The Ocala National Forest is home to the endangered sand scrub pine habitat.  In the Ocala is the largest unbroken tract of this habitat in the world.  This long but beautiful hike on the Florida Trail showcases the beauty of the sand scrub pine habitat and the vast prairies that surround it.  On this excursion, you will also see Hidden Pond, a small pond in the middle of the prairie land, and you will see the Long Cemetery, a small, old cemetery located on the historic Yearling Trail.  This hike occurred on Sunday, July 5th, 2015.  My plan was to hike the Florida Trail from the trailhead on Florida State Route 40 to the junction with the Yearling Trail 10 miles later.  From there, I would take the Yearling Trail to the Long Cemetery.  I would return the same way. 

About Me

Mark OlegMy name is Mark,​I am 16 years old, and I've been hiking since 2011.  I started by hiking occasionally short trails in the Georgia State Parks, as I live in Atlanta.  Then in 2012, I expanded my trips into other states of the Southeast.  During the year of 2013, I started hiking more in the National Forests and especially in the Carolinas and Tennessee.  My other hobbies include chess, science, meteorology, and music.  In fact, I am a weather forecaster with 3 years of experience.  I am a student at European School of Music where I learned that music and nature have a lot in common.  Listening to good music inspires me to capture nature's beauty on the camera in different aspects that also make me recall many beautiful music pieces that I've heard.