Humbled by the heat
The rangers warned us that there would be no water in the Big Cypress Swamp. Well, no water that you can drink that is.
My hiking buddies and I thought we had enough fluids, two gallons each, to make it across 30-miles of the most inhospitable landscape in Florida. But we didn't count on the heat and we didn't figure in the weight of all the camera gear we would be carrying.
We hit the trail Wednesday morning at 9 a.m. hoping to hike 17 miles into the woods. By noon, we had only made it seven miles (the terrain was rough and difficult to manage) and we had used up nearly our entire supply of that day's water.
We had wanted our packs to weigh less than 35 pounds, but in reality, they were all over 40. The air temperature was much hotter - 85 by mid day - than we had anticipated which also added to our fatigue.
Rather than risk be stranded in the middle of nowhere dying for a drink, we decided to pitch camp, re-group, and head back the next day. Big Cypress would always be there and we could return another day, better equipped.
Lessons learned: Travel light and carry more water than you think you will need.
Looking for a great day hike for your toddler? How about a romantic paddle to a barrier island with your sweetheart? Planning to buy a backpacking tent but don't know where to start? Find the answers to these and other questions when you take a walk on the "Wild Side" with St. Petersburg Times Outdoors Editor Terry Tomalin, who has traveled the globe for the past 20 years looking for adventure.
I've been dying to cross the Big Cypress from the Tamiami Trail to Ally Alley. Stories like yours let me know how inexperienced and ill perpared I am to make this my first trek on the Fl Trail. So I've put it off for a time in the future. Thanks for the story. I could have been in real trouble!!!!
Posted by: Carol | February 15, 2008 at 10:06 AM