Big Cypress National Preserve Hike

[DanDan]

I finally got to hike the 31 mile, FloridaTrail, section of the Big Cypress National Preserve. We camped 3 nights. The biggest challenge is the muck, after about 20 miles things get very wet and muddy, after all, it is a swamp, and the stuff will suck your shoes right off. At this point of the hike, I averaged 1 mile per hour, it was tough going. I found mesh NB running shoes with liner sock and girly gators worked best for drainage. This hike is like a dessert concerning water. We found water, to filter, only in the most center of some cypress domes, many were dry. Carried a back up Saywer Squeeze filter luckly, as my first failed. My trekking poles were very useful to prevent falls, I slipped, stumbbled and staggered though that muck, but finally made it to I-75 Alligator Alley rest area. Yes, I raided the snack machine, a tradition. Video to come, that's my brother's area.