7/12/25

Great 13-mile hike today from Forgotten Creek Campsite to Leaning Pines Campsite through very similar terrain to yesterday’s hike — woods, prairie, small creeks. The only major irritant is all the spiders webs with all varieties of spiders, I’m getting better at spotting the webs and clearing them with my trekking poles, but missing a web and seeing a spider crawling down my hat gets my heart rate up! The Far Out info on the campsite tonight said no water was available, but the site actually has a fantastic well with a manual pump. Filling up a gallon ZipLock bag and pouring over me during the hot and humid day was fantastic! 

Marion is staying in hotel in Ebro, Florida since his feet are still swollen. He is improving with hydration, rest, and cold packs on his feet. He is meeting me at road crossings (SR 20) today; he brought cold drinks and some resupply items today. I really enjoyed sitting in his air-conditioned car for a few minutes today. Tomorrow we will meet about 5 miles from tonight’s campsite, and he will take me to a small cafe and his hotel for a shower. I can hardly wait!

Dinner tonight was the same as yesterday and again very good! Snacks during the day include Cliff Bars, peanut M&M’s, beef jerky, and Twizzlers which are also very tasty! 

I had a little trouble sleeping last night due to a thunderstorm, but I was pleased that my tent held up well and kept everything dry. I finally found a good sleeping position and woke up about 5:40 AM. I was able to pack up within 30 minutes and make it to Marion in about 3 hours. Hopefully, tomorrow will be an earlier start since the heat is unbearable after 12 Noon.