Another Backpacking Trip in the Books
By Jeff Moffitt
@moffittjc (118433)
Gainesville, Florida
February 27, 2023 6:47pm CST
Just returned from 5 days in the wilderness with my son on our annual backpacking trip. And yes--since I know you're wondering--Florida does have wilderness. It's not all beaches and palm trees like people think it is! lol. We hiked/backpacked through the Juniper Prairie Wilderness inside the Ocala National Forest, which is in the north central part of the state. This national forest is the largest in Florida and is the southernmost national forest in the US. It stands at 387,000 acres in size, and contains the largest contiguous sand pine scrub forest in the world. In our five days of camping and hiking, we covered just over 22 miles (35 km) in one of the most remote areas in the state.
Usually, we bring hammocks to sleep in, but this year we tried our backpacking tents. Between you and me, the hammock is ten times more comfortable! Although I would have liked to have brought more creature comforts, we were limited to only bringing what we could carry on our backs for five days. This included food, water, shelter and clothing. We try to be as primitive as we can be, although technology has made backpacking so much easier these days. For example, no longer do we have to cook over a campfire, but instead cook over portable cooking stoves that fit in a side pocket on our backpacks.
I'll try to write about a few of our highlights for the week over the coming days, and hope not to bore you to death if you're not a camping fan.
Maybe one of these days @porwest will invite me to "camp" with him in his camper, and in return I can get him to join me out on the trail one time! lol
Photo is of me and my son at the start of the hike.
14 people like this
13 responses
@DaddyEvil (137145)
• United States
28 Feb 23
I'm not into hiking or camping, but I enjoy hearing about your adventures, anyway. 
Did your son look as happy at the end of the trip as he does at the start? 
Did your son look as happy at the end of the trip as he does at the start? 2 people like this
@moffittjc (118433)
• Gainesville, Florida
28 Feb 23
@DaddyEvil Not yet. Give me a few more years.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (118433)
• Gainesville, Florida
28 Feb 23
He did! One thing I’ve always loved about that kid is that he is always perpetually happy.
3 people like this
@LadyDuck (458006)
• Switzerland
28 Feb 23
@moffittjc For sure the technology is helping a lot those who love camping. Things were heavy in the past. I cannot believe that your son is almost 20... next week, he is Pisces like me.
3 people like this
@moffittjc (118433)
• Gainesville, Florida
28 Feb 23
I get better and better each year with keeping my backpack weight low. And the technology in camping equipment keeps getting better and better, which means I can pack more stuff without my backpack getting too heavy.
Thanks for the compliment on my son and I. He will be 20 years old next week.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (118433)
• Gainesville, Florida
28 Feb 23
@LadyDuck I still can’t believe both of my children are fully grown adults now (my daughter will be 24 this year). The time just flies by so fast.
3 people like this
@moffittjc (118433)
• Gainesville, Florida
4 Mar 23
@NJChicaa I agree Jill, I think that despite your differences the two of you would have a blast together.
1 person likes this
@RubyHawk (99425)
• Atlanta, Georgia
28 Feb 23
You and your son were really roughing it. Your camping trips will be something he will always remember. That must have been tough deciding what you needed most since you had to carry everything in your back packs. You must tell us more about it.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118433)
• Gainesville, Florida
28 Feb 23
Over the years we've learned what we can do without, and what is an absolute necessity. And sometimes it required several attempts at getting everything into the backpacks. And not only that, but we have to account for every OUNCE of weight we put in the packs. They can get quite heavy with all the gear in them, especially when you have to carry enough supplies to get your through 5 days.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118433)
• Gainesville, Florida
28 Feb 23
@RubyHawk He was so little when we first started our backpacking adventures together, and in those early years he struggled along the hike. To see him now just fills my heart with joy. He is an expert at it now, and it's me who has to scramble to keep up with him!
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (156056)
• United States
28 Feb 23
What a great picture. I didn't realize that Florida had so much wilderness. Looking forward to your trip details.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118433)
• Gainesville, Florida
28 Feb 23
Surprisingly, most of Florida is still swamp and wilderness. It’s the coastal areas that are overpopulated and overdeveloped. When you get away from the touristy areas, natural Florida is an amazing place.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118433)
• Gainesville, Florida
28 Feb 23
@LindaOHio When I lived in south Florida, I loved exploring different parts of the Everglades. It’s such an amazing and unique ecosystem!
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (156056)
• United States
1 Mar 23
@moffittjc Now they have to deal with the lousy pythons.
1 person likes this
@porwest (78761)
• United States
3 Mar 23
It is funny you mention about the vast forests there. When we drive in through Alabama into the panhandle it's forest for miles and miles and miles before we even get the hint of palm trees. Quite remarkable actually.
