Aside from backpackers I’ve met while on a trail, I’ve always backpacked alone. It’s been a hard sell for my non-backpacking friends to want to purchase, and then carry, a lot of gear just to go somewhere to sleep on the hard ground. And then along comes Tom!
Tom and I finally found one night when we both could set aside our work and backpack out a few miles for a primitive tent camping date. We called ahead to make our camping reservation, crammed everything in our packs and headed out, planning to stop and grab some food at a grocery along the way. After a quick detour back home for our forgotten sleeping pads, we were finally, finally on our way.
Pulling into Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park, we realized it was the weekend before Halloween. The park office was appropriately decorated, and we enjoyed voting for our favorite carved pumpkin.
After chatting with Tom (park staff Tom, not my Tom) about the park, trails, and conditions, we ate a late lunch on the porch of the visitors center and headed out on Prairie Loop Trail to primitive campsite number three.
The trailhead was well marked, and we found it easily. The trail was fairly overgrown, but still simple enough to navigate. It wound between tree canopies and open prairie. The weather was mild, and there had been short showers on and off for the past few hours before we started hiking, so it was definitely a little damp.
We saw an array of prairie colors – the obvious greens and browns, but also blue, stunning yellows, purples and reds. About halfway into our squishy hike, we encountered a section of submerged trail that there was no avoiding.
We were faced with two unpleasant choices; plunge into the murky water of unknown depths and distance to continue on to our campsite, or turn around and give up on my first ever backpacking date. Tom elected to continue on, probably only because he thinks I’m pretty (worth it).
We carried on through the water, and it was better than we expected! There was no mud at the bottom, trying to steal our shoes, and no baby gators swam up to nibble at our feet.
The trail remained flooded for a short time as we finished crossing this prairie, before entering another beautiful canopied area.
And then we were at primitive campsite number 3!
Are you impressed with our campsite? We were not. We walked around the site to see if there were any dry patches for our tent, but there were not. We scoped out the other tent sites, but they were in similar or even worse condition after the rain.
Reluctantly, we turned around and headed back towards the visitors center.
Earlier, while talking to the park ranger in the visitors center, he had told us about a ranger-led walk that would take place that evening. We decided to stay and participate in the after-dark hike!
Unfortunately the “hike” was just meandering along the dirt road, with other visitors who seemed more interested in socializing than nature. Nothing wrong with that, it just wasn’t the evening for which we were hoping!
Doubly disappointed, we decided the best way to end the day would be in our own plush bed at home.
But, guess what? Technically, I went on my very first backpacking date!!!
