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.

Ponce de Leon Springs State Park


Springing Back to Life

Ponce de Leon Springs State Park

FL State Parks Quest 38/175

Ponce de Leon, Florida

23 March 2019


I like escaping real life, just as most everyone else. Some weekends I have no solid plans and with being out of the competitive running world, my Saturday and Sunday mornings are left open. I decided to add another Florida State park to the mix and see more of the rural part of the Florida Panhandle. I packed up the car with gear for hiking, paddling, and camping. A solo weekend getaway in the wild was exactly what I needed - a hike at a rejuvenating spring and getting a new passport stamp, peaking the highest point in Florida, camping alone along a river, and paddling a less touched section of a river.

First stop - Ponce de Leon Springs State Park. Not to be confused with the Fountain of Youth in St. Augustine, FL.

"This beautiful spring is named for Juan Ponce de León, 
who led the first Spanish expedition to Florida in 1513 
- as legend has it - 
in search of the "fountain of youth.""

The second-magnitude main spring for the 386.94 acre park is a convergence of two underground water flows and maintains a year-round water temperature of 68 degrees. It produces 14 million gallons of water every day to a 350 foot springrun stream that junctures at Sandy Creek. There are two hiking trails - Spring Run and Sandy Creek. I only walked along the Spring Run loop.

From the park brochure:
"Although there is not a lot written about the history of Ponce de Leon Springs, European settlers and the Indians before them used this spring as a source of drinking water and recreation. 

 "The harvesting of timber and turpentine were the major industries in and around the area that is now Ponce de Leon Springs State Park. The majestic longleaf pines were ideal for building homes, businesses and the railroad that traversed the panhandle of Florida. The spring was owned by the Smithgall family in the mid-1920s. They added many amenities to the property including a restroom with showers, eatery and a skating rink. The Smithgalls also added a wooden retaining wall around the spring to prevent erosion."

For more photos from my visit to the park, visit my Ponce de Leon No Edits Gallery: The Mountain Lioness No Edits Gallery ~ dissociation; rejuvenation

Park Profile - Ponce de Leon Springs State Park

  • Region: Northwest
  • Year Established: 1970
  • Location
    • Physical Address: 2860 Ponce de Leon Springs Road Ponce de Leon, Florida 32455
    • GPS: 30.722919, -85.930257
    • Google Maps
    • Distance from Tallahassee: 109 miles | 1 Hour 40 Minutes | Eastern to Central time zone change
  • Phone: 850.836.4281
  • Fees: 
    • $4/Vehicle
    • $2/Pedestrians, Bicyclists
    • FREE with an Annual Pass (additional car passengers $2)
  • Hours: Daily 08:00 - Sunset
  • FL State Parks Website
  • FL State Parks Brochure
  • FT Ranger on Duty: Yes?
  • Passport Stamp Location: Ponce de Leon Springs State Park

The Gear


The Story

No real time constraints, as relaxation and no stress were key for the weekend. Driving West on I-10 continues to show the lingering affects of Hurricane Michael. I snuck a few photos this time where there were several clean-up crews in place. This is about 5 months after the merciless storm. So many trees forever gone.

Ponce de Leon Springs State Park is located in the less than 2 hours driving range from Tallahassee, FL. The parking area was currently under construction, so there was a temp lot just outside the park.
-- Walton Outdoors: Parking Improvements in the Works at Ponce de Leon Springs State Park

From this area, it is an extremely short walk from the lot to the closed to cars gate and then the ranger station. I kind of felt as if I was walking up to a drive through window.

I showed my annual pass for my admission fee and got my passport stamped.

They didn't really have any printed brochures on hand, and I didn't plan much when I arrived. Even though I had swimming/snorkeling gear, I wasn't in the mood to jump in. Afterall it was still March, and even though non-Floridians think Florida is always warm, that is not true in the northern part of the state. Families were having picnics in the pavilions and children were swimming in the cool waters.

There were stairs, ramps, and ladders to allow easy access to the spring. I just stuck my feet in for a bit before proceeding across the bridge towards the Spring Run Trail.

The hike of the Spring Run Trail begins!
Link to Strava Hiking Activity: Ponce de Leon, trying not to fall in


The beginning of the hike follows the spring run sourced by the fresh, clear waters of the spring. Kids were splashing around and people were fishing. I watched weird formations in the water, probably caused by tiny bugs on the water of the surface. Some looked like weird faces, and others look like they were created by aliens. I was fascinated. 

