During my State Parking journeys, I would run into difficult times with my GPS. Sometimes it would just skip right over a park or take me to a neighborhood or waterway, which would lead to a dead-end. The day I went State Parking in the Keys was one of those times. After searching down and up the Keys for parks I decided to just visit the one I already passed, Long Key.
I arrived at Long Key State Park and I enjoyed a nice drive along the water, stopping to take a picture for my friends. I then went over to the other side of the park where the hiking trails were located. My hike through the park sent me on an emotional roller coaster! I started by climbing the observation tower and was elated to see the tops of the mangroves and beyond. It was super-cool being above the tress and looking out into the water as far as I could see. I then set off to hike the Golden Orb trail, having no idea of what was in store. The tide still had not receded from the supermoon many days before so I had to take my shoes and socks off and roll up my pants for a short walk through the mangroves that were under water. Boy was that water cold.
I then hiked for what seemed like forever, only to get to the ½ mile marker, what? As I rounded the corner into the white mangroves I was halted by the deep water ahead. I took my shoes and socks off once again, rolling up my pants until they looked like long shorts and off I went! For those of you that do not know me, this was a BIG deal for me. I am not a fan of being in water anymore unless it is a blazing hot shower and this water was like a freezing cold bath.
Oh, I was I mad at first because the ranger did not even warn me that the trail could be underwater. Now I am not sure if it was the beautiful surroundings or the artic like water that started to calm me down, but I looked around and thought, how cool is this? I’m walking through white mangroves in pretty, clear water. It’s not everyday that I would get to experience that. What a difference that change of attitude made in the rest of my hike.
At the end of the trial I spotted a couple gearing up for their hike and I felt like I needed to at least give them a heads up. The man asked me if I thought it was even worth going. I took a brief pause and told him it is worth every wet step and they would not want to skip it.
Before you visit, make sure you check out the parks website for all of the up-to-date park information: https://www.floridastateparks.org/parks-and-trails/long-key-state-park
