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  1. #1
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    Ocean to Lake Trail, Florida

    I hiked from Lake Okeechobee to the Atlantic along the Ocean to Lake Trail. I covered the 63 miles in 4 days over new year's eve. I originally wanted to do it in three, but am very glad I took the extra day. Conditions were unseasonably wet to say the least. The water and mud slowed my down and made the trip more difficult than I had anticipated. The only rain I got was a bit the first day. I'd say 75 to 80% of the trail had some amount of standing water. Still, I had a great time.

    I was going to take along my lightest hammock, DIY from monolite. When I saw MikekiM's report that his monolite troubles, I took a different one instead. My pack weighed 24 pounds with all food and one liter of water, 8.2 pounds of which were food. I ended the hike with a bit of excess food, and some unworn clothing, so I suppose I could have saved a pound or so. I particularly enjoyed going to sleep under the stars and waking up to watch the dawn since I didn't have my tarp staked out.

    1 Dupuis depth.jpg2 Main canal.jpg3 Corbett wet.jpg4 Bowman Island hang.jpg5 Pond crossing.jpg6 Lox tower view.jpg7 Lox wet.jpg8 Soggy soggy socks.jpg9 Canal filter.jpg10 Near beach.jpg11 Last morning.jpg12 Hobe Sound Beach.jpg
    Last edited by HMLCK; 01-14-2020 at 08:16.

  2. #2
    Senior Member MikekiM's Avatar
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    This is so foreign to me... can't imagine hiking in knee deep water, for that length of time. Upside is it that the temps were likely reasonable. What did you wear on your feet? My research tells me super lite trail runners and the thinnest socks you can find. I came very close to relocating to W.Palm for business, so did a lot of research on the FL Trail and the OLT.

    Some crazy wildlife to contend with... Interesting to be hiking through water that can easily hide gators..

    On a different note, I wish I had more on why the Monolite failed. I was great until it wasn't. I NEVER carry things in my back pockets and there were no zipper pulls or buckles on my pants that could have caused a problem. I just eased into the hammock and it let go...
    Yes, my pack weighs 70lbs, but it's all light weight gear....
    Bob's brother-in-law

  3. #3
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    Yes, trail runners, gaiters, and thin socks is what I wore. I had a second pair of socks but I never wore them. No point putting on dry socks for the three minutes they would have stayed that way. Lowest temps were in the mid 50s one night, most nights were low 60s and upper 70s during the day. I saw a ~4 foot black racer, a 4-5 foot gator in a canal, and a few hogs. I made so much noise sloshing the other animals took off long before I came along! I did see lots of birds, and heard owls all but one night. They can be quite loud when you're hanging from their trees.

    I didn't want to risk having to sleep on the ground that far from alternatives, so I took a different hammock. I think I'll reserve the monolite for summer trips where I have better backup options. Maybe we'll learn that your incident was an outlier once the material has more user data.

  4. #4
    all secure in sector 7 Shug's Avatar
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    I always like looking at Florida trip reports. Such a different look than where I backpack. Looks like a right goodie of a journey. Soggy feet and all.
    Whoooooo Buddy))))))
    Shug
    Whooooo Buddy)))) All Secure in Sector Seven

  5. #5
    Senior Member Floridahanger's Avatar
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    I believe that's the wettest trail in Florida. The Florida Trail is mostly dry with foot bridges over quite a few marshy locations.

    Most folk also enjoy having that extra day to enjoy the trail and not miss out due to trying to go too fast.

    Did you go all the way to the ocean? Any pics of the beautiful ocean and Hobe Sound? This is on my bucket list.... except I don't like Water Moccasins.

    See ya at HangCon in a few days.
    Enjoy and have fun with your family, before they have fun without you

  6. #6
    Senior Member
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    That's really soggy!

    One thing I've always wondered about since I'm just a couple of hours north of there and it would be an easy trip for me...is the trail marked well enough to follow when the footpath itself is underwater? Did you have any issues?

  7. #7
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    I didn't take any pictures of the Atlantic. I was just glad to put my stuff in the trunk of the car and hit the salt water for a bit! The beach there is pretty steep, so the shore break will knock you off your feet. Best to just push past it.

    I kept a pretty sharp eye out for moccasins, but didn't see any. I think the sloshing noises gave them plenty of warning that I was headed their way.

    As for trail markings, even in the wettest parts they were not hard to follow. The people who donate their time and effort to maintain the trail do a great job! I had to double back a little bit once or twice, mostly due to zoning out and wandering along without looking for blazes. Blazes are above head high, so no issues with the standing water. Most spots the trail itself is easy enough to see. The area near Bowman Island was very torn up by swamp buggies, which hid the trail at times. The hogs do a good job of tearing up the ground also. Since I hadn't gone on an solo hike in a long time I took a map and compass as well as downloading the Florida Trail app and purchasing the OTL section so I knew I had backup in case I drifted off the trail.

    Definitely a hike you won't get anywhere else. The habitat changes quite a bit every day, from pine and palmetto scrub to cypress swamp, grassland, sandy soil and finally the beach.

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