2013 summer fta footprint

The Magazine of the Florida Trail Association Summer 2013

Florida’s First Trailrider

What’s Inside?2013 Long Distance Hikers

Staff Changes

Volunteer Hours

FooTprint

Our Mission The Florida Trail Association develops, maintains, pro-tects and promotes a network of hiking trails through-out the state, including the unique FloridaNational Scenic Trail. Together with our partners we provide opportunities for the public to hike, engage in outdoor recreation, participate in environmentaleducation and contribute to meaningful volunteer work.

FLORIDA TRAIL ASSOCIATION5415 SW 13th St Gainesville Fl. 32608-5037Phone: 352-378-8823 / 877-HIKE-FLAFax: 352-378-4550email: [email protected]: www.floridatrail.org

SUMMER 2013

ContentsFootprint

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8

5The Trailhead

Members in the Media

FNST Volunteer Report

From the Field

Hiker’s How To1415 Book Report

Florida’s First Trailrider28

16

Chapter Spotlight30

Photo Credits

Front cover Zack and Cody Umbarger

Three Lakes WMA Mike Unbarger

Inside front cover David Snodgrass

This page

Christopher Boykin

In this issue

Special Section - Long Distance Hikers

Trail Program Updates

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President’s Message4

Gator Hole to Oasis32Annual Conference Collage35

Chapter Roundup36

Staff Changes7

9 Photo Contest

27 Newbie on a Mower

Carlos Schomaker FTA President

President’s Message

Recently two adolescent brothers and their father completed their section hike of the entire Florida National Scenic Trail (FNST), greeted at the Alabama line by a welcoming committee from the Western Gate Chapter. You might have heard about it.

Recently a few leaders in our organization’s Heartland Chapter transported disabled individuals into communion with nature, along trails and into the woods, with the aid of a one-wheeled contraption from British Columbia. You might have heard about this, too. Both these items were covered by local media outlets.

Recently an FTA member in the Panhandle led her tenth annual regional hike event.

Recently groups of FTA volunteers throughout the state maintained their sections of trail, taking advantage of cooler temperatures and drier skies. Dozens of hikes and other activities were ably led. Booths were staffed at public events. You might have heard about some of these activities, espe-cially if they were held near you.

Also recently, a new Chapter Chair in Northeast Florida got a congratulatory note from a long-term member in his nineties. You probably didn’t hear about that.

There were hundreds of kindnesses, pleasant exchanges, helpful gestures, and behind-the-scenes efforts car-ried out by FTA members earlier his year, but most of them went unheralded.

In carrying out the Florida Trail Association’s mission, much more than trailbed and blazes and infrastructure gets built and maintained. Working with agency partners and the public, we also build relationships and main-tain trust. Within our organization, we build friendships, mentor future leaders, and foster responsibility. We build bridges to new hikers, and paths to new partners. We invite them to take part in our efforts. All these accomplishments and gestures are part of the legacy of our organization.

The mission of building and maintaining a network of trails also leads to positive personal results. FTA and other volunteer organizations build self-esteem and a sense of accomplishment, esprit de corps, and determi-nation. Working well with others, in a spirit of generosity, builds character. Fresh air and physical exertion build endurance and strength.

Building a relationship or providing a great outdoor experience, like maintaining an actual footpath, requires proper tools. Chainsaws need fuel, maintenance, and capable operators; so too, does an organization. A great section of trail requires foresight and planning and hard work; so, too, does ensuring that future generations can enjoy that trail.

The commitment to our mission’s “hard” goals (like the completion of the FNST) can lead to the achievement of “soft” goals (like a stronger, more diverse FTA). More capacity to maintain trail leads to a better, more complete trail, which leads to a better experience for hikers, which leads to new participants, more interest in preserving trails, more volunteers, and so on…The process can be synergistic, but it’s not automatic. It takes focus and intent.

We are the Florida Trail Association.We’re building more than trails.

WWW.FLORIDATRAIL.ORG4

In an era of diminished federal and state funding, with legislatures not fully committed to outdoor rec-reation’s value, it falls on those of us who care deeply about preserving our legacy to step up and build more than trails. We must build and maintain relationships and alliances. We need to build tomorrow’s FTA, with tomorrow’s leaders and volunteers. We need to build public awareness and excitement about the importance of time spent in nature. We are engaged in this effort, conscious of its importance.

We are the Florida Trail Association. We’re building more than trails. Tell everyone you meet. Busy as they are, they might not have heard about it.

PALATKA, Fla., April 9, 2013 -- Jake Hoffman, a volunteer with the Florida Trail Association, was recognized today by the St. Johns River Water Management District’s Governing Board with its 2013 Bob Owens Award.

Since retiring from Georgia-Pacific, Hoffman spends his time volunteering with the Florida Trail Association and is the Putnam County crew leader for trail maintenance.

In March 2002, the District purchased the 4,191-acre Rice Creek Conservation Area, which enabled the Florida Trail Association to provide additional access to the public. Rice Creek Swamp covers approximately 70 percent of the conservation area. Together with Palmetto Branch, Oldtown Branch and Hickory Branch, the swamp forms the headwaters of Rice Creek, a large tributary of the St. Johns River.

The property includes part of the Florida National Scenic Trail.

Hoffman identified the best route to extend the trail through the swamp, then designed and directed a project to build 1,885 feet of boardwalk. That portion of the trail is called “Hoffman Crossing” in his honor.

“Mr. Hoffman is the engineering genius behind both the Halifax/St. Johns Chapter and the Putnam County Chapter of the Florida Trail Association,” said Board Chairman Lad Daniels. “He is an outstanding citizen-part-ner, and this award is a fitting tribute to his volunteer contributions to District lands.”

Members in the Media

5

The Trail Business!

FTA Chapter Sponsored Multi-day Trail Projects for 2013-14: FTA recently initiated a chapter-sponsored multi-chapter / multi-day trail maintenance project initiative in the North Region (eight chapters). The North Region is the roll out area with the goal of expanding further in the fall 2014. Central and South Region chapters are welcome to jump in. Contact Eric Mason no later than June 28th to start the planning. The primary objective is outreach and recruitment of undiscovered talent and FNST volunteer main-tainers and FTA leaders at all levels.

Trail Skills Education: In March, five FTA trail leaders attended formal trail skills courses offered at the University of North Georgia. The curriculum covered: Trail Design and Layout, Maintenance and Construction, and Crew Leader Training. We learned that trail maintainers have “trail eyes”. We walk a trail and are burdened with subconsciously evaluating trail layout and maintenance. The courses were very educational and I now have a better “trail eye”. I suspect these new trail skills are already being applied by the other four trainees. Application has definitely started on the Eglin AFB Reservation. With luck, we’ll have the resources and opportunity to bring trail skills education to a wider FTA audi-ence soon.

Chapter GPS Coordinators:At the January 2013 Trail Committee Meeting, Trail Coordinators were asked to identify GPS Coordinators for their chapter areas. A few chapters have submitted names but most have not. These GPS coordinators will be working with FTA Trail Resource Coordinator Deb Blick to insure trail and infrastructure changes are recorded and our maps are kept up to date. Chapter Chairs, please confirm that a GPS Coordinator’s name has been forwarded to Deb Blick in the Gainesville office.

Activities and Volunteer Hours Reporting: We’ve been inputting volunteer hours on-line since September 2012. Most are doing well but, according to the hours reporting system, a few of our brethren are either highly efficient trail maintainers (less than 100 hours) or the work isn’t getting done at all. A simple business rule is that the job isn’t finished until the paper work is com-pleted. It is difficult to make inputting hours fun, but it is vital. Look at Megan Donoghue’s message and get with the program. If you’re one of the guilty get with Megan. Bottom line, if your hours weren’t recorded, they didn’t happen!

Scheduling Trail Maintenance: It’s impossible to participate in what you don’t know about! A common road block to organizing effective trail maintenance activities is a pattern of short-term planning and relying on a static pool of chapter volunteers. Choc-tawhatchee Chapter posts maintenance activities as much as eight months ahead. In August we schedule for November – April (almost the entire maintenance season). Maintenance activities are scheduled first and take precedent over leisure activities. Is short-term planning a problem? YES. How do I know? I’ve been looking at FTA chapter webpages. If your chapter is not one of the guilty, thank your FTA mission-oriented chapter leaders.

The TrailheadToM DAnIEl V.P. TRAIlS


FTA Staff Changes

FTA Administration Bookkeeping Chapter Rebates Insurance Personnel Staff Board liaison

FTA FootprintFTA MappingFTA website (except for Volunteer Hours & Volunteer Training)Trail QuestionsHiker questionsReporting trail changes & problemsNotices to HikersFTA Trainings Activity Leader Field GPS

FTA Membership & Donations Joining and Renewing Donating Address & email changesActivity paperworkChapter officer updatesChapter reportsStore OrdersLong Distance Hiker PacketsBig Cypress & Eglin Permits

GAInESVIllE - FTA oFFICE 1-877-HIKE-FlA or 352-378-8823

JAnET AKERSonAdministrative Director

DEB BlICKTrail Resource Coordinator

DIAnE STRonGAdministrative Assistant

ERIC MASonTrail Program Director

906-360-3153USDA Forest Service trail liaisonFNST Trail Projects F-Troops Orders for trail equipment & materials

TAllAHASSEE - FnST FIElD oFFICE

MEGAn DonoGHUEVolunteer Program Coordinator

941-408-3098FNST Volunteer Program Volunteer Hours Reporting Volunteer Training First Aid/CPR Sawyer Certification Volunteer Recognition Initiative Trail Volunteering InquiriesFTA Website - Volunteer Hours & Volunteer Training

With a new employee and some major swapping of job responsibilities, you may wonder who you should speak with on the FTA staff nowadays. Hopefully this little primer will help you get your questions and reports to the correct person. Of course, if you are unsure about who can address your question, you may always con-tact the FTA Office using our generic email of [email protected] or by phone. But going directly to the staff member responsible will speed up the process and get your question answered in the shotest time possible.

We want to welcome Diane Strong to the FTA headquarters as Administrative Assistant. A long-time Gaines-ville resident, Diane joined the FTA staff in mid-April. More than likely, Diane will be the person to answer your phone call to the FTA Office, so say hello and introduce yourself the next time you call.

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From the Field

disposal site with use of FTA’s new motorized wheel-barrows.

Next, they removed a 30ft. wooden log crossing that had become a hazard. With the help of Ian Barlow and a crew of two USDA FS trail workers, Peter Bauer and Chris Doupnick, volunteers dismantled the small structure and removed it in preparation for its re-placement this upcoming fall. Meanwhile, the other half of the crew began hauling gravel in preparation for approach ramps and turnpiking that will be con-structed onsite.

All in all, the crew of EWB volunteers, USDA FS and FTA staff brought over 6,000 ft. of trail to standard, hauled in 4 cubic yards of gravel, and removed ap-proximately 400 linear ft. of disintegrating boardwalk from the salt marsh. They also removed one 30’ log crossing that had become a hazard. We estimate that the crew fed close to 1 billion mosquitoes and gnats, and the total tick count was estimated at over 150!

The Florida Trail Association would like to thank Engineers without Borders for their great work! We would also like to thank Chris Weber of the St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge for his cooperation, as well as our agency partners in the USDA FS. We will continue to collaborate with the local chapter and our partners in order to restore access through the Spring Creek area of the Florida National Scenic Trail.

ngineers without Borders Volunteer on the Florida national Scenic Trail!

Seven volunteers from Louisiana State University joined Florida Trail Association in an environmental cleanup and construction preparation project near Spring Creek on the St. Marks National Wildlife ref-uge. The LSU Chapter of Engineers without Borders (EWB) is a service organization designed to provide technical assistance and equipment to aid develop-ment in local and international communities.