I would have to agree on the hammocks. My tent camping days are long gone. My back issues just won't let me do it, and perhaps I have gotten a bit spoiled by things over the years—the camper is as roughing it as I will get and it's got everything (including that air conditioning we talked about). Plus a full stove and refrigerator. You just can't beat it.
Still, I think there is something special about this "special" time you get to have with your son, truly in the outdoors, truly taking it all in.
If I could do that, I probably would.
I'd love to have you one day on one of our camping trips. But I am not sure I'd be quite the man you are to endure your counter offer. I like to think of myself as a manly man, but some circumstances have wussified me unfortunately. It is what it is I suppose. lol
By the way, that pic of you in a way kind of reminds me of Sam Neill.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118433)
• Gainesville, Florida
4 Mar 23
Haha don’t worry, I’m a little wussified myself in many ways. But that’s okay. It is what it is. We’d still have lots of fun regardless.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118433)
• Gainesville, Florida
7 Mar 23
@porwest Or maybe it’s because we’re getting old…
1 person likes this
@porwest (78761)
• United States
6 Mar 23
@moffittjc I mean, I have definitely grown soft on some things. Not sure if it is wussification or just getting tired. lol
1 person likes this
@FourWalls (62118)
• United States
28 Feb 23
I saw lots of the great outdoors while there, including driving through parts of the Osceola National Forest! I just wouldn’t be out in that wild with gators and bears and skeeters, oh my! Glad you had a great time!
1 person likes this
@FourWalls (62118)
• United States
28 Feb 23
@moffittjc — no, I haven’t. (Writing down itinerary for next year’s trip.)
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118433)
• Gainesville, Florida
28 Feb 23
Throughout your adventures in Florida, have you ever been to Salt Springs or Juniper Springs? If not, you’ve got to check those places out. Amazing natural beauty!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118433)
• Gainesville, Florida
28 Feb 23
@FourWalls These are recreation sites in Ocala National Forest run by private companies under contract with the US Dept. Of Agriculture. Great swimming holes, I think you’d be pretty impressed. Make sure to pack a bathing suit next year!
1 person likes this
@wolfgirl569 (95136)
• Marion, Ohio
28 Feb 23
Glad you had a good time. Great photo
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118433)
• Gainesville, Florida
28 Feb 23
@wolfgirl569 Yeah, me too, since they can carry Lyme Disease. But we did tick checks every morning and every evening. The one I had on me was a tiny little one. Usually, the juvenile ticks don’t spread Lyme.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118433)
• Gainesville, Florida
28 Feb 23
Thanks, we had a blast! I only had one tick on me the entire time. I was worried that we’d be covered in them with it being so hot.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118433)
• Gainesville, Florida
28 Feb 23
Thanks! My son has the curliest hair, which he gets from his mother.
He was super excited about our trip. I was too, but hiking those long distances is much easier for home than it is for me!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118433)
• Gainesville, Florida
28 Feb 23
Arizona? I know there are beautiful places there, but all I ever think of when I think of Arizona is deserts. And I don’t think I’d ever want to camp in a desert. But I will join you under a palm tree at the beach!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118433)
• Gainesville, Florida
1 Mar 23
@DianneN Don’t worry, I still plan on visiting you; I haven’t forgotten.
1 person likes this
@DianneN (246720)
• United States
1 Mar 23
@moffittjc I didn’t mention his other invitations to Utah, Michigan, Texas, Colorado, etc. I turned them all down
Give me a hotel every time.
I’m still waiting for you to visit me
Give me a hotel every time.
I’m still waiting for you to visit me1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118433)
• Gainesville, Florida
28 Feb 23
Thanks. Not my best photo ever, but I can’t complain. Haha
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118433)
• Gainesville, Florida
28 Feb 23
The food is the lightest part of all our gear, since we carry freeze-dried meals. Water can easily add the most weight, but we carry hi-tech water filtration devices so we can scoop water from anywhere along the way.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118433)
• Gainesville, Florida
28 Feb 23
@JudyEv I have a 3-liter water bag with a filter on the bottom. The water is gravity fed through the filter, which will remove 99.99% of bacteria from the water. I can roll up the water bag and stick it in my backpack while hiking, and just fill it and hang it up whenever we set up a campsite.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (325693)
• Rockingham, Australia
28 Feb 23
@moffittjc That's really good. I did know about freeze-dried food but not about the water filtration bit.
1 person likes this
@zhangxueying (2945)
• China
28 Feb 23
This requires a lot of physical strength. I think I can't do it. My shoulder can't stand it, my neck can't stand it, my waist can't stand it, and I hardly exercise.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118433)
• Gainesville, Florida
28 Feb 23
I have back problems and a partially torn rotator cuff. Carrying that heavy pack actually helps my back, but I was worried about how my shoulder would feel. Luckily, it held up well through the entire trip.