I'm terrible at identifying fish but caught a few on camera.

The trail reaches the point where the spring run converges with Sandy Creek. The clear blue water meets the murky brown waters in a an almost-clear line.
FL State Parks: Sandy Creek at Ponce de Leon & National Water Quality Monitoring Council: Sandy Creek

There were two other young women taking lots of pictures of each other and so I offered to take pictures of the two of them together and got some great pictures of myself in return.

The trail then followed the brown waters of Sandy Creek.

There were several beautiful dragonflies. I took more nature pics that can be viewed at The Mountain Lioness No Edits Gallery ~ dissociation; rejuvenation.

After the short hike, I arrived back at the bridge to the main spring and recreation area.

I walked up a boardwalk to the bathroom and sparse information area and proceeded to the car to continue my journey.

Afterwards I drove about 15-20 minutes and got lunch at a place called Café NOLA in Defuniak Springs, FL. Address: 400 E Nelson Ave Ste B, Defuniak Springs, FL 32433. I had an a la carte meal of some of my favorites - raw oysters on the half shell, crab balls, and of course a beignet for dessert.

By the large pond down the street from the restaurant there was a gazebo called 'The Opinion Place' - a place to sit and visit with one another.

The town was a lot cuter and had more going on than I expected.

Roar for More!


Hurdles

I'm trying to research the Smithgall family that the park purchased the land from in the 1920s and trying to determine if it is the same Smithgalls of Smithgall Woods State Park in Georgia.

GA State Parks: Smithgall Woods State Park
"Smithgall Woods was acquired by the state in 1994 as a gift-purchase from Charles A. Smithgall, Jr., a noted conservationist and businessman."

Quote

As the spring is sort of but not really named after the fountain of youth--

Resources


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    Location: Ponce De Leon Springs State Park, 2860 Ponce De Leon Springs Rd, Ponce De Leon, FL 32455, USA

    Wounded in the Wild: March 18, 2019 - The Snapping Hipsturtle



    Wounded in the Wild INJURY UPDATE

    March 18, 2019 - The Snapping Hipsturtle


    The GOOD news! No surgery!
    The MEH news. Unknown recovery timeline.
    Still not running Boston 2019.

    Where?
    Tallahassee Orthopedic Clinic
    3334 Capital Medical Blvd #400
    Tallahassee, FL 32308-4470
    https://www.tlhoc.com/

    [Talk about missed opportunity to call it Tallahipsee Orthokneedic Clinic]

    Who?
    D. Jason Oberste, M.D., FAAOS

    Reason for Visit
    "Left hip pain"

    The Appointment
    Pre-Appointment Personal Goal: MRI results only indicated that I had torn my labrum and needed surgery. With all the times I had been told "they will call within a week", my mission was to occupy TOC until I had the surgery scheduled. Post-Appointment Kat with her new knowledge had to dispose of this goal or else she would be occupying TOC until she got injured enough to warrant surgery.

    I arrive 15 minutes early after running some errands. I checked-in and payed the co-pay online last week. I sit in the waiting room for 45 minutes. A nurse comes to get me and asks about my pain on a scale of a 1-10. It depends. Noticeable discomfort all the time 2/10, but if hypothetically a doctor were to say, wiggle my leg around in all possible ways then hold it in a bent position and push on my hip flexor as if he were pushing on a door ignoring the large red sign on it that says "PULL", how about an 8. And then a 5 for the remainder of the day. Hypothetically of course.

    My 2018 MRI was displayed on the computer. Also among the tabs were my knee and pelvis x-rays from last year. Missing from the tabs was my MRI from a month ago. I look at the 4 images that are already on the screen then start writing down questions to ask in my journal.

    5-10 minutes later, the resident comes in. She begins the leg bending game. She got it to pop at the end, which began the fun.

    Doc comes in. We discuss my MRI and stuff. He explains that the injection I had prior to the imaging would have made my pain better if the pain was coming from the labrum. The source had to be something else. Now it's taken me a year to get the labrum tear diagnosis, and I've had over a month to cope with it. It was a diagnosis with a true fix, even if it was surgery. My mind has to prepare for a new diagnosis and treatment plan.

