Hike Bike Paddle Camp Florida with authors Sandra Friend and John Keatley as your guides

Westy in Hibernation

August 17, 2013    John Keatley

With the Florida temperatures in the mid to upper nineties and rain nearly everyday, Primrose is safely parked inside. Summer in Florida just isn’t the best time to be traveling or camping in a thirty-two year old VW camper.  Especially without an air-conditioner! Out last night of camping in Primrose for the season was in …

Two sides of the Yellow River

April 23, 2013    John Keatley

Hiking through the Yellow River Ravines section on the Panhandle Trace Hike was a new experience for us all, as it’s a newly opened segment of trail near Milton.

Hiking the Hills of Hutton

April 21, 2013    Sandra Friend

With our switcheroo on the previous day – skipping the burned zone of the Jackson Trail to walk the Juniper Creek Trail back to the campground – Day Four of the Panhandle Trace Hike had us headed northbound for the first time on this trek. Peggy had hikers going in all directions and for different …

Primrose, tie-dye, and VW culture

April 20, 2013    John Keatley

Within sight of the third Westy that looked just like Primrose, we were looking through an array of tie-dyed t-shirts, trying to find a matching pair. Unfortunately, they had sold out of the ones with the VW design swirled through the middle, or we would have bought some on the spot. We were at the …

The Harold Store

April 18, 2013    John Keatley

Back in camp on Day 3 of the Panhandle Trace Hike, we met up with Gail and Sally. Since we had to move Primrose to our next campsite – and we had to kill time, since someone was still occupying it – we a took detour to the Harold Store. En route I realized that …

Following Juniper Creek

April 16, 2013    John Keatley

On the third day of the 2013 Panhandle Trace Hike, we followed the Juniper Creek section of the Florida Trail away from the wildfires that burned to the north, experiencing beauty and absurdity along the way.

In the Land of Tall Pines

April 15, 2013    Sandra Friend

Day Two of the Panhandle Trace Hike started off where we’d left the trail the day before, at Kennedy Bridge. After we dropped off our cars at the end point for the hike, McVay Road, Peggy, Helen, and other members of the Western Gate Chapter shuttled us to the starting point. We asked how long …

South to Florida!

April 14, 2013    John Keatley

The northern terminus of the Florida Trail isn’t easy to get to. I was thankful we weren’t driving one of our vehicles – especially Primrose – and even more thankful that Helen, from the Western Gate Chapter of the Florida Trail Association, was willing to ferry us in her car down this terribly rutted and …

Converging on the Panhandle Trace

April 11, 2013    John Keatley

With two hikes behind us, we drove toward west to join the Panhandle Trace Hike. Knowing that after ten years of leading this event long-time Florida Trail Association activity leader Peggy Grantham would be retiring, Sandy wanted to participate this year and fill in a few new spots on the Florida Trail map. We arrived …

A ramble on the new Hinson Trail

April 9, 2013    Sandra Friend

A ramble along the newly opened Hinson Trail, a loop trail system on the southern edge of Marianna along the Chipola River Greenway – scenic, rugged, unusual, and historic.

Calhoun, Chipola, and the Altha Trail

April 8, 2013    Sandra Friend

About a decade ago, I was in Blountstown for the grand opening of the brand-new Blountstown Greenway, a project that, it seemed, the whole town rallied around. They showed up in droves for the grand opening to celebrate the first-ever public pathway in Calhoun County, one of Florida’s more rural spots about an hour west …

Little Campsite by the Chipola

April 7, 2013    John Keatley

Rambling northwest along the backroads of rural Florida, following Sandy’s directions, we arrived in Blountstown just before dinner. There was still enough daylight to take a wander down the Blountstown Greenway section of the Florida Trail to check on changes for the new Florida Trail guide. Grabbing salads from the local Subway, we drove to …