I’ve missed hiking so much! Believe it or not, I didn’t hike at ALL while I was in Georgia, and I’m still real sad about it. However, with 75 Hard, I have to workout outside for at least 45 minutes a day, which is the perfect excuse to go on a hike.

Before I went on the trail, I read the reviews. Especially when I’m hiking by myself, I like to know what to expect, so I scrolled through, looked at pictures, and read what people had to say. Most said the trail was super easy to navigate, not too long, and I even saw a picture of the Econlockhatchee River which was supposedly a part of the hike. I love anything involving water, so I was ready. My hike, though, was completely different than the reviewers described.

To the person who said you can’t get lost on that trail: You, sir, were very wrong. My first attempt to hike this 2.5 mile trail, I walked about a mile before ending up right back where I started. There are a few areas that fork, and apparently only one way is right, although both sides were properly marked. On this same mile trek, I ended up in a field filled with bugs and plants with pointy seedlings that attached to my clothes and stabbed my fingers as I tried to remove them.

Needless to say, I almost left as soon as I made it back to the entrance, but on the way back, a man stopped me. He told me he runs this trail a lot, and that it’s about a mile and a half to the river and back. I was encouraged all over again by his mention of the river that I still hadn’t seen, so I turned around and tried again. Luckily, I made it a lot farther my second time through.

On my second attempt at hiking this trail, I approached the fork again, took the opposite route, and ended up in another open field. This time, though, there was clearly marked trail, and there was another girl around my age stopped at a patch of high grass. I saw her touching something, and I was so happy when I saw what it was. The guidepost at the trail’s entrance said there may be tortoises in our path, and this girl was PETTING one. When the girl saw me approaching, she left, and I went to go say hi to my new tortoise friend. Then, I decided to keep my distance because the girl didn’t seem to happy about having a hiking partner.

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Keeping my distance was most likely a terrible idea. Because I didn’t want to make this girl uncomfortable, I ended up taking a detour. This detour was a quick one because as soon as I walked into this new section of trail, I heard a sound very similar to a gunshot. Unfortunately, I didn’t think too much of it and attributed it to possible construction or my own paranoia. As I went ventured further, though, I heard a sound in the bushes that reminded me of a large animal. Again, I ignored it, knowing that bugs and squirrels often make loud noises as they encounter trees and bushes as well.

What I couldn’t ignore, though, were the paw prints in the sand. While it could have been nothing, I was paranoid enough at that point to call it quits and head back to what I named the “safer trail.” Luckily, I didn’t make it too far into my detour track, so it was easy to get back to where I’d started. From there, I headed back to the trail entrance, but next time, I’ll hopefully navigate the trail all the way through.

Pros: This trail was very well marked, and I felt comfortable enough to run through certain sections. While it’s not impossible to get lost here, it definitely is easy to find your way back if you get off track. Plus, tortoises. Need I say more?

Cons: There are a few places on the trail where it forks. While both sides have marked trees on their paths, only one actually leads you to more trail, while the other either dead ends or leads you to a field with nothing but bugs and dangerous plants.