We were walking in a line, talking practically in whispers. Everyone was covered in sweat already and it had only been about a half hour of hiking. Surrounding us was 21,000-acres of savanna and humidity that felt unreasonable for the dead of winter in Alachua County, Florida.
It was somewhat jarring to finally take the Edges of Earth expedition to the states, the place that Marla and I have called our home for most of our lives. One would think there’d be a bit of comfort or convention associated with this more familiar venue. But even though we were a ten minute drive to the center of the populous city of Gainesville, we still felt like we were nowhere near anything that felt remotely like society.
Walking alongside two marine biologists, two naturalists, and one lifelong local, we were in the best possible hands to explore Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park. Typically, people come to this park to see the roaming bison and wild horses. But alongside the biology and naturalist crew, we were heading to the water’s edge to find something, in our opinions, even more unusual.
While Taylor Masnjak, the nature-obsessed outdoor enthusiast that doubled as a naturalist, was giving us the full rundown of every animal we saw in the sky or in the weeds, Tiare Fridrich (or TJ for short), the Gainesville-local marine biologist, was giving us pro-tips on how we were to handle ourselves when we finally would come across our main event. Still not entirely sure what to expect, we were following these two into the wilderness without a shadow of a doubt that whatever they were going to show us would be legendary.
That’s because days earlier, we had met TJ and Taylor to learn about their truest passion: Florida’s manatee population. Getting a grand tour of Crystal River during the peak winter months to spot these majestic creatures, we already were in awe of their knowledge, passion and commitment to the herbivorous sea cow. These two were showing us an entirely new side to Florida—one we’d never encountered even as Americans ourselves. Wanting to see more of the wild side, Taylor and TJ urged us to explore Paynes Prairie to see real deal Florida.
Having never heard of this place, and without any premeditated research to spoil what was in store, we let the pros lead the novices. After a half hour in, we already thought we’d seen it all, given we passed a wetland filled with white ibis and a few small, camouflaged alligators. Following the La Chua Trail, we made our way to the Alachua Sink, sitting at the center of the prairie wetland and marsh area.
When there’s freshwater, marshes or wetlands, there’s likely going to be alligators in this state. So where we were was the absolute perfect spot for sighting these incredible apex predators. It’s estimated that Florida has over a million alligators in residence, but that number is extremely hard to nail down. Scientists will take airboats out at night on some of the major lakes and conduct manual counts, with the famed Lake Okeechobee reaching the 30,000 count!
But that’s not to say alligators can’t be found everywhere in Florida. According to our newfound favorite locals, they had seen alligators in pretty much any spot you can imagine—from puddles to sewers to backyards and bathtubs. Florida gives us nothing short of crazy in every way possible.
Wondering how Paynes Prairie didn’t make the cut for the largest population density of alligators perhaps anywhere, Taylor and TJ referred to this as “nothing” in comparison to how many alligators they’ve seen congregating throughout Florida. Because of land development over the years and the increase in human headcount, gators are actually rapidly losing their place as Florida's dominant resident. And that’s why Louisiana takes the lead as having the most alligators in the country—simply because of less human activity and four million acres of the perfect habitat.
As we walked the banks of the sink, the hundreds of gators sat quietly, without making a single move, yet their eyes followed us. The all-eyes-on-us thing made us extremely unsettled, perhaps the most we’d felt in a long time. Unsure what move would spark alligator action, we tiptoed around the sink, crouching down in feeble attempts to hide in broad daylight.
Even though alligators aren’t known to attack humans, there was no question this was one of those moments to follow the rules of the state park. We happily mirrored the example of the biologists and did not tempt fate. Out here, we were merely guests in a highly wild territory, completely outnumbered. If one thing changed their natural course of existence, there were far more of them than us, and that truly gave these primordial creatures the upper hand.
Bald eagles circled us from above, small ospreys perched in nearby trees, black vultures lurked around the alligators heads, and schools of fish jumped straight out of the water. There was no question that we’d found our way to the heart and soul of wild Florida. A tiny speck on the map filled with what seemed like endless and thriving wildlife.
But with every place that looks and feels this untamed, comes a troubled and turbulent past. At least that’s what we’ve come to find in our conscious exploration around the world. It wasn’t always the case that this state park was designated as a USA National Natural Landmark. That was only something that happened as of the 70s and after incidents of chaotic land grabbing and heavy colonization.
Over time, the owners abandoned it after being ambushed repeatedly by native tribes. The land was reclaimed by the Alachua group who were part of the Seminole tribe. It wasn’t until close to the 1800’s that European colonizers came into the area and claimed it right back. The Indian Removal Act, which was one of the all time worst policies of colonization, went into effect in 1830, which marked the official end of the native’s reign here.
Once converted back into a ranch, it was later purchased by the state of Florida and transformed into what it is today—a conservation hotspot with species and wetlands that were reintroduced back into the park zone. The highlands freshwater marsh in particular is notorious on its good days for being an epicenter for some of Florida's best kept secrets. Which is exactly what brought us to this little slice of wild in the first place.
However, what leaves the most lasting impression isn’t always the wildlife—it's the history. This land meant so much to so many people, and still does today. It’s the lifeline of Florida and an undeniably strong example of what the state must have been like before humankind took over the planet. If we are going to travel to places, even in our own backyard, it’s pretty much a necessity that we understand what happened well before our time.
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After hours under the watchful gaze of the local wildlife, we went in search of those roaming herds of horses and bison. From a respectful distance, we observed them moving freely across the landscape, an unscripted finale to our journey through the wilds of Florida. This left us with a new level of respect and a deeper connection to a state we hadn't anticipated would show us so much about what our country must have been like eons ago.
You can't truly understand a place until you've navigated its past and present. You learn so much more when you’re traversing wetlands, getting stuck in mud and sharing space with its most formidable inhabitants. That's when you’re fully processing a place's total significance. It's in these moments that the true essence of where you are reveals itself, highlighting the undeniable impact of nature's untamed beauty, its challenged history and its unknown future.
To be continued…
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