Day 9: Friday 30, 2026. Distance: 20 miles to Grassy Key/Curry Hammock State Park.
I got an early start, leaving my campsite in the dark. A few rain droplets had woken me and I wanted to get packed before it became heavy. I sure didn’t get to enjoy the state park much, but even if I had hung around for a few hours in the morning, it wouldn’t have been fun. It started drizzling as soon as I started walking and didn’t let up for hours. Walking on the pathway in the rain was no problem, since I had my umbrella. But after 3 miles, I came to the 7 mile bridge and was forced to stop. I’d wanted to get a crack at it first thing in the morning, ideally before the traffic got heavy, but I just couldn’t fathom walking it in the rain. It was dangerous enough because of the traffic speeding by only 4 feet away, I didn’t want to combine that with the reduced visibility and slickness of the road. The 7 mile bridge is by far the worst part of the OHT, with a very narrow shoulder, no place to stop/rest/pee, and a steady stream of vehicles whizzing by. In fact, it isn’t even officially part of the OHT because they recommend you just taxi across, I guess. I still wanted to do it for the experience, but it sure wasn’t a good one.
I hung out on Little Duck Key at the Veterans Memorial Park, which thankfully had a few chickees covering picnic tables. I got there around 8 am and played on my phone for hours, repeatedly checking the radar to see when the rain would let up. A chicken cruised by and I entertained myself trying to lure her in with food, to no avail. By 11 am, I just couldn’t wait any longer and still make it to Curry Hammock SP before they closed, so I had to start out in the rain. It was as bad as I imagined, getting sprayed by trucks and constantly worrying about a vehicle swerving into me. I could only wonder what everyone was thinking, that I must be crazy, especially with my silver umbrella up…at least it made me more visible. Thankfully the rain stopped after about 20 minutes and things got a bit more pleasant. At least I could look at the ocean around me. Though I had a nice view from above, which other hikers have said allows them to see turtles, sharks, and tarpons in the water, I FAR preferred the crossing in my kayak.
About 1/3 of the way across, near Fred the Tree (an Australian pine growing on the the old railroad bridge), I found a nice inflatable vest PFD which had blown off a trailered boat. It was in good shape, so I decided to rescue it and carry it to the other side. I figured if I had to jump off the bridge to avoid a crashing vehicle, I’d at least have a flotation device! It’s not the kind I wear for kayaking, so I hoped I could give it away to someone near the entrance to Pigeon Key. Those types of PFDs cost around $100, so it was a good find. Then just after I passed the Molasses Keys, I was surprised to see 4 tiny sea kayakers heading in the direction of the islands. I assumed they were on an expedition similar to mine, as they looked to be fully kitted-out. It was pretty windy, but supposed to be even windier over the next few days. The temps were also set to plummet into the 50s and maybe even 40s…I sure didn’t envy them being on the water. They were the only sea kayaks besides my own that I saw the entire trip.
After about 2 hours, I reached the other side of the bridge, just as the skies were finally clearing and it was starting to get nice again. I handed the PFD off to a lady who was volunteering for some organization, taking surveys from tourists. She assured me she was an avid boater and kayaker and would put it to good use…yay! I walked another few miles to grab a late lunch at Keys Fisheries…a hot cup of lobster bisque really hit the spot after the wet morning! But I had to rush, as I was once again pressed for time to make it to my destination for the night. At least this day it wasn’t really my fault…blame it on the rain.
I blew through the last 8 miles, past the strip malls of Marathon and along the contrasting tranquility of mostly undeveloped Grassy Key. All the pavement walking had really put a hurting on me, and I was reduced to an awkward hobble. Namely my left hip was really sore, from what injury exactly, I didn’t know. I made it to the state park by 5:30 pm and they didn’t even charge me to camp. I guess this was because they didn’t assign me an official spot, but rather said I could just camp near the day use area, as long as I was out by 8 am. This was actually much more to my liking, as I was able to pitch my tent in the grass, up against the trees and away from all the cars and RVs (noise). The camp hosts were also very welcoming, leaving the nearby day-use bathroom open for me overnight. I took a hot shower at the bath house and called it an early evening. Curry Hammock may be small compared to the other state parks, but it has a beautiful beach and is very tranquil. It also has a nice kayak launch!
Day 10: Saturday 31, 2026. Distance: 14 Miles to Long Key State Park.
A severe cold front was arriving this day, which meant more rain and then a precipitous drop into record low temperatures. All of Florida was going to be in the grips of this arctic blast, with snow falling in the most northern parts and even the lower parts experiencing a deep freeze. Miami and the keys might be the only locations spared from the freeze, but it was still supposed to get uncomfortably cold, especially with the wind chill. I’d seen forecasts as low as 45 for where I was camping this night…suddenly my 50 degree quilt was feeling like a bad choice.
