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Alafia Hiker
United States
เข้าร่วมเมื่อ 19 มี.ค. 2019
An avid hiker based near the Alafia River in west central Florida, seeking wildlife and natural surroundings.
This is to be a 7 year project. I'd like a video posted for every day of the year so I can look back on my adventures.
This is to be a 7 year project. I'd like a video posted for every day of the year so I can look back on my adventures.
Hiking Faver-Dykes State Park
This was a camping destination for me while I explored neighboring counties. Soon I'll have a video up from each county in Florida. Well, relatively soon. One day. lol
This Florida State Park doesn't have a lot of trails but I made sure to walk them all at least once during me stay. If weather was better I may have tried to put the paddle board in the creek. Looked like a nice place to float around and look for wildlife. They also had a bat box. I've staked out one of those at another park with good results, but since I had done it before, and it was raining the night I found it, I decided not to film the emergence.
What I did film was the trails, animals, and scenic views of the water.
The walking sticks were kind of a treat. I rarely see them or get them on camera. Other animals I encountered were spiders, tanagers, raccoons, deer, crabs, woodpeckers, racerunners, tortoises, insects, turkey, and other birds. I missed getting an armadillo on film. I also missed a gorgeous pygmy rattler. Seriously, this was nicest looking specimen I've seen but the was a palm frond above it as it left. Didn't have time to get it in focus. Was pretty sad about that.
With all the rain showers I was expecting, I borrowed a fold up gazebo. It was in bad shape but mostly did the trick. Made it easier to get in and out of the van without getting the inside wet. Also cut down on the noise on the roof of the van. Much appreciated as I slept.
This Florida State Park doesn't have a lot of trails but I made sure to walk them all at least once during me stay. If weather was better I may have tried to put the paddle board in the creek. Looked like a nice place to float around and look for wildlife. They also had a bat box. I've staked out one of those at another park with good results, but since I had done it before, and it was raining the night I found it, I decided not to film the emergence.
What I did film was the trails, animals, and scenic views of the water.
The walking sticks were kind of a treat. I rarely see them or get them on camera. Other animals I encountered were spiders, tanagers, raccoons, deer, crabs, woodpeckers, racerunners, tortoises, insects, turkey, and other birds. I missed getting an armadillo on film. I also missed a gorgeous pygmy rattler. Seriously, this was nicest looking specimen I've seen but the was a palm frond above it as it left. Didn't have time to get it in focus. Was pretty sad about that.
With all the rain showers I was expecting, I borrowed a fold up gazebo. It was in bad shape but mostly did the trick. Made it easier to get in and out of the van without getting the inside wet. Also cut down on the noise on the roof of the van. Much appreciated as I slept.
มุมมอง: 54
วีดีโอ
Hiking at the Longleaf Flatwoods Reserve
มุมมอง 13611 วันที่ผ่านมา
I expected to get my feet wet, but really there were only a couple spots where it was necessary. I did basically the outer loop of all the trails. I could see far into the distance throughout most of the day. That made it a little surprising to not see a lot of deer or other large animals. In the end it was the smaller wildlife I ended up finding, though I did spot at lease one deer. I also too...
Snorkeling at Phil Foster Memorial Park
มุมมอง 9718 วันที่ผ่านมา
How about a snorkeling trail this week? This was a different experience than my first snorkel video. Here there are some small manmade reefs you can swim to from shore. The allotted time we had to visit didn't match up well with the tides but there were still plenty of fish to see. The main draw back was the current. The first time in the water it was quite strong. Almost took us under the brid...
Hiking the Sunnyhill Restoration Area South Tract
มุมมอง 45425 วันที่ผ่านมา
I've now hiked all three tracts of this restoration area and I really enjoyed my time there. This trip was amazing. I filmed cows, two groups of turkeys, hawks, and cranes all before leaving the parking lot. After that I don't think I went more than 10 minutes at a time before finding something else to film. Whether it be deer, or pigs, or snakes.... or bears! These bear encounters are challeng...
Lake County Trailcam
มุมมอง 270หลายเดือนก่อน
A lot of deer showed up for this one, especially at the beginning. I left the trail camera out three months this time and made sure the wind wouldn't eat the battery like last time. Armadillos, and coyotes eventually started to show up. There was also a turkey, a bobcat, and a couple raccoons. The predators are always a highlight but I did like seeing some deer laying down in front of the camer...
