Everglades Day 5 - Trail Trudgin

 I jumped up early this morning. I had a plan to drive up to the trails at the top of the park road and walk around there. My hope was that those trails would be less underwater than the ones around Flamingo. The road that leads to Flamingo is one long road that snakes its way through the sunken land of the Everglades. There is only the one road and it would take me about 40 minutes to drive from one end to the other.

So I hopped in and headed out in the early morning light. A little way up the road, I stared at the fields of sunken grass and stopped the car, hopping out to get a closer look. It was glistening with a thousand... or more likely a million spiders webs and with the rising sun reflecting off them it was an extrememly pretty sight. 

Further on up the road was a sign proudly declaring 'Rock Reef Pass - Elevation 4ft'

This made me laff as it was very similar to the ones in the Rockies for example declaring the top of the pass  but at a far more respectable 10,000 ft. 

What I have come to understand though is how important those few feet are around here and how a few feet of elevation drastically change the makeup of the environment, the trees that grow, the ecosystem that it supports. Called hammocks, these little 'islands' of slightly elevated ground provide a dry area for wildlife and trees to root. A few feet of elevation is all it took and if you look out over the everglades you can see the hammocks and the change in the make up of the flora. 

Eventually I reached my first trail - long pine key, named I assumed because here the pines had enough of a foothold in the ground which was not totally waterlogged, to grow taller. It was already pretty warm and I made sure I had enough water with me. This trail looked different from other trails, the ground was dry!! 

I wandered along in the early morning sunshine, my eyes swivelling from left to right to try and catch movement in the grass and bushes that would indicate a small lizard darting away, or if I was lucky, a snake getting ready to disappear into the undergrowth. Quite often all you would see was a flicker of movement or hear a small rustle and before you could react, whatever it was, was gone. 

Frustrating as it sometimes is, when out in the wilds searching for some very elusive wildlife, part of the fun is the search, the possibility that you will find something, not the certainty. Its like when you were a kid at the zoo (or for me still) and you look into an exhibit and cant see what you are looking for straight away so you have to search for it and try to spot it. Thats the fun part. Admittedly it gets less fun if all you are doing is searching and there is no seeing at the end of the hard work... but that is nature and if all the wildlife you wanted to see, just popped up, you might as well just be at a zoo. 

Being a person who loves reptiles, I am often disappointed in my searches as they are often the most elusive, the most difficult to see and the rarest to spot, which makes it all the sweeter when you do. 

All this isnt leading up to a big find... unfortunately the forest today was pretty quiet... a few rustles here and there but caused by little birds rather than little lizards or snakes. 

It was also getting really hot, so I was almost glad when the trail turned into a bit of a river. Once again. I was wading through a stream, this time only really ankle high though occasionally my foot would. plunge a bit further. It was enough to overcome the tops of my boots and water squelched in my boots as I continued on. 

There were several sections of totally waterlogged trail, but here unlike in other places, it was interspersed with dry trail meaning I was not constantly wading. 

I saw the occasional egret out hunting the little fish that were darting around these trail streams but otherwose the forests were quiet. Maybe it was the heat because although still early, my arms were burning already. I was grateful for the cap I had bought at the marina the other day which was shielding my head from the worst of the heat. Nonetheless, it was turning into a bit of a slog. 

I followed the trail round, fortunately the wind. had picked up a little and the mossies were generally absent as on top of the burning sun, I think mossies would have tipped me over the edge. Despite this the trail was really peaceful without another soul around and I was enjoying the open space and the smell of the pine which was far more subtle than normal pine forest smell. 

After an hour or 2, and a fair few miles, it was starting to hurt a little. My waterlogged feet were not feeling great and the sun was beating down, the spindly pines not providing any shade. 

Given the lack of wildlife around, I decided to. cut down another path and cut the trail slightly shorter. I knew that I would have to go back to the start of the trailhead along the road, either that or retrace my steps the 7 miles or so, and get my feet waterlogged again... that didnt seem a nice option... plus I had other trails to do today. 

