<6 Mile Easy but Hot Hike at Colt Creek - Fingers Crossed for a Wonderful Sunset

Hello peeps, here's the update you've been waiting for. Please be sure to read...

It's time to show Colt Creek a little love! Let's do a 5 to 6 mile sunset hike at Colt Creek State Park. This is an *easy but hot* hike at the end of the day, followed by watching the sunset in the Mac Lake parking lot at 8:20 pm. You must be out of the park by 8:30 pm unless you are lucky enough to be camping :).

On June 1, we will meet in the Mac Lake parking lot at 5:30 sharp, then we'll have a quick hello & safety meeting. The drive from the ranger station to Mac Lake is about 5 minutes so please factor that into your travel time.

Even though the sun won't be beating directly down on us, please anticipate some extreme heat for the first hour or so. Heat stroke and exhaustion are scary things that can be avoided. Here’s are some suggestions to keep you safe:

• Prepare your body for the heat starting the day before. Limit coffee, alcohol, and salty foods. Drink lots of water and drinks with electrolytes.
• On the day of the hike, do the same as above. Keep up the water and electrolytes.
• Dress appropriately. Light-colored, moisture wicking, long sleeve tops and pants can help keep you cool. My favorite hot weather fashion statement are tops with arctic cool technology that pull moisture away from my skin and disperses it throughout the fabric along channels on the surface of the threads.
• Add ice to your water bottles and add a hat to your pack. I also plan to pack a UV umbrella and a cooling towel.
• The minimum amount of water you should bring on this hike is 2 liters.

Now back to the good stuff... After our quick meeting, we will make our way over to marker 29 and enter the forest where we should find some relief from the heat as we pass several markers. Then we will thread the needle by taking blue spur trails each way and end up at Metal Mark via the flatwoods trail. Here’s where we will stop for pictures by the pond and to have a quick break. Next, we’ll begin our return by passing Boots & Saddles, markers 28, 34 and 36 until we reach marker 37 which is at the NW corner of Mac Lake. Now in the home stretch, we’ll continue hiking around the bottom of Mac Lake until we’re back in the parking lot. Fingers crossed for a beautiful sunset while we’re standing on the pier or on the shore.

Please anticipate lots of mosquitoes, a few wet areas on the trail, back tracking as needed, and sometimes hiking on the road. This is a rain or shine event unless there’s a risk of lightning close to the time of our hike. The hike is still on even if the sunset won't be visible to us.
Other Important Details

There is a $4 fee per car to enter the park unless you have a park pass. The trail is well marked but you can always ask for a hiking map when you pay at the ranger station. There are bathrooms and water at the ranger station and also at Mac Lake.

On the drive to Mac Lake and on the trail, you might see a variety of animals including birds, deer, otters, squirrels, and tortoises. Maybe even a cat face tree. The trails at Colt Creek are absolutely beautiful and so peaceful.

During the hike, we will maintain an easy pace of about 2 miles per hour and all hikers should have recent experience doing a 5-mile hike in less than 3 hours.

For this hike, you will need at least 2 liters of water, snacks, bug spray, sunscreen (hopefully only for a short period of time), a hat, hikers (no sandals or walking shoes), and anything else you deem necessary for your comfort. You might also want to bring a ground cloth to sit on during the snack break.

My number on the day of the hike is 813-713-2492.

Read about the park at: https://www.floridastateparks.org/parks-and-trails/colt-creek-state-park.

I am asking that everyone signs up (no guests) so everyone can agree to the waiver and agree to the following conditions:

ASSUMPTION OF RISK

YOUR ATTENDANCE AT A "SUNCOAST OUTDOORS " SPONSORED EVENT IS YOUR EXPRESS ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF UNDERSTANDING AND UNCONDITIONAL ACCEPTANCE OF FULL PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY AND LIABILITY FOR ALL ASSOCIATED RISKS.
Possible risks from participation include, but are not limited to: injury from a trip and fall, venomous snakes, stinging insects, venomous spiders, wildlife encounters, heat stroke, dehydration, hypothermia, noxious vegetation, weather related injury, insect or airborne transmissible virus and disease, smoke inhalation, wildfire, and falling trees.

I am not a professional guide, just a volunteer for the group.