Kat Sack here! Sometimes Katastrophic Sackrilege to the running community, but most definitely The Mountain Lioness to those who follow and join my adventures. I currently call Tallahassee, FL home. The mountains are my favorite place to be and explore but given my location, I dive into other types of rad places too!

I created this blog as a personal project to document my adventures. Photos are great, but I love text describing more of the story and to recall what I have learned. I am no expert at outdoorsy activities, but I learn as I go! If you end up here, I hope you can get something out of it.

My original focus was on backpacking, hiking, camping, kayaking, and mountain biking. I have thus shifted the scope as I discovered my love for National and State Parks. I have the National Parks Passport and the Florida State Parks passport which have allowed me to discover places I originally would never have seen. Now I write about national monuments, history, run-cations, etc.

At some point I hope to dive into personal growth as well with topics including self-sufficiency and improvement, turning boredom into adventure, steps to heal my body and mind, and overcoming social adversities.

Life is an adventure. Go outside. Pay attention to all that is around you. Get lost in the moment. Everything has a story. Listen for it, even if you do not speak the same language.

Florida's Newest State Geological Site - Wakulla Springs


Florida's Newest State Geological Site - Wakulla Springs

FL State Parks: Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park

Wakulla, FL

20 December 2018


Introduction


Today I tried something different. Normally I visit parks on my own time and partake in the daily available activities. This time, I attended the designation ceremony for Wakulla Springs State Park becoming a state geological site. I had to take the afternoon of work off in order to do so. Unfortunately the weather prohibited the geological tour of the park; however, Dr. Jon Arthur took attendees on a "virtual tour" instead.

I subscribe to DEP's state park emails. Below are the screenshots of the email I received for this particular event.
I sent an RSVP email and reserved my spot. I'm in!

The Gear

The Story


The Designation Ceremony

The ceremony was being held in the Wakulla Springs Lodge. The picture above is of the ceiling in the main room of the lodge. There's even a book about the architecture to flip through about it or to purchase at the extensive gift shop.

They provided coffee and light snacks! I took advantage of the coffee for sure.

For more information on the FGS, please visit: DEP - Florida Geological Survey (FGS)

Below is a picture of the award ceremony. From left to right:
  - Eric Draper, Florida State Parks Director
  - Amy Conyers. Wakulla Springs State Park Manager
  - Dr. Jon Arthur, Florida State Geologist and Florida Geological Survey (FGS) Director

Dr. Arthur Takes Us On a Virtual Tour of Wakulla Spring's Geological Features



Stop #1 - Wakulla Springs


Stop #2 - Kitchen Sinks

"Cover your eyes and imagine yourself walking across the parking lot to Kitchen Sinks."

Stop #3 - Cherokee Sink


Fun Knowledge From the Presentation

  • Cody Scarp - An ancient sea line that divides the Woodville Karst Plain and Tallahassee Hills
  • LIDAR = Light Detection and Ranging, legislature approved $15 million for this technology
  • Karst Topography - Formed from soluble, carbonate rock in Florida
  • Karst Processes - Slightly acidic rainwater with traces of CO2 gets more acidic as it seeps through soils
    • Dissolution is the chemical reaction between the infiltrating water and limestone, creating void spaces in the rock. The porous spaces make limestone a good acquifer.
  • Karst features that affect the Floridian Acquifer System include sinkholes, swallets, springs, and both wet and dry caves.
  • Wakulla Springs is a 1st magnitude spring (1st magnitude flows > 100cfs) - averaging 623 cfs and is home to one of the longest underwater cave systems (169,000ft) in the United States
  • 90% of our drinking water comes from acquifers.
  • Springsheds! Watersheds that provide water to springs including both surface and groundwater basins. This term was coined at a meeting last year in Ocala, but it is not the "official" term.
  • An overview of the dye tracing in the Woodville Karst Plain and the incredible amounts of resources it takes to pull off.
  • Wakulla Basin Management Action Plan (BMAP)

Wakulla Springs Myth

Gabrielle Wu Lee, Wakulla Springs Myth, 1986, oil on four polygonal canvas panels (relief), 72 x 96 x 4 inches.

