Everglades, Interrupted
When you're traveling at the speed of feet, it's easy to spend hours reflecting on the Everglades that once was, the vast wilds erased by the agro-industrial complex that brought sugar cane to Lake Okeechobee.
Articles & Destinations
Turtle Time
In hiking and in life, there are tortoises and hares. On the Big O Hike, the Loxahatchee - "River of the Turtles" - Chapter participants walk at all speeds, but the speediest of our hikers are known as rabbits.
O Okeechobee
It's a tradition at the Big O Hike to share your talent at Thanksgiving Day dinner. Mine is a poem commemorating the hike and our friends who've gone before us.
Braising Cane
As I hike the Florida Trail past Moore Haven, a sugar cane field bursts out in flame after my discussion with my friend Steve, a sign from above that he's along for the walk.
3x3x3
Okeechobee's history runs deep. Today's walk slips past many ghosts, of fish camps and fish canneries, an early Florida toll road and more shoreline where the lake waters once lapped.
Sweep of Blue
At Port Mayaca, the shape of Lake Okeechobee is obvious, even at dawn, the curvature extending off to the horizon line at the only place in Florida with horizon to horizon views.
Pounding Pavement in Pahokee
For the first time since the Big O Hike started in 1992, the Army Corps of Engineers denied our hikers access to the dike. So to kick off the 2011 Big O Hike, it's a roadwalk through Pahokee.
Tarkiln Bayou Trail
A gentle introduction to Tarkiln Bayou Preserve State Park, the Tarkiln Bayou Trail starts as a sidewalk but ends as a boardwalk to view the glowing gems of this botanical area and the bayou itself.
Stokes Landing Conservation Area
Fronting a vast estuary along the Tolomato River basin, Stokes Landing Conservation Area contrasts deeply shaded maritime hammock and marsh rims with panoramic views.
St. Joseph Peninsula Wilderness Preserve Trail
If you’ve dreamed of camping on a deserted beach, here’s your chance. Spend a night under the stars along the Gulf of Mexico amid the quiet of the Wilderness Preserve.
St. Joseph Peninsula Bayview Trail
Explore the quieter side of St. Joseph Peninsula State Park along the Bayview Trail, a 1.7 mile loop through salty coastal scrub and pine flatwoods ecosystems.
St. Andrews Heron Pond Trail
At St. Andrews State Park, the interpretive Heron Pond Trail is a walk through coastal history, starting with a mockup turpentine distillery at the trailhead.