The volunteers stayed at the St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge bunkhouse, which is cooperatively managed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the USDA Forest Service, and the Florida Trail Associa-tion. Their first morning was spent reviewing safety paperwork, including FTA’s Assumption of Risk and Job Hazard Analysis forms. A communications and evacuation plan were also discussed in the event of an injury at the worksite. Following paperwork and introductions, the crew went through a tailgate safety session, where the importance of wearing personal protective equipment, safe tool use, and job specific hazards are discussed.

Once at the worksite, our first priority was removing a dismantled boardwalk that had become a safety hazard in the Spring Creek Salt Marsh. Volunteers hauled over 350 linear feet of destroyed boardwalk approximately 1.5 miles to a road and eventually to a

By Eric Mason, FTA Trail Program Director

E


FTA PHOTO CONTESTIt’s that time of year again! We know all of you have been busy on the Trail, whether by volunteering or by hiking it! We want to see what your lens has captured this season on the Trail.

PrizesFirst Place – FTA T-shirt of choice & FTA baseball capSecond Place – FTA baseball capThird Place – FTA patch and decal

Contest categoriesMagazine Cover – A vertical photo suitable for the cover of FTA’s Footprint magazine.Trail Volunteers – Photos of trail maintenance volunteers along the Trail.Trail Magic – Photos that capture the “magic” of the trail, whether it be hikers, or scenic landscape im-ages.

Guidelines*Must be submitted online.*Submission deadline is July 1, 2013.*Photos can be color or black & white digital images of any location along the Florida Trail.*JPEG or TIFF files are allowed but must be in a high resolution (at least 300 dpi).*Digital photos entered in the Magazine Cover should be at least 8.5×11 inches at 300 dpi.*Each photo must include a location and a detailed caption.*Photos can be horizontal or vertical (except for the Magazine Cover category).*You can enter up to 10 photos per category.

Submitted photos may be used in other FTA publications. By entering the photo contest, you are giving the FTA the right to use your photos as we see fit to preserve, protect and promote the Florida Trail.

Winners will be announced in Fall 2013.

Email submission with attached photo to Megan Donoghue at [email protected] with the fol-lowing information:

Name:Address:Phone Number:Photo File Name:Photo Caption:Photo Location:Submission Category:

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Trail Program Updates

equipment (PPE) as needed. Our volunteers work tirelessly to build and maintain the FNST, and we want them to be safe while doing it. We are working steadily with the volunteer hours reporting system to identifying gaps and inefficiencies with our current system so that in the future we will be able to more accurately capture the accomplish-ments of our volunteers. These changes will take place this summer and will include the addition of individual volunteer profiles and individual hours re-porting. This will increase our capacity to report more accurate data.

In addition to our volunteer program, we have been working with Chapter Council and Trail Committee leaders to help increase chapter membership and the amount of trail we are able to maintain each year.

Scheduling F-Troop projects and trainings well in ad-vance and listing them online is essential to attracting new volunteers and members. Providing a wide array of stewardship opportunities on our website is a great way to bring in diverse groups of volunteers. FTA staff are committed to growing chapter membership and engaging volunteers on the trail. Our chapters are already doing incredible work hosting projects and we are exploring ways to support their efforts.

One of the best ways to boost membership and vol-unteer numbers is to emphasize chapter lead F-Troop

e would like to start by saying “thank you” to all of the work our volunteers do for the Florida National Scenic Trail!

The FTA had a great trail season and we are already getting excited about next season. Our program is experiencing a lot of exciting changes that we will begin to roll out come fall.

Megan Donoghue will be working as Florida Trail As-sociation’s FNST Volunteer Program Coordinator. In this role, she will be working on several initiatives to increase volunteer hours, diversity, ensure safety, and build overall program capacity.

This summer, the volunteer program will be focused on planning and preparing for the coming trail season. We are working on building a committee to help with a Volunteer Recognition Initiative to help recognize FNST volunteers from the 2012/2013 trail season. Our Trail Program has purchased FNST Trail Crew t-shirts that will be handed out as a small thank you for all of the great work that was done!

We will be visiting the chapters in the North and Pan-handle Regions to begin to roll out Trail Crew Leader Packets to Chapter Trail Coordinators, which will include things like the FTA Assumption of Risk form, Job Hazard Analysis (JHA) forms, Trailhead Communication Plans and a Tailgate Safety Checklist. We will also provide new first aid kits and personal protective equipment

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By Eric Mason and Megan Donoghue

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Projects. This summer we will be asking each chap-ter in the North and Panhandle Regions to propose two trail maintenance projects that are a minimum of three consecutive days and can be advertised on chapter Meetup pages, the FTA website and various forms of social media. We are looking for volunteers interested in coordinating and hosting multi-day main-tenance projects on the FNST. Projects will take place during the 2013/2014 trail season and are intended to give the chapters the ability to draw in additional vol-unteers to help keep up sections of trail that require a lot of maintenance.

We will support chapters that submit two project proposals by ensuring they have necessary tools, equipment, and personal protective gear. Central and South Chapters are not excluded from this, but due to location, FTA staff cannot commit to being onsite for projects in that part of the state. Deadline for project proposals is June 28th.

Halifax St. John’s Chapter has already begun coordi-nating for one of their projects! They will be hosting a week long work party in Juniper Wilderness next January! We appreciate their efforts and look forward to working with them on the trail. Once details of their project have been sorted out, Halifax St. John’s and the rest of the chapter lead F-Troop projects will be posted online September 6, 2013.

If you are interested in organizing a collaborative, multi-day maintenance project on the FNST for 2013/2014, would like to help lead a project, or if you have addi-tional questions, please contact Eric at [email protected]. Volunteers interested in scouting trail, coordi-nating camping locations, or even cooking for projects are all welcome. If you are interested in taking part in the Volunteer Recognition Initiative, or if you have any suggestions or questions regarding the volunteer hours reporting system or trail crew leader packets, contact Megan at [email protected].

FnST Maps: online and on your phone!On-line mapping is here! While the USDA Forest Service continues to develop its on-line web mapping capacity through our agency portal, we are pleased to share the most up-to-date Florida National Scenic Trail through the ArcGIS website. http://www.arcgis.com/explorer/?open=2a4b017d8e2043dcae37b09b64b70c52 or go to http://www.fs.usda.gov/fnst and click on “FNST Map-ping Tools”. Here you will be able to view the current route of the FNST, designated trailheads, and campsites. The website also allows you to turn on and off different base layers and to create and print your own maps.

Interested in getting FNST maps on your smartphone? There’s an app for that! Download the free ArcGIS app from your phone’s app store and use its search function to navigate the FNST while on the ground.

To provide trail updates, data corrections, or comments, please email: [email protected].

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FNST VOLUNTEER REPORTBy Megan Donoghue, FTA Volunteer Program Coordinator

Volunteers are the heartbeat of the Florida Trail Association. Without them, the Trail and all of the positive outcomes the Trail provides would not exist. On behalf of the Florida Trail Association, I would like to thank each and every one of you for the hard work and passion you put into the Trail and this organization. This past year has been spent defining FTA’s needs and creating a plan for FTA’s future. As many of you know, we implemented the online Volunteer Hours Reporting system in September 2012. This system enables volunteers to enter their hours in more detail than in the past. By gathering this data, we are able to better recognize the hard work of our volunteers and create a more accurate view of where the Florida National Scenic Trail stands.

I am looking forward to the coming season and all of the great opportunities we have in store. I am here to support your projects and assist you in any way I can. Don’t hesitate to ask for help when it comes to recruiting volunteers, getting training or increasing your Chapter’s volunteer participation hours. I also want to emphasize the importance of tracking volunteer hours. This system allows us to identify problem areas, highlight where we have improved and gives us the opportunity to let the rest of the world know how much incredible work our volunteers are doing. Each and every hour matters and makes a difference when build-ing the Trail and building a positive volunteer community. We are working on identifying gaps in our sys-tem, so please contact me if you have any questions or suggestions about volunteer hours reporting. We are here to help!

Below is the data gathered from volunteer work done on the Florida National Scenic Trail between October 1, 2012 to March 31, 2013. The numbers are broken down by Chapters within each region and then by region totals. The data was collected through our database system and contact with the Chapter Chairs. I am excited for a year from now when we can compare these numbers in same issue of this magazine. Our volunteers do great work, and this work should not go unnoticed.

The Florida Trail Association builds more than trails. We build a sense of community, we engage youth in the outdoors, and we provide natural resource protection, team building opportunities, environmental stew-ardship, and trail protection. We need to let others know what we do!


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Hiker’s

How To

Why a Hammock?

by Cary Beuershausen

he tent has been the mainstay of backcountry travel for decades but the hammock community is rapidly gaining momentum. Advances in designs and materials have yielded ultralight hammocks resulting in lighter packs and maximum comfort. Hammocks provide many tangible benefits in Florida as well as elsewhere along the trail. Wetlands no longer pose a problem and you can hang high above the ticks and chiggers that may be lurking in the grass. A hammock also makes a very quick and easy chair, which is great for lunch breaks and infinitely more comfortable than sitting on the ground.

The typical hammock setup consists of three main components: hammock, tarp, and insulation. The beauty of this system is that it’s completely flexible and customizable. When choosing a hammock consider both the material and number of layers. These factors determine both the weight of the hammock as well as the weight it will support. Most modern hammocks use ripstop nylon but other materials like taffeta are gaining popular-ity. Single layer hammocks tend to be lighter while double layer hammocks provide insulation opportunities and greater protection from biting insects.

When it comes to weather protection nothing beats a good tarp. Not only will this keep your gear dry but it can also help cut down the beating sun during warmer months. Along the Florida Trail, the tarp is also a great way to keep pine sap off your gear. Like hammocks, tarps vary both in material and design from the very minimal to the very large. Smaller tarps help lighten the load while providing minimal coverage. During inclem-ent weather or when winter hiking, a larger tarp can provide additional protection against wind, rain, and cold. Choose a tarp that extends at least 6-12 inches beyond the ends of the hammock to ensure adequate protec-tion.

One drawback to hammocks is convection heat loss. Even a slight breeze blowing across your back can give you a chill. An undercover is anything you hang snugly under the hammock to act as a windbreak. This could be as simple as a lightweight nylon shell or DriDucks poncho. During winter trips synthetic or down quilts will do wonders to keep you warm. Sleeping bags don’t work well since they lose their insulating properties as your body compresses them and you’ll still end up with Cold Butt Syndrome.

In Florida one additional item you probably want to bring along is a bug net. These are integrated into some hammock designs so you always have one. Other designs make the net an optional accessory that can be taken when needed or left home to save weight when it’s not.

If you are looking for the ultimate in flexibility and comfort give a hammock a try. If it does not work out the first time don’t give up. Just like your bed at home there is no one-size-fits-all hammock but there is bound to be one that fits you and your sleeping style. For more detailed information visit my blog: http://www.idratherbehiking.com/footprints

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“Walking distance”. To couch potatoes that may mean two blocks. To an avid hiker it could mean two miles. To the authors of this book, it means anywhere from 11 miles for the Cinque Terre Trail in Italy to 480 miles for the Camino de Santiago Trail in Spain. Of special interest to Florida Trail members is their account of their hike on the Ocala Trail, the 70-mile section of the Florida National Scenic Trail that runs through the Ocala National Forest.

About ten years ago, this husband and wife decided to hike the Long Trail in their home state of Vermont. They section-hiked a day or two at a time, coloring in completed sections in the trail’s guidebook. Upon completion of the hike they felt a great deal of satisfaction, but then they began to miss their weekends on the trail and started to look for other walks. This search led to their hiking many of the world’s great long distance trails. This book describes the Mannings’ hikes on thirty of them, visiting eleven states and fourteen foreign countries.

