Osceola Shelter to West Tower
Today we awoke to a damp scene. The rain started again last night and a damp mist hovered around the forest. We donned our long sleeved gear and got busy with breakfast. Nothing like a hot cup of coffee to warm you up.
We took our time breaking camp. Part of that was strategic. Starting a little later in the morning gave us more confidence that the hunters had already headed home after day break.
We followed the spur from Osceola Shelter back to the trail and began our day. It started off with a boardwalk into a palmetto field. I think we've seen enough palmetto to last a lifetime. The boardwalk took us to a shotgun peppered FTA sign and the Turkey Run trailhead.
We headed down a stretch of old timber road where we ran across the occasional butterfly and the overly abundant spider. Oddly enough at one point we found a burlap sack half full of palmetto fruit. It was just sitting on the trail. Maybe the bears had been out collecting them to manage their prostate problems.
After traveling through some slightly rougher sections of trail and battling every spider species possible we came into another palmetto field. We decided to take a break and that's when I found we had company. I don't know if he was hitching a ride or if he was on the tree I leaned my pack against but there was a large praying mantis. I haven't seen one in years so that was a nice treat.
It was just a short walk until we crossed FR234 and made our way to the blue blazes leading to West Tower.
Not knowing what to expect I was surprised at all the campers and RVs for the hunters. Some seemed to be permanent as they were on blocks. We walked around the loop and finally found the perfect spot. We made camp and put out clothes and boots out to dry in the sun. We were still soaked from yesterday's hike in the rain.
West Tower is a fire tower for the US Forest Service. I wish we could've climbed to the top. I'm sure it provides a magnificent view. There's a real bathroom and a spigot with cold water. That was nice to have instead of having to filter water from the stream behind the shelter while fending off hungry skeeters. Despite all the vehicles, though, it was surprisingly quiet. Aside from the one droning generator almost our only other noise came briefly from a large owl nesting overhead.
We built a nice little fire as it got dark. The wet leave, tender, and wood made some good smoke to keep the voracious skeeters at bay. The fires also kept us warm as the temperatures dropped and helped further dry out our boots.
We finally grew too tired and turned in, settling in for a very cold night.
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