Trip rep>LWRSF>Arbuckle>April 2014 circuit hike

**Floridahanger** · 04-09-2014, 20:52

Great White,

That was a great write up, my friend. I'm usually torn between taking the long and wonderful solitude of the extended trail or catching up with the group for the stories and fellowship. You didn't help me any in my dilemma with the description of the Paula Dockery trail. I've yet to take that trail, but will do so next time.

Anybody else get to see that ball of bees? Pics?

**olddog** · 04-10-2014, 09:05

I found one small one, smaller than a soda can, at Lakeside and heard another one around where we hung last year but couldn't find it.

**Great White** · 04-10-2014, 17:57

Originally Posted by Floridahanger

Great White,

That was a great write up, my friend. I'm usually torn between taking the long and wonderful solitude of the extended trail or catching up with the group for the stories and fellowship. You didn't help me any in my dilemma with the description of the Paula Dockery trail. I've yet to take that trail, but will do so next time.

You have to find a balance. From my experience, I have a hard time with one or the other. I need both. Most of the fun happens around the fire after the sun has set. For me, that leaves the day for hiking and setting up. I noticed during the past few hangs in Florida, there is too little hiking and too much camping. (Please don't anyone take that as a critique) Due to factors beyond my control at this time, I usually can't arrive early enough on Fridays to hike to a hang site and setup while the sun is up. I have discovered that I hate setting up in the dark. Therefore I end up with a short hike on Saturdays with most of the time spent in camp. For this trip, it would have meant a hike roughly half the distance over the weekend then everyone else who made the Friday hike. The balance for me is off. I need to hike. What made that trip better was knowing the people I would find at the end of it. Think of it like an adventure, you are following in the groups footsteps knowing you will meet up eventually or you are traveling a great distance to reach them. The goal is to hang out and the hike to the hang spot is part of the experience. I missed the Green Swamp trip a few weeks ago and I didn't like that fact.

**MAD777** · 04-10-2014, 18:36

Agree with you GW. I have to hike to earn my dinner!

**samsara** · 04-11-2014, 04:19

I sort of agree but I'm a heat/sun wimp and I doubt I would enjoy as many miles as you did on your Saturday hike. Plus, like this time, I frequently end up doing lots of "hiking" for work but it is through the woods and not on a trail... and that tuckers me out before I even get out there with you guys

The thing I like about this circuit hike is that it is a hike but not A HIKE. You get your hiking in, your relaxing in (even a nap), you have water everywhere, and especially you have our gang there. I'm not exhausted and trying to recover from the bottom of the barrel, just pleasantly tired and smelly

I think if we have the Nov hang down here we should do the southern loop... start at the south end of School Bus rd and either hike up to Lakeside or Isabell, then over to the other (Isabell/Lakeside), then Sunday back down to the cars. I think the southern loop might be a bit longer than the northern loop but I'm not sure. You wouldn't get any creek hiking but it would be a different hike in a different area but still have water at both camp sites. It would also mean that all of the usuals have hiked all of the trails on Arbuckle

Dave

**heljen** · 04-11-2014, 19:31

/attachDon't know why the pictures turned sideways, sorry. I have much to learn about navigating this site.

**emcee** · 04-12-2014, 17:33

[QUOTE=MAD777;1238034]Jennifer, we have a saying around here, "Pictures, or it didn't happen!"

Originally Posted by heljen

/attach pictures .

OK, confirmed. Thanks for joining us! Olddog, nice picture of the whole motley crew, errr.... I mean the usual subjects!

**MAD777** · 04-12-2014, 20:04

Great pics Jennifer!

**olddog** · 04-12-2014, 22:14

Jen, if you're loading pics from your computer. Open the individual pic and at the bottom will be an icon of a red arrow curving left or right. Click on it until the pic is oriented correctly. Took me a while to realize that computers aren't that smart. They will give you back just what you enter. Once it is upright in the computer it will post upright in the thread. My wife forced me to learn that when she took pics of me in the kilt with the camera turned vertically.

**Floridahanger** · 04-14-2014, 23:11

GW, thanks, you summed it up better than I could and it makes perfect sense.

I like a hike long enough to tire me out, but I also have set up too many times in the dark. A 3-4 hour hike is about right. Should get 6-10 miles without getting too tired and get there before dark. That leaves plenty of setup time and a little group time before supper.

Jennifer, sorry I didn't meet you there, but the pics help me be there, thanks.