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| Hiking | 8.07 Miles |
137 AEG |
| | Hiking | 8.07 Miles | 2 Hrs 33 Mns | | 3.16 mph |
| 137 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | After day hiking the Appalachian Trail in Pennsylvania ( [ photoset ] ) over Easter, my wife & popped down to Jacksonville for an Endurance Karting Spina Bifida charity race at the awesome 103rd St. Sports Complex track.
Normally, on a race weekend, we fly out on Thursday, practice on Friday afternoon, then qualify and race on Saturday. But because we arrived in Florida on Tuesday, we had some time to fill. Being Florida, touristing & avoiding car jacking were two obvious activities, as was hiking.
The east trailhead, where I started, is located on Imeson Rd. The moon had not quite set yet, so I took a photo off it between the berries on a tree. Unfortunately, several hundred thousand miles of depth-of-field was outwith my $150 camera’s capability.
The Jacksonville-Baldwin Rail Trail is mostly used by bike riders, but horses and pedestrians are also allowed. I only encountered bike riders, and all were polite and non-aggressive. I wish could say the same for the loose dogs a half mile west of Jones Rd.
I was hoping to see some snakes & gators, but other than the aggressive dogs, the only critters I saw were some cattle.
The rail trail's wide, grassy, shoulder was sprinkled with flowers. After my lack of success flower hunting on the Black Canyon Trail two weeks ago ( [ photoset ] ), I was grateful for the extra color.
The Jacksonville-Baldwin Rail Trail can be accessed from Pritchard Rd., which is heavily trafficked, so the underpass is appreciated. (Other road crossings between Imeson Rd. and Halsema Rd. have sparse traffic.)
Just west of Pritchard Rd., and north of the rail trail, is Whitehouse Naval Outlying Field, a military facility with a 1.5 mile runway. I was hoping to see some cool stuff. Maybe jets. As I approached, I could hear military choppers, but it was fenced — obviously — and what was beyond the fence was hidden. Understandable, but a bummer. I was jealous, because somebody was doing something high speed and low drag — like I used to do — while now I was just *military term for being useless*.
When I hiked the Jacksonville-Baldwin Rail Trail, the temperature was perfect, with a slight cooling breeze coming off the distant Atlantic Ocean.
In summary, other than aggressive dogs, the Jacksonville-Baldwin Rail Trail is mellow, easy, exercise.
Hike Video: [ youtube video ] |
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Wildflowers Observation Moderate
I saw a dozen different species sprinkled along the trail, mostly in the grassy first three miles west from Imeson Rd. |
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| http://prestonm.com : Everyone's enjoyment of the outdoors is different and should be equally honored. |
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Route Editor
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