The Big Cyprus
It is 6 AM when the taxi cab drops me off in front of the entrance to the Big Cyprus swamp. I am restless, Alas since the Big Cyprus is so remote I will not be able to start “fast packing” for a few days. I am instead carrying a heavy back pack and anxious to tackle perhaps the most difficult part of the Florida Trail. In the early morning dark I make my way past the air field and into the barren wilderness. The footing is difficult. I stop occasionally to drop my pack and rest. There is no place to sit so I stand in the mud munching on peanut butter sandwiches. The path is narrow but some hikers have made adjoining trails to avoid the murky sink ho les dotting the route. I plug along.
I hear the rustling in the grass momentarily thinking it is caused by the wind. Cautiously, I stop anyway. The hiss is louder. Then I hear the rattler as the huge diamond back rattle snake raises its body snarling. In panic I slowly back up the trail. The snake holds its ground defending its turf and blocking the trail. I holler, raise my walking stick for protection and walk quickly far to my left through heavy ferns to avoid my nemesis. All the while I am conscious that the big snake’s family members may be hidden right under foot. It is then that I realize that I should have not worn short pants. Prayer guides me until I rejoin the trail thirty yards ahead.