Hiking at the Jacksonville Arboretum and Gardens

This past weekend, we made the short drive to the Jacksonville Arboretum and Gardens, which is a beautiful area set up to study various plants and trees and also happens to have several trails. Now that I've been made aware that hiking is really just "walking around in the woods"...I have wanted to do it more and more. Not only do I feel healthy, walking around is exercise after all, but I feel just so in tune with nature. hahahahah okay I couldn't type that with a straight face BUT it was really nice to be out there with the trees, birds and little streams that we found. There are many trails to explore and one trail leads you to this very peaceful area by a stream where I could have sat all day.

Being a total nerd and shameless Hunger Games fan, I found myself asking Ryan what we could eat in the Arboretum...if we were to be put into it to fight to the death. Then I started panicking because I realized there was no way I could climb any of the trees but then I relaxed...I'm 27, I have been inelible for the HG for almost 10 years! Whew. Also, I'm 27...I have no business reading books meant for tweens. Also, the Hunger Games isn't a real thing..........yet.

The point of this embarrassing tale is that it got me to thinking about survival in the wild. True, most of us will probably never have to use these skills but it couldn't hurt to know a few basic things, right? Ryan and I are going to explore the edible plants in the area and report back to you pronto! I think the first one will be the Prickly Pears that grow on a cactus in our condo's parking lot. Sounds lovely, doesn't it?

Hiking the Theodore Roosevelt Area to Fort Caroline

“That’s why I want this place saved. So you can come see God.”-William H. Browne, III, 1969

The sunny, not too hot, not too cold weather that accompanies Spring in Florida has been putting me in such a great mood! I love being able to leave the windows open and the smells of fresh cut grass, new leaves and flowers. I was even persuaded to go hiking in the Timucuan Ecological Preserve with Ryan just to be out in the perfect weather. If I had known that hiking was really just a fancy word for "walking in the woods", I think I would have taken to it sooner!

We decided to visit Fort Caroline since we have not been able to make it out there since we moved to Jacksonville (when we tried to sail there in August, we got stuck in the current of the St. John's for a few hours). Ryan quickly looked up Fort Caroline on the National Park Service website which led us to begin our hike in the Theodore Roosevelt Area of the Preserve.

It's probably about 3 miles total from the Theodore Roosevelt Area to Fort Caroline and back but we are both a little out of shape so I have to admit (with some shame) that we were hurting by the end of it! Once we reached the fort, we were disappointed to find that it's tiny! Gorgeous, but tiny. I'm sure in it's heyday it was more intimidating, but in it's current state I'm pretty sure I could conquer it with a kick and a shove...and I use a 5 lb dumbbell to "work out". It was still a nice place for a picnic though and since I wouldn't play frisbee with Ryan, it was also a nice place for him to throw the frisbee around...by himself. The faces of the children scaling the walls and cannons of the fort reflected a sort of "Oh, so those are the people I'm supposed to stay away from" look.

Informative bit: The Theodore Roosevelt Area was donated to The Nature Conservancy by William H. Browne in 1969 "with the stipulation that it or any future owner would keep the land in its natural state" (NPS website). Now is an excellent time to visit as the bugs are not out yet in full force :) Parking and entrance are free and this park is very well maintained. You can bike on one of the trails and dogs are allowed on a leash. If you take the trails that lead to the Spanish Pond area, you can exit the parking lot there, cross the street and be at the entrance to Fort Caroline in minutes...or you could just drive there if you wanted to skip the hike. There is a very nice welcome center, restrooms and drinking fountains to fill up a water bottle at Fort Caroline. For more information about the Timucuan Ecological Preserve, Fort Caroline and the Theodore Roosevelt Area, please visit their website.

Hostel in the Forest, Brunswick, Georgia

We made the right choice going to the Hostel in the Forest in Brunswick, GA! Just shy of 1.5 hours from Jacksonville, the Brunswick area has so much to do and we were kept busy for our whole trip.

When we got off of I-95, we passed a few gas stations and one supermarket...to be honest, it didn't look like anything special. Once you follow the dirt road marked "The Hostel" though, you are magically transported into a whole new world. (Minus the magic carpet, Princess Jasmine and the transport is not that magical, we slowly drove over the bumpy road in our Honda Accord)

The Hostel in the Forest itself, though, is magical. When you walk into the main building to check in, you are instantly reminded of your friend's cabin by the lake complete with photos from the 70's, an old couch, books and random musical instruments strewn about.

We were shown to our tree house, The Elmo Hut, and were immediately thankful that we weren't planning on drinking heavily.
(The stairs to our tree house)

Inside, there were remnants from past travelers like a hairbrush, sunglasses, a "graffiti book" for random thoughts and poetry, matchbooks, etc. It didn't look messy, it just looked...eclectic :)

Since we are being honest, I felt super awkward at first. I like to think of myself as a hippie because I bring my reusable bags to Publix and I buy soap made from vegetable glycerin, but I enjoy modern conveniences and haven't fully immersed myself in the hippie lifestyle. The people at the hostel have completely embraced a sustainable way of living and I felt like a savage at a tea party. I didn't quite know what to do or how to act. (I see that this was ridiculous now as everyone we met was very kind and came from all walks of life and many were new to this just like us)

After we dropped off our bags in the Elmo Hut, we wandered around the property and were enchanted with the beauty of the forest and the many animals we encountered. There were the three ducks we found sleeping by an old pool that is now strictly for ducks:
The many chickens running around that provide eggs and entertainment for the hostel:
There were also fish and birds and lizards and beautiful flowers at every turn.
The hostel is blessed with gardens, a lake, a sweat lodge, a glass building for massage and meditation, a fire pit and many tree houses and domes that have been built over the years by volunteers. It is easy to relax here and you find that you breathe easier...that is, until you have to pee. Remember outhouses? Well that is what the hostel has...with a twist. These outhouses use sawdust to cover "deposits" which are then composted and used for fertilizer. An ingenious idea that I hate to admit repulsed me. Did this prevent me from using them? No. Will it prevent me from going back? Absolutely not! I think what they are doing is wonderful and the smell is a small sacrifice to save so much water and put nutrients back into the forest. Plus, these outhouses have lights and running water to wash your hands...a big step up from the outhouses I've used in the past growing up in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan!

The showers are all outdoors and they request that you use the Dr. Bronner's biodegradable soap that they provide or something similar of your own because all of the water goes straight onto the forest floor. They even use soap nuts in their laundry room instead of regular laundry detergent. (Soap nuts are absolutely fascinating to me and I meant to buy some to try at home while I was at the hostel and forgot so I looked them up and found their website here)
Truly sustainable living is being practiced here and it's a great learning experience to see it firsthand.

After we were given an official tour of the property and told what to do and what not to do, we decided to check out nearby Jekyll Island before the family style vegan dinner being served later that night. (Just how much later is another story!)