So I. cut down to the road and then proceeded to hike along it back to the trailhead. Whatever small amount of shade the pines had given before was now totally absent and the sun hit the tarmac and me with an unbeatable strength. It sapped all my strength outta me. With that and the hard tarmac under my water bound feet, it began to get very uncomfortable indeed. However, as with many things I do, I give myself little choice... I had to get back to the car, so there was no choice but to set myself a little route march and hot foot it as quickly as. I could back. 

There were a few birds, as usual the great blue heron and the black vultures above (no doubt waiting for my dessicated dehydrated self to collapse on the road - sorry vultures, not this time!) There were little songbirds, which I had no clue about identifying them, but they darted in and out of the undergrowth to the side of the road. 

It was a loong slog down the side of the long pines... it seemed to take forever. When I finally reached the turnoff for the road my car was on, I was hobbling as my wet feet had developed a blister or 2. I mentally prepped myself for not seeing the car around the corner and I did this for the next 5 corners... there will be another bend in the road I told myself... and another... 

I kept up this mental mind torture until I proved myself wrong as there was no longer another bend in the road and my car was sitting there! 

So much relief... that had hurt! 

But I was not done for the day yet... I had a couple more trails to hit!  

I drove up the road again in search of the more visitor friendly trails of Anhinga and Gumbo Limbo. 

Anhinga is a type of bird here... one that has a habit of holding its wings out to absorb the warmth of the sun... I had seen a couple in Flamingo and hoped to see a few more. They made a very loud croaky kinda call and looked wuite adorable as they sunbathed. 

The Anhinga trail was also known to have an alligator or two lurking around so fingers crossed. 

The Anhinga trail was a boardwalk trail that stretched out over some of the wetlands. The first thing to notice was the little baby alligator just chilling in the grass. He looked so cute, I was tempted to go and give him a cuddle but reminded myself just in time about the 15ft rule... so close!! 

The baby alligators are not. the jet black. colour that the adults are and. he had traces of greenish and even yellow in his. scales. About 2ft long he was a way away from his full adult potential. 

On I wandered, staring into the water. There were a lot of fish, many of which were not endemic but came from the Amazon waters of South America. I wondered at the double standard. Here the non endemic fish species were given their own info board... the poor burmese python, whose only crime had been to adapt damn well to its surroundings that it found itself in through no fault of its own, and its shot and run over and euthanised with government approval and enthusiasm. It seemed unfair. 

The trail passed without further gator sightings but I met a family from St Louis (I've been there, I nearly died cycling out of St Louis on Highway 101... or maybe 119 as they informed me (101 sounds more dramatic) 

Anyway, I was chatting to the daughter and she was telling me about the glass bottom. boat trip in John Pennenkamp N. P which they went on... they saw turtles and. jellyfush and lots of other cool stuff.. 

 I have booked for tomorrow on that boat so that made me pretty excited about that. 

Them on to the gumbo-limbo trail. Gumbo Limbo is a type of tree with a deep red bark, also called the tourist tree as it is red like my legs were currently. The trail was short, but I actually, notably, had to go up a hill!! It was about 4ft high, maybe even 5ft 😁 but it was noticable because the Florida is soooo flat, I think its the first hill I have been up. 

Then it was back to the car and the long slow drive back to Flamingo, keeping an eye on the side of the road for snakes... i have been told this is my best bet for seeing one, so I drove pretty slowly. I love this road as you can trace the subtle changes in the landscape from the dry long pines, to the dwarf cypress hammocks and the really flooded grasslands all of which makes up this astounding ecosystem which supports so much life. The changing light of the afternoon casts a soft glow over the waters, with egrets stalking their prey and flocks of ibis gliding over the water. It is a truly magical place. 

No snakes.... not even on the night walk I dragged myself out of the tent for, braving the bitey things and the extreme darkness. 

I will. keep searching till I leave!