Stroll beneath the live oaks on a series of loop trails on a peninsula cooled by breezes off Lake Weir.

The breeze carries the scent of orange blossoms, from some of the northernmost remaining commercial groves in Florida. Lake Weir is a palatable presence, more than 5,800 acres of wet shallows favored by anglers and paddlers. At Carney Island Park, a county park in southern Marion County, the hikers get to play, too.

As a peninsula in Lake Weir, parts of Carney Island are naturally air-conditioned, like the benches adjoining the trailhead parking area, overlooking the lake. While waiting there for a group of hikers to assemble, I marveled at the size of the live oaks near the restrooms. One has a branch that bounces off the ground and climbs back up towards the sky. It called to me from childhood memories, inviting a climb up the extended limb. While I was busy studying the tree, a doe and her fawn crept up towards the parking area, browsing the grass, and spooked when a runner approached off the trail.