What a fantastic couple of days with friends! On Sunday, the LOML and I met up with some friends to kayak down Silver Springs. We were going with the current, so it was an easy 6 mile paddle. We saw quite the eclectic mix of animals - fish, alligators, turtles, a hawk, and even monkeys. Really, monkeys! They were brought there when Silver Springs was more of a tourist destination; the thinking being that visitors would like to see them. However, they didn't realize monkeys could swim. They left their original home along the banks and have populated an island in the river.
It was a warm day, so while paddling we enjoyed some cold adult beverages and stopped several times to swim in the river (only in the clear parts, so we could see if any gators were nearby).
Once the paddle was done, one of our friends joined the LOML and I in driving over to Juniper Springs and heading out on a 5 mile hike along the Florida Trail to Hidden Pond. Hidden Pond is a spring fed pond in the middle of a very dry environment, and the only water for miles. We camped there overnight, and heard lots of hogs, and hiked back to Juniper Springs the next day, seeing a tortoise and deer along the way. Once at Juniper we jumped into the spring to cool down.
It was brutally hot but a great time with friends and loved ones. Here are a few pictures:
Just some monkeys hanging out on the riverbank.
Hanging in the hammocks at Hidden Pond in the Ocala National Forest.
View from one side of the camp site.
It was a warm day, so while paddling we enjoyed some cold adult beverages and stopped several times to swim in the river (only in the clear parts, so we could see if any gators were nearby).
Once the paddle was done, one of our friends joined the LOML and I in driving over to Juniper Springs and heading out on a 5 mile hike along the Florida Trail to Hidden Pond. Hidden Pond is a spring fed pond in the middle of a very dry environment, and the only water for miles. We camped there overnight, and heard lots of hogs, and hiked back to Juniper Springs the next day, seeing a tortoise and deer along the way. Once at Juniper we jumped into the spring to cool down.
It was brutally hot but a great time with friends and loved ones. Here are a few pictures:
Just some monkeys hanging out on the riverbank.
Hanging in the hammocks at Hidden Pond in the Ocala National Forest.
View from one side of the camp site.
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