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BearVault

Backpacking Articles

Our personal experiences, gear recommendations, and what you need to know about backpacking in Florida.

Hiker Trash

You might be Hiker Trash if your groceries arrive General Delivery

June 25, 2014    John Keatley

When the title “Hiker Trash” gets bestowed on you by friends, it’s an honor – if you love to hike. When it shows up next to your face at random on the Internet, it’s kind of funny.

Do not feed the bears

Bear in a trash can (Florida Fish & Wildlife)

April 23, 2014    Sandra Friend

“A fed bear is a dead bear,” says Florida Fish & Wildlife. It’s time to make homeowners responsible for keeping trash and food out of reach when they live in bear territory.

How To Pack For A Backpacking Trip

Backpacking gear on picnic table

February 5, 2014    Sandra Friend

How do you pack for a Florida backpacking trip? In this video clip from How to Do Florida on how to prep for a backpacking trip, Sandra shows Chad Crawford what she carries in her backpack and why.

Florida Trail Adventures

Florida Trail backpackers cross a ranch

What’s it like to hike the Florida Trail? Here’s where we share our personal experiences day hiking and backpacking on Florida’s own National Scenic Trail.

Trail’s End

Hiking the Florida Trail in Big Cypress

February 12, 2013    John Keatley

Discovering solo backpacking and group dynamics to be not quite his style, JK decides to re-visit his hike of the Florida Trail by making it a team effort.

Two bedrooms, three guests

Johnny Thunder gives a high-five

February 7, 2013    John Keatley

The 2013 thru-hikers catch up with us at Little Big Econ State Forest, and we invite as many as we can squeeze in back home for a nero day and a taste of suburban life.

Hiking with two new friends

hookworm larvae

January 25, 2013    John Keatley

JK discovers that the weird rash on his legs since hiking south of Lake Okeechobee isn’t poison ivy at all, but something much more rare and creepy, a parasitic invasion.

Up the Kissimmee

Water break at the S-65E lock on the Kissimmee

January 22, 2013    John Keatley

JK starts solo backpacking up the Kissimmee River, encountering cows, sandhill cranes, and an over-medicated driver who runs him off a roadwalk.

Time behind the wheel

JK driving the support van

January 20, 2013    John Keatley

JK continues around Lake Okeechobee – a part of the trail he’s done before on the Big O Hike – as part of the support crew for the FT hikers new to the region.

A night in Clewiston

JK getting into the Hiker Trash spirit

January 19, 2013    John Keatley

When you reach the turnoff to continue north on the Florida Trail around Lake Okeechobee, you don’t quite reach the town of Clewiston. After all the heat and bugs while camping and cooking outdoors, the group decided to enjoy real food and a night in an air-conditioned, bug-free motel room. The owner gave us a …

Ice Cream and Patchwork

JK driving the support van at the Seminole Reservation

January 17, 2013    John Keatley

On my first day on support crew, the group decided to try a slackpack day. So we were up early, much too early.  The faster hikers wanted to get out on the trail by 5 AM.  Slack packing would mean that we didn’t have to break camp at Big Cypress Campground, and the hikers wanted …

On the Reservation

On Nobles Road

January 16, 2013    John Keatley

Leaving the wilds of the Big Cypress Swamp, the trail followed an old road for most of the distance.  After a right hand turn on a large main road, I followed the blazes and other hikers footsteps. I stopped while crossing a canal to tend to a few hot spots on the bottom of both …

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