Big O

The "Big O" is a nine day series of 9 to 14 mile day hikes that circumnavigates Lake Okeechobee, the second largest lake entirely within the US. The trail around the Lake is called the Lake Okeechobee Sceneic Trail (LOST). It is located on the top of the Herbert Hoover Dike which completely surrounds the lake and protects the local area from flooding during a hurricane. The Florida Trail utilizes the LOST. Florida Trail hikers have the choice of hiking the East or West side of the Lake. I decided I would do the complete circumnavigation of the Lake instead of choosing sides.

There is no shade on the trail, so it is preferable to hike it in cooler weather. While there is a good amount of birds and wildlife, the scenery is basically the same for 110 miles. I decided to hike the lake section with the Florida Trail group that hikes it annually during Thanksgiving week. Friend Ian also wanted to get this section out of the way so he will not have to tackle it in warmer weather during his thru hike.

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