August 28th, 2008 Sandra Friend
I’ve finished a makeover and move of the main Florida Hikes site, with the big deal being a cleaner, more readable look (especially for the forum) and a lot of new behind-the-scenes functionality for registered users.
You can now share your own content, including maps, documents, images, and more, plus make connections with your fellow hikers and add more details about yourself. Now that I’m gainfully self-employed again, I plan to put more time into the site, including uploading my GPS tracks to share with registered members. But right now, it’s time to go hiking. See you in the swamps!
Posted in Florida Hikes, Resources | No Comments » Post to del.icio.us
August 24th, 2008 Sandra Friend
Now here’s an ambitious project to see Florida by land and sea. The expedition team plans to follow the route of the new Florida Circumnavigational Trail under development, kayaking along the Florida Coast from Fort Clinch State Park at Fernandina Beach to Gulf Islands National Seashore in Pensacola. They’ll then put on the backpacks and hit the Florida Trail, hiking south to Big Cypress National Preserve. All the while they’ll be shooting photos and video to post on their website. Learn more at http://sunshineexpedition.com
Posted in Florida Trail, News, People | No Comments » Post to del.icio.us
August 24th, 2008 Sandra Friend
I did so with friends when I completed the Seminole section of the Florida Trail some years ago. This is a remote spot south of Clewiston as you head from the sugar cane fields into Lake Harbor. Now I’m especially glad we heeded recommendations from Joan Hobson not to camp along that section. Here’s why, from the Palm Beach Post:
The water management district is still working on the canal and still finding cars. “We wait until they’ve got about 20 car locations identified before we go in and pull them out,” said sheriff’s detective Justin Wallace of the auto theft division. As of late last week, 107 cars had been removed from about a 6-mile stretch of canal beginning where the paved road ends and continuing to U.S. Sugar’s railroad track bridge.
Read the whole story….
Posted in Florida Trail, News, South | No Comments » Post to del.icio.us
August 22nd, 2008 Sandra Friend
A new free resource for hikers: head on over to the Florida Trail website to download yourself a set of Grab-and-Go Hikes. I just finished them up today as one of my wrapup projects as I close out my days as an FTA staff member. These are mini-guides to popular day hikes (many with opportunities for camping) along the Florida Trail, and include mileages, directions, and a map. The set includes:
- Juniper Prairie Wilderness (Ocala)
- Juniper Creek Trail at Blackwater River State Forest (Pensacola)
- Little Big Econ State Forest (Orlando)
- Big Oak Trail at Suwannee River State Park (Live Oak)
- Hickory Hammock Trail (Sebring, Okeechobee)
- Green Swamp West (Lakeland, Dade City)
- Etoniah Creek State Forest (Palatka)Download, print, grab, and go! Just in time for hiking season.
Posted in Central, Florida Trail, North, Panhandle, Resources, South | No Comments » Post to del.icio.us
August 22nd, 2008 Sandra Friend
With Tropical Storm Fay hanging around the Florida peninsula all week (and as my good friend eArThworm pointed out, “thru-raining” the Florida Trail), chances are most all but the highest elevation (Lake Wales Ridge, Citrus, uplands of Ocala National Forest, uplands of Eglin) hiking trails are underwater somewhere along their length. Keep posted on park closures on the Florida State Parks website. At last count, 28 parks are officially closed. No telling what the overall flood damages will be. I live in a relatively high elevation spot for Central Florida, in a scrub habitat (Florida’s desert), and there are puddles all over the neighborhood. Be careful out there!
Posted in News | No Comments » Post to del.icio.us
