This past Tuesday I went for a nice day hike in the eastern section of the Florida Trail that passes through Etoniah Creek State Forest. I've been on something of a mission to hike all of the FT that I can get to locally, and I've been really impressed with everything I've seen so far.
Last week I hiked the Longleaf Pine trail which is on the western side of Etoniah Creek SF. So with this new section I've covered the whole park except for the estimated 1.4 mile section connecting the Tinsley road trail with Holloway road. I was excited about my hike at Tinsley road but I didn't have any idea what I was in store for along Etoniah Ravine!
I parked at the trailhead at close to 10:00 AM looking forward to a good 10 mile round trip hike. I brought along my pack which was a bit to big for a day hike. I packed lunch, a 2 liter camelback, a 1 liter Nalgene, and 750 ml of Iced Tea for lunch, and some snacks. I also packed some assorted stuff just for a little extra weight. I probably had approximately 15-17 lbs. I don't want to travel to light as I'm training up for a longer hike in June up in South Carolina.
As I was getting my pack on and locking up my truck several vehicles pulled in. I recognized the trailer they brought with a mower on it. I was thinking it was one of the FTA chapters here for trail maintenance. My suspicion was confirmed when one of the trucks stopped where I was parked and someone got out to speak with me. It was an FTA Chapter for sure, Halifax/St. Johns to be exact! This is the chapter I am supposed to be a member of. This is the same group me and my trail buddy Jim encountered at CR 314 on our Hopkins Prairie to Lake Delancy hike several weeks ago. It was great to meet everyone again, they are all very nice, friendly people, and happy to give all the trail info they can offer.
When you hike always be sure to sign the register at the kiosks or anywhere a log book is posted. Someone does check the information you leave. They had mowed the Tinsley Road trail previously and had saw where I left trail condition information.
At any rate after talking with everyone I set off on the trail. The trail begins by winding through pine, palmetto, and scrub before crossing several stream beds on foot bridges. Soon you come up on Falling Branch Creek to your left which joins Etoniah Creek at some point I guess, I never saw the connection that I can recall though. A bit before The Iron Bridge Shelter there's a scenic overlook of Falling Branch with a comfortable bench to rest. Someone had built a palmetto lean to here and a fire. I was pretty sure this was against park regulations but I left the site intact in case I was wrong. Upon my return I realized I was correct as the trail crew had removed the lean to. I wish that people would show more respect for our public lands and the regulations that are put into place to protect them.
Shortly I turned right on a blue blaze trail that leads to the Iron Bridge Shelter. This is a beautiful campsite with shelter, picnic table and fire ring. The Halifax/St. Johns Chapter has placed camping chairs, and reading material inside as well as a Trail Log. The site was well maintained and clean, even before the crew which was following behind me arrived. I would love to come back and stay over night here!
On the FTA map number 17 there is a campsite marked somewhere after the Iron Bridge Shelter, however I never seen one if my memory serves. The location I encountered the lean to may have been it, but if that is the case the Campsite symbol was misplaced on the map. I crossed a well built bridge over Falling Branch Creek before crossing a powerline trail that sends the trail in the direction of Etoniah Creek Ravine.
Just into the woodline you can hear the bubbling of a stream. Upon investigation I saw a picturesque clear stream flowing towards Etoniah Creek Ravine. I think this was still Falling Branch Creek. As I headed up the trail from here I began to see the ravine to my right which wasn't anymore than a streambed, about 4-6 feet deep. This was what I had envisioned seeing from my research. I couldn't have been more wrong!! The further I moved down the trail the deeper the ravine became. At it's deepest points I found two overlooks with benchs. I ate lunch at the second one. I won't wager to tell you how deep the ravine was, but I can say that if you fell in at the deepest point you might not come out alive or uninjured!
At the bottom of the ravine Etoniah Creek flowed crystal clear. Oh, how I wanted to jump in for a swim. After lunch I moved on along the ravine until the trail emerged on a sandy road. I walked under a radio tower which was a concrete structure on legs with an antenna on top. Situated in the woods at the end of the sandy road was a hunting camp with several trailers. I wanted to investigate but I always feel a bit timid when alone in the woods. So I decided not to look for any natives.
The trail progresses another mile or so through denser palmetto and gallberry bush crossing several footbridges. There's a lot of fresh fern growth in this area, and I could tell it must become fairly wet here in rainy weather. At the end of this trail section you cross a really nice foot bridge over Etoniah Creek. This is the place you'd want to take a break, clean up, wash your clothes, and massage your feet if you were thru-hiking. It's also a nice place for a secluded swim. The water is cool and clear, although the water isn't but about 2-3 feet deep.
The trail comes out onto Carraway road. Well according to the Florida Trail Data book I think it's actually Carraway Mail route, a sandy dirt road. If you continued south on the trail you would come to a gate which opened to the paved Carraway Road. Someone correct me if I'm wrong. Instead of heading south on the trail, if you walk 300 feet up the road you come to a flowing well that's right on Etoniah Creek. There is a large pool here under the pipe which was not actually flowing but rather dripping. A tree had fallen into the pool and the water was very dark. I wouldn't swim here.
I took my socks off here and dipped my feet in the clear water of the Etoniah which was on the other side of the flowing well pool. I ate a snack, drank some water and headed back to the trailhead. The trip out had taken me a while as I stopped frequently to sightsee and rest. The hike back I timed at just under 2 hours, walking at a good pace. I estimated about 5 miles each way, but it may have been a little less given my time to get back to my truck.
All in all this was a great hike! I hope you enjoyed this report. If you have any corrections for the information I provided feel free to post it. I hope to see everyone on the trail!!
Travis
PIctures (I had taken about 30 pics but I lost all but 10):
http://picasaweb.google.com/gmcclain20/
EtoniaCreekSFFTSectionHollowayRdToCarrowayRd 
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