‘Expedition Headwaters’ was a 12 day trip for a small group of selected hikers and kayakers to trek along or in the Kissimmee River all the way down and into Lake Okeechobee. The trip ended on our second anniversay and Sandra had to be there for the end. So we were up early in the morning in Miami and speeding across the southeastren part of our state to the City of Okeechobee to meet the hearty outdoor warriors!

The purpose of the adventure was to try and bring attention to that which goes into the headwaters of the Kissimmee River, including Orange County’s Shingle Creek and the Wekiva River floats down and into Lake Okeechobee and then into the Everglades and effects the water south Florida uses. Soooooo, any and all pollutants that come from, say, Disney World end up in the water are the same pollutants later effecting the glass of water Sandra’s cousin Ruth would drink in Miami. Alot of folks don’t understand this and too many developers and their ilk would like to keep that a secret to the potential purchasers of buildings and property along the Kissimmee Valley cooridor and throughout southern Florida. Not a very nice thing to do.

Alot of the reporting of this trip skirted the main issue for obvious reasons. The bottom line is: A well educated public can better take care of themselves. Click here to go to the Florida Trail site and scroll down to a selection of other areas to click and learn more.

One drawing is of Ian Brown hiking his way to the end. The photo is of ‘Expedition’ hiker Beth Kelso who I owed a drawing since the Florida Trail Annual meeting. The drawing of Beth I created depicts the aftermath of the mud tromping that the group had fun with after the hiking group met the kayaking group in Lake Okeechobee.