St. Francis Hiking Trail-Hunting Season

11.24.06. All-In-All, a good hike. Just don't go in hunting season like we did!

St. Francis Hiking Trail-Water

11.24.06. Glad we had water on this hike.

St. Francis Hiking Trail-Wendita

11.24.06. Wendita crossing bridge.

St. Francis Hiking Trail-Pines

11.24.06. This spot had a wonderful smell of pines on the St. Francis Hiking Trail.

St. Francis Hiking Trail-Close Up of Log/Mushroom

11.24.06. St. Francis Hiking Trail

St. Francis Hiking Trail-Log Mushrooms

11.24.06. St. Francis Hiking Trail

St. Francis Hiking Trail

11.24.06. The day after Thanksgiving 2006, Wendita & I headed out to the Ocala National Forest to hike the St. Francis Hiking Trail, 7.7 miles long. This hike included floodplain forest, hydric hammock, oak hammock, bayhead, pine flatwoods, and cabbage palm flatwoods.



This would have been a great hike, except we did not read Sandra Friend's comments about HUNTING SEASON. Yes, Wendita & I were hiking in the middle of Deer Season! We must have heard 20 shot guns fired, some too close for comfort! We had a deer within 20 yards from us, thank God the hunters were not on the other side!

Flat Island Preserve-Spiders Back Side

11.18.06. Like I said, lots of spiders...

Flat Island Preserve-Moss

11.18.06. So much of the trail was covered with this velvety moss.

Flat Island Preserve-Jeffito With Spider

11.18.06. The spiders were scary, but this one only had three legs. Can you see him?

Flat Island Preserve-Grasshopper

11.18.06. Only in Florida have I seen grasshoppers so large!

Flat Island Preserve-Palm

11.18.06. It was awesome hiking with the light coming through the trees.

Flat Island Preserve-Wendita

11.18.06. Wendita checking the map.

Flat Island Preserve-Spider

11.18.06. We saw lots of spiders here...

Flate Island Preserve-Trail

11.18.06.

Flat Island Preserve

11.18.06. Flat Island Preserve. Lots-O-Spiders on this day!

50 Central Florida Hikes

Last year, someone gave Wendita & I a book of 50 Hikes In Central Florida by Sandra Friend. We are on a mission to do all 50. To date, we have completed 17 of these hikes. I only wish I had took pictures of each hike as we have seen some awesome stuff. Money sunsets, large alligators, deer, birds of prey, horses, armadillos, spiders, snakes, and wonderful oak trees just to name a few.

It amazes me that within just 30-60 minutes, we can escape the theme parks where we both live and work. After dealing with crowds all week, it is great to "get away."

We enjoy being outside and hiking - Enjoy the photos :)