February 1
End: Lake Butler
Miles: 19.5
Total: 739.9
I was able to stop from sliding on the hill I picked for my sleeping spot by using my SitLite pads to level the ThermaRest, making for a good night. When I awoke I got up and got ready for a walk into Lake Butler, where I was looking forward to some hot food.
Almost the entire walk was along the same old rail corridor I had been walking off and on since Palatka. The gravel continued to be a frustration, but I pushed on without breaks in anticipation of a late lunch in Lake Butler.
I let myself listen to some music as I did the road walk to get to the bridge over the New River. When I got back to the rail corridor I was happy to find it paved. There were Road Closed signs which I assumed applied to cars, since it was a hike and bike trail.
The last few miles were on this newly-paved section, and when I got to the first broken bridge I found it under construction. The folks there were real nice and let me walk over the makeshift beam in place.
The guys at the second bridge were apparently from a different company, and one guy gave me an earful, telling me I shouldn’t be on the path, and that no cars were allowed on the path, and if the game warden saw any he would give them a $5,000 ticket since only emergency vehicles could drive the trail, etc. At the end of that spiel he let me walk across the stepping stones down by the pathetic creek the bridge was meant to cross, so all was well.
I made the rounds in Lake Butler, eating at Hardee’s and Subway, hanging out at the library, and picking up groceries at Spires. I then visited a church having a service where more food was being served. I was totally stuffed. The church was interested in my trek and let me stay in an unused house on the property.