Hiking the Sydney Dover Conservation Park
มุมมอง 158หลายเดือนก่อน
Always fun to do a local hike I've not done, and this one exceeded expectations. The Sydney-Dover Horse Trails turns out to be a very nice location to hike. The map makes it look like you'll be walking along a road most of the time but, in fact, due to the elevation of the the trails, your walking fairly high above the road which is a far nicer experience. Road noise can still be heard through ...
Hiking Price's Scrub State Park
มุมมอง 162หลายเดือนก่อน
Perhaps a more obscure Florida State Park, Prices Scrub can be found right along I-75 near Gainesville. There are plenty of trails here and the terrain changes in a few different areas. Not all the trails are well warn but there are plenty of miles to enjoy. I started by doing the Northern Loop, then the Middle Loop, then I attempted to do the Southern Loop but it was quite flooded. The tropica...
Hiking Paynes Creek Historic State Park
มุมมอง 142หลายเดือนก่อน
As Hurricane Debby passed by Central Florida, my wife and I had the chance to do a hike together. This trail was far enough inland that we avoided the rains. Of course we did have to drive through the rain feeder bands to get home. It was still a tropical storm as it went by but I'll admit it dumped quite a bit of water down. Not sure if the weather was affecting the wildlife but I did kind of ...
Barr Hammock Preserve Levy Prairie
มุมมอง 4872 หลายเดือนก่อน
Hiking the Levy Loop Trail can be challenging, especially during summer. When hiking on levees you'll usually find very little sun, you'll be exposed to other weather such lighting, and there isn't a detour to get around alligators blocking the path! All part of the adventure, right? I chose to start early and keep a good pace to be done before it got too hot or before the storms came in. You c...
Biking the Suncoast Trail Part 2
มุมมอง 1312 หลายเดือนก่อน
Picking up where my last video left off, I continue my bike ride, starting at the State Road 50 Trailhead in Spring Hill/Brooksville, and head north to the State Road 44, Gulf to Lake Trailhead in Lecanto. The terrain gets more hilly and you'll find less and less people out on trail on this northern half. Luckily I continued to find wildlife along the way and I was surprised to see the Suncoast...
Biking the Suncoast Trail Part 1
มุมมอง 1802 หลายเดือนก่อน
Riding my bike on the Southern half of the Suncoast bike path, with a stop off to hike at the CREWS Lake Wilderness Park. I started at the Lutz Lake Fern Rd Trailhead, and pedaled North to the SR 50 trailhead. I looked for wildlife along the way and stopped to do a hike. Made for a fun day outside. The further north you go, the less people you see. At first you can be passed but groups of cycli...
Hiking the Palm Bluff Conservation Area
มุมมอง 2832 หลายเดือนก่อน
It had been a while since I filmed a Chuck Will's Widow. I mean, I'm pretty sure that's what they were. They look so similar to other birds. I scared up three of them. One of course pretended to have a broken wing to lead me away from the others. So crazy to watch them do that. Crossing Deep Creek was no problem. The dry season is just now coming to an end, and we didn't get a wet season last y...
Sunnyhill Restoration Area: West Tract
มุมมอง 2292 หลายเดือนก่อน
Ever have a bear walk in front of you while your face is in the camera filming a turkey? I slightly sensed something move, and expected maybe a deer. Oddly enough as the bear was walking away, scaring the turkey off, a deer did snort off to my side, so there was a lot going on. My focus was on the bear at this point. It didn't look directly at me. More like it looked across the path in front of...
Botany Bay Plantation Heritage Preserve Driving Tour
มุมมอง 1723 หลายเดือนก่อน
Self guided driving tour through the Botany Bay WMA. One thing that made this a little more fun was printing out the tour sheet and giving it to my wife so she could be the tour guide. The points of interest are numbered and there is information listed on the sheet for each stop. I was of course more interested in the wildlife I could find, so I didn't retain any of those interesting facts. LOL...
Green Swamp Preserve, NC
มุมมอง 1243 หลายเดือนก่อน
A short walk in the rain to see carnivorous plants. Since I'm from central Florida, I normally associate the Green Swamp as a local hike, but not this Green Swamp. This one is located in North Carolina and is home to some unique plants. There are a few species of carnivorous plants here such as pitcher plants and sundews. There are also some species of orchids, but the real draw were the Venus ...
