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Continue reading →: Jonathan Dickinson State Park–Green Loop (01/16/2023)I completed the White Loop Trail at Jonathan Dickinson State Park on New Year’s Day and enjoyed it enough to bring me back for more! This time, my bestie, Barb, joined me, and we hiked the 4.9 miles of the Green Loop Trail in just under two hours. If you…
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Continue reading →: Jonathan Dickinson State Park–White Loop (01/01/2023)At the start of a new year, I love to spend time in nature. It’s such a spiritual and cleansing experience. In past years, I have paddled some awesome Florida rivers during the holiday, such as Blackwater River and Royal Palm Hammock, Fisheating Creek, and Withlacoochee River South. This year,…
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Continue reading →: My First Camping Trip! (12/29/2022)I have so much to be grateful for and excited about in this new year. I just retired, and adventures await! I have a lengthy list of places to go and things to do. I had to start somewhere, but uppermost on my mind was ensuring that I could pitch…
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Continue reading →: Five Days on the Georgia ATI spent six nights at Above the Clouds Hostel as part of one of their group slackpacking trips, arriving the afternoon of September 23, and greeted by Nimrod’s heavenly-smelling kitchen. (Nimrod made fresh bread everyday.) As stated in my earlier post, the group was small and intimate with only one…
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Continue reading →: Slackpacking the Georgia Appalachian Trail (09/23/22)Woo-hoo! I escaped the heat and humidity (and Hurricane Ian) of South Florida early Friday morning, and I arrived at Above the Clouds Hostel in Suches, Georgia, early in the afternoon. My flight took me to Atlanta where I jumped on the MARTA train to North Springs. Here, Lucky, owner…
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Continue reading →: Countdown to Retirement!“You’ll be bored.” “You’ll be back to work in no time.” “What will you do to keep busy?” I have begun my countdown to retirement! Five months to go from today—and these are the questions and comments I get. I am excited—and scared! However, I will never be bored. So,…
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Continue reading →: Naked EdEd Watts, known affectionately as Naked Ed in the High Springs area, has lived on the Santa Fe River for 24 years. He is the caretaker of the piece of property that surrounds Lily Springs, and he doesn’t wear clothes. I was warned of him at the Santa Fe Outfitters…
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Continue reading →: The Rhesus MonkeysA common greeting among yakers on my Silver River trip was, “Have you seen any monkeys?” Everyone seemed to be looking for the elusive rhesus monkeys. I heard stories of large groups (bands? herds?) of these monkeys jumping from tree to tree or lining the river, staring (daring?) at the paddlers. However,…
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Continue reading →: Creek vs. RiverAs I paddled the Blackwater Creek, I wondered, “Why a creek, why not Blackwater River?” I asked my friend Bill. He suggested that it merely depended upon the person who named it. So, I Googled my question, sending it out to the online universe. The answer was pretty much just…
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Continue reading →: My Three Most Awesome Florida River PaddlesFlorida rivers are amazingly beautiful, mystical, and fun, and after paddling them for over ten years, I feel a touch of guilt selecting favorites. However, I admit it! There are those to which I would return more quickly than others. So, here goes. Fisheating Creek. I have paddled Fisheating Creek…
Footprints and Ripples 