Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ryingly into relaxing. Every one of their outdoor trailheads is rife with information on deck
furniture.'
While Floridians do love their hammocks, we (and all of those signs) are referring to an-
other kind of hammock. In the southeastern United States, hammock is a term for a copse
or grove of hardwood trees. What makes a hammock a hammock? In this part of the
world, it comes down to elevation. Hammocks grow in wetland areas that are too sodden
to support them. A few extra inches of elevation gives the trees the dryness they need to
grow larger and more densely; the Pineland Trail in Everglades National Park is an excel-
lent example of a coniferous hammock. Hammocks in the Everglades typically have a dis-
tinctive teardrop shape, formed by the flow of water around the tree 'islands.'
While there are many versions of hammocks through the American southeast, the one
you will most likely encounter in South Florida is the tropical hardwood hammock. Even
within this category, there are numerous subdivisions, including rockland hammocks (Big
Cypress National Preserve), tree island hammocks in the Everglades and coastal berm
hammocks in the Florida Keys. Also in the Keys: shell mound hammocks, which grew on
top of the midden shell heaps left behind by the indigenous Calusa and Tequesta Indians.
The Crane Point Museum in Marathon is an excellent introduction to the many variations
of hammock in South Florida in general, and the Keys in particular.
Hammocks are particularly susceptible to fire. During the long dry season, it is not un-
heard of to hear about (and smell) small forest fires in the Miami area down to Homestead.
But the greatest threat to hammocks is development. This flora ecosystem is rather unique
to the USA, but arguments for trees often don't hold up when placed next to arguments for
hotels, condo communities, and the goods and services that accompany them.
Great Hiking & Camping Guides
30 Eco-Trips in Florida
(2005), Holly Ambrose
A Hiker's Guide to the Sunshine State
(2005), Sandra Friend
The Best in Tent Camping: Florida
(2010), John Malloy
Trails & Tents
Boardwalk paths run by still-water swamps, noodle-thin tracks lace into boonies studded
with lakes and rivers, and mangrove walkways encircle white beaches. And the whole