I woke to a beautiful morning in the ’60s, so the day started off really nice. I visited the beach and walked the nature trail to get back to the highway. After a few miles, I stopped for some coffee and pastries at Georgie’s coffee. I enjoyed reading the local Marathon newspaper, especially the part about the ground-conch event at a local aquarium…if the conch sees its shadow, it’s 6 more weeks of winter. Ok, sure? I proceeded past Duck Key, still enjoying good wx, but I could see the front approaching. Of course it hit me right as I reached the Long Key Bridge, the second longest in the Florida Keys. With the rain pelting me once again, it would have been a no-go walking the highway bridge. Fortunately the old railroad bridge was still entirely intact and open to pedestrians, so that I could safely keep walking in the rain. It was also pleasantly empty, given the blustery conditions. It was a bit of a battle keeping my umbrella aimed against the strong wind gusts, but I managed.
I reached Long Key SP just after noon, which was great since my hip was already hurting. Between the weather, my sore legs, and lack of camping options further ahead, I’d decided on a shorter day. This also gave me the opportunity to explore the nature trails in the park. I longed for some walking that wasn’t on paved roads. The friendly rangers assigned me the walk-up site, 1 of only 4 total primitive camping sites in the park. All of the RV sites had been destroyed by Hurricane Irma and it didn’t seem as though they were coming back. I felt pretty lucky to be able to camp here.
The sites were indeed primitive because I had to walk from the parking lot across a nearly 200 yard boardwalk to get to them. Water, toilets and the unheated showers were all the way back by the parking lot. I watched my neighbors making multiple trips to drag their stuff to the sites. One couple set up a tent inside their larger tent, trying all they could to prepare for the cold. The sites were situated along the beach but also protected from the NW wind by trees. Mine (#4) was the most protected, which I was so thankful for. I pitched my tent as close as I could against the fence and trees, hoping I’d get a good wind break overnight. It was forecasted to gust over 30 kts, a gale warning. On the upside, there were no bugs! I’d heard horror stories about the no-see-ums at both Long Key and Curry Hammock, but nary a one bothered me at either place. I had a feeling that my site was actually the least desirable of the 4, just because it’s normally so stagnant and buggy.
Once situated, I was free to explore. The sky had cleared, so I walked the 1 mile Golden Orb nature trail. Then I went to hang out at the day-use area on the other end of the park, where I’d had lunch with my kayak a week before. Back at the tent area, there was 1 no-show and the other 2 sites were occupied by some brave campers, including a pair from Miami. Since they’d driven in, they were able to bring firewood for the communal fire pit and asked me to join. I ate my dinner there, enjoying the warmth as the winds continued to gain strength. I got multiple texts from friends asking if I was going to be okay. Normally a night dropping into the ’40s wouldn’t even concern me on a thru-hike. I’d camped in the teens and 20’s on countless nights. But it all boils down to your gear, and for this trip I’d only brought my 50° synthetic quilt. It had been the perfect tool for the job, until it wasn’t. But it would have to do….at least I wasn’t going to die. To date, my coldest night camping got down to 11 degrees (Arizona-Mogollon Rim Trail). This night didn’t even come close to that discomfort, but it was a little uncomfortable by around 4am.
I’d have to say the worst thing about this night and the park in general were the RATS! The cold may take out the bugs and reptiles, but those pesky mammals remain quite active! While sitting by the fire, I’d hung my food on the pole in my camp. This was foolish, as while I was hanging it, I was thinking any rat would be smart and athletic enough to climb the wooden pole. They’d already climbed onto the picnic table, going after my food bag when I’d gone to the bathroom, so I knew they were plentiful, bold and desperate. I’d seen them looking for scraps at the other parks and kayak campsites, as well. So of course when I came back from the fire, I caught one in the act of climbing the pole. My trekking pole happened to be hanging nearby, so I took a few swats with it to chase off the pest.
Then when I grabbed my bag from the hook, all I felt was a squishy warm body in my hand. I shrieked and jumped back in disgust as this second rat wrestled to escape. I started hitting my food bag with my pole as if it were a pinata and finally the rat came squirting out. It had peed and defecated in my bag (I literally scared the shit out of it), so I had to run to the bathroom to clean up the mess. I threw away most of my food (thankfully I hardly had any) and decided to leave the rest hanging in the bathroom. This did the trick, as I had no more rat problems the rest of the night. I did make sure to bring everything else inside my tent. Thank goodness I had a tent, as I had no desire to snuggle with rats, even if it was exceptionally cold.