Blazing A Trail
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by Jenna Taylor
or some, the Ocean To Lake Hiking Trail (OTLHT) is a chance to test gear and the durability of their feet before tackling a thru-hike on the Florida Trail. For others, it is a compact way to experience everything the Florida Trail has to offer. Slipping from farmlands to cypress domes, crossing wetlands and pine forests and sneaking undetected behind homes and beside interstates. In a rare opportunity to hike a trail instead of just maintaining it, I set off in February with some friends and my husband to take on the OTLHT. For our group, the OTLHT offered the chance to recognize a goal met, an obstacle overcome, and a sense of accomplishment. As we set off from Lake Okeechobee, heading east as most do, it quickly became easy to forget that we were walking through the very populated Palm Beach County. We passed through public land after public land, climbed the observation tower, and crossed a road or two but still, we saw no one else and heard nothing but nature. Until suddenly, we were reminded just how close we were. One night of our hike, as we settled into our tents, the sky suddenly erupted in noise and color. After the initial shock, we realized the cacophony was coming from the Honda Classic Golf Tournament at the PGA Palm Beach Gardens. Laughing, we remembered that we were still very close to civilization and in the backyard of so many. I knew the trail hadn’t always been in place but other than that, I knew very little about its establishment. Upon returning, I was pleasantly surprised to hear that a history of the trail’s creation was going to be shared at the next Loxahatchee chapter meeting. Today, the OTLHT spans 62 miles from Hobe Sound Beach to Lake Okeechobee. Typically hiked from west to east, this trail offers 8 campsites through Dupuis Wildlife and Environmental Area, J.W. Corbett WMA, Hungryland Slough, Loxahatchee Slough, Riverbend Park, and Jonathan Dickinson State Park. Water is abundant along the way, both on the trail and running alongside it. Hikers do not need any permits to hike this trail but reservations are required for some of the campsites. Though the trail feels like a natural flow between lands with very few road walks, it was not always in place. Instead, it was the vision of the Loxahatchee Chapter that took ten years to complete. As the saying goes, “trails don’t build themselves” and this was no exception. What was exceptional though, was the collaboration that occurred between the land managers involved, the community, and the chapter. Bea Rogers and Dean Drake were the original planners of the OTLHT, a vision that began in 1993. Throughout South Florida, trails were popping up but provided no connectivity to one another. Popular trails in Jonathan Dickinson State Park (JDSP) and Corbett WMA were being used but led nowhere. When asked about how the trail got started, Roy Moore, chair of the Loxahatchee Chapter and long-time Florida Trail Member said, “In regards to Dean and the development of the trail, he had the love of the outdoors since childhood and that
HISTORY, CHALLENGES, AND SUCCESS ON THE OCEAN TO LAKE HIKING TRAIL
Footprint
Spring 2022 2022 Spring
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