Hiking and backpacking – Laurie Apgar Chandler

A smorgasbord of activities in Florida’s Osceola National Forest

A Civil War battlefield, The Florida National Scenic Trail, and kayaking Ocean Pond among giant cypress

Paddling among giant cypress on Ocean Pond

Before sharing about Florida, I have to tell you that I have now astoundingly joined the ranks of DIY travel trailer fixer-uppers. (Although nothing is fixed yet). Much of this cold and rainy Alabama day has been devoted to trying to figure out why my refrigerator is not working. From the simple checks-breakers, fuses and plugs-I moved on to trying to secure a dealership repair appointment (impossible) or a visit from a mobile RV tech.

The closest tech turned out not to be close anymore as he now lives in Arkansas. But Ron was the best of trail angels, spending hours helping me over the phone. There I was with my multimeter, in the land of circuit boards, colored wires, and hidden fuses. Finally, through a Grand Design owners forum, I discovered a blown thermal fuse that I will soon try to repair. What a learning day!

Site #28 in the Ocean Pond Campground only had a water hookup. However, the generator and solar panel kept me up and running, all but the refrigerator. I sure was looking forward to having cold and frozen food in the campsites ahead, all of which have electricity.

The largest Civil War battle to take place in Florida was fought nearby. The Olustee Battlefield Historic State Park was seven miles from camp. Interpretive panels along a one-mile trail told the story of the evenly matched battle through photographs, primary sources, and a clear narrative. The terrain of open pine woods and palmettos, interspersed with impassable swampy areas, helped me visualize the drama of that tragic day. Just over five thousand soldiers on each side-the Union hoping to cut off food supplies from Florida at the Suwanee River railroad bridge and the Confederates handing them a costly defeat.

“Grape and canister swept by with hideous music, and shell after shell tore through our ranks and burst amid heaps of our wounded heroes,” remembered a soldier of the 115th New York.

Huge crowds attend the re-enactment of the battle every Presidents Day weekend.

Boardwalks are becoming a favorite haunt of mine. This one, through a cypress swamp on the Florida National Scenic Trail, enticed me to sit and write and study the verdant plant life.

A native green anole (I think) at the edge of the cypress swamp. Anoles, like chameleons, can change color. In Florida, over two-thirds of the lizard species are invasives, including the brown anole, which arrived on cargo ships in the late 1800s. Females of both species look like this one.

Ocean Pond is the roundest body of water I have ever seen. One day, I kayaked around its almost 7-mile shoreline. The shallows near shore are picturesque, with turtles and water lilies among the cypress. I studied one patient great egret who was fishing there, swallowing his catch with bounces of his very long, thin neck. There were patches of pickerel weed, not yet in bloom, and cow lily (spatterdock) just beginning to show its bright yellow, spherical flowers. I love the touches of home to balance out all that is new and unusual.

The border of grass behind me was present almost all the way around the lake and often prevented me from accessing the shallows, except where there were openings. Knowing that there were alligators around and it was a warm day made me cautious to plow through the grass and reeds.

I’ll finish with a shout out to the federal government for their America the Beautiful Lifetime Senior Pass, available to those 62 and older. For a one-time cost of $80, mine has already paid for itself two times over since I purchased it on January 5th. How grateful I am to be experiencing all these natural wonders at such an affordable price!

Frigid nights: Brick House Campground, Sumter NF, SC

The challenges and discoveries of January off-grid camping

Sunset bathes my campsite at the spacious Brick House Campground

Hmmm, it’s hard to say which was scarier. The nights where it went down to lows of 13 and 16, and the generator was running rough. Or the last night, where the temperature hovered around freezing, but the generator was gone, gone, gone. This campground, which did have vault toilets, gave me a true test of off-grid winter camping without electricity or water. My few neighbors, hardy souls, were all in tents, cars, or amazingly, a hammock! With the generator needing some warranty repairs, I ended up cutting my stay short, but managed to pack a lot into six days.

The mysterious, uninhabited brick house from which the campground takes its name

I’d been camping there for a couple of days before I put the pieces together. The grand, obviously historic, brick house across the road must have inspired the campground name. After that, it took some research to learn more. Locals were undecided if it dated to the Revolutionary or Civil War era. From the road, almost shrouded from view by tangled vegetation, it had an aura that spoke of untold stories. I’ve uncovered a few of them already. The house dates to the early 1800s and was built by Dr. Francis Fielding Calmes, using bricks made on a nearby creek. To me, its double chimneys and simple decorative brickwork give it timeless class. It seems a true loss that no one lives there now.