Matahzas Inlet is premier birding in the Winter. If low tide can walk north to National Park and catch the boat across the Intracoastal to a cool fort and back, usually dolphins. During Milton a new Inlet opened just south. That should be interesting to see if it develops a new ocean access.
Thanks for all the info!
Beautiful video! I always enjoy researching what area you're in - it's inspiring. Did you make it through the hurricane okay?
Trying to visit every county in the state was definitely one of my better ideas. We lost power for a while, and some shingles, and our road was washed out. Things are starting to get up and running again. Didn't have to wait in line for gas today. That was a plus.
another quality video filled with wildlife as always!!!
Thanks, Mike!
I took a naturalist to Princess Place to see what they thought. One of their ideas was it had signs of an apex predator having cleaned out the place. So maybe we had a "big cat". It is pretty north from what I understand, but possible.
That's interesting. I definitely didn't see many mammals. I mainly filmed birds and smaller critters.
It is very strange why Faver-Dykes and adjacent Princess Place are empty of wildlife. The location is only on the other side of the A1A from best birding, Matanzas Inlet. Water and trees and even at Princess Place there are two natural springs surrounded by hammock, and almost nothing. I think it is passed odd. I can camp at Princess Place, being a local, for $8. But why?
I'm editing a video that includes some of Princess Place right now. Should be up in a couple weeks. I haven't visited that inlet though. Sounds like I should add it to the list.
another awesome walk in the woods with great footage of wildlife as always!
Always nice to get out there. I'm expecting more wet trails in the near future.
So cool! I've never heard of a snorkeling trail - sounds really fun. I read your description and it's very interesting how you're getting those shots. It's obviously working great 👍🙂
So far it's more enjoyable to just float at the surface using the selfie stick. Maybe one day I'll work on diving down like normal folk.
@@AlafiaHiker why be normal? Lol😊
cool I neeed to check this place out..I have hiked alongside the cattle too at half moon preserve
I really enjoyed this place! I'll have to look into Half Moon, after hunting season.
Great video! Loved the colors of the fish! And that eel was great! Also great description of the video.
Yeah for being right off shore there was such a variety!
What month were you there?
This was in late May.
So fun to watch! Really enjoy the mamma and baby bears. Do you ever get scared? That was a pretty big bear.
They were a good distance away and I had bear spray, unlike my bear experience at the West Tract. That encounter made me nervous.
Outstanding episode man, video is simply enjoyable so soothing! Love it
Thank you. Was a great day. Easily found lots of animals.
Another great video. I realized watching this, one of the reasons I enjoy your adventures. I appreciate the use of natural sounds and not artificial, or some kind of paid music, on top. It is the best.
Thanks! Sometimes I have to use music but I definitely prefer not to.
Thank!!
What is the brand and model number for the camera?
It's a Bushnell Core DS 30MP no glow trail-cam. I don't have it with me right now but I think it's the 119977M.
You make Great videos, God Bless. It’s like I’m right there, watching and listening to everything
Thanks! That's definitely the style I tend to go for.
@@AlafiaHiker sounds great
awesome video as always!
Many thanks!
Lovely upload man, trail looks and sounds so soothing! Love it
For being so close to town, it really was peaceful.
It looks like you were in the movie Avatar with all this moss hanging from the trees !!! Awesome !!!!! 🤩🤩🤩
Safe to say spanish moss makes any hike better!
What a pretty trail! A little unusual seeing the chicken out there! I bet you weren't expecting that 😊
Yeah, even with some residences next to the trail, I was not expecting chickens!
awesome video as always!!
Thanks, Mike!
Nice video! I loved the natural sounds of the woods! So relaxing.
Turned out to be a good day, despite some rain.
cool boat
It's an attention getter, for sure.
Great video! It's always a treat to get out there in the wilderness even if you don't see a ton of wildlife...you will always see or learn something new you haven't seen before! I've been going out after those afternoon showers...but then I end up staying to late past dusk and have to walk back in the dark.
