Friday February 5th 2016

It was Florida cold today. That’s what I’m calling it when the locals are complaining about the cold. They bundle up in layers and start every conversation with a complaint about the temperature. To most of the country, 55 degrees in February would be a heat wave.
The source of today’s adventure was the General James A. Van Fleet Rail Trail. This is a 29 mile paved section of converted railroad bed. It’s set up for biking and hiking. Today I chose to walk the part of the middle section of the trail in the Green Swamp area. My bicycle stated at the RV park. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do before I left and it’s a lot of work to put the rack and bike on the car. Next time I’ll take the bike.

General James A Van Fleet Rail Trail

The trail starts out in a cattle grazing area, proceeds into an area of denser trees, then gets into the swamp area. The trail is straight and flat. I walked out about two and half miles if the markers can be believed then returned.
I saw very few signs of wild life on the first part of the walk. The cattle were making noise but I didn’t hear any movement in the woods or bird sounds. At one point I did see a circling raptor in the air above the trees. I’m not sure if it was a hawk or possible a bald eagle as I think its head was white. Either way, its presence may be the cause of the silence in the woods.
Once I reached the swamp area the wildlife increased. I saw many small birds that I don’t have the knowledge to identify. I need to learn more about bird identification so I have a little better idea what I’m looking at. One thing I did recognize is an alligator in the water beside the trail. It was taking advantage of the bright sun to warm up in the cool temperature. This is the first alligator in the wild I’ve seen this winter.

On the way back to car I may have seen a feral pig. Some distance down the trail behind me, what I though was a fat brown dog crossed the trail quickly. I turned around to get a brief look at the animal. When I was reading the tail guide later, it indicated that feral pigs were common in the area. So maybe.
I’ll bring my bicycle next time I visit the trail. I need to be able to cover more distance in less time. A 5 plus mile hike is OK, but 20 mile bike ride would be better.