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
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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….
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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.
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July 26th, 2008 Sandra Friend
It’s a project I devoted part of my life to for nearly a year, which started last summer with me learning a new content management system in which to present THIS website. Once I felt comfortable enough with it, I started on the makeover of the official Florida Trail website at www.floridatrail.org. Included are features you’ve seen here like zoomable maps and tabbed pages, but new (and what I plan to implement here as well) is the ability for members to directly submit content to the website, from trip reports to articles, photos, and the like. You must be an FTA member to get a member login for the new site; there will be detailed info on how to get yours in the next Footprint. Thanks to Linda Benton and Michael Owens for a great deal of support over the past few months to bring this huge (500+ page) site live.
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July 22nd, 2008 Sandra Friend
A dear friend of mine, Warren Resen, is a member of the Loxahatchee Chapter of the Florida Trail Association. He’s organizing a walk and asked me to help get the word out about it:
I am in the process of setting up a team for the American Diabetes Association walk in West Palm Beach on Saturday, October 4, 2008. This is the annual “Step Out to Fight Diabetes” and is a 2.5 mile walk. Goodies afterward at the registration point. Meeting site is City Place.
The team name is “Florida Hikers.” Registration opens at 7:30 AM and the walk starts at 8:30 AM. I’m asking anyone who signs on to show up wearing a Florida Trail t-shirt. Besides being a worthwhile event for ADA, I would like to use this as a forum to promote FTA. After all, one of the themes of the ADA is that walking is a healthy way to exercise.
If you would be interested in joining with me, please let me know. And yes, while this is a fund raiser for ADA, no donation is needed to participate
Please contact Warren if you’re interested in participating … I plan to be there. Thanks!
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