Exploring the World with Pokémon Go: E Central Regional Rail Trail
I got up early in the morning, ready for a long hike on E Central Regional Rail Trail. This time I was ready to brave the sun.
The E Central Regional Rail Trail continues from where the Spring to Spring Trail ended. Bidding Green Springs Park farewell, I started my journey early in the morning. I wasn’t sure how much shade I would find, so I made sure to bring a hat and sunblock.
In hindsight, I should have brought bug repellant too. The mosquitos were extremely happy for my visit. I did not enjoy disturbing them. Then again, this is their home and I am their prey. Guess I only have myself to blame this time.
With the bad aspects of my trip mentioned already, lets focus on what I saw. There are a lot of people’s property that backs up to the trail. And it seems these seem people use barbed wire to make sure that those exploring nearby stay away from them. I stay away due to this being Florida and having no idea what might happen to me. But I guess the fences are an extra level of deterrence.
It was a bit of a walk before I saw Mile Marker 19.5. Remember that unlike every other trail I have visited thus far, I started on the high end of the mile markers. They will continue to decrease as I move farther down the trail. Not sure what is at 0. I don’t think its the ocean. Seems a bit too far for that.
Mile Marker 19:
E Central Regional Rail Trail was built after a rail line was removed. That naturally means that much of this trail runs through the woods with walls of trees on each side. At times this hike felt monotonous as a result. But then again immersing myself in nature is healthy and something I enjoy. Just wish some of my photos were a bit varried.
There was one major landmark at this section of the trail. There was once a town here. But over time it slowly lost its population. Now only a road remains to prove that such a town existed at all. And the sign that I read explaining all this of course.
Not much else to talk about as I passed Mile Marker 19.0. Fully immersed in nature, I let my mind wander while taking plenty of photos to share my experience.
Mile Marker 18.5:
A lot more of the same at the next section E Central Regional Rail Trail. But there were a few things to separate from the rest. Notably I crossed another boardwalk. I imagine as I head further east towards the Atlantic Ocean I’ll see more and more of these.
Though people think of sun and beach when they hear Florida, a majority of the state is swamps. And in places like where this trail goes, that marshland tries to reclaim what was taken from it. Thus these bridges exist to protect us from nature while not preventing it from doing its thing. A welcome compromise.
Not sure why Mile Marker 18.5 had a hat sitting on it. But in the age of Covid, its best not to touch random objects. Then again, this is Florida. There never was a time where I would recommend touching random objects here.
Mile Marker 18:
When I was looking back at the pictures from this section of E Central Regional Rail Trail, I noticed an interesting phenomena. Normally you will see darker spots like the ones above after it rains due to trees blocking the path of the water. But this was actually the inverse. I was out here in the morning when the dew had not yet faded from the ground, or the leaves on the trees. The dark spots are actually where trees provide shade while the lighter areas are spots exposed to the sun.
Naturally the above means that if it had actually rained while on this adventure, the complete opposite spots would have been dark. Just one of those cool things I noticed. Not sure if its a big deal or not.
Mile Marker 18.0 did not have a hat on it. But that is to be expected. Hats should not be left in the woods. They should be worn to protect from the brutal Florida sun. This message is brought to you by the hats should be worn society. I am sorry if that is a real organization.
Mile Marker 17.5:
By this point on my adventure down E Central Regional Rail Trail, I was less worried about the sun and more worried about rain. Naturally as this was near the farthest point from where I started, it was too late to call it quits early. I would commit to the entire segment regardless of weather.
Crossing a road and passing several more spots of private property made this segment a little more unique. But it was still a hike through the woods with walls of trees on both sides. Beautiful to look at. But terribly boring to write about.
As I passed Mile Marker 17.5 I knew that the days journey was reaching its end. But that also means that much more distance before I find out what this trail is counting down to.
The final segment of E Central Regional Rail Trail took me to my next destination. Audubon Park isn’t well marked on maps, so I have no idea what to expect. Naturally this is exciting to me since Google Maps can sometimes ruin the element of surprise.
I’m not sure how much longer the walls of trees will continue on the trail. I hope that in my next adventure that I discover some new landmarks. Its pretty pictures everywhere, but there are only so many ways to describe similar scenes in text.
Pokémon Go:
As wonderful as E Central Regional Rail Trail is to hike, it is not the best place to play Pokémon Go. While there are some spawns, there was only one Pokestop on this entire segment of the trail. Since I walked roughly 3 miles, that is a lot of distance. Hike the trail and enjoy its beauty. Get some peace and quiet while at it. But for a peak Pokémon Go experience, this is not the place to be.
Well I walked quite a bit on E Central Regional Rail Trail and hatched a lot of eggs. For a change I was happy with almost all of them. The Yungoos being the only egg that I would consider a dud. More Larvitar, Exeggcute and Magikarp candy are always welcome.
Sandile was my buddy still on this adventure, but something cool happened on this trail and my next blog post might showcase just what. Stay tuned cause there is a neat surprise coming in the next post or two.
My mom visited last week and I took her to a couple parks. But its just me again and I’m back to my old tricks of walking quite far. I don’t know what I’ll find at this park, but I’m always happy to be surprised.