The Palmetto Trail runs right along the edge of the campground

Still a work in progress, the Palmetto Trail for hikers and bikers will eventually connect the Blue Ridge Mountains to the Intracoastal Waterway. According to USFS literature, 380 of its eventual 500 miles are finished. I explored it to the north, pleasant hiking on old woods roads and soft forest paths. Highlights were the small, white sandy streams and areas of steep gullies and huge pines that I could only halfway hug. My goal was a bog bridge across a beaver pond, some four or five miles from the campground. It was a goal that took three days to attain: one quick scouting trip, one long and hungry try where I got turned around in an area of intersecting OHV trails, and then eventual success.

The elusive beaver pond late one golden afternoon. The peaceful hour I spent writing there, in the company of a host of swooping red-headed woodpeckers, was memorable indeed.

I hope to write one more post about South Carolina as I wrap up a brief visit back to Maine. Life does go on, with taxes, medical appointments, and author business to attend to, even when a trailer is your home! It has been wonderful to reconnect with friends and family, while my generator gets a new carburetor and my truck and trailer wait patiently in Georgia.

Nimblewill Nomad kept me company by the campfire on the warmer afternoons

A more wintery walk a few days ago to the beaver swamp in our backwoods

History and a Hike: The Thornburg Tract, Birkhead Mountains Wilderness, NC

Winter hike and fun exploring the 1855 Lewis-Thornburg farmhouse and outbuildings

Back porch of the 1855 Lewis-Thornburg farmhouse

The Birkhead Mountains Wilderness is found at the northern tip of NC’s Uwharrie National Forest. Today’s exploration from the Thornburg trailhead included a 3.4-mile easy to moderate, although a little muddy, hike. The tract also includes what the kiosk eloquently describes as “an excellent example of the evolution of a vernacular farmhouse and outbuildings.”

Behind the farmhouse and outbuildings (a barn, chicken house, carriage house, and tack shed) is the Thornburg Trail, a pleasant, rolling, up and down path through open hardwoods.

The temperature reluctantly climbed into the mid-50s today, warm enough to be comfortable moving along, even in the wind. I enjoyed plenty of friendly human and canine company along the way. The most interesting section of the trail looks down a steep hillside with lots of ferns to the stream below.

My shadow stretches toward the stream far below

The Forest Service has preserved the farmhouse unfurnished and in need of some repairs, for visitors to explore. My favorite discoveries were the flowered linoleum patterns in the upstairs hall and bedrooms, as well as little handmade touches like hooks carved from tree branches.

Sun drenching the interior of the carriage house, circa 1900.

Uwharrie National Recreational Trail: Dark Mt. and Little Long Mt.

Winter views and discoveries on two mountains along North Carolina’s Uwharrie National Recreational Trail

I want to begin with a note that my posts will not always appear in exact chronological order. In order to be a little more secure, I will be posting some details about my solo RV journey (like exact camping locations) after the fact. In the meantime, here’s a peek at yesterday’s adventure.

View from the shoulder of Dark Mountain near Mile 20

The 40-mile Uwharrie National Recreational Trail can be completed as a thru-hike or enjoyed in short sections. I began at the Jumping Off Rock trailhead, hiking south for the short, but rather steep, 500-foot ascent to the shoulder of Dark Mountain. Highlights were the beautiful open hardwood forest and patches of mountain laurel, which I could picture in its spring delicate, pink-flowered glory. Even in January, it was enlivening to see the shiny green.

Can you imagine the beauty of this mountainside in spring?

After the initial climb, the rest of the trail (4 miles roundtrip) was less rocky and smooth, with only gentle ups and downs. Wooden signs marked each mile, and surprisingly, there were audio stops where you could scan a QR code to listen to snippets of area history and ecology. The name Dark Mountain derives from tales of the killing of Army deserters here and an outlaw cave that was the hiding place for a murderer of one of those pesky revenuers.

The summit of Little Long Mountain (922 ft) opens up to the best views of the day

Moving on to the nearby Joe Moffitt Trailhead, named for the Boy Scout leader who created the trail, I could choose between two hikes. To the north, King Mountain, the highest peak on the trail at 1,020 feet, was a 1.1-mile climb. To the south, Little Long Mountain was 0.8 miles away and provided the most open mountaintop vistas. I went south, hiking back toward Dark Mountain.

Passing through a short section of copious exposed white granite

At the Little Long Mountain summit, another audio tour stop explained that I was standing in a Piedmont glade. Characterized by thin layers of soil over rock, this ecological community features unique plant species like native prickly pear cactus (Opuntia humifusa), which I found in abundance. There is a lean-to here, as well as a spring providing a water source on the way up. Descending, my first white-tailed deer of the Uwharrie bounded away down the hillside.