May trip - Gator Hook to Roberts Lakes Strand
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Permalink Reply by Swamp Hunter on
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Another Hiker Lost on the Gator Hook Trail
http://www.nbc-2.com/story/25883965/missing-hiker-found-in-big-cypr...
A hiker was found alive and well Friday morning after going missing in the Big Cypress National Preserve.
The Big Cypress National Preserve said the hiker set out Thursday afternoon by himself to hike the Gator Hook Trail, which usually takes about four hours to complete.
The man reportedly left an itinerary with his wife and when he didn't return at the specified time, she contacted the park.
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Here is an interesting version. The Gator Hook Trial by Peter Perhac. You can hear him comment when the elevated trail quickly sinks underwater as he says WTF! But curiosity got the best of him and he continues. The red ribbons beckon you deeper and deeper until you cant find your way back. Peter did however wisely get an earlystart and turned around in plenty of time before dark. Gotta love it. Thanks for sharing Peter.
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Another recent Gator Hook video. This guy gets out there.http://vimeo.com/95824789 He walks past the benches at the 14:50 mark and I notice the pump has been removed from the pipe. I hope its not stolen. Much work remains to be done on this trail. Hopefully we can cut across Holey Rock, put the trail back on the high ground where it belongs and the FTA can mark it permanently.
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Soon the weather will be great for hiking. I accidentally found this posting on Facebook. It appears that FTA members are planning to paint the trail. This is great news. It appears they are only looking for 10 volunteers. The trail needs more work especially across Holey Rock. The date is set for Nov 2. This is between hunting seasons. I think we should volunteer to help them if they are short of the 10 members they are seeking.. I know I will be out there this season on the Gator Hook Trail as I have been for over 30 years.. https://www.facebook.com/events/582230861904105/?ref_dashboard_filt...
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Permalink Reply by D Warfel on
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We will only be blazing the designated ~2.5 miles of gator hook on this trip. Apparently hikers have been getting lost .. not sure how but hey I guess it happens. We do eventually plan on blazing the W trail beyond gator hook where it connects to the Florida Trail. I'll let you all know when this happens. Probably not for another couple months at least.
Here is the link to the Big Cypress chapter of FTA on facebook - https://www.facebook.com/groups/127086894117840/
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The reason people have been getting lost is because the trail has not yet been discovered that reaches the 2.5 mile mark as posted on the kiosk. I spoke about this earlier. My best guess is that the elevated sections can be seen from the air up to about 2.5 miles but nobody actually ever tried to walk it on ground level. Its an extremely thick and beautiful jungle past about the 2 mile mark or past the benches. Back in the 1980s I used to walk to the secret island/possible loggers cook camp with the deep well water pump. I am now ready to share the location but unfortunately I lost it. .
I was apparently the first to discover the 2.5 mile section on foot a couple years ago and Keith was the second. I dont have the tram on my GPS but I tied ribbons wherever I found a railroad tie and later connected it together to form a makeshift trail. Keith, Bill Riley and myself zigzaged past the 2.5 mile spot, past the cypress knee bench to eventually break out into the open but its not exactly on trail as we took the path of least resistance.
Like I have stated, I have worked on the ground on this trail to try and save it for many years. The best thing to happen in all those years was to see the bathroom, picnic tables, etc that the NPS erected making this an official trail. It has brought much needed attention to it as I seriously doubt I could have saved it myself. Although the deeper elevated sections will probably be there forever, members, such as Swamp Witch, will back me up when I say the best a person could hope to do was crawl through them. But as I tied ribbons, hikers followed making a beaten path. Back and forth, back and forth I walked all day, hoping to create a trail. And create a trail I did, with the help of many others. And it makes me very happy.
Any work between the benches and the 2.5 mark was done solely by me. I have discovered many railroad ties and marked them with orange ribbons. But the section immediately before the 2.5 mile mark or "center of the W" has not yet been discovered or cleared. I tied ribbons bypassing this area and this is where hikers are getting lost. Everyone doesnt have the old tram on GPS. I know I dont. But even if you do, this section is very thick, you cannot walk through it and I can find no railroad ties. Loggers must have laid them across solid limestone rock and removed them later. EEN members have nicknamed this unique section as Holey Rock. It looks like swiss cheese with little soil. Brazilian peppers are growing in the solution holes. I am hoping we can coordinate our efforts to put the trail in its proper place across Holey Rock..
So you see, you can not mark the trees all the way to the 2.5 mile mark at this time. You could probably go 2.2, 2.3 or 2.4 miles maybe, following my path. I tried to clear a path through the Brazilian Peppers but I was unable to do so. When you get there, you will see. Thanks for posting D Warfel and I hope we can coordinate our efforts to get it right for future generations. Im working at Bear Island. Im hoping we can meet in person some day so I can better explain the situation.. My signal is bad.. Ive typed this 3 times! ....Thanks.
D Warfel said:We will only be blazing the designated ~2.5 miles of gator hook on this trip. Apparently hikers have been getting lost .. not sure how but hey I guess it happens. We do eventually plan on blazing the W trail beyond gator hook where it connects to the Florida Trail. I'll let you all know when this happens. Probably not for another couple months at least.
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Correction: The Gator Hook Trail kiosk has the trail marked to 2.4 miles (not 2.5) so you will only be able to paint to about 2.2 miles out. But that would be a great improvement.
You could skip the missing section and move on to the center of the W at 2.4 like I did. Those funny icons are RR ties and icon 153 is at the end point 2.4.. The small missing section is across Holey Rock (orange arrow) but its too dense to walk through. I was able to crawl for some distance and IMO this is where I (and everyone else) are forced to bypass south of the original tram and people are getting lost (red x's). I have been lost myself. The temporary red X trail that I created should be eventually eliminated IMO. Besides its underwater most of the year. Simply take down my ribbons. Cut a trail across higher ground from RR tie 150 to the Hollys (Brazilian Peppers)and it will be done as posted on the kiosk.
Last pic is Holey Rock but the RR ties have been removed and Brazilian Pepper is growing in some of the holes.
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I dont know if it will burn but i hav been invited nov 2 and it should be no problem with the help of FTA members with permission to cut this short distance. I just didnt get around to it and it was easier to bypass it. The soil is thin or nonexistant and i was actually able to pull some holleys up by the roots.
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Lets find that pump island! I can still remember the sulphur water that so easily flowed with just a few pumps after priming. I believe this remote pump was drilled with machinery or opened up underground with dynamite. Notice the double pipe. Just look at that smile on my buddys face and the flowing water
. I left it with that green bucket over the well head. Thats me in camo. I was 38 yrs old. We never carried much water. I see that I had a canteen and it was here I filled it unfiltered. circa 1990.
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Permalink Reply by shawn beightol on
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Dang Dale...that unfiltered water explains a lot! Just kidding!
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