Exploring the World with Pokémon Go: Spring to Spring Trail North 2
After a bit of a delay, I returned to the trail to explore Spring to Spring Trail North 2. This section had a very different feel from the last part.
The first leg of my adventure down Spring to Spring Trail North 2 took me beyond the park where I stopped last time and past several homes. This section of the trail is actually a wide sidewalk. From maps I saw, they have not finished upgrading this part yet.
That doesn’t mean it should be skipped though. There was still plenty to see here. Notably I saw some sort of memorial. I’m not sure if it was dedicated to a person or a pet. It could have been either given how it was decorated. The name didn’t give it away either.
The other notable feature was the lack of signs one would expect on a trail. There were no signs telling motorized vehicles to go elsewhere. No mile markers to be found either. In fact if not for the signs on each end of this segment pointing towards the trail, I would have needed a map to figure out where to go.
Rounding the Bend
The next segment of Spring to Spring Trail North 2 was also normal sidewalk although it was much wider and made more clear that this was a trail. This part took me past several upscale suburban neighborhoods. They were all fenced in of course. Can’t let the common folk intrude on them after all.
Much of these neighborhood was separated by the trail not just by fence but with hedges too. Due to that fact, I wasn’t able to get too many photos of the large houses I saw hints of through the brush.
I did see several benches and garbage cans. A good sign that Volusia County already sees this path as a trail. Normal sidewalks do not have these features after all. I’m not sure how long it will take for the trail to be complete, but it looks like things are well on their way.
Towards a “Trailhead”
The final stretch of Spring to Spring Trail North 2 took me towards the end of the fancy neighborhoods and closer to where the proper trail marked as I have grown accustomed to continues. Along the way I saw more hedge fences, a couple more benches, and several fancy looking entrances to nice looking neighborhoods.
I tried taking one picture through the hedges to show just how thick they are. Its a shame you can’t see through in the image because the scene behind it was quite pretty. I saw a sunken area with the hedge being a drop off point in addition to a wall before it sloped back up towards a person’s backyard.
Alas all hikes come to an end, and although it took me through neighborhoods instead of swampland, I was disappointed when I reached the end. And even more disappointed when I realized what I thought was a trailhead is not one at all. Looks like I’ll have to get a bit more creative with where I park to continue my adventure next time. I’ll make sure I park in a legal place of course.
Pokémon Go
Let’s take a look at how Spring to Spring Trail North 2 compares in Pokémon Go to some of my prior adventures. As this section of the trail goes near a lot of gated communities, notably ones that have a hedge fence to even keep eyes from looking in, you can probably guess at how many Pokestops were nearby. The answer is zero by the way. In case it wasn’t obvious.
However, since there are lots of people who live near here, and I can safely assume that quite a few of them played the game at some point, spawns were actually fairly plentiful compared to other spots that look empty in game.
As for biomes, I saw river, lake, park, and grassland. This should sound familiar since I imagine almost every section of Florida will be one of these. Near the coast I’m sure there is beach, and already I know cities will be city. Still swamp is a combination of grassland, forest, lake, and river. So long as I travel around the same areas, those biomes should remain the same.
Hatches
I hatched a Togepi from an egg. As it did not have good stats for PvP, or PvE, I sent the little baby to the professor. When the game first came out, I used to joke about how sending Pokémon to the professor meant they would get chopped up and turned into food to be fed to the others. I have not proven my theory false at any point while playing this game. Something to think about.
Buddy
I’m currently walking a Primape so that I can evolve it into an Annihilape and use it for PvP. I know it will be useful for a while and look forward to terrorizing other players with this not so little guy. Depending on how long it takes to evolve it, you might not see this buddy again after a few more posts. But who knows?
I actually missed several spawns from my Blue Incense while hiking Spring to Spring Trail North 2. There were far more spawns than I expected. In fact, I probably would have caught more stuff if I had delayed activating it until I was away from most of the neighborhoods.
The Tauros and Deino are the standout catches. Notably I live where Heracross spawns, but all I have to do is go maybe 10 Miles north and then I encounter different regionals. Its a convenient thing. Deino of course evolves into Hydreigon, my favorite Pokémon. There is never a time where I am disappointed to find one.
Wrap Up
Here is my happy but tired face. The summer hasn’t started yet and its been hot out. I work at an outdoor job and have to not succumb to the Florida humidity. I woke up early enough to beat the sun as before. And whenever you see me outside for the next several months, it will be likewise. Still, its hard for me to be upset whenever I take one of these hikes. These long walks are doing wonders for me on days where I feel depressed.