I'm mostly a sunrise hiker so I can be first on the trail, but part of what I enjoy most about my camping trips, is hiking at dusk. It has a different feel. Very relaxing. Even the occasional night hike can be great, as long as I'm prepared for it.
I’m jealous bro lol last comment you literally not only seen the birds I haven’t been able to see but also captured them on camera come on man keep up the incredible work your inspiring
Been fortunate to see a lot of Summer Tanagers especially this year.
Dude you have the best Florida nature/wildlife YT channel hands down
Thank you! I enjoy getting out there and finding as many different animals as I can.
Awesome !!! The turtle was in such a hurry ! 🤣
Hah! I have that effect on them somewhat often.
Yo that’s spider u captured at around 4 min mark is insane… incredible graphics
There were so many to choose from in that section of the trail. I think that one might have had a Katydid for breakfast.
awesome video as per usual! It is funny when I am out camping and asleep in the tent in the middle of the night the armadillos rustling in the saw palmettos sure do sound like a much bigger animal..lol
They really really do! LOL Gotta love 'em.
beautiful place reminds me of Paynes Prairie!
Just a stone's throw away.
Cool bridge
Felt really weird with both of us crossing at the same time. Like it didn't know which way to sway.
@@AlafiaHiker 😅
This looks like a beautiful area! Love the video and your attention to detail. The armadillo was feeling feisty 😂!
Hoping to paddle that river at some point. It was so hard not to laugh on camera when that armadillo did the summersault! Poor thing.
great video, Love the Loop road.. drive every chance I get! Music was very cool... the rhythm fit right in! Thank you very.much!
Been a while for me. I need to get back down there again!
The hummingbirds were cool to watch. The gator made me nervous...
The hummingbirds were tough to get on camera. Very cool to see them though!
Gorgeous video! Great way to start my day 😊
Thanks! Late start? ;)
a little but of everything! only thing missing was a peppy tortoise 😂
Gotta wait a couple more weeks for the next tortoise on the go!
1000% amazing. I have driven past, but now I see what I am missing. However, no way am I doing this alone, I think I need a tractor to do it. lololol How did you get around that nest with the alligator right there? This area of Florida has more alligators than Lake Apopka which is really crazy. Maybe I could do just a bit of it, that I know I will do.
Most gators go back in the water when they see you coming. This one was stubborn, but I managed to give it enough space by walking on the edge of the trail. Nervous moments though. lol
I love the animals and all the creatures in the forest. However, they should do something about the mosquitos as much as I love nature. They should mix these mosquitoes with the ones that don't bite or the ones that sterilize them because first scared tourist, and second cause disease.
You've got an idea there!
Awesome so lovely video
Thank you. It was a nice hike.
Most of these birds would be lifers for most of the birders here where I live. Awesome !! Thanks so much for sharing. We all appreciate. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Thanks! There were some really nice birds out that day.
Beautiful video! I especially enjoyed the flowers, and it looked like a beautiful morning. You've inspired me to get up and out earlier, and I'm enjoying the early morning!
Nice! Lots of benefits to an early start. Less people, less heat, less chance of rain/lightning....
The fawns, The cute squirrel eating the mushroom, and the beautiful patterns on that snake! Great video! Really enjoyed it!
Yeah! Was a great day, other than not being in shape to ride that far. lol
Brilliant. I'm looking to take a trip to see that. This was in April/May? I mean, I'm 'close' like 7 hours away close but I'd hate to get there at low bird time. :)
I totally understand. This was filmed March 30th and 31st.
the windchime tree!
Wasn't expecting it but was happy to find it.
What a beautiful trail and bike ride! Thanks for taking us along. Would actually be a great workout video 😊
Yeah, I could see that. A little virtual ride or jog.
Wow!....carnivorous plants too!
Looked like they could use some rain!
I came across a bobwhite momma with some chicks walking on a pasture prairie type hiking trail and the bobwhite mother did the same thing pretending to be injured to draw you away from the baby chicks!
Such cool behavior. They're so smart!
Wow! what a cool place...never heard of it though!
Pretty sure I added it to my list after finding it on the sjrwmd website. Been marked on my map a while. Glad I finally made it out there.
You were so lucky to see some nighthawk chicks !!!! Awesome
I hadn't seen something like that in a while.
Beautiful
Yes! Lots of nice trails out there.