure more were hanging around.

Looks like a wonderful trip. The Old Town Penobscot is a great boat. Cherish the moments with family and nature.

I bought the Penobscot back when I lived in Minneapolis and it was our cheap way to get on the lakes and do some fishing and exploring. It’s been a great boat. Gotta replace the 2nd seat - it finally gave way on this trip. Otherwise doing great for a 20 yr old canoe.