Benjamin – Burrow Expert
After a busy morning of finding active versus “old” burrows along his 2.2 trek of Lakeland Highlands Scrub on Saturday, three-year old gopher tortoise expert Benjamin found a little diversion on an abandoned railroad tie. Benjamin joined approximately 30 other nature lovers at the 551-acre Lakeland Highlands Scrub Preserve for a guided Trek Ten Trails hike this past Saturday. It was the first time for Benjamin, his mother and a friend to visit the preserve, one of 20 trail properties throughout Polk County included in the Trek Ten Trails Program.
NEXT GUIDED HIKE Van Fleet State Trail, September 18
Now Benjamin will have to wait until the fall for the next “guided” hike although he can trek any of the featured trails before the deadline of October 15 to validate his hikes with the self-inking stamp found in the geocache hides on each of the trails. Benjamin was almost as excited about the “hidden treasures” as he was about gopher tortoise burrows! Not once did he ask to be carried – he trekked the entire 2.2 miles with a smile.
LEARN MORE . . . VISIT OUR WEBSITE
Complete details on the Trek Ten Trails Program can be found at the Friends of the Parks website: www.friendsoftheparks.net. Pick-up your Validation Card at any of the locations listed and start trekking today. Hiking is good for you and as Benjamin learned, a whole lot of fun!