The book begins with a history of walking and then offers advice on how to prepare for a long dis-tance walk and suggestions on where to walk. Part two presents a chapter on each of the thir-ty hikes. Each trail description includes the location, a general map of the area, length, accommoda-tions (motels, huts/refuges, camping), degree of difficulty, safety concerns, whether or not baggage transfer is available and if there is an option to walk the trail in sections. At the end of each chap-ter is a list of resources which include websites and books on the trail. Quotes about walking from famous people and large color photos from each trail are liberally sprinkled throughout the book.

Trail descriptions are not a mile-by-mile guide, but rather a short history of the trail, flora and fauna the hiker is likely to see, and helpful hints such as the best time of year to hike and interesting stops along the way. This narrative is a great introduction to hiking some of the world’s best trails. I had heard of many of them and hiked parts of four of them, but this book has me itching to venture out on some I had never considered.

Why a Hammock?

by Cary Beuershausen

Cody (Bear) kisses the last blaze

Walking Distance: Extraordinary Hikes for Ordinary People

by Robert and Martha ManningBook Review by Linda Benton

First Aid ~ CPR/AED ~ SOLO Wilderness First Aid in the Gainesville area

15

The Florida Trail Life of Zack and Cody (the Conclusion)

by Mike Umbarger

Looking at our map in the hallway, this season we had to cover a little over 600 miles if we wanted to finish the entire Florida Trail before the end of March. We covered less than 500 miles our first two seasons, however both boys were older and stronger so we set our sights on completion. In order to do this we scheduled seven, weeklong hikes within our six month hiking window.

It is much easier writing our day to day trail journal than it is to write a summary at the end of the season, because once again we have experienced so much that it is hard to believe it has only been six months. This season we found ourselves running full speed down the trail while getting crop dusted, standing on the shore of the St Marks River trying to flag down a boat to ferry us across, accepting ice cold water from trail volun-teers, hiking through severe thunderstorms and tornado watches, making our way around flooded parts of the trail while finding out the section we just hiked yesterday is now six feet underwater. Not to mention hiking through some of the most beautiful parts of Florida which we would have never seen had it not been for the trail.

One of our largest challenges was crossing the Big Cypress Swamp. I had been anticipating this hike from the very beginning waiting for the Zack and Bear to be strong enough physically and mentally to cross it. Thankfully, we joined up with Chuck Norris and Tigger and their group of thru hikers for this crossing on their first week out. Chuck and Tigger have been providing van support for thru hikers for several years and had it not been for them our swamp crossing might have been a negative one for the boys. Their support and encouragement kept the boys going and brought their spirits back up at times when they were low. Now even though Zack and Bear say they may never hike the swamp again, they will always remember and be thankful for the encouragement and support they received from Chuck, Tigger, and the rest of the group. During this time we were also privileged to attend the dedication of the Official New Southern Terminus at Big Cy-press.

Everything, however led up to our final hike. Each trip brought us closer to the end and we counted down the maps as we made our way through them. Our final day was a short seven mile hike from North Hurricane Lake Campground to the Florida/Alabama Terminus where I secretly arranged a welcoming committee for the boys to cheer them on at the end. The weather was perfect with clear skies and 75 degrees. About 1 mile from the end we ran onto one of the Florida Trail members who hiked out to be the first to see Zack and Bear. He greeted us snapped a couple of photos, then walked us back asking about our trip. Next we spotted the reporter and photographer who was snapping photos as fast as the motor his professional camera could take them. Kimberly Blair, the reporter from the Pensacola News Journal, was videotaping with her smart phone and did a quick interview with the boys right there in the woods, then continued her interview as the boys hiked. Zack and Bear were answering questions as she walked along side them videoing and trying not to trip on anything as she was trying to watch the video and walk simultaneously.

Mike, Zack & Cody at the northernmost blaze

The First Day - 2010


Ahead through the trees we could start making out the welcoming committee and Zack said "I can see the end!” The pace picked up and I wanted to try to finish all together so I figured I would have a better chance trying to hold back a train than trying to hold back Zack and Bear so I picked up the pace as well to keep up. A small crowd cheered as we crossed the Florida/Alabama State Line with cameras flashing. You would have thought a couple of movie stars just got out of their limousine and stepped onto the red carpet at the Oscars from all the excitement. Zack and Bear posed for some photos on both sides of the State Line Kiosk which separated the Alabama Trail and the Florida Trail then we walked over to the very last Orange Blaze where we left our packs resting against the tree. I made a joke about kissing the "last blaze” to which Zack re-sponded "I'm not", but Bear laughed and said "I will"! and he walked up and kissed the last orange blaze with a dozen cameras flashing.

We walked back to the State Line Kiosk where Helen Wigersma, Chair of the Western Gate Chapter, pre-sented Zack and Bear with official Certificates of Achievement as well as several gifts the Florida Trail As-sociation headquarters sent to give them for being the youngest to complete the entire Florida Trail.

This has been a phenomenal two and a half year adventure with Zack and Bear, with every emotion, hard-ship, challenges, and triumphs along the way. We have “done so much, seen so much, experienced so much” that our journal barely touches the surface, but we were the lucky three that got to enjoy it. Our deepest heartfelt thanks and appreciation goes out to all the Florida Trail Members, Volunteers, Trail An-gels, and Forestry Workers who spend their own money and time to see that this trail is open, maintained, and improved so that people like me can take their kids out on a Grand Adventure that none of us will ever forget. Even larger heartfelt appreciation and love goes out to our personal Trail Angels, my wife Dawn and daughter Hannah, who spent hundreds of hours and drove thousands of miles to get us to and from the trail, to pick us up early if we got sick, or bring us replacement equipment when something was broken or lost. We also never started a day on our hike without a prayer to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ who never let us go without water, food, shelter, or protection. Our hiking prayer is: “Dear Lord, Please help us to have a safe and enjoyable trip. Help us to have a good time, to keep us safe, and not to get hurt. And Lord please help us to find something new that we’ve never seen before. Amen” Our prayers were always answered and we have had the time of our lives!!!!

Cody (Bear) kisses the last blaze

2013 END-TO END HIKERS

We also want to mention some of the other hikers who completed the Florida Trail this season. As of press time, the following people had contacted FTA with their completion notice:

Yvonne Lynn Entingh “Princess Doah” “Five-gallon” Jim Eagleton “Rambler” Kerry Smithwick “Scribbles” Jimmie Hoffman “Catman” Mark Suiters “Stumpknocker”Emily Labit Johnny Thunder Palmasano “Billy Goat” Joe Kisner “Tatu Joe” Deanna Filkins Charles ChandlerMike & Lynn Thompson

Joe Kisner set the speed record on the FT - 28 days! Trails legend “Billy Goat” celebrated his 74th birth-day on the FT this year. Mike & Lynn Thompson - hikers and trail maintainers from south Florida - finished up their hike. And Deanna Filkens completed her 20-year section hike. Congratulations to all our end-to-enders.

17

I first started wanting to hike when we were looking at the pictures of my dad and brother's 2nd hike. I wanted to see and do some of the things they had seen and done myself. So I asked my Dad if I could go on the next trip with them, and he said that I could. I was eight years old.

When we go hiking the thing that keeps me going is the nights, because every night Zack and I would set up the tent and then we would have a warm dinner. After the dinner the three of us would all get in the tent and play a short game of Life on the kindle, and then have a good night's sleep.

One of my favorite things about hiking is that every time we would go out hiking, we always saw some kind of new forest, or strange looking town. And I really enjoyed that! Sometimes we would see an area that looked like the Forbidden Forest in Harry Potter or an area that looked like a T-Rex had chased a rabbit. Those are some of the best areas about hiking.

I also like the unexpected things. One time we were walking on what looked like a dirt road and we heard a tree start to fall. We looked around and saw a tree that had already fallen over was hooked onto another tree and the fallen tree snapped in half! That’s not something you see every day!

One of the hardest parts of the trail was near the Olustee Battlefield where a sign told us that the path ahead might be rough, so there was an alternate route (which means more road walk) so we didn’t take the alterna-tive and we went on. Right through the trees there was a big open one mile field, which looks nice, but is full of briers and hills. For a one mile walk we were constantly stepping in holes with thorns getting driven up our legs, which created quite a bit of cuts. Thankfully the battlefield has nice tables and a small museum, so it was a nice place to take a long comfortable lunch break!

One of my favorite nights I’ve ever had on the trail was when we stayed at the Clewiston Inn. I’d wanted to stay at an inn since last January. Once we got to the inn (around Christmas time) we were all so grate-ful by the looks of it. There was a giant Christmas tree right in the center of the room, decorations hanging from the ceiling, and two nice chairs and one super nice couch. That night for dinner we ate in the little din-ing area. My dad and brother both got the special (meatloaf) and I got grilled cheese! In the morning they served a free breakfast, and the selection was huge!

I feel very surprised, now that I’m done. At the very end it was like an unknown hunger. It was as if I wanted to finish, but I didn’t want it to be done.

I would definitely recommend hiking the Florida Trail to a lot of people.

Cody Umbarger - Age 12


Well we did it, we finished up our adventure. It’s still taking it’s time to sink in; I sure don’t feel like it’s done. It’s nice having all of those memories that came along with hiking the Florida Trail. We’ve en-countered numerous venomous snakes, the briar patch that seemed to come right out of the Disney cartoon with Br’er Bear, Br’er Fox, and Br’er Rabbit, and thousands of alligators. The snakes are one of my favorite parts about the trail, the only snakes I usually see around my neighborhood are black racers, but on this trail, I’ve been able to see numerous species such as the cottonmouth, pygmy rattlesnake, Coachwhip Snake, and dozens of other species. One of the time I saw a black racer on a tree, and right before I pointed it out, a hawk came down and took it away. As it turned out, my brother and dad were just about to point out the hawk zooming through the forest, they didn’t even see the snake.

Not only is it the wildlife that draws me to the trail, but the adventure that comes with it. After the ever-glades portion of the FT, we’ve gotten used to getting wet. We’ve even gotten to the point if it’s raining, we’ll still hike, even though it’s not as fun as walking in the sunshine. One of the times it was really windy while we were walking, strong gusts that seemed to try to push you over and keep you from going any farther. Even though the gusts were strong, they helped to keep the temperature down, and we ended up doing 17 miles that day. What we didn’t know, however, is while we were hiking, there was a tornado warning in that area, as well as severe thunderstorms. Even though it would have been really cool to see a tornado, it would have been quite a scare trying to take shelter in the middle of nowhere.

Sometimes we had to get creative in setting up camp. One time when it was going to get really cold that night, I found a small building and we set up the tent inside. That small shack kept us nice and toasty throughout the night, and for that we were grateful. One of my personal favorite places we stayed out of the whole trail was the Clewiston Inn, where I had some of the best mashed potatoes that I had ever eaten. My other favorite place was at Stephen Foster State Park. If you haven’t had the privilege to visit that park around Christmas time, then I recommend you head over there this holiday season. We hiked in there after our first freezing night on the Suwannee River, we walked into the Stephen Foster and saw signs for their Christmas light festival. We thought it might be over, but when night fell, we were amazed by the four million lights that lit up the park. And not only were there Christmas lights to get us in the holiday spirit, but free hot chocolate, pop corn, and marshmallows! I think I had five cups of hot chocolate that night, I had a small stomach ache later, but I think it was worth it.

We’ve met several nice people on the trail; they’ve given us fresh water when we were by St. Marks when there was only salt water on both sides of the trail, given us a place to stay, and even given us a lift across a river. They all add into the adventure, and along the way, I got to taste some amazing biscuits that tasted even better than the cheese ones at some of our local restaurants. If any of those people who helped us along the way are reading this article, I want to say thanks for all the support. It made the trip much more enjoyable.

