Hello all,
I am a married father of 3 + 1 Great Dane! Were Florida natives and I have been walking trails in Central Florida for years. Any suggestions or comments are welcome as my knowledge(if there is any!!) is free for the asking.
I am looking forward to doing the Florida Trail in sections starting very soon. I am looking for any gear lists to compare to my own. I am not sure what kind of Gaitors to purchase, anyone have any suggestions? Anyone have any suggestions on how well dogs do on the trail? I have yet to find a resourse on the best methodology for doing the Florida Trail in sections, any suggestions?
Sláinte,
Shawn

Hi, Shawn, and welcome!

I haven't used gaiters in a while, but they are a good idea when backpacking ... I prefer the ones that just cover the ankle area rather than all the way up the shin. Check the CampMor catalog or their online store. I still have a pair of these around: http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___14235

I can't speak to hiking with dogs, other than it would be smart to stay out of swamps with them, and only Eglin outright bans dogs on their part of the Florida Trail. But section hiking, that's what I've been doing, and it's how I wrote The Florida Trail: The Official Guide (with help from Deb Blick on maps and places I didn't get to hike). The book has gone out of print and I will be out hiking this season to update it. You can find used copies cheap through Amazon.com (wish I'd stocked up on it!). I broke the trail into logical sections from major trailhead to major trailhead that made sense for section hikers. You can sit down with the full set of FT maps and figure out the same thing.

Cheers, Sandra Friend

Welcome from northeast Florida!

Once in a while I bring along my yellow labs
on short day hikes. It depends where we are going
and what kind of water supply we have. Dogs need
allot of water on the trail, and even though they
take heartgard monthly and also treated with front
line I worry they will get heartworms. And every
time I've taken them I've found tics after.
Also my dogs tend to scare off the wild life.
Keeping them leashed is a must.
My dogs are used to sitting in the central air all
day. A hike at this time of the year is out of the
question. They'd probably overheat.
I know that when I go car camping there is always
one dog in the campground that barks at every little
noise. I know my dogs would to.
On the other hand, I've heard allot of dogs do well
camping and hiking. I'd advise taking your buddy
on a short hike first to see how it goes before
committing to a longer trip.

good luck!!
melissa