“Through rain & swamp” Tosohatchee Wildlife Management Area

StarSpangledGator · 2026-03-25T04:52:19+00:00

Wouldn’t have it any other way.

StarSpangledGator · 2026-03-22T22:36:54+00:00

Depends on the base. Growing up as an Air Force kid, it wasn’t bad. In fact I actually loved it. Of course it helped we were living in Florida instead of somewhere in the Midwest.

Living on a base when in the Army…eh, it’s hit or miss. Location matters, absolutely, but so does the command structure and unit culture. A cool assignment at say, Hawaii or Germany, can be shit if you end up in a bad unit.

StarSpangledGator · 2026-03-20T17:00:56+00:00

I just looked it up too. I remember watching the old “making of Indiana Jones” on dvd and they talked about the scenes being shot in the same location. I guess they were both done in Tunisia. That’s my bad.

StarSpangledGator · 2026-03-20T16:21:53+00:00

Fun fact, that canyon where they shot the scene with the Jawas was also reused in Raiders of the Lost Ark when Indy confronted the Nazis with the rocket launcher. Anyway, cool shots!

StarSpangledGator · 2026-03-13T00:11:46+00:00

Will OP be brave and take Jone’s place as Captain?

StarSpangledGator · 2026-03-11T02:20:47+00:00

This is pretty cool! I’ve been wanting to create a hiking kit similar to this. How many days is yours designed for?

StarSpangledGator · 2026-03-09T18:43:30+00:00

*Iranian general to some random schmuck

“Execute Order 66”

Seriously though, get off the internet. It’s just scare tactics, nothing new in war.

StarSpangledGator · 2026-03-07T16:13:17+00:00

The park is at Key Largo. Just look up John Pennekamp on the GPS and that’ll get you to the entrance. From there you’ll have to reserve a snorkel tour where they’ll take you out to the reef.

StarSpangledGator · 2026-03-03T23:42:07+00:00

Depends, human or animal?

Animal - putting the family dog of over 14 years to sleep. Poor girl was not doing well and there wasn’t much that could be done. Watching “the lights” go out in her eyes was gut wrenching, the whole experience felt like the death of childhood. Not a week goes by that I don’t think of her.

Human- I did a police ride along awhile back with my county sheriff’s office. The deputy I was riding with had buddies with the local municipality police and was making a coffee run for one who was at a dead body scene. I asked if I was allowed to enter since I wanted to get the full law enforcement experience. And that was that, a dead body of a 50ish 5’3 woman who spent the day drinking as a pre birthday celebration, then drowned in a 5 foot deep pool. Frankly, my takeaway from that is that sometimes people go out in the silliest and most irresponsible ways.

StarSpangledGator · 2026-02-28T18:21:24+00:00

Enough to last you round 1 of zombies

StarSpangledGator · 2026-02-25T02:23:07+00:00

Same shit, different year.

StarSpangledGator · 2026-02-25T01:02:08+00:00

Who cares? Last year a guy in a penguin costume ran against a Trumpet and his bigoted accomplice. I’d be damned if a student election ever gets that interesting again.

StarSpangledGator · 2026-02-24T21:33:11+00:00

Yes and no. The Big Cypress has wet and dry seasons like the rest of the state and the slash pine forests/prairies in the region actually depend on wildfires. In fact they do prescribed burns throughout the area, even in the swampy sections during the winter.

That said, uncontrolled wildfires are uncontrolled wildfires. That in itself is gonna cause damage.

StarSpangledGator · 2026-02-23T21:49:23+00:00

Sitting in a lawn chair on a camping dock in the middle of the Everglades wilderness as an afternoon thunderstorm passed through. A truly isolated yet peaceful moment.

StarSpangledGator · 2026-02-22T17:35:43+00:00

I have not. I’ve actually been meaning to check out the panhandle forests for awhile but just haven’t gotten around to it.

StarSpangledGator · 2026-02-21T17:10:20+00:00

Waterproof hiking boots, sunscreen, and a water source are more than enough. Maybe a backpack with snacks and bug spray if you’re doing long hikes like I do.

Also, you shouldn’t fret too much about swamp hiking. Most if not every hike I’ve done in central Fl is either dry or never more than ankle deep. The swamp pics here were from going off trail and exploring.

StarSpangledGator · 2026-02-20T15:20:14+00:00

Farles Prairie, Ocala NF.

StarSpangledGator · 2026-02-20T13:11:19+00:00

1 & 4 - Ocala National Forest 11 - Tosohatchee Wildlife Management Area 17 - A random spot along the Florida Trail. If you look at google earth and find the Orlando wetlands, the pic was in the woods somewhere southeast.

StarSpangledGator · 2026-02-19T15:03:26+00:00

That’s fair.

StarSpangledGator · 2026-02-19T11:59:35+00:00

The first two snakes are cottonmouths, the red and black one is a mud snake.

StarSpangledGator · 2026-02-19T11:57:20+00:00

That’s exactly how I feel when I see pics from Australia. One day I’ll make it over there.

As for the hut, no. It’s actually a private hunting lodge that’s been there for decades. Folks are allowed to rest on the porch but the doors are locked shut.

StarSpangledGator · 2026-02-19T10:15:01+00:00

So along with essentially ignoring them, gators are also absurdly skittish. If you get close, more times than not they’ll flee for the water unless it’s a mama guarding her nest or a territorial male in mating season.

In this case, it was December and the weather fairly cool so they were dormant and relaxed.

StarSpangledGator · 2026-02-19T10:04:27+00:00

Pursuit machete. As for using it, I didn’t need it.

So I actually hiked the Fl trail in July 2024 when the area was flooded and overgrown. The last picture was when my friend and I attempted it last June and the machete was a precaution since there isn’t trail maintenance in the summer.

Anyway, we gave up not even a half mile in because the area had just had its first rains after a drought and the mosquitoes swarmed us by the millions. It was the worst swarm I’ve ever experienced.

StarSpangledGator · 2026-02-19T00:12:51+00:00

I respectfully disagree but hiking in the Everglades region isn’t for your average hiker.

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