On day ten the hikers hit the Florida National Scenic Trail for 15 miles.
The trail is well-marked to help hikers find their way.
“The Florida Trail is about 1,400 miles long, with 600 miles of side trails, and that is how you navigate through the trail system,” said Ian Brown of the Florida Trail Association. “The maintenance on the trail is done by volunteers.”
The idea is that while standing at one blaze, you should be able to see the next one. Sometimes the blazes take hikers outside the forest.
“It’s not a continuous trail,” Brown said. “Sometimes you have to do some road walking to get to the good parts.”
Some of the good stuff includes the Edna Pierce Lockett estate. Established in 1874, it was built on the Kissimmee River, near the Florida cattle trail, and on the military trail Andrew Jackson walked down during the Indian Wars.
“When you are there, you really feel like you can hear the heart of Florida beating,” said Katherine Cornelius of the Highlands County Historical Preservation Commission.
The Highlands County Historical Preservation Commission hopes to make it an historic landmark with a working farm.
“Farm houses and barns and docents dressed in costume talking about what life was like there,” Cornelius said.
They are also hoping the future restoration of the Kissimmee River will bring visitors to a nearby closed oxbow.
Day ten ended at the Yates Marsh Trailhead. On day eleven the team will head down to the Kissimmee River Fish Camp.