Big Bend Plan B

Washington DC’s failures have put a crimp in my plans

So, for several months I had been looking forward to leaving the Southeast and doing something a little bit more “epic.” I had settled on the Outer Mountain Loop in Big Bend National Park, which combines mountains and desert along with the challenges of finding and/or caching water. I had an itinerary all figured out, and even had made reservations for the night before at Chisos Basin Campground.

Enter one Donald Trump. And now the national parks are closed. Three weeks out from departure, it’s crunch time- I either have to cross my fingers, or get to work quickly on a Plan B.

I chose the latter. LOL @ having any confidence in the White House on this one. EABOD Mr. President.

For Plan B, I still wanted something different than my usual forays into the green tunnel of the AT. Except now I’m limited to places not affected by the government shutdown. And ideally, something within a day’s drive of where I live.

I have chosen a section of the underappreciated Florida National Scenic Trail. Although the FT gets a bad rap due to the considerable miles of roadwalks that come with it, I wasn’t looking to hike the whole thing- I just wanted a nice week-long section, and it turns out that the FT has several really interesting ones. I ruled out Big Cypress because I’m not wading through swamp for a week (at least not yet). The Appalachicola region would have been intriguing, but is still closed due to hurricane damage.

I discovered that the Ocala National Forest section was perfect. A combination of dry pine scrub, longleaf pine forests, palmetto jungles, and open water prairies. Well-marked on the ground, and there’s a Guthook app to boot. What’s not to like?

The section is approximately 70 miles long, has scattered campsites and campgrounds along the way, passes a couple of first-magnitude springs, and even goes by a small store. Water can be a challenge in spots, but is manageable. Lots of bears though, so I’ll be (grudgingly) bringing my Bearikade. All I have to do now is line up a shuttle, and I have several leads already, so I’m not too worried about it. Plus, it’s merely a 9 hour drive. I’m all in. Big Bend will have to wait until we have a president whose head isn’t in rectal storage.