I’m writing to you from the outdoorsy town of Sopchoppy, surrounded by the St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge and the Apalachicola National Forest, as I celebrate the kickoff of Florida Hiking Trails Month with a long-deserved weekend of hiking. Yesterday was a kickoff celebration along the Sopchoppy section of the Florida Trail, but I was not one of the ones who dared wade the floodwaters to get back to Monkey Creek Bridge. Temps are in the 40s and that water is like ice. Instead, I hopped in a truck with friends and four-wheeled it back there to assist with filming one of the last segments of the FT video I’ve screenwritten.
In the afternoon, I explored Phipps Park in Tallahassee for the first time since 1999. With my eyes now fully open to habitats and flora, it enthralled me even more than my first visit. Trillium blanketed the eastern hillsides along the Coonbottom and Swamp Forest loops, the burble of the alluvial stream as it poured over clay embankments was refreshing, and I noticed trees of grand size and stature. Click the link above for a visual journey. Thanks go to my friend Linda aka Earthworm, who both prompted me to blog AND does a fabulous job of caretaking the Phipps Park trail. It was a spur of the moment visit, I didn’t bring a map, and the directional signs are so detailed you simply can’t get lost in there without trying.
Wake up, it’s February … time for a HIKE!
Could you send (or have some send) us information about how the Monkey Creek Bridge kickoff sent? We’d love to let people know. Photos and videos would be great.
Thanks,
-jay
Florida is an awesome place to hike! I’m looking forward to hiking the FT in St. Marks Nat’l Wildlife Refuge in the next month or so. Kudos to the Florida Trail Association for all you do!
Here’s the Wakulla News article I wrote about the Monkey Creek Bridge dedication. – Sandra Friend
My short-term dream for hiking is to go to Florida in the winter for a good hiking trip. I have heard nothing but praise for their trails and the beautiful weather in January and February.