Now it’s all over, and it’s finally starting to sink in. Most people might call me crazy, but I can’t wait to take some of my friends back out on the trail. I’ve had some friends hike with us, but they’ve missed out on most of the trail, and I would like to bring them back to the parts they missed so that they could have an adven-ture soon. This last trip wrapped up our hiking season this year, but I think I might get to do one this sum-mer when a friend comes down to visit, he said he wants to hike when he watched me finish the trail. He said he wants to do Big Cypress, and I told him I’d do it with him at some point, but he has to promise me a hamburger at the end. Thanks again for all the support in our adventure; I don’t think we would have been able to do it without you.

Happy Trails,Zack Umbarger - Age 16

19

Bob Browder & Helen Wigersma share gifts

“There they are!” Cries of joy went up from all members of the extended Umbarger family as first, Cody (trail name, “Bear”), then Zack, and finally their dad Mike came into view, appearing through the beautiful pine woods of Blackwater River State Forest. They had finally arrived at the place that had been their destination for the past 2½ years – the final trailhead on the Florida National Scenic Trail. Doing the hike in sections, this threesome had hiked 1,100 miles from Big Cypress Nature Preserve to the Florida/Alabama line in the Florida Panhandle. What an amazing accomplishment!

Even more notable are the ages of Cody and Zack. Zack, now 16, and Cody, 12, are two of the youngest – if not THE youngest – to have ever completed the entire length of the Florida National Scenic Trail. Truly an awesome achievement for anyone, but an even more awesome achievement for these young hikers, considering that they started when Zack was 14 and Cody only 10.

As members of FTA's Western Gate Chapter, Chapter Chair Hel-en Wigersma and Blackwater River State Forest Section Leader Bob Browder were honored to serve as hosts to the hikers, the rest of the Umbarger family, and a reporter and photographer from the Pensacola News-Journal. Helen had assisted Dawn Umbarger and the boys’ little sister Hannah in locating the vari-ous trailheads where the boys would be finishing sections of the hike in the Blackwater Forest, including the final trailhead at the state line.

Helen, reporter Kimberly Blair, and photographer John Blackie met Bob at the trailhead before anyone else had arrived, but after waiting for a half hour with no appearance by neither family nor hikers, Bob suggested that the reporter and photographer take a little hike down the trail to meet the boys and their dad. Amazingly, they were both willing and excited to actually walk some of the trail themselves. This trek provided an opportunity for them to experience the beauty of the area as well as to gain an appreciation for what hiking over 1,100 miles might be like. They were such good sports! After they hiked about a mile, Cody, Zack and Mike came into view, and after introductions and getting some wonderful pictures of the boys striding along the trail, the little group continued toward the final trailhead and the eagerly awaiting family members.

With their backpacks and hiking poles, the threesome embodied the very look of the “thru-hiker.” Cody's back-pack, in particular, seemed almost as large as he was, and both he and Zack were eager to drop them off their shoulders upon arrival, but they were urged to keep them on for the final celebratory photos. With an almost audible groan, they assented and dutifully stood at various locations, smiling all the while. Photo-shoot over, including one shot with “Flat Stanley” who had accompanied them on the entire journey, the backpacks got dumped and the hugs began.

A little ceremony followed their arrival and each boy was presented with a Certificate of Achievement plus a treasured “End-to -End” patch and various gifts from the Florida Trail Association office. Mike Umbarger, look-ing like the very proud Papa that he was, thanked everyone who came, expressed his pride in their achieve-ment, and then asked that everyone join Zack, Cody and himself as they concluded this hike in the manner that they ended all of their daily hikes – with a word of prayer. His prayer expressed thanks to God for good health, a safe passage and the beauty of the natural world, to the boys for their perseverance and good spirits, and especially to his wife, Dawn, and daughter, Hannah, for providing the love and support that made this en-deavor possible. A perfect ending to a perfect day on the Florida Trail. Congratulations Bear, Zack and Mike!

END-TO END FLORIDA TRAIL HIKERS - THE UMBARGERSThe Western Gate Chapter Perspective - Helen Wigersma


Fire! Smoke! What can I do now as I can feel the heat from the shooting flames near by? Keep calm and wait for the sugarcane field to finish burning. It was sugarcane harvest time, so as I continued I was greeted by the engineer of the sugarcane train as I waited for the train to cross our trail. This road walk sure was not boring. At River Ranch, I nervously witnessed two bulls fighting each other on our trail while another bull watched the fight as I silently and cautiously found a way around. On another section two bulls were in the ready mode with hoofs pawing the ground and heads down to attack me. So this section was rescheduled. Did I tell you that I do not like cattle as hiking partners?

My two male hiking partners and I are in hip deep and cold water in Bradwell Bay hoping we will be out before dark. The next morning I am complaining about cold feet in wet boots when I heard, “You may have cold feet, but I have a frozen crotch.” This happened because his wet pants were left on a tree branch overnight and the temperatures dropped below freezing result: frozen crotch.

A trail angel dropped my hiking partner and me off to backpack Eglin and told us that there was only one Log Bridge. We found out that one needed to be a gymnast to cross this log which was a tree that had fallen over the river. The river was strongly flowing about five feet below the log. It was a very scary crossing with lots of prayer.

After an 18 mile day hike in the Panhandle, we were so looking forward to dinner and a shower at our base camp. Instead we watched the flames as Clint’s car burnt and heard the tires explode. We saved his new camera, but forgot to take pictures as so many other thoughts were dancing around in our heads.

After 20 years and many hiking adventures, I connected the last piece of my section hike of the Florida Trail. It was not my intent when I did my first hike on the Florida Trail, which was in Ocala, to hike the entire trail from Loop Road to Fort Pickens. That came after many miles and years. So in all kinds of weather, year round, by myself, trail conditions, and with others I hiked.

All the trail angels are greatly appreciated by me. Thanks to all who have put in many hours in maintain-ing and routing the trail over the years. The pigs definitely need lessons on trail maintenance. I waited long enough to complete some sections to be off the roads and too long where the trail went back on the road. This was a great way to see the State of Florida and learn some of its history.

Adventures Section Hiking the Florida TrailBy Deanna Filkins

The Future of the Florida Trail

Your volunteerism and generous giving enables the Florida Trail Association to fulfill its mission of pro-tecting and maintaining the hiking trails you love. But when you are no longer here to hike with us, how will you ensure that your love of the trail lives on?

With planned giving, your gifts can continue forever. Please consider joining the Legacy Circle by includ-ing the Florida Trail Association in your will or estate planning. Planned giving helps protect your hiking legacy for many generations to come. Email [email protected] or call (352) 378-8823 to learn more.

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A TRIBUTE TO PEGGY GRANTHAM“Queen of the Panhandle Trace Hike”

As the last of the initial 18 hikers who had started the 100-mile Panhandle Trace Hike completed their journey at the Fort Pickens trailhead in Gulf Islands National Seashore, they were surprised to be greeted by a num-ber of others who had gathered there for a special cel-ebration – a celebration in honor of Peggy Grantham.

This year – 2013 - marked the tenth and final year that Peggy Grantham has served as the organizer, leader, and support person for this unique, signature hike that she created in 2003. The trail of the Panhandle Trace Hike (PTH) leads from the Florida National Scenic Trail trailhead at Fort Pickens all the way to the terminus at the Florida/Alabama state line. Peggy envisioned this hike as a way of introducing hikers to the Florida Trail and to the flora and fauna of the western Florida Panhandle, much of it unique to this section of the state. She has been hugely successful in achieving her goal.

In recognition of her amazing achievement in creating and organiz-ing the PTH hike and in appreciation for her ten years of service, the Western Gate chapter felt it only fitting that Peggy be crowned “Queen of the Panhandle Trace Hike!” As Chapter Chair Helen Wigersma read a Proclamation recounting her many contributions that made the Hike such a success, other Western Gate members placed a tiara upon her head, pinned a lovely corsage to her Pan-handle Trace Hike 2013 tee-shirt, gave her a “memory book” with notes of admiration and appreciation from the current year hikers and friends in the Western Gate chapter, and a gift certificate, per-haps to be used for gasoline, considering the many miles she has traveled over the years, shuttling and providing support to the PTH hikers.

Celebrants included both the current year PTH hikers and char-ter members of the Western Gate Chapter. In addition to Peggy, charter members included Ginger and Ed Moore, Susan Fishbaugh, George and Annette Brinkman, and Helen Wigersma. After many hugs, handshakes, and picture taking, everyone adjourned to Peg-Leg Pete’s restaurant – a Panhandle Trace Hike tradition – for lunch and story-telling about all the joys and good times experienced with Peggy over the past ten years of the hike.

Though Peggy is retiring from active service to the PTH, the hike will be continued by another of our Western Gate chapter mem-bers, Christine Hale. Watch for a future announcement for the Fall, 2014.

Queen Peggy

2013 Panhandle Trace Hikers

Western Gate Charter Members


Paul Guyon and the Loxahatchee Chapter once again put together an excellent backpacking trip. Twenty-six backpackers participated in the event from February 16th to 21st and twenty were able to complete all six days. The group was made up of seasoned backpackers and those new to the sport. There were locals, people from around the State and one couple from Michigan came down for a break from the snow! All seemed to have had a great time. (A side note: during this event the Loxahatchee Chapter leads three or four day hikes on the OTLHT and this year another 25 hikers enjoyed those day hikes.)

The trekkers met at Harry and the Native’s in Hobe Sound for breakfast before being shuttled to Port Mayaca on Lake Okeechobee as once again the hikers were walking from Lake to Ocean. It was a clear and cool (low 50’s) morning for the start. Rain in the previ-ous few days had the trail wet though for the first few days and had co-leader Fred Davis requesting a check of night four’s campsite for standing water.

The group hiked into the youth camp in J. W. Corbett Wildlife Management Area for night three and was treated to Fred’s famous chili dinner and cold drinks. The weather was still cool and great for hiking and all seemed to enjoy the hot showers. Tropical Trekkers’ Lori Burris provided a special treat and prepared a hot breakfast for the backpackers before they headed out on day four.

The weather warmed a little and brought only one light shower as the backpackers continued towards the Atlantic Ocean. They found the campsite dry in the Loxahatchee Slough and enjoyed a new pitcher pump well put in by Palm Beach County Environmental Resources Management. A couple of backpackers were carrying the recently published booklet, “Walking the Ocean to Lake Hiking Trail”, by Dean Drake and this fact led to a highlight of this year’s hike. The booklet contained the words to “The Florida Trail Song” by Gordon Johnson. Led by Larry Myers the group broke out in song around the campfire and sang “The Florida Trail Song”!

The group continued on towards the ocean and this year enjoyed the new and improved crossing of the Hobe Groves Canal. There is still no bridge but the canal bed was improved with a geo-web mate-rial and the banks aren’t as steep. The water was just over knee deep but, as in years past, there were several that used the opportunity for a swim!

The final day was the warmest and the backpack-ers trekked the ancient sand dunes of Jonathan Dickinson State Park before the road walk and lunch at Taste Restaurant in Hobe Sound. Then with full bellies the bunch finished the last mile on Bridge Road in the shady tunnel of ficus trees and finally reached the beach. The required group photo on the sand of the Atlantic Ocean was taken and signified the end of this journey!

THE 10th ANNUAL OCEAN TO LAKE HIKEby Scott Lunsford

23

Camino de SantiagoSue “Hammock Hanger” Turner

Two days after my 55th birthday I boarded a plane bound for France. I was headed to Europe on my first international backpacking adventure. After 3 plane flights and 2 train rides, my partner and I arrived in St. Jean Pied du Port, France. This is the starting point for the Camino de Santiago - the Way of St. James.

