One cool November evening, many years ago, I was on duty, wandering the Little Big Econ State Forest with my night vision goggles, patrolling on foot for folks violating the rather simple rules of this forest. I had noticed numerous vehicles parked at the trailhead after the forest had closed, and none were displaying camping permits. I did see a bunch of Full Sail student decals, which is indicative of a hippie invasion. Ack!
With all these Full sail decals, I feared the worst, the college know-it-all hippie. These nefarious creatures are the most heinous of these foul beings, far worse than giggling stoners or drum circlers. They come from so called institutes of higher learning, bloated with a self-contradicting ideology. It's pretty scary stuff! Whilst some may believe that the average hippie is naught but a harmless, peace loving kook, seeking enlightenment, the truth is much darker indeed. (Insert ominous background music...)
You see, hippies are akin to biblical era locusts, who descend upon a geographic region, then draw other like minded souls to them. The average hippie drum circle grows at a rate of two hippies per hour. This is considered a tolerable growth rate by most government entities, as it is controllable through the judicious application of unpleasant chemical concoctions. But we must remain ever vigilant, lest the growth turn geometric. All it takes is for one hippie drum circle to go unchallenged, and life as we know it could cease to exist.
With the right weather conditions and topography, hippie conglomeration can lead to a music festival. One that last for days, even weeks. Reggae on the River, Woodstock, Burning Man, they can all pale in comparison to what hippies are capable of. In a worst case scenario, you could end up with a full-blown hippie jam festival. Such a scene makes a zombie apocalypse seem tame. One infamous incident occurred in the quiet little town of Palo Alto. One resident had a little drum circle in his backyard. He ignored it. It turned into a drum circle four miles in diameter. You get a few hippies playing drums and next thing you know, you got yourself a colony. It's simple science. And whatever you do, should you stumble across a hippie gathering, don't eat their brownies! And avoid bartering, if you can. It only encourages them. Even if they offer you a really kewl rock for your carabiner key ring, just say no!
This particular night, I walked to the 90 degree bend in the Econlockhatchee River, and paused for a listen. Somewhere far to the south I could hear the sound of numerous hand drums being played, along with rhythmic chanting. I was quite relieved to hear this, as it meant this gathering consisted of just drum circlers, a fairly easy strain to combat. I further observed some grooves in the bank which appeared to be from recently launched canoes, but I paid this no mind. I commenced my hike down the trails, hoping to sneak up on them unawares. My wish was answered, but not in the way I hoped. As I neared, judging my distance and direction from the hippies by the volume of their drums, I discovered that there must have been at least one college know-it-all hippie amongst their ranks, for they had outplayed me. As I stood on the west bank of the Econ, I saw that the hippies were all gathered on the east bank... With a canoe. (Sigh) I was rendered powerless, forced to stand by and watch as the hippies entertained themselves. Grrr!!!
The posted coordinates will bring you near where these hippies had gathered. Once there, you will hopefully find a well hidden soda bottle preform containing coordinates to the final, a light pink ammo can, hidden near a second similar incident, where once again I was outfoxed by hippies. If you did not wish to paddle the entire length of the Econ, (about 8 miles from 419 to Snow Hill Rd), you could take the wimpy route, parking at Barr St, portaging 3/10 of a mile to the river, paddling a few strokes, then portaging back to your car. It's entirely up to you!