Hopkins Prairie to Salt Springs

Well its been a while. Way to long. We ( Debi and Me ) had to put our trips on hold for a little bit, but it was well worth it! So let me start by saying



                                          Welcome Home!!!!

 That will make sense in a little bit.
 We started off talking about doing this hike because we needed to get back into the swing of things. The weather was looking so good and well it was time. So i dug into the maps to find a good overnight hike that was short enough but long enough to make it " worth it " . We figured salt springs was a better stopping point so we didnt break up another hiking spot. I thought going south to north would be easier to figure out distance for camp time.
 The plan was meet up at salt springs at noon, drop the car off and pile up into the truck, go to hopkins prairie were we started the last hopkins hike. It would have worked out that way but Debi and me went to the salt springs marina instead. And there is zero to none cell signal out there. Well after thinking about it we drove to the right spot and met up. Better late than never ( i hate being late ).
 It all worked out great beside being late, we were only 30 mins or so behind, no big deal. We got our gear out of the truck and started off.
  The trail is easy to find, and almost as soon as we start theres a HUGE bat house in front of us. I was so surprised to see how big it was. Then the thought of wow thats A Lot of bats came to me LOL. I have pics but you get the point LOL.
 There were a bunch more cars than we expected and a lot of day hikers on the trail but i dont blame them the weather was just right. We see a couple eating lunch on a log so we do what your supposed to do and talked to them. Well they informed us that the Rainbow Coalition  was out there just a heads up. We thought HUH? whats that, well we found out. To be honest i was very nervous at first. We past a few of them on the trail and they just had a "look" about them that made me keep my eyes more open. They were all very friendly and seemed to be happy. I did want Debi to walk in front of me or in the middle of our group just to be sure. But the further we waled and the more we say of them, the easier i felt about them. We were walking in " Rainbow Land" we found out.
 Being friendly we would say hi there or what ever and they would respond the same but then it seemed they had more to say. Me being me i didnt listen cuz hey thats what i do. But Debi gets close to me and says " Did they say Welcome Home? " . I didnt hear that but they could have said anything . But the more we walked and the more camp signs we saw the more i realized we are waking in a village and we are now the visitors. It was like walking in a foreign land with people that spoke english but not in the same way. Then again another small group ( 2 or 3 ) females walk by and say hello welcome home. My jaw hit the ground, all of us started giggling to ourselves not to offend anyone. All i could think is Ok this is getting weird.
 We came around this big bend and all we could see across the lake bottom were tents and hammocks probably about 20 or so. And the signs and /or markers to other camp sites everywhere. We start hearing coughing and i look up and there is a group of guys sitting right on the trail smoking weed, and having what appeared to be a deep conversation about who knows what. And again we hear Welcome Home. I really couldnt tell you how many times i heard this along the way and how many people were out there but i could keep going and going about it. To be honest it may be one of those things that you gotta be there. Just trust me WE FOUND THE HIPPIES!!!
 We get to the end of our first day after leaving rainbow land . We wanted to get far enough away that there wouldnt be any issues, so we crossed 2 fire roads FR33 then FR55 right about 5.5 miles of a 10 mile hike. Maybe closer to 6 miles we find a spot that looks like we can do something with. Theres a clear area for a fire and plenty of trees to hang from. So we get to work clearing out some brush and start setting up camp. We were racing the sun so we dont run out of light, Debi starts hanging her hammock then i start mine. James isnt to far from me then Ken takes the easy way out and finds a area that is already cleaned out ( i think he got spoiled from the bridge night ) LOL. I decide that i didnt want my rain fly on cuz i wanted to see the stars on this clear night ( good move ) , James and Ken decide the same, but Debi chose warmth over scenery ( i didnt blame her at all).
 We get set up and now its fire time, Debi needed some rest and to eat something, Ken, James and me head out to find the wood, it didnt take long at all due to some logging and clearing out for scrub jays. We just didnt get big logs, but we got a good amount just by the spot we chose for the fire. After searching for bigger stuff to burn we all hunkered down for a nice campfire. We all earned it!
 We started cooking dinner ( after coffee of course ), Debi had some soup from one of our favorite spots to eat ( Zorbas ) and some humus  with pita. I wanted tuna melts on tortillas, worked out to be tuna not so melts but they were still good. Ken had beef stew i think and James had steak and potatoes in tin foil ( smelled great) .
The temps started to drop after playing with emergency blankets Debi and me decided to go to bed. I get into my bag and hammock fairly easy but i hear Deb having a problem, it kinda sounded like a wrestling match behind me, and some snorting and huffing, but after a few minutes she got it. Now all i could do is hope she warmed up fast. The temps dropped real fast, but the wind wasnt blowing so i knew she was set up right. James and Ken werent far behind us.
 I had a real restless night, not due to the cold but just not sleeping. I heard every sound ( yep even the Rainbow people ). I think i was up every hour. I did get a few hours of sleep later that night, from about 330 to about 630 or so, but i wasnt going to get out of the sleeping bag until there was a fire. I heard voices and i knew it was time, Everyone was up and there was a fire, and my loving wife was starting the coffee.
 Ken had ice cubes form in his camel pack bladder, and evidently in his sleeping bag. He had a bad and cold night. So i guess i wasnt the only one not sleeping. Debi didnt sleep good either. James did a lot of snoring so he got some sleep.
 We relaxed for about a hour before we broke camp and headed off, there were a few hikers that came by that morning, but no animals to be seen. After a few miles i caught a glemps of some movement a head i hollar hold up! I keep staring and still cant tell what it is, im thinking hog or small bear, James comes over and sees the same thing. We grab the bear spray to investigate and scare off this BEAST! We get closer and closer ( about 50 yards or so ) and realize we are stalking a tree stump, the best we can figure is shadows making us see movement. either that or sleep deprivation LOL.
 We get to the area Deb and me were parked at and realize that the spur trail we were walking does not go to Salt Springs it stops at the marina. Me and James decide we will walk to the springs to get the car, it was about another 3/4 to mile walk but we dropped off our bags with Debi and Ken.
 End of Hike LOL.
 Sorry there arent to many pics in this hike my battery died on my phone pretty fast.


Here is Debis Link to here blog http://jstmine225.blogspot.com/

Here is Kens Blog, http://wewanttoseeflorida2.blogspot.com/

Snack time

before

after

another before

fire time

my bed for the night