The Spirit of Place
Walking through the most ancient of Florida's forests, the feeling that landscape has a spirit persists, especially when contrasted with places where habitat has been permanently destroyed.
Crossing the Big Cypress Swamp
John's hike across Big Cypress to lay down a GPS track for The Florida Trail Guide (and later, FarOut) was his first experience at backpacking with wet feet.
New Florida National Scenic Trail terminus dedicated
This morning marked the first time that Florida Trail thru-hikers could get their picture taken in front of a terminus marker as found, say, on Springer Mountain in Georgia or Mt. Kathadin in Maine. Although the monument isn’t in place yet – …
Cross Florida Greenway History: The Land Bridge
A landmark along Interstate 75 near Ocala, the Land Bridge remains one of the more popular destinations for hikers, bikers, and equestrians on the Cross Florida Greenway.
Cross Florida Greenway History: Finding a Route
A visit to the Barge Canal Diggings near I-75 after 13 years of the Florida Trail on the Cross Florida Greenway reveals steady changes over the years, shown in a series of photos.
Seminole Reflections
Returning to the Big Cypress Seminole Reservation for the first time in a decade, I remember my visits of the past and celebrate the present with John with a panther sighting.
Redirection
When a sudden dental problem threw our hiking plans awry, we kicked into research mode and went wandering around Lake Okeechobee in search of information for our new guidebook.
Simple Beauty
A moment of Deja vu: discovering a scene that Bart Smith had captured in Along the Florida Trail at the 4Es trailhead.
Aloft
It isn't rare for winds to streak across the surface of Lake Okeechobee, picking up speed as they travel. But some mornings are windier than others, and this was one of them.
Notes From a Small Space
Although we're writing a Florida Trail hiking guide, we decided to come to the Big O Hike since we met here last year, and it's time to try out the new TravLite!
Hike Safe When Hiking Alone
Hiking solo? Here are suggestions how to watch after your own personal safety when you walk in the woods or on urban trails alone
Hiking inn-to-inn on the Florida Trail
As part of a question sent to me by Rick, a reader in New England, he asked “we would be interested to find an area where we hike from inn to inn over a few days” as part of a vacation day hiking in Florida. As I’m in the midst of working …