Torreya State Park, Bristol, Florida
We feel really out of shape today. It’s been so long since we’ve actually hiked, our bodies just don’t know what to do with us. Our legs, knees and feet are tired. Our shoulders and upper backs a little stiff.
But was it worth it? You bet!
The Torreya Trail was a wonderful hike! Lots of different scenery, up and down hills (800’ elevation change!), a river, streams, different types of foliage (including a couple of very rare Torreya trees!) . . . .
And so we begin . . .
This is a connector trail to the one we’re looking for.
Look how the sunbeams are coming from both directions. I though that was odd!
Yes, the trail is marked well, but do they really need to put blazes on practically every tree? : )
Look how huge this tree is!
There’s that house we saw the other day. It seems to be some kind of a house/boat thing. There were several on the banks of the river.
Our first Torreya tree!
The local botanist put a wire cage around it and it also has a metal tag.
Since you can’t really see it, here’s a close up.
Time for lunch!
Back on the trail!
Two trees, on either side of the stream, have joined their roots.
Way cool!!
Right after this, we ran into a Park Ranger and stopped to talk a bit. He asked where we were headed and we told him. He pointed up to the top of a very high hill and said, “See that pine tree up there?” “Yes.” “That’s where you’re headed.” Gulp! We thought we were almost done!
Hey! Look down there!
There’s a beach with people on it!
How do we get down there?
Keep walking!
The only critter we saw today, though was a bald eagle. Man, I wish we had a picture! We couldn’t focus in time. He came in low over the river and then started circling about 30’ above our heads – close enough we could hear the whoosh of his wings! We were certain he was going fishing right in front of us! But alas and alack . . . he did not. ☹
Here we are!
Beautiful and so very quiet!
This was after the eagle left us.
Somewhere up here is that pine tree.
Whew!
I do have a tale to tell though!
Once upon a time, a volcano erupted! The explosion was so immense, it showered fiery rocks hundreds of miles away and into the Park . . . .
. . . . burning many trees and ground cover . . . .
. . . . and causing enormous divots in the earth! And that’s how the terrain was shaped and molded – – why they have these great bluffs – – when the rest of Florida is flat. Believe it . . . or
NOT! 😊 Hadja goin’ for a minute, though didn’t I?
Actually, there was a fire here area in July. This past July. Can you believe how grown up it is already?!?
Here’s another tale for you! This one is actually true history.
A wholly Florida stream, the Apalachicola River rises on the Georgia border at the confluence of the Chattahoochee and Flint Rivers. From there it flows south to Apalachicola Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. Described by one writer as a prehistoric “Highway 101”, the river has served as a major transportation artery for thousands of years. One writer, in fact, advanced the theory that the Biblical Garden of Eden may have been located along its banks. Rev. E.E. Callaway of Bristol came to believe that the Apalachicola and its tributaries matched the description in Genesis of the rivers that watered the Garden of Eden. He identified a site at Alum Bluff in Liberty County as the point at which he believed God had planted the luxurious garden. Local tradition in fact, holds that the rare Florida Torreya tree is the gopher wood from which Noah built the ark.
I ran across this on exploresouthernhistory.com. The good Reverend apparently didn’t read his Old Testament or understand where the people of the Bible originated. Sad . . . . And in case you’re wondering, this was in the early 1950’s. He apparently drew a lot of attention, tourists and he even wrote a book about his thoughts.
And just take a gander at all the Fall color we ran across today! Gorgeously stunning! What’s the date? January 15th??
TOTAL MILES: 9
Year to Date: 48.25
Daily Average: 3.2 (We finally made it over 3!)