Things didn’t go so well for my friends hiking from Alexander Springs to Juniper Springs. The water situation was horrible and they hiked about 8 hours after running out of water. Either they couldn’t reach the water sources they found or it was still disgusting after filtering. They ended up with severe dehydration and major blisters.

I was able to leave town early and picked one of the guys up at Juniper while the other made his way to Hopkins Prairie. They were both rode hard and put up wet. We had a good group gathering last night and the moon was absolutely gorgeous. I understand it’s the closet it’s been to the earth in about 18 years.

After a great nights’ sleep in my hammock I woke up to a foggy prairie. The temperature dropped to 46 overnight and I was chilled waiting for my beloved Gram Weenie Pro to boil the water. I enjoyed some maple and brown sugar oatmeal and a warm cup of coffee which really helped warm me up.

I knew my buddies were out for the day so I hit the trail solo about 9:30. It was a hot day for sure with mostly open hiking and little cover from the scorching sun. I still had a great day, though, and saw a good bit of wildlife. I enjoyed the section though it would be much nicer either earlier or later in the year.

I made pretty good time and averaged about 3 mph for a moving average. I hit the Salt Springs Rec Area about 1:30 and my buddies picked me up to return me to Hopkins and my truck a little after 2.

Be sure to check under the Trail Reports section for my gallery. Hopefully I’ll have a full report including video posted soon.

GPX Track (Right click-Save As)