Old Trees

***Hidden Pond in Ocala National Forest***

Hello everyone I hope that you are doing well, it’s nice to have you here! I appreciate you following my blog and videos. I have been away from here for awhile and hadn’t wrote any updates so I wanted to check in to report on some news and things going on with my adventures and the website.

As usual I have been working hard each week on recording videos and producing content for my YouTube channel. I hope you have been able to keep up with the adventures and that you have been enjoying them, I truly appreciate it! Since the start of the pandemic I told myself that I would do my best to put my all into these adventures and make these videos to the best of my ability more than ever I had before. I felt like I have grown a lot since then in my work but it’s never really done, there is always more to be do. More exploring, more paths to take and interesting sites to discover.

I hadn’t been putting as much attention into my weekly blog posts as my weekly videos so I’ve been working on updating my website here lately and wanted to let you know that more content is coming very soon. I am excited to share so many adventures here, my goal is to provide a central hub not only for my video work but all the various things that come along with my adventuring. I want it to be interactive and a way for you to get inspired as well and hopefully can find some of these interesting places in nature I am sharing about. Whether if it’s in Florida or in the area you live. It is important to visit and cherish the wild and public lands while they’ll still exist. Many places are becoming developed and critical natural habitats along with the history are being destroyed. The more we can enjoy and share about them, the more hopefully people will appreciate them.

Some of the projects I am working towards is an updated version of my Florida Trailblazer podcast, which will highlight some of the behind scenes stuff, documenting maps and discussions about my adventures. It will be something that will evolve in time and I am looking forward to sharing it with you. I will be updating some of my older posts here and as mentioned previously posting new articles weekly about my hikes and projects. I am also posting a lot of behind the scenes, exclusive content, maps and much more as well on my Patreon page (Florida Trailblazer Plus) so by signing up there you can gain access to bonus stuff and even tour opportunities. It all helps go a long way in aiding these adventures and projects so I truly appreciate it! I have been adding more items to my online store so if you are interesting in purchasing some Florida Trailblazer merchandise check it out there. I have more updates coming soon so stay tuned. Keep up to date by checking my YouTube channel weekly for new videos and here at the website for updates as well.

I posted some videos below of my recent adventures, enjoy and I wish you the very best and thank you! I’ll see you in the wilderness…

Champion Oak

I explored this area recently known as Devils Hammock Wildlife Management Area located in Levy County. I had been here several years ago but never got the chance to really look around like I wanted to. So I took my video camera and geared up for a hike in this preserve to check it out again to see what I could find.

I am really glad that I did because this time I found one of the most interesting trees I’ve ever seen while exploring the wilderness. It is a very large and old oak tree located in the woods here off one of the trails. In fact there is a sign at one of the trailheads indicating that there is a champion tree here. I can’t say for sure how old it is but from the looks of it this majestic tree has been here for a long time and has stood the test of time.

The trunk and base of the tree are very large, especially when you stand up next to it you get a true sense of it’s size. I imagine that the tree could be several hundred years old, though not sure exactly what kind of oak it is. The area is surrounded by swamps and hardwood hammocks and the forest has an ancient feel to it. It is a very scenic wilderness with lots of different wildlife and habitats.

I would say the best time to visit this place would be in the cooler and drier months you just have to check the hunting dates since it is a very popular destination for hunting. While making this video it was a challenge because it was during the summer when there was more water in the swamps and lots of mosquitos following me the entire hike. Although over the years of exploring I have learned to endure these types of challenges in the wilderness but it isn’t for everyone.

It is a rare treat to see these old trees still standing in Florida’s wilderness since many were cut down and logged out long ago. So when I do find one I truly value the experience. Check out my video and photos below to see this beautiful tree. I also posted links to where you can find more information on this preserve. To find this tree you’ll need to enter at the Parker Field entrance but there are plenty of other areas to explore here as well.

Resources:

Devils Hammock Wildlife Management Area – Hunting Schedule

Devils Hammock Wildlife Management Area – Map

Devils Hammock Wildlife Management Area

My Video

Champion Oak Tree at Devils Hammock Wildlife Management Area