    He brings me over to my MRI - which I point out is from last year. He then summons a member of the nursing staff to load my recent results. While waiting, he began drawing the inside of my hip on the patient chair crinkly parchment paper.

    Then he wants to play his turn in the hip bending game. Dr. Oberste won. He got it bending and snapping and firmly pressed my hip flexor causing an explosion of sudden pain. And we discuss the contrast dye on my MRI results. There is a teeny tiny labrum tear that he isn't worried about and refuses to operate it. "You can find a doc to scope it, but it won't be me." He shows how dark it is in the hip flexor area. He retrieves a wooden hip from a cabinet (I'm sure we all store wooden hips in our cabinets at home) to show me a three dimensional model and demonstrate what's happening to me.



    Snappy Hip!
    I swear he said snappy. Part of me likes snappy hip more than snapping hip. Willpower suppressed my urge to bust out some of the sassiest snaps that ever snapped. I also guess I took the 'hip snap' part of a kayak roll too seriously. Right after the Tallahassee Marathon in 2018 where the shit first went bananas, I went to Ecuador for almost a month. The trip included a week of crazy awesome whitewater kayaking and lots of flipping over and hip snappin' to roll up.

    My roll technique motto - Set. Separate. SNAP!
    Ecuador 2018 Hip Snappin' Shenanigans - PC: Dan Dixon

    Discussion Notes

    • Patient's exam as well as her imaging are consistent with coxa sultans interna. 
    • I think she also has significant iliopsoas tendinitis. 
    • Her MRI did show a small labral tear but she is completely asymptomatic and had a negative diagnostic injection. 
    • I will send her for an iliopsoas sheath injection, focus physical therapy, and start her on a scheduled antiinflammatory to decrease her inflammation. 
    • I also spoke spent 30 min counseling her in regards to appropriate training regimen, nutrition, and cross training.


    Coxa iliopsoas salty tendinotniceis snappy syndrome?



    What Now? 

    • Figure out what caused it.
    • Anti-Inflammatory Medication - Meloxicam 15mg
    • Iliopsoas Sheath Steroid Injection
      • The place doing this procedure should be calling me "within a week" - the technical term in the medical field meaning "likely they won't call you, so probably just call them in a few days to get it scheduled"
    • Physical Therapy at TMH
    • Continue to rub my groin in front of medical professionals to show where the pain is


    Snapping Hip       +       Hipster       +       Snapping Turtle


     + + 
    =
    Snapping Hipsturtle

     Snapping turtle represents my current feisty attitude as well as the long, slow recovery.

    While it's great surgery is out of the picture, I am concerned about my recovery timeline. It's all unclear. Dr. Oberste said that I have to discover the roots of what caused the tendinitis. It could be anything and everything - shoes, too many miles too soon, not enough cross training, nutrition, etc. This is something that I will have to deal with for the duration of my running career. I'm glad I already coped and came to peace with the fact I won't be running my first Boston Marathon this year as well as my first Half Ironman. I'm signed up for the Chicago Marathon in October of this year and hope to still be able to participate. I'm also qualified for Boston 2020 by over 5 minutes, which helps with the disappointment.

    No more risks of surgery, all of the downtime from it, paying for the procedure, loss of money for not being able to work, starting from scratch again with walking. I'll be at PT learning stretches and exercises to ease the tendinitis, in the pool, on a kayak, diving, completing short hikes, meditation, non-bendy yoga, etc.

    Timeline of Injury [Will enhance this better soon]


    February 4, 2018 - Tallahassee Marathon

    http://gulfwinds.org/raceresults/2018/Marathon2018.html

    March 8, 2018 - Chiro


    March 10, 2018 - Gate River Run Tipsy Hipsies

    https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2018/03/river-run-2018.html


    March 12, 2018 - TOC Now


    March 17, 2018 - MRI


    The Adventures of Hippi Longstocking

    PT, stretching, assuming it was soft tissue issues, on/off training and racing


    November 4, 2019 - NYC Marathon


    December 15, 2018 - My last race/run


    January 24, 2019

    Acetabular Labrum Tear Active 01/24/2019
    Sacroiliac Joint Pain Active 01/24/2019
    Inflammation of Pubic Symphysis Active 01/24/2019


    February 7, 2019 - Hips Don't Lie MRI



    March 18, 2019 - The Snapping Hipsturtle


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