Backpacking Lake Arbuckle 2.0

Day One, Day hike <--- sign up at this link if you want to make this the first day of this three-day-weekend, OR if you ONLY want to attend the day hike.

Sign up here if you wish to go backpacking with me (Sat/Sun). Limited to 10. If you want to also attend the day hike on Friday please sign up for that one separately.
Where: For the trailhead coordinates pls see pin on the map under directions, it is near the Reedy Creek campground and right by the trail kiosk on Rucks Dairy Rd. If you’re driving on the red clay road you’ve gone too far.

Trails are sandy and most of them exposed to sun. Florida may be flat but sandy trails are a workout.

The plan:
Friday, 2/27/2025: ****SEE SEPARATE LINK ABOVE FOR SIGN-UP*****8 mile day hike on the Walk-In-The-Water blue and red trails, then heading down the road to Reedy Campground at Lake Arbuckle Tract to spend the night. Please make your own reservations for this campground or choose any other place where you may want to stay the night before we start on Saturday : https://floridastateforests.reserveamerica.com/camping/map_of_reedy-creek-campground-lake-wales-ridge-state-forest/r/campgroundMap.do?page=map&search=site&contractCode=FLFS&parkId=1120188

Saturday, 2/28/2025: starting the 19 mile backpacking trip around Lake Arbuckle on the yellow loop trail. We'll take a lunch break at Lone Oak Camp and will spend the night at the Hidden Hammock campsite along the trail. The Hidden Hammock campsite is much smaller than Creekside camp from last year. There are some spots to camp right outside of the campsite if we get too crammed. IMPORTANT: there is an "artesian well" water source within 0.55 miles of our campsite, but I've been told is yucky sulfur water. If you want to try and filter it you can, but I will cache drinking water jugs about a mile before camp. That means that everyone will help carry water to camp. Whatever we don't use we can dump (fire?) and we’ll carry out the empty jugs.
Unlike last year, we’ll start at the northern end and hike counterclockwise.
Day One: Approx. 10.5 miles to Hidden Hammock Campsite. Lunch break at Lone Oak camp, about mile 5.
Day Two: 8 miles to complete the loop along Lake Arbuckle, ending at our cars.
You must have prior backpacking experience and your own gear, including a water filter. This is not an event for first-timers testing their gear.
If anyone can carpool it will help save space at the trailhead, parking is limited.