After a day of rest, we headed west up into the Pyr-enees. Today was, in my mind, nothing short of a miracle. The Camino is a very spiritual hike for most people. I really wasn’t here to atone for anything in particular, nor was I here to work through problems in my life. I was here to hike, for me that was my issue. Most of my hikes the past few years have ended early due to knee issues, which means pain. Now, here I was on a 500 mile adventure with two brand new knees. I had gone through total knee replacement surgeries just a few months back. On the Camino you hike from town to town, church to church. I said a prayer in every church that my knees would stay strong and carry me all the way to the end.

My partner and I made it up and over the Pyrenees and crossed the border into Spain. Here I was expecting to sleep in a dorm room with 120 other Pilgrims. (The Camino hikers are referred to as Pilgrims.) You can imagine what kind of noises would transpire in a room like that at night. Luckily, we were surprised with a brand new facility that had nice little cubicles of 4. Technically, the open cubicles still let the noises flow but helped to buffer it some. I became very attached to my purple earplugs.

As with all hikes, the hikers become friends very quickly. We seemed to hike together or at least end at the same place each night. I enjoyed my trail family immensely. It con-

sisted of a man from Denmark, a lady from Holland, a lady from South Africa, a couple of English ladies and two ladies from New Zealand. This is a very international trail. It is located in Spain but the Pilgrims are from all over the world.

My days consisted of hiking up and down the mountains, through farm-lands and vineyards. A number of times each day the trail would take you through a small town, village or hamlet. Most had at least one cafe/bar. In the morning that meant cafe con leche (coffee with milk) for most and a tea for me. Chocolate croissants and potato tortillas were always a treat for breakfast. The main breakfast served at the alburgues (hostels) is bread, butter & jam. That gets old very fast. If it was later in the day, the cafe/bar would be the spot for wine or cerveza limon (a mix of beer and lemon soda). I preferred just the lemon soda. Lunch would be a bogadilla (sub). It consisted of 2-3 thin slices of meat, a slice of cheese and tomato upon request. No condiments, just dry bread. I ate plenty of them, a hiker has got to eat.

Our daily routine was walking, securing a bed in an alburgue (hostel), showering, doing laundry, and finally

Day 1 Leaving St Jean Pied

French Pyrenees

HH on the Trail


relaxing a little before going to the Pilgrim dinner. There were usually 2 or more alburgues in town, the more desirable ones filled up first. It was not unusual to find a “Completo” sign on the door if you came in late in the day. Then you had to hope your second choice still had beds available. If not, you found your-self back out on the trail moving on to the next town in hopes of an available bed. Luckily we were hiking near the end of the season and only had to move on a couple of times. Not to mention we hiked short mileage days, so we got to the alburgues early in the day.

The Pilgrim dinner was either included in your bed rate or you would go to a cafe/bar in town. I found that the alburgues that cooked had the best food. The cafe/bars all seemed to serve the same meals over and over.

About midway into the hike we came to the Meseta, a very flat region without much in the way of scenery to look at. Well, at least in late fall, when all the farms had been harvested. The flat, repetitious walk-ing seemed to have many of the hikers, my partner included, suffering from tendinitis. I was lucky not to be bothered and I was thrilled that the knees were holding up well.

We did stop in a few of the bigger cities along the way - Pamplona, Burgos, and Leon. Each had large ornate cathedrals. It took hours to tour the one in Burgos. Even the small little churches in the towns along the trail had ornate golden alters.

As we got closer to the end of our hike we had tem-perature changes. The days were still pleasant but the mornings and nights became pretty cold. I also could see that the Pilgrims were picking up there pace and hiking more miles each day. As my partner put it, they were being drawn into the Santiago vor-tex. We actually slowed down a bit in no hurry to end our journey.

Finally my knees carried me into the city of Santiago and my journey was over. I had hiked 500 miles along the Camino de Santiago, through small Spanish vil-lages and large cities. I went to the Pilgrim’s office and obtained my Compostella (certificate of comple-tion) and then attended a mass for the Pilgrims in the cathedral.

We did not have the time to hike another 3 days to go to Finisterre, so we went by bus. Finisterre is known as the end of the earth. Until Columbus came back from his voyages, it was commonly believed that when ships sailed from here and were no longer vis-ible on the horizon, they had fallen of the flat edge of the earth.

This was a wonderful adventure. The trail was full of hikers from around the world and varied in age (al-though I will say most were over 50). It was a great multi-cultural hike for me. I hope to repeat this hike with my husband. There are many other Caminos in Europe. A number of them are already on my to-do-list.

Full daily journal: trail journals.com/hammockhanger-CaminodeSantiago08

Compostella in Hand

25

The year we turned 40, Peg ran the Maryland Marathon. What an ac-complishment for someone who grew up when girls ran only half-court in basketball! But one marathon was enough. Russ’s shins had given out even before the race, so he didn’t get to do it. We never ran again.

The year we turned 65, we walked 150 miles on an old pilgrimage route, El Camino de Santiago de Compostela in Spain. We wondered if we’d gone over the edge to even consider doing it. We never would have believed that walking hundreds of miles would be energizing—that it would get into our blood! We did 200 more miles of the Camino in 2009; then, 300 in 2011, and 150 last summer.

The best part was that walking the Camino introduced us to walking in Florida. We needed to train, and having recently retired, we had desk-job weight and weakness to overcome. Starting in the fall, we survived a month of three-mile loops from our home through San Felasco city park. Elated to have lost weight and beginning to feel stronger, in Month Two of our training we headed out to San Felasco Hammock.

Oops, we weren’t quite ready for the almost six-mile trails. But we were immediately in love with the woods. We would walk through the scrub and onto the yellow trail. The old growth hardwoods surrounded us on our way to the split with the blue trail. After our first rest, we’d proceed through the tall forest of longleaf pines, watching for the often observed red-bellied woodpeckers who hang out there. Our second rest spot was at the left turn before heading down and up the hills on the far side of the trail to our favorite gopher tortoise bur-row, near our third rest spot.

After two more months of training we were lighter still, and walking entire loops with no rests needed.Another favorite walk was in the Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge, near Cedar Key. We would park near the boat ramp at McCormick Creek and walk the Nature Road to Barnett Creek and back, for about a six-mile round trip. We saw swallow-tailed kites, alligators, tortoises, a baby cottonmouth, butterflies, wood storks, eagles, ospreys, and broad vistas of marshland punctuated with distant clumps of cabbage palms.

We established an 8-mile route in Cedar Key, from the cemetery to the Jernigan Road end, back to the airport, and around Dock Street and back to the cemetery. By spring, we were each about 25 pounds lighter, and only occasionally tempted to stop on Dock Street for a rest on the 8-mile training walk.

We continue to walk almost every day in Florida, and in 2013, we will return to the Camino and will walk another 150 miles. We’ve also ac-cepted a volunteer posting in May to serve other hikers as innkeepers (hospitaleros) at one of the hostels (albergues) where walkers are not

charged a set fee, but pay a donativo—whatever amount seems appropriate to them. Once again, we wonder if we have lost our heads…cleaning, cooking, and hosting for 28 pilgrims each day.

We’ll let you know in the fall.

How Walking in Spain Got US Hooked on Florida Trails

Russell J Hall and Peg Rooney Hall


No need for a hiking stick today. No need for a raincoat. Yes, a need for a light jacket, 57 degrees. Okay, grab your knapsack, snacks and go.

We met on dirt road which is the north end of Forest Road 3 in the Croom Tract of the Withlacoochee State Forest. It was a short drive to the starting point of our day’s work. A few days earlier I had gone through and removed most of the blowdowns from the trail. The rainy season had been good for the forest and the ground was now dry to make mowing practical. You could see the trail, but sometimes these very pretty, tall, spindly forest weeds had grown so high and prodigiously that the trail was sometimes inconvenient for hiking. Mitch Almon, long standing section leader of the Suncoast Chapter of the Florida Trail Association, was my mentor this day.From the bed of his truck, Mitch attached a ramp and took the DR mower down the incline. We were ready to begin. The agenda today would be to go from Forest Road 3 to the main orange trail of the Florida Na-tional Scenic Trail, which is about a mile north of Tucker Hill Fire Tower. We would proceed with Mitch pushing/ being pulled by the mower and I would go up ahead and help re-formulate those sections of the trail which were sketchy. It took about 40 minutes to get the path mowed to our turnaround. When mowing, Mitch had gone slightly off center to the the left of the trail. I would retrace our route, going in the opposite direction, of course. My cut would also be slightly off center to the the left, in essence giving a double mower-wide path. Description of the mower: It is a commercial size self propelled mower. It looks like a huge backyard push lawn mower, but approximately 30 inches wide and approximately 350 lbs. There are 4 speed gears, neu-tral, reverse and a dead man’s gear (if you are not squeezing the gear, the mower will automatically shut off). It is a powerful mower that will cut most anything up to 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 inches thick. The mower moves at the speed of the gear you are in. 1st gear quite slowly, fourth gear about a pace of 22 minute mile. Because it is a monstrosity, you do not control it with the finesse of a topiarist, but gradually ma-nipulate and guide its direction. You change gears to slow down and speed up according the to terrain. As advised by Mitch, if you are going to go in reverse, always look behind you beforehand to be sure you have space to back up, it can push you backwards quickly. Do not hold the handle gears tightly or with straight arms as the vibrations will jar you all the way up to your jaw. Time for me to give this behemoth a try. The hardest thing for me was remembering if you push in the knob or pull out the knob to engage the blade. An example of that is that I was pushing the mower gaily along for about 10 yards with the sound of the mower’s engine dominating the forest. Mitch noticed, alerted me as I was pushing the mower and nothing was cutting. I then engaged the blades and was back to cutting my half of the trail.

After several minutes, Mitch said, “Turn around and see the trail.” And sure enough I knew what he was talking about. The mower encasing is about 3 inches wider than the interior blade diameter. So as I was aligning my cut of the path off the very edge of Mitch’s cut, I was leaving a path with 3” swath of high grass/weeds in the middle - definitely a bad hair day (mohawk style).

Learning To Mow On Trail Maintenance Day - A Bad Hair Day

Gordon Johnson

27

Tired of seeing her friends' pictures and hearing their stories from wilderness trips, 63-year-old Emily Bennett of Winter Haven was ready for her own experiences. The ride she was about to take through the Circle B Bar Reserve would be very liberating.

"The freedom to get out in the wild...it's like an uplifting of your spirit," she said, "It sort of leaves a hole in your heart not to be able to go out and this experience will be extremely uplifting."

Twenty-four years ago Bennett was in a motor vehicle acci-dent involving a drunk driver. Her speech is slow and deliber-ate, her arms atrophied. She is self-sufficient, but is bound by a wheelchair and crutches for very short distances.

She became Florida's first beneficiary of the TrailRider, described by Melissa Aldridge of the Florida Trail As-sociation as a cross between a lawn chair and a wheelbarrow. A TrailRider can go where it's unthinkable to even consider a wheelchair, which, Bennett pointed out, "is not designed to four-wheel."

I was hooked on this story since January 6 when an email from Aldridge had a subject line of Disabled Access jumped out from my laptop screen and her basic message screamed, "I should be getting the first TrailRider in the state of FL this month if all goes well. That is a sweet little device to get quadriplegics and other disabled folks into the woods and wilderness areas." Understand that Aldridge spent one year of her personal time to get it here. The arrival of the TrailRider last week was cause for celebration. "It's arrival...it was huge!" she said. PolkOutdoors.com and The Ledger got the first look and I became Aldridge's first sherpa guinea pig during our visit to Circle B Bar Reserve.

