Walk on the Wild Side

As Marjorie wrote in her book Cross Creek, “It is necessary to leave the impersonal highway, to step inside the rusty gate and close it behind. By this, an act of faith is committed, through which one accepts blindly the communion cup of beauty. One is now inside the grove, out of one world and in the mysterious heart of another.”

Although they were written over 75 years ago, those words still ring true today. Entering through the small rusty gate, the dirt path that winds through the orange grove can lead to feelings of bliss. Life’s worries begin to fade, replaced by the wondrous feeling of youth, when adventures were what we lived for.

As you walk through the grove, be on the lookout for a variety of fowl, including mallard ducks and chickens. These farm animals tend to act as if they own the place, which for the most part is true. As the path turns to the left in front of a “shabby” farmhouse and continues towards the duck and chicken pens, you begin to imagine where the trail might lead.

In Marjorie’s day, it would have gone directly into her grove of 1,600 citrus trees, but time has marched on and the forest hammock has swallowed up most of her original grove. Many citrus trees are still alive and producing fruit, however most of these are wild and have grown back from sour root stock oranges. Be careful of their long and very sharp thorns!

Continue down the nature trail as it winds through the hammock, passing by majestic live oak trees covered with Spanish moss and resurrection fern, cabbage palms (Florida’s state tree), sweetgum and maple. The air seems thick with humidity, but it sure feels cooler out of the direct sunlight.

At the juncture, the trail to the left brings you back to the farmyard, passing by the old tenant house. The trail to the right takes you on a one-way trip to the marsh, where deer love to play and on occasion you might get a glimpse of a soaring bald eagle or a brightly red-crested pileated woodpecker. After enjoying the view for a moment or two, you can turn around for the trip back.

Although not as long as many park trails, this short walk is just as enjoyable. Be sure to check it out the next time you visit Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Historic State Park.