May trip - Gator Hook to Roberts Lakes Strand

[Keith W]

I have a mind to try and reach Robert's Lakes Strand from the Gator Hook Trail on the Monroe Station leg of the Loop. I know the Fl. Scenic Trail runs through the Strand on the eastern end but I have yet to hear of anybody coming in from the west. The first couple of miles of the old Gator Hook logging tram that runs southeast off the Loop has been cleared, but it's all wild after that. The line of the tram is still evident after the cleared path runs out, and I was able to follow it for about another half-mile but it gets pretty boggy in places. Anybody else have any info on this route?

[Bill Riley]

Will do , I have a compass and a backup, as well as adding the gps soon.  I just remember crap I'm lost head west :) and pray to hit loop or north and run into tamiami :).  I'm really just getting the gps to mark findings , I'm quite comfortable with the compass especially knowing it won't run out of batteries. I will try to put in some time on that pump on the 23rd. Which directions from the w peak have you tried in the last couple times out ? I'll try to hit alternate spots with a zig zag. Also do you have or know of a place to get the gpx file for this area.  I've looked at google maps a few times and just over the last couple years of footage the trail is barely visible on the east side heading to florida trail. Just a couple years back in the photos I can see it alot more pronounced.

[Swamp Hunter]

All I can add is that the pump is on a small island surrounded by water. The island is high and dry and it has at least 2 large Paradise trees that would be great for shade or tying a hammock.  I only found it because I followed someone elses ribbons. Some hiker was using it as a lunch stop. This was in the 80s.  I was afraid to tie new ribbons because I wanted to keep it secret. The old ribbons have rotted away . The pictures I took were developed in Oct 1990. I had been there many times. I lost it the year before I purchased my first GPS which was the yellow one. I think they just came out so what year would that be? . I would say its definitely south of the W and definitely before the center. Its a little past the new pump that doesnt work and a bit south.

 

Someone collected large seashells and lined them up on a fallen log. I dont know where the seashells came from as this is far inland. There were pots and pans everywhere. I dont remember seeing any tin or galvanized steel roofing or any remains of a structure.

 

There is a very large cypress knee next to the pump. The pump needs to be primed but it pumps very nice clean sulphur smelling water which means its deep and safe to drink. I drank it many times.. I used to fill the pots and pans so I would have water for the next priming in the dry season.  I left it with a 10 gallon plastic green bucket over the wellhead. Someone replaced the rusted bolts with stainless steel.

 

Im afraid the NPS will cap it off if they ever find it.  Im hoping we will be able to talk the park service into keeping it.

 

Now that I think about it, I remember seeing solution hole rock back behind the island.

[Dallas]

I have an Etrex 20 and it gets perfect signal in there. 

Bill Riley said:

Hey Dale, I'm looking at the garmin etrek 30 for my new gps. Think it will work in that area for obtaining signal. Any recomendation on a gps that works well there. We had a car gps handheld which lost sat in thick around 2.2 mile ish area. IF I find that Pump I'll be wanting to mark my location for ya :).  

[Swamp Hunter]

Looking at the Garmin timeline, the first etrex came on the market in 1999.  So the last time I visited the pump was probably 1998-99.  I purchased my yellow etrex in 1999-2000 but it was too late.

[Bill Riley]

Thanks Dallas for your input as well. I def would like a tried and true version in there :)

Dallas said:

I have an Etrex 20 and it gets perfect signal in there. 

Bill Riley said:

Hey Dale, I'm looking at the garmin etrek 30 for my new gps. Think it will work in that area for obtaining signal. Any recomendation on a gps that works well there. We had a car gps handheld which lost sat in thick around 2.2 mile ish area. IF I find that Pump I'll be wanting to mark my location for ya :).  

[Bill Riley]

Alright, so I had a few hours today and went and tested my garmin etrex 20. I have marked out the little clearing of stumps with the pile of firewood at  25°48'58.50"N  81° 4'51.12"W  , google earth friendly coords. This is right before the long path of 3 inch water surrounded by glades on both sides. Almost looks like your walking down a hallway with a water floor. The end of this is where I had to stop as I got there late. It ended at a section of trees that has many markers to which I have added two more , bright orange ones. I will be going out further this weekend on the 23rd. The coords  for the end of the long hallway right before entering back into what looks like dry ground again are  25°49'2.82"N  81° 4'33.18"W.  I have also attached a picture of what you see at the end of that hallway. I cleared quite a bit on the way back there. Also someone is hanging white markers. I have added a few new Orange ones in new spots but spent most of my time up to that point clearing path and ground stomping.

