Exploring the World with Pokémon Go: Coast to Coast Trail 3
I returned to Coast to Coast Trail 3 and continued my adventure ever closer towards the ocean and whatever was at Mile Marker 0.
My adventure down Coast to Coast Trail 3 started at the small road where my prior journey had stopped. If that bear was still nearby, I heard nothing about it. Instead, I came armed with sun screen and bug spray after learning several harsh lessons.
Knowing that I started this walk later than I meant to, I hoped that I would be properly protected. And as sweat started washing away my protections, it was looking less likely by the moment that I would walk away burnless.
In case it wasn’t clear up until this point, I was deep in Florida swampland now. And only 4.5 Miles away from something. But I still was not sure what it might be. Only pressing on would help me find those answers.
The next section of Coast to Coast Trail 3 took me away from shade and exposed me directly to the Florida sun. Combined with the conditions you might expect from a swamp, it left me feeling unpleasant. But at least the land around me was pretty.
I read that this section of the trail is a lot newer than some of the other parts I hiked before. I’m sure someone who knows more about building roads and paths would be able to identify signs of its construction. But I don’t have those skills and I’ll just take Google’s word for it.
I passed Mile Marker 4.0. Its the home stretch now. I can say with almost one hundred percent certainty that its not the ocean at 0. But what could it be instead?
This part of Coast to Coast Trail 3 looks an awful lot like the prior couple parts doesn’t it? Well no worries not everything is gonna be the same on this adventure. But rather than repeat the same stuff over and over again till I reach those parts, I’ll let the pictures do the talking.
Hard to believe I have already passed Mile Marker 3.5 on this trail. Its been a long journey as this path has continued through several cities and counties in Florida. Am I that close to the end? Or is there even more in store?
Well well well, what do we have here? Looks like you don’t have to wait long for Coast to Coast Trail 3 to have something different to see. Not all of Florida swamp land is flat or solid. Plenty of it is a combination of water and mushy ground. Rather than zigzag through it, the path goes over it.
I like bridges a lot. You might have noticed that if you have been reading my posts for a while. Bridges tend to have water below them. Water is of course another feature I tend to take lots of pictures of. But bridges also cross swamps, like the one below. Its proof that I am quite far from where I started this adventure.
Mile Marker 3 helped me count down to a new adventure. I’m sure I’ll discover something of interest once I reach 0. Might I have found the answer on this trip? Keep reading to find out.
Beyond the bridge Coast to Coast Trail 3 returned to being a sea of trees keeping me out of the swamps. By this point my sweat had removed all the sunscreen and bug spray from my body. And that meant it was time for the bugs to feast on my flesh. The sun got to work burning my skin too. I learned a new lesson on this trip. Looks like I’ll be bringing a backpack with backup protection the next time I visit a trail.
One new feature that I have seen on a few different hikes is power lines. According to maps, the area around power lines seem to be brown and dead. I guess this is a consequence of all that stuff sitting there. Perhaps workers have to clear the brush constantly to make sure it doesn’t grow into the machines. But this leaves me wondering how much harm we have done to the environment to maintain our power grid.
Its getting down to the wire now. Mile Marker 2.5 was next and although I wouldn’t be reaching Mile Marker 0 on this trip, it would be an extremely close encounter.
Coast to Coast Trail 3 continued through the swamps and was back to more of what the trail has come to be for the past several sections. There is nothing wrong with this of course. Except that there are only so many ways to describe these landforms in words. Instead I’ll let the pictures once more do the talking.
Take in these little snippets that are fragments of what I found notable while out on this adventure. There is something special about pictures and how they freeze a moment in time forever.
Speaking of things that are not forever though, that’s Mile Marker 2 in the above picture. That much closer to solving an answer that I have asked over and over on this blog. And totally not because I don’t know what else to say when bringing up mile markers. Certainly not that.
For the final leg of my adventure down Coast to Coast Trail 3, I found an opportunity to see the larger swamp in all its glory. The tree line opened up almost completely letting me see more of where I am and what I am traveling towards.
It might look completely empty from the photos, but I can say with confidence that there are probably countless animals living in each of those pictures. Swamps are actually an amazing ecosystem and its a shame that writers, including myself tend to show swamps as a place of evil. But such places are important to the environment and can even be a predictor on future environmental health.
Mile Marker 1.5 was at the trail head and a sign a bit earlier marked a fork in the trail. Looks like I’ll have more to check out soon after finishing this multi year journey for me to claim that I have seen it all. But it turned out that a sign near this fork solved the mile marker mystery. Turns out Mile Marker 0 is at a county line. This trail goes so far that I’ll be leaving Volusia County soon.
Coast to Coast Trail 3 is similar to the last few sections of the trail. And that also means that this is not the place to play Pokémon Go either. The trailhead is pictured above and its the only spot on the entire hike that I could spin a Pokestop or battle a gym.
There were no spawns either save for those summoned by incense. While a beautiful walk, this is not an optimal Pokémon Go spot. Parks are a much better spot for all your needs.
I hatched two eggs on this adventure. And the Noibat had me jumping for joy. Not sure how the nearby animals felt about all the noise. As you can see Noibat needs 400 candy to evolve. And I’m not even close. Have I mentioned how rare it is in the wild? The Ponyta was a lot less exciting.
Hey look its a new buddy. Say hello to Tirtouga my little turtle. It’s gonna grow up to be a big and strong Carracosta one day. But until then, enjoy the pictures as this turtle becomes my buddy for a while.
I have mentioned before how the newly added Blue Incense has changed how I play Pokémon Go, especially on the trails. Decided I might as well show what I caught in a 15 minute span while hiking Coast to Coast Trail 3. There were some good catches here. Especially the Shelgon and Gabite. Remember though, popping the incense isn’t enough. You have to keep moving to get the most out of this new item. As you can see, I traveled a kilometer in that time span. I had no issue with movement.
Here I am at the trailhead. Only a mile and a half away from where this trail ends and another begins. I wonder what I’ll find as I head into Brevard County?