Slowly But Surely

​Day 2 / 36 MI / Eglin to Holland Rd

I was woken up at 4am by the sounds of something very large russling in the bushes. Naturally, all my days food was sprawled out next to where I slept. A bear? No, I see a headlamp. It’s 3 night hikers. But I’m camped way off trail? Oh yeah, I’m sleeping on Airforce Base land. Actively used for drills, and training. Well they found me. I was definitely seen. I stayed as still as possible, and they left me alone, continuing on into the night. Very lucky! I’ve heard of folks being run off the Airforce base. You see, I was supposed to get a permit, and I didn’t. Don’t be me.

Waking up again at 7, packing up, and moving by 7:30. The west Eglin section is very beautiful. Lots of moss litters the ground, like mint colored sponge balls. A bridge over a perfectly clear creek fills my water for the next so many miles. Followed by a long string of bog logs protecting my shoes and socks from the swampy ground.

A boat, no where near water lays beside the trail. Plants now growing out of it. A lot of folks seem to ditch trash in the woods (pls dont) but who ditches their boat?

Moving forward I cross the very busy hwy 87, and make my way on the otherside. The trail parallels the road for quite a ways, many miles, eventually dumping me back on it. Somewhere in the middle I found a very recently used smoke bomb. Not your phantom fireworks smoke bomb, one of military grade. A memento? Naw I gotta stop picking up stupid shit. Sometimes I collect things I find, then I don’t know what to do with it.

Something cool, near a loop trail in Eglin are very deep ravines. I turned a corner, and it almost looked like I was in the mountains again! Walking along the small cliff, looking across to the other hills in the distance.

Leaving the woods for the road again, at the yellow river bridge there’s a ton of construction going on. A very fall fence, topped with barbed wire blocks my way. What are they keeping out? Me? The reroute is veery unclear, just a couple orange ribbons, that I thought might be from the road work. I skated passed some wetlands, and scaled rocks that took me up to the bridge and around the fence.

Highway walking, turned Into neighborhood walking. Every house looked thee exact same all the way down the line. Kind of disgusting. The roadwalk wasn’t as long as I thought it we would be, and I re entered the woods. By this time I must have not been paying attention to my nutrition because I was fresh out of brain power!! Still, only one thing to do. Keep moving forward.

The trail got a little swampy and wet here, I slowed down, and kept careful to save my feet figuring I wouldn’t run into anymore wetness the rest of the day. Soon I passed the blue blazed trail that leads to the blackwater section, and the Alabama border! Hey! That’s how I got here in the first place, and now I’ve yoyoed this last section. So from here on its all new trail to me! Not just that but I’m told it’s new trail to everybody! Recently the FTA managed to take a very large chunk of walking off the road, and put it in the woods here. This makes me rly happy. It’s progress! I got mad love for the Florida trail, so to see it getting better in time is very cool. What will 5 years from now change?

This new section is extremely beautiful! Crossing many creeks, most of which had logs to walk over on, although I did have to ford one. Overall I really like the chosen route for this new path, but as of now it’s still a bit overgrown! I made it through but not without cutting my legs up. I love my shorts…… but sometimes. I guess I just need to toughen up my legs? Every 2 out of 3 steps was right into some crazy thorny vine. Barbs grabbing my legs, and being ripped off the plant to join me in my journey south. I’d rub my thighs, and feel the little plant matter. Despite this! I still really enjoyed the new section. Far better than any roadwalk, and all in all just needs a wee bit of mowing 🙂

I walked the last 2 miles of that section in the dark. Then it was a dirt backroad. Immediately some guy in a truck fish tails around the corner, then the next, and I’ll assume the one after that too. Looked like fun, glad he didn’t hit me.

Dirt turned to asphalt, I crossed under a highway, and eventually made it to the small city of Holt. Wouldn’t ya know it, a truck whips ahead of me and pulls off the road. I approach and it’s a new friend!! Sean, I had met him just a few days ago on my way from Alabama to Pensacola on the Blackwater section. He was out backpacking that day with his lady friend, and we nerded out over hiking a bit. Super cool to run into him a second time!

I walked maybe another 3 or so miles, and stopped at 8:40pm. I was drained. I definitely needed to eat more today, and I think that, combined with the minor bushwhacking in that last section slowed me down.

I sleep alongside a railroad, just past Holt, near Holland rd. Slowly, but surely finding my groove. I’ve been relaxing too long!!! Blown away I only walked 36 today. Felt like more. Too many hiccups 🙂