Now we have a quandary. I just found out that Tom (of the Tom and Bonnie that we are staying with) is actually driving to Miami Tuesday. This is the same day that I planned on beginning my trek to Miami. What we are saying here is that I could hike, walk, hitch, crawl to Miami on my own or hitch a ride with Tom in his Cadillac Eldorado (I am not making this up) and be there in 3 hours… man oh man oh man. At this point I wish I had readers to poll…. I think that I am still going to make it on my own, BUT, one is NOT supposed to look a gift horse in the mouth or turn ones back on fate and good luck… Keep in mind this could be a conspiracy between Marlo and Tom and Bonnie to thwart my foolish cross state adventure… I don’t think so though… so do we take the cushy , easy ride over or do I opt for the adventurous way over???
No-brainer. Take the freakin’ ride. I say this having walked a lot of backcountry Florida in my years down there – it’s not that great, it’s not the Appalachian Trail or anything – just a lot of scrub pine, palmetto, and bugs. A few reptiles, but once you’ve seen one gator, you’ve seem ’em all. And unpredicatable weather. Okay, that’s my two cents, enjoy your hike.
This is your mother talking…………TAKE THE RIDE!!!!!
Well the votes are in, two for the ride, 0 for the backpacking… well you guessed it, I’m setting out on my trek tomorrow @ 8:00 am. The NavB says that i can make my first destination in a mere 8 hours.
I knew it! That’s why I closed my remarks with “enjoy your hike.” Mrs. Brant, my heart goes out to you, raising this stubborn and willful child.
So okay, that’s gotta be, what? – right around 200 miles from Tampa to Miami? At 20 miles per day, which is a pretty solid day of hiking, that’s 10 days versus 3-plus hours. You could see the same palmetto scrubs from the car window that you’ll see walking in rain, mud, and blazing sun. So in conclusion, you’re nuts. But we love you anyway, so be careful out there, and write soon. Y’hear? At least it’s a good time of year (not too hot) and the 10-day forecast looks pretty good, though you know there’ll be at least one thunderstorm for ya. P.S. – I hope you like blisters on your feet! Don’t forget to bring moleskin patches for that. : )