BIKERAFTING WEKIVA STATE PARK
As kids growing up in Florida, my friends and I spent hazy summer days paddling along its murky rivers and dipping into the cool spring waters, which always remain at a blessed 72 degrees. We passed winters lounging on docks in warm jackets with our feet dangling over chilly, dark lakes. Water connects Floridians, with each other and with the nature around us. The state is one massive
Florida, USA
landmass, buoyed just above the water table by pockmarked limestone. Bad storms are almost
Written by Abby Scott Images by David Childers
always a blessing in disguise, at first bringing floods, ripping up trees, and causing even worse traffic but also simultaneously replenishing and refueling a sensitive yet resilient ecosystem. Floridians don’t much mind weathering a few storms. After living in the desert for years, my roots longed for a drink of the sunshine state’s tea-colored waters and thankfully this fall, I received the chance to packraft a beloved childhood summer swimming hole - Wekiva Springs. As a kid, I loved swimming in Wekiva’s crystal clear water. End of the year parties took place under cabanas and, after filling up on watermelon and potato chips, we sprinted towards the natural pool, goggles in hand ready to explore a new world just below the surface.
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