Wilderness Camping
By Jeff Moffitt
@moffittjc (118442)
Gainesville, Florida
March 23, 2016 6:58am CST
My son and I just returned from three days of wilderness hiking and camping. We covered 30.5 miles on the Florida Scenic Trail through the Ocala National Forest in north central Florida. We had some pretty cool adventures and experiences along the way, which I will share in additional posts over the next coming days. Just wanted to let everyone know I'm back, and that we made it safe and sound! I'm very sore today, and extremely tired, but otherwise I feel great! Leaving the world behind for a few days was just what I needed to unwind, decompress, and relax. Unfortunately, I have to go to work today, or otherwise I would take the day to ease myself back into the modern world! I can't wait to share some of my camping adventures with all of you!
6 people like this
8 responses
@fishtiger58 (29823)
• Momence, Illinois
23 Mar 16
Good to hear you had a great time and are now home safely
2 people like this
@moffittjc (118442)
• Gainesville, Florida
24 Mar 16
Other than being extremely sore from all the hiking with heavy backpacks, the only other maladies I suffered were a mild case of intestinal issues from drinking the water from the pond we camped by, and a mild case of hypothermia from exposure to freezing temperatures. But neither were bad enough to ruin the experience. I had a great time!
1 person likes this
@fishtiger58 (29823)
• Momence, Illinois
24 Mar 16
@moffittjc I am looking forward to the camping and fishing when it warms up around here.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118442)
• Gainesville, Florida
25 Mar 16
@fishtiger58 We're kind of the opposite here in Florida, We try to get all our camping in before the summer heat hits us. It becomes too unbearable to try and camp here in Florida once it warms up!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118442)
• Gainesville, Florida
24 Mar 16
I wish we didn't have to come back to civilization! The entire experience was so peaceful and enjoyable, it reminded me of how much i missed the great outdoors! I told my son that I was planning on doing this many more times in the future. I was worried how he would react to the adventure, since this was his first time, but he loved every second of the trip!
1 person likes this
@LdeL0318 (6402)
• Philippines
24 Mar 16
@moffittjc That was great. I'm sure you'll do it again next time since he enjoyed it.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118442)
• Gainesville, Florida
25 Mar 16
@LdeL0318 Oh yeah, I'm sure we're going to go camping and hiking all the time now! I can't wait until our next adventure!
1 person likes this
@Blondie2222 (28611)
• United States
27 Mar 16
Glad you guys had a good camping trip and nice experience together. I love sharing memories like that. Hope your work day went well
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118442)
• Gainesville, Florida
27 Mar 16
I had a great week at work, even though I missed Monday and Tuesday due to the camping trip!
@moffittjc (118442)
• Gainesville, Florida
24 Mar 16
I'll post about my adventure as I get the chance. I think it's going to take me a couple of days to catch up on my sleep first!
1 person likes this
@VivaLaDani13 (60355)
• Perth, Australia
26 Jun 19
@moffittjc I am so happy you and your son had great fun and adventure on this camping trip. I know this is an old post but decided to catch up on some of your posts tonight. I can not wait to read the other posts in regards to this trip! ( unless I have already read and responded to them. I will see when scrolling up your discussions )
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118442)
• Gainesville, Florida
27 Jun 19
Wow, this is an old post! haha
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118442)
• Gainesville, Florida
28 Jun 19
@VivaLaDani13 You better get moving if you want to catch up! You’re lucky that I actually don’t post much! Lol
1 person likes this
@VivaLaDani13 (60355)
• Perth, Australia
28 Jun 19
@moffittjc Sure is lol I'm still catching up.
1 person likes this
@Mike197602 (15487)
• United Kingdom
23 Mar 16
sounds good although as a tourist I'd be wary of camping in a country that has biting and stinging animals
I did used to do this sort of thing without tents in the forest near me but our forests compared to yours are very small.
I did used to do this sort of thing without tents in the forest near me but our forests compared to yours are very small.1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118442)
• Gainesville, Florida
24 Mar 16
Definitely as a tourist it would be hard to prepare for everything that our forests have as biting/stinging threats! For large animals, bears are the biggest threat, although they tend to keep to themselves, unless you leave food out in easy reach for them. There are also panthers, but they're much more rare. But biting/stinging insects? That's an entirely different story! There are literally hundreds of different insects that can either be a nuisance or ruin a camping trip. The particular spot we camped in had a lot of spiders and scorpions around, so it really kept us on our toes!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118442)
• Gainesville, Florida
26 Mar 16
@Mike197602 I think the vicious animals we all need to be the most concerned about are the human kind! lol
1 person likes this
@Mike197602 (15487)
• United Kingdom
25 Mar 16
@moffittjc with regards to animals there are none that people need to be concerned about here...beyond allergic reactions and such.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118442)
• Gainesville, Florida
24 Mar 16
I was telling my son on the last evening as we were watching the sunset over a meadow, it is such a shame that we have ruined the world in such a way that everything is so stressful and complicated. Sitting there in the wilderness watching the sunset, everything was relaxing, peaceful and serene. That is how God intended for us to enjoy our time on this earth. I wish life could be much more simpler than it is.
@moffittjc (118442)
• Gainesville, Florida
24 Mar 16
I'll post about my adventure, and share some photos.
