FEB 20 2015 BY BRYAN 

Big Cypress Volunteer Trail Maintenance Work Party began on February 6, 2015 at the Florida Trail (FT) trailhead off Tamiami Trail Road at Big Cypress National Preserve Headquarters in south Florida. By the next Friday, February 13th, the work party had cleared and re-blazed roughly 8.5 to 9 miles of trail to the north and south of 10 Mile Camp, and had put nearly 60 miles under our boots.

Florida Trail Blaze in Big Cypress National Preserve, Florida

However, that is jumping ahead of things. First came assorted preparation by the Florida Trail Association (FTA) and the participating volunteers.

My part started with my kit.

Bryan’s BICY Backpacking Kit

My kit included (total weight 35 lbs +/-):

3 liter bladderCamelbak Mule (as we were going to be staging our daily work from a base camp)Snugpak Chrysalis sleeping bag (rated at 40º F)Big Agnes sleeping padMarmot Twilight 2 person tent2 Dri-Sak (waterproof) bags (1 for clothing, 1 for other gear)1 trash bag for dirty clothes3 pairs pants (2 would have been sufficient; 1 for daily use, 1 for camp)3 short sleeve shirts (I probably could have done without these)2 long sleeve shirts1 long under garment pants (I didn’t need them this time, but often do)Underwear (for 7 days)Socks (for 7 days) (I expected a wetter environment, otherwise could have cut the number of socks in half)Crocks (for camp shoes)Rain JacketSoap – environmentally friendly (Big Cypress was especially dry and water limited so I did not use this)Wet wipes (These are worth their weight in gold!)TPTooth brush and pasteBand aids and Moleskin for heels of feet (I have suffered blisters before and intend to never suffer them again…if possible!!)Sun screenInsect repellantEnergy gel (this time Honey Stinger & Mamma Chia Squeeze Green Magic)Nature Valley Granola Bars (Peanut Butter & Maple Brown Sugar)Camp food (not needed on this hike as was provided by FTA)*Small cooker & fuel (not needed on this hike as was provided by FTA)*ParacordCompassHead lampCamp towelMess kit (cup, bowl, spork)Sun glassesMulti-toolHat

Bryan trying out a Granite Gear Crown 60 lightweight Pack

I was trying out a new Granite Gear Crown 60 lightweight pack (2 lbs 2 oz / 60 liters – 3660 cubic inches).  I consider this an excellent pack, lightweight and durable.

Note: * Because I was trying out a new pack, I decided to bring a few things that I knew I would not actually need on this trip. My intent was to get the feeling/weight of a “normal” 1-week camping hike with this new pack.

Explore more of the Florida Trail and Big Cypress National Preserve from the National Park Service.