Aldridge couldn't wait to get me in the vehicle for a trial ride before Bennett, actual rider, took the seat. I climbed in, strapped down my legs and held on while she and husband, Jim, pulled me around the park-ing lot and part of a trail. It was a very comfortable ride, even over parking bumps. The thick foam pads

and stable arm rests kept me firmly in place while allow-ing for a cushy ride. While we were out with Bennett, Jim and Melissa took her over a large tree that was down. The pudgy pneumatic tire had no trouble going over the largest part of the trunk.

I kept watching Bennett's expression as they moved the TrailRider along the groomed trails at a snappy pace. At one point I looked over at Bennett and she reminded me of a kid just getting her first ride on a go-cart, a broad smile stretched across her face, neck forward, as a slight breeze blew her silver hair back. Put the look together and you would have thought she was bombing downhill in the Soap Box Derby.

It's that very expression that is the telltale sign of the TrailRider's worth, the psychological benefit of being

SHERPA FOR A DAY: Florida’s First Trailrider GiveS Polk Disabled Access to TrailsStory and PHOTOS by Kim Fatica (reprinted with permission of the author)


able to get off-road and breathe fresh air, breaking the routine of living life "safely" and in the same conditions. Melissa understands its benefit very well. Back in 2005 she suffered a spinal cord injury. She thought she was done with all of her favorite activities.

While she was rehabbing herself, she scoured the Internet – for four years, she emphasizes – and one Google search finally helped her stumble upon a solution.

"Eureka, they did it!" she recalls shouting, "Sam Sullivan did it! He solved the problem. He simply designed it looking at a deck chair on a pool deck one day; scribbled it out on a cocktail napkin. He cross-bred a bicycle and a wheelbarrow and here we have it!" Sullivan, the co-inventor of the Trail-Rider, is a quadriplegic.

About a half mile in to the trail, and after Bennett stops to watch a blue heron just a few feet off the trail, it was my turn to become a sherpa for Bennett. Jim and I worked instantly in tandem without pulling and tugging against one another. For a one-wheeled unit, it wasn't as unwieldy and difficult to balance as I expected. In fact, the unit was almost effortless with two people and it was quite nimble.

Jim was wearing leather gloves and in charge of braking, if necessary. The light metal frame weighed in around 50 pounds and was outfitted with some user-replaceable parts like the wheel and the Avid disc brake system found on many mountain bikes. For the record, my Cannondale still uses old-fashioned V-brakes and rim pads.

I had the front of the TrailRider for the rest of the 1.5-mile jaunt, passing by friendly and curious hikers craning to get a good look at what I think of as a wilderness rickshaw. My arms, back and neck weren't in the least bit strained. Ben-nett, of course, hated for it to come to an end.

"It was amazing," she exclaimed, "so uplifting!"

As for Aldridge, this is just the beginning. Now she wants to get everyone on board with her program, a vision of hav-ing a network of sherpa volunteers and more TrailRiders in order to get more people out in the wilderness.

"We'll now be able to host a disabled person on all of our hikes," she beams. "Hopefully, then, we'll eventually get this established statewide where the entire Florida Trail As-sociation will be a disabled-accessible hiking organization."

Without the help of FTA members and volun-teers, there is no magazine. We strongly en-courage your submission of photos and content for every issue.

Photos: We are looking for high resolution (300dpi) photos for publication. Make sure that if they are photos of people that they have signed the necessary photo release. We are always looking for cover photos, which need to be vertical format and at least 300dpi.

Pictures can include: People hiking on the trail Trail maintenance and work hikes Different trails, signs and blazes Flora and Fauna

Articles: We hope for contributions from the various chapters highlighting events and ac-complishments, especially those that involve new groups and outreach opportunities. We also look for unique hiking stories from mem-bers, and articles regarding anything that pertains to hiking and camping (trail recipes, hiking and safety tips). If you submit a story, please make sure to include photos that you would like to go with it. Word count can be anywhere from 400 to 900 words, depending on photos and page length.

Please do not embed photos within a docu-ment, but instead send them in as an attach-ment.Please send all submissions to [email protected]. The deadline for the fall issue of The Footprint is August 1, 2013.

SHERPA FOR A DAY: Florida’s First Trailrider GiveS Polk Disabled Access to TrailsStory and PHOTOS by Kim Fatica (reprinted with permission of the author)

The Footprint Magazine Submission Guidelines

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Chapter SpotlightNorth Florida Trailblazers

Counties: Baker, Bradford, Clay, Duval, Nassau, St. Johns, and Union counties

Sections of trail they maintain: From Etoniah Creek State For-est west to the city of White Springs.

Interview with Cary Beurshau-sen, Bill Gentry, Janie Hamilton and Leslie Wheeler.

FTA: Trailblazers seems to have undergone a rejuvenation in membersip and leadership. To what do you attribute this success?

TB: Meetup is probably responsible for bring-ing more people out to our events. And not just fun hikes, but trail maintenance as well. It was slow getting started - we’ve been using it for over 3 years now - so other chapters just getting started should realize it takes a while to really gain momentum. Meetup certainly has been a huge driving factor in getting inter-est up. So we have a bunch of new people, so we can do more activities in more areas which brings in more people. Also, Jackson-ville is has really grown recently and we’re getting a lot of transplants coming out - hikers who have moved here from other parts of the country and are looking for hiking groups.

FTA: Of course it’s always a challenge turning Meetup membership into FTA membership. How are you doing that?

TB: The way we sell FTA at events, meetings & on the trail itself, I think we’ve gotten better at promoting ourselves. We always start ev-ery activity by talking about FTA and handing out brochures, but it’s the personal chats that you have with people while you’re hiking or working that make the diffference. And now we’re seeing many of the relatively new folks, who are not yet ready to be Activity Leaders,

but who are really helping out by being our promoters on activi-ties - talking with the new people one-on-one.

FTA: Has this translated to main-tenance activities as well as hikes?

TB: Oh yes, we’re having record numbers of people showing up. Again I think it comes down to

selling it. They’re work hikes, but we have fun too. You get those informal advertising avenues going. The work hikes actually give us more exposure than the other hikes. The people who are working - trimming, blazing, mowing - feel like they are actually doing something for the FT. You have the opportunity to talk to people more working in small groups and they feel good about what they’ve done. And they go back and tell other new people about how much fun they had.

Also, it’s good when these new people on an activity go back to Meetup and give the activity a good review. That motivates the other new people to come out bet-ter than if we old-timers had posted anything.

FTA: What are some of the notable activities your Chapter has done in the last couple of year?

TB: For several years we have organized the IDidA-Hike. It’s a one-day hike of about 15 miles that draws in more people every year and has been a nice fund-raiser for both the chapter and FTA. We did it locally last year (near Keystone Heights) and advertised it a lot locally. A local church loaned us buses and a lot of their people became interested and came - just to support us. But we did pick up some new members from that. So we will do it again next year - along the Suwannee River. We have people from all over Florida and Georgia who come to the IDidAHike.

This past fall we hosted the North Regional Conference and felt we couldn’t do it and the IDidAHike the same year. That took a lot of work but it was very rewarding and I think those who attended had a great time. Then Alton & Paula Snellgrove are hosting a special


weekend only for Activity Leaders. Just a nice little way of saying thank you for all their hard work. And we’re doing a joint hike with the Native Plant Society for their Annual Festival - with people from all over the U.S.

FTA: How about your relationship with your land managers for trail maintenance?

TB: The only relationship we really need to tweak is Plum Creek Timberlands on the Lake Butler Forest. Our realtion-ship with the Osceola National Forest is good. Allison their SCA outreach intern has become an FTA Activity Leader. Gold Head has been wonderful to work with on trails. The manager - Kevin Patton - views the FNST through his park as it’s biggest asset. Natural Resources personnel at Camp Blanding (Florida National Guard) actually came to us with some suggested relocations when the FAA closed down the Keystone Airpark section. Blanding wants our trail there be-cause it supports their mission of outreach to the public.

FTA: Any final words about recruiting and involving new members?

TB: Be open to new people. People have a wide range of interests, so the way to get new people in is to provide a wide range of activities - Christmas campouts, day hikes, backpacking trips, beach walks, mainte-nance hikes - advertised through a wide variety of media - Facebook, Meetup, websites, newspapers, notices on trail kiosks, anyplace you can think of. Then when they show up, your job is only half done. Then - be nice to them and really sell them on the value of joining and supporting FTA.

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An Epic Trek around Robert’s Lake from Gator Hook to Oasis

Article & photos by Chrisopher Boykin, FTA Southeast Regional Coordinator, [email protected]


I would be lying if I told you that I haven’t been overly excited about each and every hike that I’ve led and co-led over the past four months. However, this hike in particular really had my adventurous spirit soaring – it was hard to sleep the night before. Most of our hikes our out and back, which is great, because you get to see your favorite trees from different angles and nothing is ever the same. The light and clouds are always changing.

I’ve considered myself a lover of south Florida wildlands for many years, but it was only recently that I stumbled upon magi-cal edens like Deep Lake, Robert’s Lake Strand and a secret place I call “ghost orchid alley” that has elevated my love affair with finding remote places like this within Big Cypress National Preserve (BICY) into an obsession. Robert’s Lake, the focus of this story, is actually three lakes within Robert’s Lake Strand and located roughly 3-miles south of US 41 and the Big Cypress Oasis Visitor Center (OVC). None of the lakes are on the Florida Trail, but rather a quarter to half mile off the trail.

Most of you are aware the southern terminus of the FT was moved from Loop Road to the OVC for logistical reasons like parking and restrooms. Robert’s Lake Strand lies within this seven mile “loop section” (the old terminus), which is known for its high water, deep mud and rugged beauty. The trail essentially runs due north from Loop Rd to US 41.

Five miles to the east of Robert’s Lake is the western portion of Loop Rd (near Monroe Station). It is here that BICY maintains the “Gator Hook Trail (GHT)”, which runs 3-miles east. Beyond GHT, there is no trail for the remaining 3-miles to Robert’s Lake. However, we were told it was possible to find the remnants of a very over-grown logging road to “pick up” those three “off trail” miles and reach the lake.

Nina Dupuy of the Big Cypress Chapter of the FTA was co-leading this trip with me and very amenable to try-ing this route with a group of hikers. We warned everyone that this was an “exploratory hike” where we would possibly be lost for a brief period and a long day with some bushwhacking, but that the beauty would be well worth the effort. Nine willing souls agreed to join us for this hike, which I coined “The Real Muddy Buddy” and we took great care to ensure that only hikers that had been in “the Loop” portion with us before could join. Most of the participants were adventure racers, triathletes and naturalists and EVERYONE was up for going “off trail” for three miles and possibly getting lost while “finding ourselves in nature”. We met at 7:45 am at the OVC and then carpooled in three cars to the GHT where we started the 9-mile journey.

Along the GHT, we saw several beautiful orchid and bromeliad species, as well as a cottonmouth water mocca-sin (the seemingly most common snake within Big Cypress), as well as a great crested flycatcher, a white eyed

vireo and we found a nice skull from a one of three great blue herons, that Nina assumed a stealthy bobcat had eaten. The GHT was surprisingly shady, though it did feel like 96 degrees in the shade with our sub-tropical humidity that the orchids and bromeliads we came hoping to see thrive in.

Once the GHT ended, we were surprised to find flagging and a less traveled trail that continued east past some limestone holes/semi caves, an old lightning whelk shell that was clearly a tool used by local Indians, the shell of peninsular or red-bel-lied cooter, the shell of striped mud turtle, a cute little squirrel tree frog that some folks have trouble distinguishing from a juvenile green tree frog, as well as a white-eyed vireo nest at our lunch spot! Such a dainty and perfect nest and everyone

33

was ready for lunch. We had heard that Big Cypress wanted to connect the GHT to the FT by Robert’s Lake Strand and apparently someone has been doing a little flagging to start this process.

