What’s cookin’, virtual thru-hikers?

I’ve been holed up in Crestview for the past couple of days.  The amount of email waiting for me was staggering, as was the task of hunting and pecking out answers to almost every one of them.  I really enjoy reading my mail from you.

It saddened me to say goodbye to the Blackwater River State Forest.  It is one of the most ecologically diverse and scenic locales that I’ve visitied in the state.  I miss it already.  The trail turns to asphalt in the form of US 90 as you leave the forest.  For the next twenty miles it’s a road walk.  There are no places to camp and your vulnerability to bad ju ju is high.  No one is more unhappy about this than the FTA.  They’ve been working overtime to secure permission to blaze a trail that would course through more natural environs.  This requires the participation of private land owners. I wish them luck.

I had no idea that so many people would take such a great interest in this hike.  It’s good to know that I am in the electronic company of so many experienced hikers.  Your tips, questions, philosophies, stories and wishes have turned the past couple of evenings into virtual campfires where we shared our passions and a few laughs besides.  Pass the S’mores, right?

I’m staying at the Motel Hilton, an old-fashioned motor court on the western edge of town.  Across from it are a McDonalds, a Radio Shack and a Laundromat – just about everything a thru-hiker on a budget could ask for.

One craving I had on the trail was for salad. Fresh food is virtually impossible to pack and the craving for it strengthens by the day.  Have you seen the new salad offerings at Micky D’s?  Not too shabby, not to shabby at all.  I’m not usually a customer of the Golden Arches but that Caesar’s salad will bring me back.  Ok, yeah, the milkshakes will too.  Dang, that chocolate one hit the spot.

The Laundromat is a Laundromat.  After many years on the road, I’ve logged some triple digit time in these establishments.  They all look alike to me.  Just bring a truckload of quarters and everything works out fine.  Tide has those little vending machines sewed up, don’t they?  Hmmmm.

One load for my clothes and another for my sleeping bag and poncho liner.  In and out.

The Radio Shack was actually a high point.  In need of a replacement video camera so that I can post some video for you, I popped in to see what they had to offer.  What I got was an excellent customer service experience.  A young, pretty lady named Michelle Coffin knew what I needed and hooked me up with the right stuff – at a very reasonable price, too.  She didn’t let me leave without batteries, either.  She said she was new at the job.  Well, she has a bright future in retail and I’m thankful for her help.

I was asked by a couple of people why I just didn’t fashion a set of trekking poles from wood.  There are two reasons.  The first is that I knew my poles would be coming back to me this weekend.  Clay Dutton promised me that he’d bring them and that’s good enough for me.  I deserved to pay a price for leaving them behind.  A week without them will result in me never leaving them behind again.  Ever.

The second was that I kept a sharp eye out for something on the ground that might fill the bill but nothing turned up.  As a staunch proponent of Leave No Trace outdoor ethics it would pretty much have to be a matter of survival for me to consider cutting live wood for that purpose.  Why should the forest pay for my dereliction?  Not an option.

Now that my work here is done I’m climbing the walls.  I’ve identified a few items that I now deem unnecessary and am sending those back to Tampa.  Small stuff, but every ounce counts, doesn’t it?  You’re all nodding your heads “yes”, aren’t you?

I leave for the next leg of my journey tomorrow.  It will begin with a six mile road walk through the Crestview business district, which will be cool.  I’ll pass under I-10 and end up at the SR 85 trail head on Little Silver Road.  I’ll walk a mile into the woods and make my first camp at the Pearl Campsite.

I don’t know how my signal will be in terms of being able to connect with my laptop air card.  I’m guessing phone service will be spotty as well.  If that’s the case, it might well be a few days before we have a chance to spend some time together again.  It’s a 50-mile walk across the northern boundary of Eglin AFB, a four or five day hump, I’m guessing. I’m jazzed at the prospect of getting back on the trail and sharing that adventure with you on the other side. 

And, speaking of the “other side” - thank you for all of your warnings about hunting season.  Sleep well knowing that between my very orange and very large pack cover and my visible-from-space orange hunting vest, I look like a walking DOT project.  If I get shot, it won’t be my fault.  It’ll suck, but it won’t be my fault.

Cheers from the Florida Trail!  Mike