In retrospect. It would have been smart to park at Lake Okeechobee and hike to Dupuis WEA, but being so familiar with Dupuis, I didn’t even think of it until I was already on the trail, looking back at the smoke from the prescribed burn.
I drove through Gate 1 at Dupuis WEA and shortly noted there was a controlled burn going on east of Dupuis. It appeared distant, so I parked on the west side of Dupuis Grade Road just south of where the OTL crosses over, and I headed to the trail.
With the prescribed burn to the east of me, I headed west and was on the trail by 11:30 a.m. I hiked 4.5 miles to the lake and back for a total of about 9 miles. The first mile took me through a lovely pine forest, and I expected (hoped) to see some wildlife that may have been fleeing from the burn. My hopes were dashed as the only wildlife I saw on the ground was one very large wild turkey.
About three quarters of the hike was along dirt roads—probably used mostly by the farmers. The last mile was a somewhat busy and very sandy/dusty road frequented by large trucks that sent clouds of dust and sand into the air and all over me.
Although I did not enjoy the dust, I did enjoy hiking past the freshly plowed fields and new crops sprouting up; it felt very springlike. And the cows—I enjoyed our chat. (I love cows.) I arrived at Lake Okeechobee a bit dusty, but happy. I found a piece of shade next to the kiosk to sit (a bench or picnic table would be very nice here!) and have lunch before heading back.
By the time I returned to my car, the burn had moved westward. Driving the six to seven miles out on Dupuis Grade Road, parts of east side of the road were sizzling and swirls of smoke rose from the bushes. At one spot, a hot wind tunnel crossed the road in front of me.
Although this was not my favorite section of the trail, there were parts that were beautiful and certainly worth the hike.
Footprints and Ripples 