D21 – Secret Florida Trail camp – Harold Williams Cooney

Friday, December 19th, 2025. Fort Christmas Baptist Church, skeeping pad on a towel on the floor of fellowship hall next to the piano and refrigerator. West off m339.2 of the Florida Trail. Woke naturally at about 6 am. 71° and cloudy. 28.535981,-81.019151

Despite the amazingly hospitable location, I don’t sleep that well due to pain in my legs, I think. I get up around six and start packing up. I don’t make a rush out of it. Pack on, walking back to the grocery at about 740.

I am able to pick up a decent resupply of various nuts and dried fruits along with four bananas at Circle K. I have two breakfast sandwiches, a cup of coffee, and a pint of ice-cream at Christmas grocery. I make hotel arrangements for two nights starting tomorrow in Lake Mary. Walking out and back to trail 940am.

The trail is fantastic fun. There are actual roots and foot profiles, a first kind of. I half expected to see a rock.

Audio books and smiling along, good times!

Quite a bit of the day was water over trail. Nothing too crazy.

Some of the ground is looking like forest. Almost, lol.

The neighborhood where the red line takes to town roads is absolutely fantastic! If i was wealthy with a family, I’d live here. There are a few architectural beauties in here with cows. Excellent combo.

I stay on the road walk past where the red line goes north to eat dinner at Briskets 2 BBQ. They had a BBQ bowl, brisket over veggies, perfect for me, it was okay. Thrilled with my life.

I get a coke at the convenience store for some caffeine and set my mind for night hiking. It’s gonna be a long while.

I can not even imagine living like this. Like, none of it. Do 10 pensive in there? I am thrilled by the display. I see others too. Thankful.

I walk until about 11pm, I think. Basically, all of it on bike path. Very pleasant. Excellent walking. I make the tent site, a short blue line off the bike path, and am thrilled at the hidden nature of the place. Someone works hard to keep this place squared away.

Milage:

Start at 339.2, and camp is 377.6, 38.4 miles, but its less than that because I took Mills Road through the Village of Taintsville. It’s probably still better than 35.