[Swamp Hunter]

Thanks that will make it easier to traverse. Yes I call the hallway area "the gauntlet" but "hallway" is probably better.  In about the middle of the hallway on the south side will be the old tree stand.  I saw 2 deer last year near your ribbons (in the picture).

 

After that, the tram will be elevated again, dry ground again, as you noted..  At the end of the elevated section, you will find the pump that doesnt work, benches, dry box, ladder and tools. We dont know who left them there.

 

After that you will find the Mardi Gras mask. I once startled a fawn near this point that was in hiding. I was surprised to see it hiding in the ferns. At first I didnt realize what it was. The mother was not to be seen. Of course I left it be. Its these amazing moments that keep me coming back.

 

The lost pump is just a little further. Its marked pretty good up to this point but you still have a ways to reach the center of the W and holey rock. This is as far as anyone has marked the trail. I posted the center W coordinates.

 

Thanks for updating. I would like to go back out myself.

[Bill Riley]

If my calculations are correct I have around another 1.1 miles. I took my last coords and marked the coords you gave for the center of the w and used Google Earth's ruler. I'll keep trying to keep the trail up to the w point clean :) so the energy can be spent on the umarked section . Looks pretty good from space :) can't see anything while standing right in front of it though lol.

[Swamp Hunter]

I found what I believe is the center of the W because it has railroad ties but the trail is not clear all the way there yet. Its very overgrown and unmarked right before the center W.  It may look good from the air and from the trailhead map but not on ground level. No way does the trail reach the center W. I actually became frustrated and gave up. Its very tedious work and it seems like it takes almost a half day to get there..

[Swamp Witch]

When I hike through I see very few railroad ties because there’s always water, but I "marked" (with the GPS) some of the ribbons I’ve seen.  Some of them are fairly close to the Center of the W.

 

The purple line is my estimated location of the trail from Google Earth.  The blue flags starting with GH & a number are estimated waypoints from Google earth.  The black dotted lines are my track logs.  The hunters camp with the benches is labeled GH Hunters2.  Center W is using Dale’s coordinates.  GH lastribbon (N25 49.166 W81 04.048) was what I thought was the last ribbon but I saw another one at GH1R (N25 49.186 W81 03.989) only 300-feet from Dale's Center W.  Where all the track logs come together is the Holey Rock area.  Not sure if this info will help, but thought I’d pass it along.

 Estimating off Google Earth worked out pretty well GP-12, which was my estimated center is only 66-feet off Dale’s center.

IMO I like gauntlet better because walking through there reminds me of what it would be like running a gauntlet getting slapped, scratched, and poked all the time.

Also, last year someone marked the trail coming from Roberts Strand.  This year many of the ribbons were missing.  I assume due to natural causes.  The remaining ones were in bad shape.

[Bill Riley]

Gauntlet it is lol :) . So i'll be back on the 23rd as I have posted and should be there early this time. I'll be working on clearing up till the w for a nice walk then working over the next couple of monthes connecting and marking everything. Just out of curiosity since I'm new to this area is Holey Rock something you came up with or is it named on a map somewhere? When you worked from loop road to roberts strand did you have some preset waypoints you were working off of or just generally heading east with a waypoint of robert's strand? Hopefully by the time you walk it, I'll have at least the first section to the w pretty cleaned up. It has gotten pretty overgrown as it looks like everyone stops at the first stagnant pool of water and turns back. There are two logs to the right now and easy to walk across that first pool. The section right after the gauntlet looks like where I'll be focusing my attention on this next trip as it looked pretty overgrown. I'll do what i can over the next couple of monthes but I live in hollywood and it is quite a drive just to get there :)

[Bill Riley]

I found this topo map and overlaid my gps coords over it. I hopeing this dotted black line is an accurate logging tram line. If so I can use it as a guide to connect everything. For those of you who have been out a few times what do you think of that black dotted line . Does it look close to being accurate. The map came from MSRmaps part of the expertgps program. 002 is the stumps set in a circle with a firewood pit and 004 is the end of the gauntlet.