The old tram road proved to be easy to lose and there was more than one occasion when Nina was study-ing her GPS and I my favorite new app called Topo Maps (see attached screen shot) while pointing in op-posing directions (just kidding, they were similar). They both have varying degrees of accuracy, but we certainly all did a little victory dance when we got a glimpse of the FT’s orange blazes near Roberts Lake. The quarter mile journey to the edge of the lake gets wetter and narrower and grows lusher with each step. A sort of sacred hush fell over everyone as we inched closer to the lake’s edge in wonder and amazement amidst the strap ferns, cardi-nal bromeliads, pickerel weed, pond apples, pop ashes & cypress trees. We took in the beauty of the lake, counted umpteen gators, filtered water with a Katadyn Base Camp gravity filter and then proceeded to circumnavigate the huge lake under the canopy of ancient cypress and other-worldly pond apple and pop ash trees laden with resurrection fern. I was confident that Gandolph or a ran-dom hobbit might appear from behind a tree at any mo-ment. Exploring the perimeter of Robert’s Lake and wading in pond apple bogs was certainly the highlight of the trip for everyone.

Roughly an hour later, we were back on the FT and had an easy jaunt back to our cars at the OVC. In the wet season nothing is easy about hiking the loop section south of 41, but we hit it just right and trail was bone dry. If it weren’t for wandering around the edge of Roberts Lake, our adventurous hikers would’ve never even have dipped a toe. It was a magical day with a wonderful group and I hope some of you will join us in Big Cypress National Preserve when visiting south Florida.


FTA 2013 AnnUAl ConFEREnCETake a look at our post-conference video at

www.floridatrail.org/html/annual_conference.cfm 35

CHAPTER ROUNDUPApalachee Chapter...celebrated our 30-year anniversary. At grand events and in small moments we were reminded of our Chap-ter’s gifts of Trail and the great outdoors to those who love natural Florida. Anniversary logo mementos--t-shirts, coffee cups and more--flew off the shelves. A very special event was the Apalachee Transit: a back-packing trip covering 135 miles of the Chapter’s FNST through the Apalachicola National Forest, St. Marks Na-tional Wildlife Refuge, and Aucilla Sinks & River section. The Trail received some extra-special maintenance in preparation for the Transit and for the season’s day- and thru- hikers. New activities--like “Lite and Fast” power hikes, “Under-40” hikes, and more--expanded what we offer to members and the public. It was a very good year.

Central Florida Chapter...hosted the second annual CCC (Central Chapter Crew) Project in April. There were twenty volunteers who participated to complete eight trail projects during a 3-day weekend. The goal, as always, is to make the trails safer for hik-ers and to improve the hiking experience and oppor-tunities in Central Florida.

The projects this year included: adding a step at the end of a bridge where erosion had created a hazard, moving the trail to the other side of a fire road as requested by the Florida Forest Service, rerouting a short section away from bike trails, stabilizing a bridge and adding mesh on the approach ramps, extend-ing two boardwalks, & building a new boardwalk on a new section of trail.

Most of the chapter’s routine trail maintenance is completed in the fall with twenty work days sched-uled on Wednesdays. In the spring the crew tackles special projects.

Choctawhatchee Chapter...membership is continuing to grow, to the extent that we have had to move to a larger facility to accom-modate our numbers. We now meet at the Rocky Bayou Country Club in Niceville. We are getting a large number of participants at our activities... This is a good problem. We are formulating a plan to accommodate the larger attendance.

We completed our annual maintenance cycle on 76 miles of the FNST by the end of December, 2012. We are working with Eglin AFB to build a new Demon Bridge across Alaqua Creek.

We have initiated mid-week hikes on the FT and are having a good response. We also initiated shorter hikes/cook-outs for children, in partnership with E.O. Wilson Biophilia Center.

Highlanders Chapter...had a busy trail maintenance season with 13 Chapter work hikes and 13 other maintenance events adding up to about 1300 volunteer hours and over 10,000 miles of travel.

Highlights include re-routes of trail segments in Royal Trails and Seminole State Forest to take the trail off roads and into newly-acquired public land. The Semi-nole SF project was a combined Boy Scouts of America and FTA project.

Halifax - St Johns Chapter...called a series of early season work days to get our section of the Western Connector done last fall for the Western Corridor Hike Series that started in Decem-ber. These hikes were 11.7 miles each day -- more than many could comfortably hike. We decided that we would hold a series of hikes later when we could enjoy hiking the trail at our own pace.

In February Dick Schuler made up posters advertis-ing the hikes and put them out around the forest. In March we held our own four-day series of hikes. What a treat to enjoy the trail in all of its spring beauty. And it was gratifying to have hikers from Salt Springs and Fore Lake join us. We plan to try a series of hikes again next year.

The Contemporary Sportsman

The Contemporary WingshooterWWW.FLORIDATRAIL.ORG36

Tropical Trekkers Chapter...is still working with the USDA Forest Service on the new route moving the FNST to the east side of the Kissimmee River. Chapter members have been meeting with land managers and the Forest Service.

Lori Burris led a backpacking 101 trip on the new trail at Starvation Slough. The Trekkers offered three FNST backpacking trips this year. The first was a November hike from Christmas to Cassia – approximately 70 miles. The second was December 27 to Jan. 4, a hike from Kicco to Christmas over 9 days and 100 miles. The third was Loop Road to I-75, 37 miles over 3 days. Also, we started using Meetup this year in an at-tempt to increase membership.

The Contemporary Sportsman

The Contemporary Wingshooter37

FLORIDA TRAIL ASSOCIATION

The Footprint (ISSN 1064-0681) is published quarterly (December, March, July, Septem-ber) by the Florida Trail Association, 5415 SW 13th St, Gainesville, FL 32608, 352-378-8823. Bulk rate postage paid at Gainesville, FL. Postmaster: Send change-of-address form 3597 to Footprint, 5415 SW 13th St, Gainesville, FL 32608. © 2013, Florida Trail Association All rights reserved.

The Footprint is printed with soy-based inks on paper with post-consumer content

1983 - 2013Celebrating 30 years of a proud part-nership in the National Trails System

with the USDA Forest Service.

FloRIDA TRAIl ASSoCIATIon 5415 SW 13th St Gainesville, FL 32608 352-378-8823 877-HIKE-FLA [email protected] BoARD oF DIRECToRS Carlos Schomaker, President Tom Daniel, VP Trails Holly Parker, VP Outreach/Development Leslie Wheeler, Secretary Pam Hale, Treasurer Eve Barbour Chuck Barrowclough David Denham Fred Goldstein James Powell FloRIDA TRAIl STAFF GAINESVILLE HEADQUARTERS 877-HIKE-FLA or 352-378-8823 Janet Akerson, Administrative Director Deb Blick, Trail Resource Coordinator Diane Strong, Administrative Assistant TALLAHASSEE FIELD OFFICE Eric Mason, Trail Program Director 906-360-3153 Megan Donoghue, Volunteer Program Coordinator 941-408-3098

FloRIDA TRAIl WEBSITE Deb Blick FloRIDA TRAIl Footprint Deb Blick, Editor Rob Smith, Jr, Cartoonist Contributors retain copyright to their work. Articles are subject to editing for clarity and space. Materials will be returned if accompanied by a self-addressed stamped envelope. Opinions, observations, and endorsements made within the Florida Trail Footprint do not necessarily reflect those of the board or staff of the Florida Trail Association. Summer 2013 Volume 30, Issue 3

oUR MAGAZInE The Footprint is published by the Florida Trail Association, a volunteer-based nonprofit organization focused on Florida hiking and trail building. Since 1966, the primary mission of our organization has been the care and protection of the Florida Trail, a 1,400-mile footpath across the Sunshine State - Florida’s own National Scenic Trail. The Florida Trail Association also publishes maps and guidebooks to assist hik-ers in enjoying this public recreational resource. oUR GoAl To provide outreach to our readers through informative articles that express appreciation for and conservation of the natural beauty of Florida; to inform our readers of Florida Trail Association business; and to provide information on Florida hiking and outdoor recreation opportunities. ConTRIBUToRS Contributors are welcome to submit items for our various departments as well as trail and association-related news. Please contact the editor at [email protected] to discuss ideas for feature stories prior to submission. MEMBERSHIP If you’re not already a member, join now. As a Florida Trail member, you receive a subscription to The Foot-print magazine, membership in a local chapter, a local newsletter with local activities, opportunities for outdoor skills training, participation in regional and annual conferences and more. Com-mercial and Alliance memberships and event sponsorship opportunities are also available. Call toll-free 877-HIKE-FLA for more information. ADVERTISInG Reach a highly targeted demographic of Florida outdoor enthusiasts by adver-tising with us or becoming a regular sponsor. Your advertising dollars directly support production and publication of this magazine and assist the Florida Trail Association in fulfilling its mission. Call 877-HIKE-FLA or email [email protected] for more details.WWW.FloRIDATRAIl.oRG 3938 WWW.FloRIDATRAIl.oRG 3938

Local ChaptersDElAnD Halifax-St. Johns Linda Taylor [email protected] for meeting time and place

FoRT lAUDERDAlE Happy Hoofers hoofers.floridatrail.org 2nd Thu 7:30 PM, Fern Forest Nature Center, 201 Lyons Rd, Coconut Creek

FoRT MYERS Alligator Amblers amblers.floridatrail.org 3rd Thu 7 PM at Bass Pro Shop, Gulf Coast Mall, Alico Rd. Sub Chapter Fisheating Creek 2nd Tue Sept-May 270 Avenue L, Moore Haven, FL

GAINESVILLE/OcALA Florida Crackers 3rd Thurs. at 6:30 pm Gainesville: Brasington Adventure Outfitters Ocala: Marion Cnty Growth Manage-ment Training RM crackers.floridatrail.org JACKSonVIllE North Florida Trailblazers meetup.com/hiking-560 See website for meetings

lAKElAnD Heartland heartland.floridatrail.org See website for meetings

lEESBURG Highlanders highlanders.floridatrail.org 4th Thu 6:00 PM, Leesburg Public Library, 100 E Main

lIVE oAK Suwannee suwannee.floridatrail.org 2nd Mon 7 PM, Suwannee River Water Management District Office, CR 49 & US 90

MElBoURnE Indian River meetup.com/spacecoasthiking 1st Mon 6:30 PM, Melbourne Public Library, Fee Ave MIAMI Big Cypress cypress.floridatrail.org 2nd Tue (except June-Aug) 7:30 PM, Jabez Center, 12118 SW 114 Place

nICEVIllE Choctawhatchee choctaw.floridatrail.org 4th Tue 6:30 PM at Ed’s Hometown Seafood & Steak Restaurant, 1027 John Sims Pkwy

oRlAnDo Central Florida sites.google.com/site/ ftacentralflorida 2nd Thu 7 PM, Camilla Rm, Harry P. Leu Gardens

PAlM CITY Tropical Trekkers trekkers.floridatrail.org 2nd Mon 7 PM, Palm City Recreation Center, Martin Downs Blvd & Cornell Ave

PAnAMA CITY BEACH Panhandle meetup.com/hiking-central-panhandle 1st Monday 6:30 PM, Palms Conf. Center, 9129 Front Beach Rd.

