The forecast looked fine on Thursday. By Monday, it had other ideas.
A severe thunderstorm rolled through right at my departure window, and on its heels came a cold snap that dropped temperatures well below 50 degrees. For those of you new here, that is my personal floor for car camping in Florida. No apologies. When you are solo and sleeping in your vehicle, cold and wet is not an adventure. It is a miserable night with no one to commiserate with in the morning.
So I stayed home. The Florida State Parks got a much needed donation with no clean-up work, and honestly? It was the right call.
Knowing When to Pivot Is a Skill
Solo travel gets romanticized in a particular way that makes canceling feel like failure. It is not. When you are traveling alone, you are the entire decision-making team. There is no partner to sanity-check the weather app or share body heat if things go sideways. That means your judgment has to be sharper, not looser.
Experienced solo travelers learn this early: the trip will come back around. Your safety and comfort are not negotiable line items.
What I Did Instead
I turned the day into a productive one for the Solo Sojourn Project, my ongoing research into how solo women travelers access information and navigate public lands. I also worked on the app. A weather-foiled camping trip, it turns out, is excellent field data. The very conditions that sent me home are the conditions my research participants face. What do women do when the plan falls apart? How do they make that call, and what information are they working with when they make it?
I spent the day in my research notes, which felt fitting. The storm outside became a reminder of exactly why this project matters.
Your Camping Weather Windows in Florida
If you are planning your own Florida public lands adventures, here is a practical framework I use:
October through April is the sweet spot for car camping, with nights that are cool but generally manageable.
Below 50 degrees is my personal threshold for car camping without dedicated cold-weather gear. Your number may differ, but know your number before you go.
Storm season is unpredictable. Always have a 48-hour weather window you feel good about, not just a departure-day forecast.
The next attempt is already forming – planned and paid for. Nature does not get the last word.
And this will be put back on my “To-Visit” List for later in the year.
Ochlockonee River State Park
429 State Park Road
Sopchoppy FL 32358
https://www.floridastateparks.org/parks-and-trails/ochlockonee-river-state-park
