I’ve mentioned a number of times how I have worked to lean into difficult situations and cultivate curiosity about what new things will come my way as a result of change. I have shared in other posts how hiking the Florida Trail with a broken foot opened a door for me to meet many people I would not have otherwise crossed paths with. I now want to share some other fun experiences which came as a result of breaking my foot on the Florida Trail.

Originally, I drove my car and left it in Mascotte, Florida while I thru hiked the trail. When I broke my foot, I picked up my car and used it daily as one end of a shuttle. This allowed me to continue to hike on crutches without carrying a full pack. Needless to say, I drove around Florida a lot.

I decided that since I was driving I wanted to see some beaches. Trail angel Karen Yanik had assured me New Smyrna Beach was a good one, so when I was in that area I made a run to the ocean, staying a few hours, walking in the waves.

On another day of hiking which ended early, experienced cave diver and trail angel Chris Brown went with me to the gulf coast near Sopchoppy. I enjoyed spending time walking in the water of the gulf.

Often on a long thru hike I pass iconic spots which are just a few miles from trail. Sometimes I make the effort to go to them. But other times walking even one mile out of my way feels like too much effort and I sadly choose not to visit a special swimming hole, historic site or other interesting feature off trail. Since breaking my foot I have been ending each day’s hike back at my car, making it easier to visit off trail spots.

One day I hung out at a spring called Devils Hole. This deep, spring fed sink hole is very close to the trail but also accessible by car. I enjoyed sitting there for a long while, dangling my feet in the clear, fish filled water without the worry of alligators, biting off my foot.

On another hot day, when I finished hiking earlier than expected, I searched for a local libray where I could charge my devices and catch up on writing some blogs. I was also hoping to find some good ice cream.

Through an online search, I discovered a library about a twenty minute drive away at Panama Beach. I was thrilled at the prospect of yet another beach visit and was sure I could find decent ice cream in a beach community.

The librarian in the Panama Beach Library was wonderful, telling me where to get the best ice cream and how to find public beach access. After writing for a few hours I packed up and drove off, heading for ice cream at the homeade ice cream place recommended by the librarian. As an added bonus, the ice cream store was almost right next to a place selling cooked seafood at reasonable prices. I was quite hungry and decided to treat myself in a way I seldom do. I got some take out food and ate it on the beach accross the road. Then I walked back to the row of stores and purchased a two scoop ice cream cone of mint chip and coconut. I took this back to the beach and made it last as long as I could. Finally I popped the last bit into my mouth just in time to begin snapping photos of the sunset. The beautiful pictures I got made for a wonderful end to a much needed day of self care.

While I was with Deb Hazen and her partner Tommie in their DeFuniak house, I went paddling on Juniper Lake which is on their beautifully landscaped property. I walked a series of trails Deb built through the natural vegetation, spotting a variety of lifelike statues of woodland creatures. I also got to see the clever structures Tommie built out of sandbags. He has written a book called Life in Harmony documenting his experiences building with sandbags.

I stayed with them in DeFuniak a number of nights, and on one of these we all went out in a canoe as evening fell, watching the egrets fly in to roost for the night. On another evening Deb and Tommie took me to historic DeFuniak to show me the oldest operating library in the state of Florida.

The library sits on the shore of Lake DeFuniak, which is one of only two almost perfectly round spring fed lakes in the world. After sightseeing, they took me to an iconic burger joint so I could get a pub burger and milkshake from Ed’s, which has been a local favorite for over fifty years.

I also attended a Florida Trail event dedicating DeFuniak as a gateway city for the trail. Then we all moved our base of operations to Deb’s house in Crestview, a town right on the Florida Trail.

It wouldn’t have been my first choice to break my foot and hike much of the trail in an orthopedic boot on crutches. Many times it was so hard I thought about quitting. But after I put in the hard work, I started to reap some rewards, and as a result, I’ve gotten to see much more of the natural beauty of Florida than I would have had I not broken my foot.

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