Ocala National Forest, Solo
It was suggested to me that Florida's Ocala National Forest would be a great place. to hike. I made plans with a friend to go out this weekend, but something on his side prevented him from going this weekend. Well I was already pumped to see what Ocala had to offer. I packed my day pack and drove on down.
I passed the Alexander Springs park entrance and saw a sign on the side of the road for access to the Florida trail. I turned off to a small parking lot with a large informational sign to the trail. Half the sign told a little history of the trail and the other half was a photo of a black bear and a description of how there are plenty on the trail and to be careful. Bla bla bla, bears... Who cares, they are so rare! Well I walked onto the side trail and found a long patch of sand leading to the Florida Trail. In the sand where horse, deer, raccoon and... and... bear tracks. It was early in the morning and no one else around. OK, now I was a little nervous.
Well I walked 5 miles in and back that morning. Great walk. Nice and quiet.
