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Panorama on the Florida Trail in Big Cypress.
CLICK for interactive panoramic. Try it on your iPhone!
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Aerial panoramic view of a hardwood hammock in a sea of dwarf cypress!
CLICK for interactive panoramic!
This three day, two night hike across most of Big Cypress National Preserve is one of the more intense trips for the adventurous South Florida hiker. Organized by Christopher Scott Boykin of the Big Cypress Chapter of the Florida Trail Association (FTA), this adventure covered about 33 miles through a variety of terrain. Starting at the Oasis Visitor Center on the south end and ending up at the Mile Marker 63 Rest Stop / Access Point, we hoofed, huffed and sweated along the Florida National Scenic Trail in complete awe and at times near total exhaustion. This is also one of those trips you remember and tell stories about!

Satellite view of hike through Big Cypress in relation to South Florida.
Click for detailed map of Big Cypress!

The (new) start of the Florida National Scenic Trail is at the Oasis Visitor Center.
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Hiking along the perimeter of the Oasis compound airstrip.
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There’s no getting around mud and water in Big Cypress!

The Florida Trail gets muddy and wet quickly.
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Elevated aerial view hiking into Big Cypress National Preserve.
Aerial views along a very picturesque and wet section of the Florida National Scenic Trail in Big Cypress.
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Don’t Panic, it’s local & organic .. trail sushi ! 😉
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Aerial view hiking through a Dwarf Cypress forest on the Florida Trail.
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Hikers taking a break among the Slash Pine higher ground along the Florida Trail, a squirrel’s eye view.
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An FWC Swamp Buggy on patrol in Big Cypress National Preserve.
As we detoured to check out some wreckage bits of an old downed small plane, we spotted (or rather did he?) an FWC Ranger / Law Enforcement on patrol in Big Cypress. He had a pretty sweet Swamp Buggy at his disposal!

Keeping a respectful distance here as
today’s FWC Ranger is packing some firepower!
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Sections of the Florida Trail show the underlying limestone bedrock.
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This is not a joke! There are many private camps all along this section of the Florida Scenic Trail. CLICK for more information!
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Hiking in Big Cypress – my pole and my cam, they comfort me!
Thanks to Christopher Boykin for this great pic of me. 🙂
The beautiful sunlight triggered this black and white photography side trip..
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The interesting geometric shapes of palm fronds pepper the landscape in the drier scrub-pine habitats.
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Life, death and plaster in Big Cypress.
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We arrived early at 10 Mile Camp, which is in a dry wooded Pine area. There’s only a sign and a fire pit ring, andcamping is dispersed radially around it!
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Bird’s eye view dispersed camping at 10 Mile Camp off the Florida Trail.
CLICK for interactive panoramic. Try it on your iPhone!
Luckily there is a wet Cypress Dome nearby that provided us with all the fresh water we could use!
Gathering drinking water and then filtering it is always one of the main activities in camp, especially on longer hikes like this one.
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This night was quite cool, dipping down to the low 30’s (F), and nearly freezing. This is cold for January even in South Florida!
We kept that fire going as long as we could.
My down sleeping bag worked well and kept me toasty all night long inside the inner sanctum of my old tent.
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For planning overnight trips, there is a weather reporting station nearby in Jerome, Florida.
The morning brought a beautiful new day and an early start for the projected 12 – 14 mile hike!
From above, and from below..
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The hiking was fast paced as this would be the longest day for the group. The Florida Trail crosses and sometimes follows existing ORV tracks. It’s really neat, and a very special time to hike through Big Cypress on foot alone! However, the ORV option could be really useful to carry all the gear & supplies when engaged in other pursuits.

Parts of the Florida Trail cross existing ORV trails in Big Cypress.
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An aerial bird’s eye view of a hardwood hammock in Big Cypress.
CLICK for interactive panoramic. Try it on your iPhone!
Destination: Oak Hill Camp – a hardwood hammock in a sea of wet cypress!
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As the sun was setting, we were still a couple of miles from camp.
The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
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Hiking through the Dwarf Cypress trail in the dark wasn’t altogether much different from daytime as the trail is mostly concealed under the water anyway. The fatigue from hiking all day through gnarly terrain becomes apparent at this point!
Thankfully the Oak Hill Camp was already set & the fire was going when we arrived to re-join the group. I smelled the smoke from that fire a good distance away – it was the homing beacon!
Oak Hill Camp is dry ground inside a hardwood hammock and typical of Big Cypress camping.
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What’s this? It’s an origami tea cup with a Jasmine Blooming Flower tea steeping. Thanks Christopher!
This night was much warmer as forecast, with lows in the 50’s (F).
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The new morning brought renewed energy and plenty of sunshine along with lots of water to pump for the day ahead!
Black and White photography from Big Cypress.

Big Cypress still looks much as it did in the past. It hasn’t been as radically altered by human (mis)deeds as the Everglades to the south!
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Being at the tail end of the group has it’s privileges!
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Elevation: -2 feet!

Miles and miles to go before we sleep .. thank you Robert Frost!
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Sometimes you’ve just got to have some chocolate!
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As we neared I-75, the constant traffic sounds like a running stream in the distance!

Flying over an ORV track near I-75. You can see a tower straight ahead.
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Which is the Zoo, inside or outside the gates ?
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Don’t go Postal yo!
I’d like to express a BIG thanks to the Big Cypress Chapter of the FTA & Christopher Scott Boykin for the trip and for bringing South Floridians face to face with our unique backyard wilderness!
Also special THANKS to Ryan Westberry for shuttling everybody back to Oasis, much appreciated!
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Enjoy!
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© 2014 Flex Maslan / Awakenthegrass.com / digital029art.com. All original photographs, artworks and music in this portfolio are copyrighted and owned by the artist, Flex Maslan, unless otherwise noted. Any reproduction, modification, publication, transmission, transfer, or exploitation of any of the content, for personal or commercial use, whether in whole or in part, without written permission from the artist is strictly prohibited.
All rights reserved.
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DISCLAIMER:: The maps and images on this site are not intended for navigation, I am not a guide; use any and all information at your own risk! Your mileage may vary .. so be prepared and use good judgement before venturing out!
With that said.. Blessings friends!
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