Day 11: Sunday 1, 2026. Distance: 20 Miles to Tavenier, picked up by Monica to camp in backyard.
Of course the big story of this day was the wind chill. I weathered the night pretty well inside my tent. The wind gusts barely touched me but I was a little worried about tree branches breakign on me…at elast they were small. I packed quickly, wearing all my clothes for the walk. I made coffee and breakfast inside the toilet building, scaring the ranger when he popped in to check on things. I hope he didn’t think I camped inside, then again, I doubt he would have blamed me. I stopped to hang out in the ranger station for a few minutes, as it was the only building with heat. I never thought I’d seek out a building in the keys because it had heat. I marveled at all the weather apps, showing the extreme conditions. My relatives in Denver CO would enjoy warmer temperatures than me this day. I kept joking that it could be worse, I could be in Miami!
Back out on the highway, err, I mean “trail”, I rolled along into the blustery headwinds. The suns rays started to counteract the cold and I was pretty comfortable moving across the exposed bridges in my wind layers. I was so bundled up, again, I wondered what the people in the passing vehicles must be thinking. I got a reprieve from the harsh wind through Lower Matecumbe Key, enjoying instead the manicured houses and lawns I passed on this quiet island….I think it’s one of the least commercialized in all the keys. Then I stopped briefly at Robbie’s Marina to see if the tarpon were feeding on the tourist handouts. They were not, so all I saw were a bunch of cold and disappointed tourists standing around, wondering what to do next. It certainly wasn’t a boating or kayaking day.
I waved to Indian Key as I passed, hopscotching the Tea Table keys to the lower reaches of Islamorada. I found it ironic that there were so many historical markers and informational placards along this stretch, yet no place on the roadside for visitors to park! NO PARKING signs were aggressively placed every few car-lengths for over a mile, which just seemed absurd. Who besides a long distance walker like me could actually read all these signs, as they’re meant to be seen by tourists driving by. I did find one really stupid sign among the informative ones. I can’t believe FL state parks had to waste money on this governor-mandated nonsense when they’re already so woefully underfunded. Go fuck yourself DeSantis, you brown-nosed boot-licker.
But I digress to my other beef, which is the lack of access to the ocean in this area, given all the NO parking signs. It’s been a long-standing point of contention with the paddling community, as it makes it really hard to reach historic Indian and Lignumvitae Keys. Both are state parks and therefore ought to have some sort of designated access points for paddlecraft. Fortunately a new option opened up at the recently renovated Green Turtle Hammock Preserve, a nearby nature park which now has a small paddlecraft launch. I stopped by for a visit and was grateful to wonder around for a spell in some preserved green-space, with a mind towards outdoor pedestrian activities. In other words, there were some nature trails.
I also enjoyed a sandwich and coffee from Midway Cafe, after which I was about ready to call it a day. I couldn’t cover the distance all the way to Monica and Frank’s house, but Monica had graciously offered to pick me up however far I got this day. I made it to just past Founders Park on Plantation Key and called in the Calvary. I was so grateful for yet another favor from Monica, as not only was my problem of where to stay this night solved, I also had access to a second blanket from my car. As an added bonus, Frank and Monica treated me to a bonfire in their backyard, as well as a bottle of wine and dinner.
Day 12 Mon 2, 2026. Distance: 9 miles to Key Largo. Didn’t bother with last 10 miles.
wild bird sanctuary, stay with mary and shane
Animals seen or heard: Great blue heron, great white heron, white egret, green heron, tricolor heron, little blue heron, redish egret, yellow crowned night heron, white ibis, rosette spoonbill, wood stork, cormorants, mergansers, black skimmers, royal terns, laughing gulls, spotted sandpiper, ruddy turnstone, catbird, brown pelican, white pelican, frigate bird, osprey, king fisher, kestrel, sharp shinned hawk, turtle dove, yellow rumped warbler, cardinal, great crested flycatcher, Key deer, rats, racoons, dolphin, sea turtle (green and loggerhead), nurse shark, gray ray, spotted eagle ray, tarpon, lemon shark, barracuda, snapper, needlefish, houndfish, physalia physalia.