December in central
Florida this year felt like spring. The temperature records broke through
historic highs several days, but only by a degree or two. While the humidity
remained higher than normal, it stayed comfortable for those of us who live
here, and are used to it. The fabulous weather made us eager to get out more,
so we headed to Colt Creek State Park in Lakeland, FL.
We last visited this
park this past February. At the time, the staff told us that very soon a
Family/RV campground would join the primitive camping available. Unable to find
any further information on it, it was our first question at the ranger station.
Unfortunately, nothing has been done these 10 months, and it sounded as though
nothing would be done in the near future. As Colt Creek sits in the west
portion of the Green Swamp, the location would be ideal for spending a few days
to explore the swamp. Needless to say, we were very disappointed as we love
camping Florida state parks.
The park offers
primitive back-pack camping, primitive equestrian camping, and a youth camp.
Fishing and hiking remain the primary activities here for day travelers, with
very nice picnic pavilions, tables and grills available. This day fishing
definitely led the pack as the preferred activity.
We hiked around Mac
Lake and then part of the Flatwoods trail, taking a break in-between for lunch.
This is dry season in Florida, and it has been very dry in November and
December. Swamp areas that had been very wet last February showed no sign of
water this time.
We saw numerous birds,
especially when we first arrived. We wondered if we would see any snakes with
the warmth. Sure enough, I looked down as I walked one of the trails and
directly in front of me a snake basked in the warmth, watching us but obviously
not too concerned. We originally thought Ribbon Snake, but after studying the
photographs and comparing them to the Reptile Species List for Green Swamp
which I found on the internet, it more resembles a Common Garter Snake.
No comments:
Post a Comment