Work Off Turkey Day on Big O Hike

17 Nov 201611:07 AM

By Sue Cocking, Guy Harvey Outpost Travel Journalist

Now here’s a novel way to pig out on Turkey Day with impunity: hike the Herbert Hoover dike around Lake Okeechobee.

The Loxahatchee chapter of the Florida Trail Association will conduct the popular Big O hike, now in its 25th year, from Nov. 20-25 on the elevated trail that surrounds the lake. You can join as many as 30 of your soon-to-be-closest friends in South Bay on Nov. 20 for the first leg of 12 miles to Pahokee or opt for the ‘wimp walk’ of only three miles.

For the rest of the week, you’ll be doing a series of day hikes totaling about 65 miles — not the entire 110-mile perimeter of the Big O since several sections are closed for dike repairs. No need to stuff a big backpack because you will be shuttled between your base camp at the KOA Campground in Okeechobee to and from entry and exit points each day; a day pack will do fine.

Post-hike social events will be held daily at the KOA, with a Thanksgiving Day feast served on Nov. 24.

Chapter president Roy Moore of Wellington will lead the hike.

“It’s a social thing–people doing day hikes together,” Moore said.

You’ll take in panoramic views of one of the largest lakes in the U.S. and probably spot some animals.

“You see a lot of wildlife around the northwest corner,” Moore said. “Coyotes, wild hogs, lots of birds.”

The guest list so far includes a nine-year-old girl and an 85-year-old man, among others.

To learn more and register, go HERE.