PEnSAColA Western Gate westgate.floridatrail.org 3rd Thu 6:30 PM, First Christian Church, Langley & Goodrich

TAllAHASSEE Apalachee apalachee.floridatrail.org 2nd Tues 7 PM, US Forest Service Conference Rm 325 John Knox Rd

TAMPA BAY Suncoast meetup.com/Suncoast-Florida-Trail-Hiking 3rd Sat of odd months. See website

WEST PAlM BEACH Loxahatchee lox.floridatrail.org 1st Mon 7 PM, Okeeheelee Nature Cen-ter, Okeeheelee Park, Forest Hill Blvd

Florida Trail activities are or-ganized by our local chapters and led by authorized volunteer activity leaders throughout the state. They can be found online under Activities>Find an Activity at www.floridatrail.org and on our local chapter websites. Par-ticipants in activities must sign an Assumption of Risk form and agree to accept personal respon-sibility for their safety and the safety of accompanying minors. Always contact the activity leader in advance for more information, to let them know you are attend-ing, and to find out any special requirements for the trip.

WWW.FloRIDATRAIl.oRG 3938 WWW.FloRIDATRAIl.oRG 3938

Fisheating Creek OutpostDon AdamsGeorge AguileraAlex AgurciaDarlene AltmanCarlo AmalfitanoMartin AnderJason and Holly AndreottaCarl and Anne AngstromAlma ArmendarizKen Armstrong and Erin LucaWilliam ArneyMark BabcockNadine BaconMelissa BaileyDanilo BalladaresHelder BalladaresWilliam and Maureen Bar-butoJeromee and Janet Beau-detteJacqui BeekwithJennifer BeerliLauren BenitezKathleen BensonMike and Karin BesserLyn BevisSwami BharitiLinda BillupsM. BisplinghoffElaine BlaylockKaren BledsoeCarrie BoudreauChristopher BoykinLinda Bradbury-GivensPaul BrannonArlie Brashear and Brashear FamilyKatie BratteboKevin BrewerLinda BrewingtonPike BriggsJeanine BrownPatricia BrownWendy BuckinghamSue BungeRay and Mary Jo BurdettVernon BurkhartCharles BurnetteJessica Cabral

Welcome New Members FEBRUARY 2013 tHRU APRIL 2013

Vaudeen CagninaJoseph CampfieldLuis CampsMatthew CasellaEve CaterJoanne CaveDebra ChadwellCharles ChandlerDebbie ChapmanJen Chenden and Andrei ChandeaSkip ClarkJoseph ClaxtonDale ColbyNancy ColesiDiane CollarLaurie ContrattoCarol CoyneTroy CraigCesar CruzRachel DamianiEsteban de la OssaKristine and Allen de MarckenNora DenslowJim and Lynn DerckMike DewittDavid Diez OrtizSusan EceniaNicholas EspinosaDale and William FairbanksJames FarberJimmy FarrarVinson FaulknerCarmen FerminMarion FeusnerKevin FitzmauriceDoug FosterAlexis FoxxPeter FrezzaBecky FrommKatalin FulopElsa GagnonSandra GalangNick GarciaMary GaudenColette GayWilliam and Jonathan GecksJoseph GentileDavid GentryChristopher George

Ruth GibsonPhillip GilletteChris GlassBrian GorayAdria GosneyKelly GracieAndrea GrassoLenora GrubbSusan HanlonLeah HarmanJames Harper and Yolandre SuarezDavid HarrisDan and Bonnie HartkeTeresa HayesRobert and Eleanor HeinLisa HeintzlemanChristiane HermieChristopher HernandezJanet HildebrandKaren Hill and Karen Hill FamilyAndres HincapieDavid HirstThom and Patty HollowayMicheal HosvathTracy HydeRowena IliescuJimmie JarrattJulio JemenezSuzanne JepsonJohn and Patricia JoyceCia KaackTom KaltenbachJocelyn KarazsiaDylan KeeelerJudy KeppelerCarol KirkAlan KlompusMike KnoxRobert LakinJohn LamannaJeff LandauDebra LandreMichael LangRichard LeBow and Fran Sadoff-LeBowEverett LeClaireDebbie LeiterLinda LeonFredda Levenson


Jim and Patty PassoltAnish PatelJoy PaytonMichael and Lori PeelEdward PerryLaurie PetersonKathy and Frank PierceKimberly PigottJill PiltzMadeleine PinaireRoger PinholsterWilliam PiriczkyStratton PollitzerLogan PorterRhonda PowellMarjorie PughGina ReedCandace RegisterTaylor ReidVirginia RentzSebastian RicaurteYarrow RiesMarsheila and Chris RiggsEdward RitterTavia RobbFredericka RobbinsRick RobbinsKirsti RoehmRhonda RoffBrian RogersKathleen RogersMary RoseDaniel RossDan and Lisa RothenDouglas Rowlett and JoAnn MannIvan RuizDeborah RulkowskiAnne RuskinCindy RussellMeredith RustAmel SaiedDana SanchezLinda SandersonDan SchupkaSylvia SeverdijaRosemarie and Maury ShorVickie SiegelJohn SimpsonChris SimserJeanette and Dennis Skelly

Alisha SmithErin and Matthew SmithSusan SmithTammy SmithRay SotomayorJoseph SpoonerTanya StaatsEric StillsonPauline StraussDiane and Chuck StrongRandy and Mimi SwaringenPamela SweeneyTrace TalleyWilliam TarbellDebra Taylor and Andy PadlaStephen F Theberge Jr and Lisa RahnGeoffrey ThomasGerald TimoneyKatharine TzadikAndrew Van Heden and Waylon ReynoldsElizabeth VanderpoolCatherine VayiasKarl Von Der Heydt and Carolyn Van Der HeydtRyan VonBargenLexana VrieswijkKevin and Amanda WagnerSteven WaldmanSteve Waldo and Steve Waldo - FamilyMike WallsJulie WammackScott WeaverDavid Whalley and Theresa Abraham-WhalleyCharles WildeElizabeth WilliamsMichael Williams and Rod-ney WhiteAngela and Patrick Wintern-heimerMartha WiswellJoanna WrightDennis R Wyant and Jane E FeldmanJoe WyattMarc and Helen YachtDennis Ziosel

FEBRUARY 2013 tHRU APRIL 2013

Welcome New Members

Karen and Gordon Linden-bergerSharon LindgrenLawrence LokkenMario LongonoWilliam LovettJohn and Beate Lutken-houseScott LynchMark MacbethPaul MadeiraAaran MaharajMaura MalloyDavid MaltbyChiara MantonMelissa MarchettiHeath MartinKathleen MartinsSarah MartinsCasey MasonPatricia MatadobraAlvin MatiumDavid MazorraDave and Jackie McCullenSam McLeanJanet MillerMichael MillerRich MillerMike MooreWoody MorganDeanna and John MorrisJacki MorrisGregory Moyer and Rich ReadBrian MulcareTracy MunsonTina MurphyArathi NandyalaJohn NienstedtChristopher NorrisSean and Molly NovosadDana O’BrienManuel OrtizDeborah Osmond-FrankelTobias PackerChristina PageTom PageHelen PalaciosCharles PalmerJeanette and Larry PardoPamela Paris

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a special thanks to our generous donors

February 2013 tHru April 2013

Active NetworkRobert and Doris AdamsCarla and Brian AkersCharles AuerRachael and Louis AugspurgMichael BeachKaren BledsoeSarah Ann Bowditch and Larry MarinelliMaria BoydPaul BrannonJohn and Antionette BrolmannMichael CampbellKen CastnerMarcie ClutterCombined Fed CampaignDouglas Dankel II

Donations of $5 to $99

John and Alice DeaganWinchester and Chrisoula DermodyTonita DischIngrid DowBrian GorayMichael and Jillian HarkerChristiane HermieJoan Walker ElementaryRichard and Florence JurczikRose and Jim KellermannJames KernJohn KoonsDouglas Kucklick and Pat McDonaldMelissa LackeyMadelyn Yvonne LoweTorrence and Peg MartinDonald and Gloria Neale

Donations of $100 to $999

Anonymous Richard BeilockFred DavisEarthshareRik Edmonds and Junia MasonJoseph and Pamela Hale

Eve BarbourDiane HainesCarlos SchomakerDebra Lawrence

Donations of $1000 & Above

George OwenCarl PetersonDennis PorterEdward RitterJudi and George RussellJanice Scroggie-AndersonVickie SiegelNoelle SilkAlberta SmithJoseph SpoonerJohn TerryLarry TimmonsMargaret ToweHelen WigersmaCraig WoodAlligator Bob YoungNorma and Jay Zeman

Heartland ChapterMicrosoft MatchingWilliam PiriczkyRonald SpitznagelRichard WardJean Williamson and John Koval


SEND FORM AND PAYMENT TO:

FLORIDA TRAIL ASSOCIATION 5415 SW 13th St., Gainesville, FL 32608

PAYMENT OPTIONS: CHECK: Make checks payable to “Florida Trail Association”.

CREDIT CARD: Visa Mastercard American Express Discover

Credit Card Number: ____________________________________________________________ Exp. Date: _____________

Signature: ________________________________________ Security Code (3 or 4 digits): ________

MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION AND GIFT FORM

FUND AMOUNT

MEMBERSHIP TOTAL _______________

GIFT TOTAL _______________

TOTAL _______________

MEMBERSHIP CATEGORIES

MY GIFT TO THE TRAIL

ORDER BY PHONE 877-HIKE-FLA ORDER BY FAX 352-378-4550 ORDER ONLINE www.floridatrail.org

Name ___________________________________________________ Daytime Phone Number ______________

Address _________________________________________________ Email ____________________________

City ____________________________________________________ State _______ Zip __________________

I am making a gift to the Florida Trail Association and want my gift designated to:

Annual Fund Endowment Fund Trail Protection Fund Map Fund

My gift is In Memory of _____________________________ In Honor of ______________________________

To order merchandise from the Florida Trail General Store, visit www.floridatrail.org

or call the Florida Trail office at 1-877-HIKE-FLA.

Please mark one of the boxes below if you are joining or re-newing your membership in the Florida Trail Association

$35 Individual $50 Family* $125 Sustaining* $250 Supporting* $1000 Individual Life $1500 Family Life* $30 Senior (65+) or Student (18-23) $45 Senior (65+) or Student (18-23) Family

*Includes spouse and children under 18. I do not want my address shared with FTA-affiliated organizations

Employer/Occupation ___________________________

Spouse/Occupation _____________________________

Number of children _____________________________

I learned about the Florida Trail from _____________________________________________________________

Please send a gift membership to:

Name _____________________________________

Address ___________________________________

City ______________________________________

State _____________ Zip _____________________

Daytime Phone Number _______________________

Email _____________________________________

Ship membership package to Me New Member

MY GIFT TO THE FLORIDA TRAILDESIGNATIONS

eANNUAL FUND

Provides funds to ensure a steady income stream for Florida Trail Association

operations. It’s how we keep the lights on and the Footprint

coming.

eENDOWMENT FUND

Provides an ongoing endowment to the

Florida Trail Associationfrom interest earnings.It is the gift that keeps

on giving.

eTRAIL

PROTECTION FUNDSupports land acquisition and

trail constructionprojects with the ultimate goal of protecting the trail

corridor and completing the entire Florida Trail. Inde-pendently funds programs like F-Troop, trail crews,

and outreach to implement programs wherever they are

needed within the Florida Trail System.

eMAP FUND

Provides funding for updating the Florida Trail’s

maps and databook.

43

Florida Trail Association 5415 SW 13th St, Gainesville FL 32608

Nonprofit Organization U.S. POSTAGE PAID

Permit No. 702 Gainesville, FL

Allison Williams

Dates to Remember!

Summer Board Meeting 06/15/2013 Fall Board Meeting 09/15/2013

Trail committee Mtg 09/16/2013north Central Regional Conference

10/26/2013North Regional conference 11/8-10/13

2013 summer fta footprint

Documents

sections of trail

northeast florida

section hike

new partners

fta members

network of trails

new chapter chair

mission of building