When you spend enough time in the woods, you notice the little things. Elevation, for instance. Granted, on the Suwannee, the “Econ,” the Aucilla, and the Sopchoppy, you’re going to notice the elevation changes. Rivers do wonderful things to our landscapes. But pay attention as you walk a “flat” trail. Only six inches of elevation change utterly alters the ecosystem. Pond pine and slash pine yield to longleaf as you plod upward, with sand pine and wild rosemary coloring the desert-like uplands. In floodplain forests, sweet bay magnolia crowd closely together to lap up seasonal marsh waters, forming bayheads. Bayheads often yield to hydric hammocks—misty jungles of ferns, cypresses, and cabbage palms. Where else in this country can you find a hydric hammock? To me, these tangled lowlands represent quintessential Florida—deep, dark, mysterious, and wild. We have our wondrous springs, gushing forth millions of gallons of fresh, clear water, and the mysterious depths of our trailside sinkholes, alive with ferns, mosses, and creatures that delight in their cool shadows. Walking across wide-open prairies, we have our own version of the “Big Sky.”

Tiny details catch my eye, all speaking of the essence of Florida. Wiregrass fades to a purple haze in the waning winter sun. The gnarled arms of young live oaks knit a canopy scarcely over my head. Deer moss clusters along the trail like seafoam. Like blobs of raspberry jam, delicate carnivorous sundew plants quiver and sparkle in the morning sun. A bright green anole plays hide and seek on the wildfire-scarred trunk of an ancient slash pine. A gopher tortoise takes a bite out of a prickly pear cactus, then strolls downs its own well-worn trail to its hole. Sandhill cranes wheel overhead in a blur of gray and black, their frames so impossibly large and colorful.

This is Florida. Before your snowbird friends depart this spring for their mountain abodes, be sure to take them on a hike— and point out what’s so special about our outdoors.

Join the Club!
The statewide nonprofit Florida Trail Association brings together outdoors enthusiasts for group hikes, backpacking and paddling trips, and more. Regional chapters hold monthly meetings with programs about Florida’s natural and cultural history. For information, call 877-HIKE-FLA or visit www.floridatrail.org