To celebrate National Trails Day, Volusia County opened another segment of their multi-use, paved Spring to Spring Trail. The 3.3 mile segment connects Lake Beresford Park and Blue Spring State Park in Deland. Read more about it in the West Volusia News.
Another escape for those of you in the crowded ‘burbs of Clearwater and Tampa: Upper Pithlachascotee River Preserve, being created in Pasco County near Fivay Junction. According to The Tampa Tribune, this 122.6-acre preserve has natural treasures like an ancient bald cypress and gopher tortoise habitat, as well as historical artifacts such as an old turpentine camp. Trails are being built now, with plans for the park to open in 2009. Kudos to Pasco County for this, their first Environmental Lands acquisition.
I’m passing this along from fellow FTA member Robert Fisher, who sent a “shout out” last week to local folks which I just picked up today. If you’re ready for an advanced course, here you are! Note, please, that you should contact them IMMEDIATELY if you are interested, as June 6 was mentioned as a “please respond by” date.
Advanced Wilderness First Aid Course
Dates: June 21st and 22nd (Saturday and Sunday)
Time: 9-5pm (16 hours of training)
Instructor: Jim Ramos
Location: Paynes Prairie State Park
Cost: $185; includes course book published by the American Safety and Health Institute
Contact Person: Jennifer Staples at 352-392-1161 (ext. 4283); University of Florida.
Course Objective:
The purpose of the advanced Wilderness First Aid (WFA) course is to train and certify people to cope with wilderness hazards and emergencies. This course is designed to meet the needs of a variety of outdoor enthusiasts. The course is appropriate for individuals, who hike, camp, travel, bike, or spend a frequent amount of time outdoors. At the completion of the WFA course participants will be able to recognize wilderness emergencies and provide basic emergency care
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WahooHiker’s blog is based in Citrus County and covers hiking in that area (which has plenty) and beyond. Came across this while looking for info on the aforementioned National Trails Day celebration in Inverness. Nice work! Another add to the blogroll. Watch that hiking in lightning storms, however … ’tis the season to stick to early morning hikes.
More than 50 people turned out yesterday to celebrate National Trails Day in Inverness, according to the Citrus County Chronicle, checking out a brand-new section of trail in Whispering Pines Park that connects the Florida Trail’s Western Corridor route from its current temporary location utilizing the multi-use Withlacoochee State Trail south from Dunnellon to a spectacular section of trail in the Citrus Tract of Withlacoochee State Forest, details of which are in my 50 Hikes in Central Florida. I love the Citrus Hiking Trail for its unusual topography, distinct ecosystems, and numerous trailside caves, including the one pictured here that you can walk right into off the trail (the others require flashlights and crawling).
Kudos to Inverness for being a great launch point for regional hiking! Among the places to hike nearby are Potts Preserve, Fort Cooper State Park, and numerous tracts of Withlacoochee State Forest. The Florida Trail, too, is undergoing active relocation through this region to get it off the bike path and into the woods. Watch this site for details!
Just found a new blogger to add to my blogroll: Buford Pruitt, a fellow Marion County resident, writing about hiking, kayaking, birdwatching and all things outdoorsy on his Florida Nature Adventures blog. Give him a look! Today’s post is about walking through the dry marshes of Orange Lake. With a serious sinkhole in its bottom, Orange Lake tends to drain out pretty quickly in times of drought like we have now.
According to an article yesterday in The Suncoast News, the new management plan for Brooker Creek Preserve includes a plan to create a network of hiking trails that includes a set of boardwalks between the Four Lake Hammock area to the Anclote River. The city of Oldsmar has also asked that a hiking trail be created in the southern part of the preserve with access from the city. This is great news for those of us who’ve hiked the Friends Trail in the preserve and have hoped for more access to one of Florida’s largest urban wilderness areas.
June 7 is National Trails Day, and I encourage you to get out and TAKE A HIKE! If you live in Central Florida, consider joining in the celebration at Whispering Pines Park in Inverness to enjoy a new segment of the Florida Trail and to honor Inverness as a Florida Trail Gateway Community. Festivities start at 9 AM. For information and directions, see www.floridatrail.org
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