OffBeat Pathfinder Basecamp

If you ever want to test your courage, try spending a night alone in the heart of the Florida swamps. I went out last October, hoping for a peaceful experience with nature, but I got more than I bargained for. The air was thick with humidity and the distant croaks of frogs. By midnight, I heard footsteps sloshing in the water—except there was no one around. My flashlight died just as something splashed nearby, and I spent the next two hours wide-eyed, clutching my bug spray like a talisman. When dawn broke, I was surrounded by a curious group of raccoons and one very disinterested heron. Would I do it again? Absolutely. Just maybe not alone.