Movie Dome and Double Dome

Yesterday (Saturday) I met up with the Big Cypress Florida Trail Association group for some cypress dome exploration in Everglades National Park.  No, the Florida Trail does not go through this area, but we wanted to branch out and see something different with less hiking since it is definitely in the middle of wet season.  We met up at the park entrance in Homestead and carpooled to our first spot.  We first quickly walked the half mile Pineland Trail to see some tree snails.

We then headed over to another spot, parked on the side of the road and had to meander about a half mile over to Movie Dome.  I am not sure where the name came from, but I was told that park rangers lead tours here sometimes.

Approaching Movie Dome

The ground was very wet (thigh deep) and inconsistent so this was pretty difficult to traverse and a few people fell in.  As we entered the dome, my dad, a huge birder, immediately spotted a Barred Owl hanging out on a tree branch right in front of us.

He allowed us to gawk and him and take some pictures before flying off to find a more peaceful spot.  We explored the inside of the dome, saw some beautiful bromeliads, pond apples, and went for a swim.  

Center of Movie Dome

Pond Apple (edible but gross)

After exploring this dome we headed back to the cars to check out Double Dome.  This dome was right on the side of the road so we were able to enter it immediately.  It was completely different from Movie Dome. Double Dome had different weeds in the water and more ferns than bromeliads.  It was also filled with Butterfly Orchids, which are very common in this area.

Inside of Double Dome

Butterfly Orchids

We also saw wildlife here.  We saw 2 brown water snakes, a wasp nest and another Barred Owl.

We already plan to head back there in two weeks to explore 2 other domes so stay tuned for those pictures!

Paynes Prairie & Devil's Millhopper

Recently, I was up in Gainesville visiting my best friend, Auz.  This is a guest post from her about some of our hikes up there:

Paynes Prairie became the first state preserve in Florida in 1971, and since has been designated as a National Landmark. 

 

More than 20 distinct biological communities thrive in this national preserve - you can even see wild bison and horses from designated observation decks!  There is a Visitor Center (which we did not go to) that provides audio-visual programs that explain the area's natural and cultural history. 
One of the most popular trails, Gainesville-Hawthorne State Trail
is a 16 mile long, paved trail that snakes through Gainesville.   


 We had a great time trouncing through Paynes.  We even saw some wildlife! 

The hobby herpatologist wasn't paying attention and Megan almost stepped on an exquisite adult coral snake.

I didn't have my snake stick, so I couldn't get a very good picture.  I can only blame myself!

There was a good amount of canopy cover on the trail that we walked.  It kept it from being too terribly hot.

We were out for a couple of hours and it was very overcast the entire time.  The sky was threatening us with rain, but that didn't deter Megan and I from continuing our adventure.  We stumbled upon a gorgeous observation bench.  This was my favorite part of the day.  We took a seat and slowly ate our Publix subs and took in the sights.  

Devil's Millhopper

The second part of the day was a short jaunt over to a set of lushly landscaped stairs.  It's the second cousin of Tallulah Gorge State Park 1099 steps down.  This pristine limestone 120 feet deep sinkhole has been visited by the curious since the early 1800s.  There is a Visitor Center with clean bathrooms and pets are allowed!  We saw a lot of people running the stairs.  It is definitely a beautiful place for a morning workout.  At the end of each flight, there is a information plaque regarding the sinkhole.  It's a nice way to catch your breath and learn something new at the same time.   

Devil's Millhopper Descent

 

Megan is looking ethereal while reading one of the information plaques

Path around the "Millhopper"

Florida Trail: Oasis Visitor Center to Loop Road

This past weekend I finally convinced my dad to do a wet hike on the Florida Trail with me.  When I first presented the idea in the past he said no way because hiking miles and miles through water did not sound like his idea of a good time.  I chose the Southern terminus of the Florida Trail to start with.  Early Saturday morning we drove both of our cars down Tamiami Trail to Loop Road in the Everglades.  On the way down Tamiami we saw more birds than I could count along the canal.  We left my car down there and drove his up to the Oasis Visitor Center on Tamiami Trail.  On the drive back up we saw a few hunters participating in Florida Fish & Wildlife's Python Challenge.  As I'm sure you've heard, the Florida Everglades is having a bit of a problem with former pet Burmese Pythons that were let loose and have grown to mammoth proportions.  They have no predators of their own and have been eating all the wildlife, including deer and alligators!

We checked in with the ranger station and got a permit (they like to know who is out there in case you get lost/go missing).  The ranger warned us to look out for cottonmouths/water moccasins which are pretty prevalent on the trail.  On the way to the trail we saw a bunch of tourists photographing a small 8 foot gator, while on the other side of the road this huge mama sat unnoticed!

Unfortunately, there is almost no signage for Southbound hikers on the Florida Trail and we initially set off on a shorter trail designated for tour groups.  We turned around and had to ask a ranger to point us in the right way.  If you are doing this hike, head west on Tamiami Trail and keep an eye out for a very narrow path with an orange blaze on a skinny tree (we walked right by it a couple times).  Once we were on the trail the blazes were prevalent and we had no issues with getting lost.  Even though it is dry season, the trail is still very muddy and wet.

 Florida Trail near Oasis Visitor Center

You might ask, "What shoes do you wear on a wet hike?".  We pondered this ourselves for a few days before.  We figured that if we wore sneakers or hiking boots they would just turn into heavy bricks on our feet.  Crocs didn't seem like a good alternative either.  In the end, we settled on wearing water shoes (the ones with mesh uppers and rubber bottoms).  We knew it would be a gamble and weren't sure if they would hold up but they ended up being the perfect choice.

The first mile or so was through thick, shoe-sucking mud.  After that it was almost a relief to get into the shin deep, cold water.  I know this sounds like a terrible hiking idea, but it was really enjoyable.  The temprature was about 70-75 degrees and the water felt wonderful.  It was also crystal clear so you could easily see what you were stepping on.  This continued on for another few miles as the cypress trees thickened and we saw more and more Bromeliads on the trees.  Here is where we ran into 3 Cottonmouths all within a 1/2 mile distance.  They were prominently sitting on the trail, not easily missed.  We bushwhacked our way around them and gave them a wide berth.

Cottonmouth



Around mile marker 5 the trail heads east for a mile.  This East-West traverse was our favorite.  I can't describe it as anything else but magical.  The plants that grew here were different from what we had seen so far.

 EW Traverse section (Robert's Strand)

Around mile marker 4 the trail heads south again.  It eventually gets up onto dry land but I guess trail maintenance was due because we had to push ourselves through thick brush (and some sawgrass) to get through.  At one point we stopped for a quick lunch at the first bit of dry land we had seen all day.

Lunch Break

Just north of MM 3 there is a campsite called Frog Hammock Camp.  We explored it for a bit and realized people probably don't camp there often.  It was totally dry but the water pump seemed like it hadn't worked in years.





The last 3 miles were relatively dry and around 2 miles from Loop Road we saw a white-tailed doe.

2 Miles to Go



When we arrived back at the car, I went to rinse my muddy feet off in a creek and scared off a baby gator.  Overall, it took us almost 7 hours to hike 8 miles.  The mud and water resistance on your legs really slows you down!  We drove back up to the Visitors Center where we enjoyed a couple of beers my dad had brought in a cooler.  Great end to a long hike!

Baby Gator