A couple of weeks ago, we decided to go for a quiet little early afternoon walk at a park we’d never visited before. We thought we’d really enjoy our natural surroundings more if we left our phones in the car ;-).
Unfortunately, we also left our jug of water in the car, a really foolish thing to do in July in south Florida!
Our scenic hike started out pleasantly enough . . . There were beautiful views in all directions . . . 
Canoeists and kayakers floating gently downstream . . .
A sweet little Green Heron – looking a bit lost in a sea of lake lettuce . . . 
A Limpkin happily foraging the shallow shorelines for Apple Snails . . .
Even a family of Black-bellied Whistling Ducks flying in and out of the tree tops . . .!
But then . . . The trouble all started when we followed one of these horse-crossing signs down an inviting grassy path. We didn’t see a single horse, but we continued on. We kept following side paths . . . and kept walking . . . till it became impossible to find where we’d started. At some point, we suddenly realized that nothing looked familiar!
Uh-oh!! . . . We were hopelessly lost in this 665 acre park, and truly couldn’t fathom which way we’d come! Despite the warning signs, we did not see any alligators! But, we had no water, no phone, and it was mid-afternoon on a very hot summer day. Eventually, after wandering way off course, we came across a long, wide canal, which seemed to be outside the park.
Much to our great relief, a wonderful, lone bicyclist happened by near the canal! He insisted on giving us a bottle of cold Gator-Ade (no pun intended!! ;-D) – a real life-saver – and pointed us back in the right direction, saying, “You’ve got about a 3-mile walk to get back to your car.” (!!)
When we finally arrived back at the car at 6 PM, I started looking at the few photos I’d taken, and – what? – I had completely forgotten that I had taken a shot of this map of the park about 15 minutes into our walk!! There were all the trails and all the twists and turns, right there on my camera!!
Could have come in handy if I’d remembered it was there!
Birder's Journey 
Ah, those senior moments.
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Haha….right! I was glad to hear from another blogger that he’d once done the same thing.
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I’m always afraid for that in new and large parks. But luckily you got back safely. Lovely shots!
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Much appreciated, Tiny! We were so very grateful to finally make it back to our car after hours of trekking around in the heat.
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I’m glad that you didn’t get lost in an unfrequented trail. Your photos are great! Be careful next time Carol please. 🙂
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Thanks for your thoughtful concern, H.J. I certainly will never go out again quite so unprepared.
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We have been in similar situations, and it does make you anxious as night approaches. Thankfully God sent help along and you found your way out. Yes, likewise I photographed a map and forgot I had it on my camera, when we did not know the way to take. Now I photograph these things before I go in. I have had to pray myself out of deep, dark rainforests when I was alone and lost, when no one would have ventured there.
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Your comment was very affirming, A.B., thank you. My adventure seems very tame compared to your being lost in a rainforest!
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So, your angel showed up on a bicycle! Praise the Lord. You’ll never know for sure, will you?
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That bicyclist really did rescue us with his cold drink and guidance. We discovered that we were heading in a totally wrong direction when he came along.
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So glad you ran into lone bicyclist, Bj. No phone, no water in the trail is scary. Beautiful shots!
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Thanks for your kind comments, Amy! The experience certainly taught us a lesson about preparedness – you never know. . . .
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Sounds like quite an adventure. I’ll bet from now on you won’t leave your water and phone behind when you go hiking.
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Right! You just never know ….
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Thank goodness you met the bicyclist. You got some terrific shots.
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I’ll say – encountering that cyclist was a real lifesaver. Thank you, Pat!
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Four of use did that in Costa Rica. We were stuck in a monsoon in the mountains. I had a compass and that is how we got back. You were lucky to see the cyclist. Gators would scare me.
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Whoa…getting caught in a monsoon would be SO much worse than our experience! Thank goodness you arrived back safely!
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Reading your blog made me smile remembering one of my such situations I got into birding. I have added link to your blog in mine. I hope you would not mind. Am planning a trip to Florida sometime. My blog where you can see your linked blog is http://cheemablog.blogspot.com
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Thanks for making the connection! I hope you have plenty of time for your Florida visit – there are so many amazing birding spots all around the state.
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