Men of the Hammock

Before I went on this trip to Florida, I had never heard of the term "hammock" as a reference to a trees. It seemed like every where we went, we kept seeing the term hammock. Well today, Greg, Scott, Mark and Lars went to Curry Hammock State Park. This photo was taken on a nature trail.

Checking online, I learned that a tropical hardwood hammock is an ecosystem consisting of broad-leafed trees, shrubs, and vines, nearly all of which are native to the West Indies. Subject to thin soils and a tropical climate, hardwood hammocks form a dense canopy with a tangle of shrubs and vines at the ground level and its outer edges.

 Historically, tropical hammocks in Florida were found as far north as Cape Canaveral on the Atlantic coast and to the mouth of the Manatee River in Tampa Bay on the Gulf coast. Now, most of the hammocks have been lost to development, leaving small patches of hammock habitat in South Florida.

In addition to some hiking and biking today, the guys spent time relaxing and of course, eating! Here's Mark relaxing and eating.