Florida Trail - "Big O" hike

“Yes, Florida Trail fans, this sounds interesting. I found this on the Florida Trail Association website. I guess you'd call it kind of backpacking with amenities. LOL! (or we could plan this same kinda thing, if there was interest, eh, HPM?? Treebait?? Hound Bubba Dog?? LOL)

Big O 9-day trip

The Big O 2003: 12 Years and Going Strong

By Sandra Friend


“It is good to have an end to journey towards; however, it is the journey that matters.” – Ursula K. LeGuin
After Hank and Irma McCall of Palm Beach, both in their seventies, had the audacity to walk around Lake Okeechobee on the Florida Trail and show off their hike as a slide show to the Loxahatchee Chapter, Sherry Cummings said “Hey! Why can’t we do that?” Loving the idea of hiking around the lake as a series of day hikes, with the opportunity to eat at catfish restaurants every night, Gordon Johnson took it upon himself to organize the first official Big O Hike in 1991…and the annual Big O was born.
From that first group of 20 hikers who started off around the lake, eight of them completed the hike. Two are still going strong: both Gordon and Paul Cummings have circled Lake Okeechobee 11 times; this year, a successful circumnavigation will give them as many miles on the Big O as if they’d hiked the entire Florida Trail. What a feat!
You, too, can join in the fun. Held during Thanksgiving Week (to minimize the amount of time people need to take off of work), the Big O appeals to hikers from as far away as California and Ontario. It’s a family reunion, a shared experience of weather, wildlife, and eating out, or as Warren Resen put it, “it’s like the annual Christmas letter but live, and in person.” Come for the Wimp Walk (the kickoff day’s first three miles of hiking), walk as many or as few miles as you wish, or join the hardy crew of thru-hikers (more than 20 these days, and many repeat performers) for the whole 109 miles in 9 days around Lake Okeechobee. Or just be there at the Clewiston Inn on Thanksgiving Eve to laugh along with the talent show and show your support for the 2003 hikers.

WHEN: November 22-29, 2003
WHERE: Kickoff at South Bay RV Park, 8 AM,
Saturday November 22
HOW: See the form below
TO LEARN MORE: Come to the November 3 Loxahatchee chapter meeting (7:30 PM, Okeeheelee Nature Center, West Palm Beach) for a mirthful presentation on the magic of the Big O, or visit the Loxahatchee Chapter website at http://lox.florida-trail.org/.”

“Much of this trail is on a big green manmade hill around the southern edge of the lake. Although beautiful, the scenery does not change much, particluarly considering that it is 9 straight days of similar scenery.”

“Kind of like hiking along the barge canal?”

“I know nothing about the area, or if it's totally full of manmade stuff, etc. Maybe it's nothing worth doing.

Just sounded interesting”

“I saw the trhead title and thought, lizs is going on a hike for "the big O"? Oh well, to each his/her own.”

“LOL, ski! Yeah, I'm wondering if this will raise Matt's eyebrows. hahaha”