Gabrielle is deceased, however her husband Dr. Paul Lee attended the ceremony. Dr. Lee (pictured to the right, shaking an attendee's hand) donated Gabrielle's beautiful artistic view of Wakulla Springs, and it is now hanging on the wall of the Magnolia Room in the lodge.
“Wakulla Springs is the crown jewel of Florida. It is the world’s longest and deepest underwater cave system pouring out 200 million gallons of water daily through a funnel-shaped vertical spring eye to form a river running to the Gulf of Mexico. A crystal clear, mirror-like pool on top of the Springs reflects the passing clouds and the blue sky. Water plants bow and wave within the rapid flow of water. Alligators and waterfowl make their homes in the river on its unique islands of Cyprus knees and floating water-plants. The limestone formation has been leached white, visible through the 190-foot depth of spring water. The eye of the springs gazes up from underneath the water surface. All around the forest, the wildlife, and the crystal-clear rushing spring looks just like the original Garden of Eden. This is a live creature with a big heart and abundant love to give. ‘Wakulla’ in the local Native American language means ‘Mystery.’ 
Gabrielle’s painting is a four-layer relief: each layer is made of a polygonal panel and all layers combined form a rectangular painting. 
The top layer depicts the racing clouds on the reflecting pool, the second layer the waving water plants, the third layer the limestone formation, and finally the deep, mysterious eye of the outpouring springs. 
It took Gabrielle more than four years to complete the painting to the point that she herself felt satisfied. Gabrielle and I visited Wakulla Springs the first time on Thanksgiving Day in 1982, just two months after we had come to the United States. New Friends came to pick us up at our student apartment; they then invited us to lunch and drove us to Wakulla Springs. We were both deeply impressed, attracted and fascinated by the wild grandeur of the mysterious and beautiful Springs—a miraculous place, in both scientific and artistic aspects.” 
      - Lee, Paul Z. “Gabrielle Wu Lee: Dynamic Expressionism in the Speed and Rhythm Series.” (2011)
More information can be found with these links:

"That concludes our field trip."

Kat and Kat Cruise the Wakulla River in the Rain

The virtual tour was much shorter than the actual tour would have been, and I needed to make my afternoon off work extra worth it. I've been to Wakulla Springs lots of time but only been on the boat tour once. I went over to see if they were still having riverboat tours for the remainder of the day due to weather and enough people to justify going on the tour. They skipped over the next boat launch due to me being the only person and to wait on the weather. Unsurprisingly no one else signed up for a later tour but the weather cleared a bit, and I paid the $8 for the fun, slightly rainy adventure.

I was talking to the ranger and staff member about the event, park, bird identification, the creatures in the aquarium, weather, etc. There was an awkward tension of "I feel like I know you" in the room. I was asked my name, and I responded 'Kat!', and she's like "No way! Me too." Then I had my epiphany. Earlier this year, I biked down the St. Marks Trail to tour the Niña and Pinta, which were in port. Kat was our tour guide. There was discussion that there were three Kats at that time. Kat was First Mate Kat at the time. Today she is Captain Kat as she would be taking me on a private cruise down the river. 

Left is from this day. Right is from March 17, 2018.

Today was mostly a bird day. And trees, but always trees. I love taking pictures of awesome trees. Some of the species Kat and I observed were: [Not all were photographed]
Here is a list of birds that can be spotted at Wakulla Springs: Wakulla Springs - List of Birds - 06/2007

Once we returned, there was limited time left in the swimming area. I watched the birds and even saw something in a nest but could not get a clear view of what type of bird it was. As the sun descended, I enjoyed the color contrast in the sky as I meandered my way to my car. Another successful day at Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park.

If anyone knows what this is, please let me know!

Roar for More!


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Location: Wakulla Springs, FL 32327, USA

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