Music: “Breathing” by Lee Rosevere

As a nature lover, I am drawn to those who share the the wonders of Florida’s natural history as they document their hikes along the way. Claire’s Instagram account caught my eye well before their 2022 thru-hike and still captures my interest today even though they are no longer on a thru-hiking journey. The perspective Claire offered on both their Florida Trail and subsequent Appalachian Trail thru-hike was one I deeply appreciated. We talk about those hikes but also about their background prior to coming to the thru-hiking world, life after thru-hiking, and determining whether thru-hiking is in their future and how best to enjoy a hike for oneself. We also talk about Claire’s very excellent art, another perspective from their Instagram accounts I have appreciated.

Music: “Breathing” by Lee Rosevere
+@infinitenap
+@cjarv

For several years now I have been following the news about the push to Free the Ocklawaha River from the Rodman Dam, first via the Florida Native Plant Society, and later through other entities in Florida. The idea intrigued me because the Rodman Reservoir and the Kirkpatrick Dam as well as the Cross Florida Barge Canal are all intertwined with the Florida Trail. The reservoir was created when the dam was sealed off on the Ocklawaha River in the late 1960s, thus drowning multiple springs and severely altering the ecosystem. Almost since it’s creation there has been a call to restore the system.

I invited Margaret Spontak, Chair of the Free the Ocklawaha Coalition, on to talk about the history of the project and to provide insight into the coalitions goals and hopeful timeline in restoring the Ocklawaha River system. This episode is part of my greater series highlighting managed lands that cross through or are adjacent to the Florida Trail.

Music: “Breathing” by Lee Rosevere

+Reunite The Rivers

Earlier this year I put out a call for Ocean to Lake hikers to come on the podcast and share their stories so I could get their perspective on that segment of what isn’t really the Florida Trail but I think we’ve all come to think of it is as a special little piece of the FT. We’ve heard from Sandra Friend who helped put the Ocean to Lake Trail together as well as Josh Widdowfield on his Ocean to Lake hike and subsequent Florida Trail thru-hike. Hattie Spring answered my call for folks to share their perspective and I am so glad we did. We had a delightful conversation that spans the FT but as well as adventure racing, paddling, volunteering, and about being a FTA Next Gen Coalition member. We cover a lot in our conversation!

Music: “Breathing” by Lee Rosevere

Earlier this year I asked for folks who had hiked the Ocean to Lake Trail to reach out to me if they would like to share a bit about their experience on that trail for a short series wanted to do here on the podcast. Josh ‘301’ Widdowfield was one of those hikers who offered to chat with me on the podcast and I’m glad he did. Josh thru-hiked the FT this year (2023) but has done several LASH (Long Ass Section) hikes on the AT and PCT, and likes to combine his hikes with giving back to the thru-hiking community through trail magic and hiker outreach. It was certainly interesting to hear how Josh combines his love of hiking with giving back to other hikers and I think something we should also consider more often.

Music: “Breathing” by Lee Rosevere

I’ve been wanting to get Jim Kern, founder of the Florida Trail, back on this podcast since he was first on the podcast, the very first episode that launched the podcast in 2018. It took me a while but I finally made it happen. This episode is likely to stir up some thoughts and hopefully some positive conversations. I read Jim’s book Broken Promise: The Plight of our National Trails this summer with the express purpose of speaking to him about the book. If you aren’t familiar with the book or his organization Hiking Trails for America, Jim is very eager to get all of our remaining incomplete National Scenic Trails finished without any road walk gaps. As Florida Trail hikers we all know the problems with the gaps in the trail and all wish for the trail to be complete. While most hiking organizations these days rely on the process of easements or slowly purchasing trail corridors, Jim is advocating for the agencies that manage the scenic trails to use their constitutional powers of eminent domain to complete it. After all, that is how the Appalachian Trail was completed. Why not others?

Another reason I was interested to hear his perspective was because I’ve been mired in some activism here in Texas this summer to save a state park that had been leased for 50 years by the state and had been located on an energy company’s property. Needless to say, I’ve had a crash course in eminent domain law and reading Jim’s book added another dimension to the whole subject. I think I’ll save more commentary on this for a longer podcast episode––I’m contemplating a round table discussion with folks about how we should feasibly move forward in completing all of our national scenic trails. It certainly seems like we should be pushing Congress to do more than they’ve been doing the last several decades.

Even if you haven’t read Jim’s book, this is a fascinating subject and if you pair it with the goals we heard a few episodes ago from the FTA, I think we can all reasonably find a solution to closing the gaps in our long trails.

Music: “Breathing” by Lee Rosevere

Today’s podcast guest is Sandra Friend, someone you all should know well by now! If by some chance you are new to the podcast and new to Florida hiking, well this is your lucky day and you caught the right podcast to listen to! Sandra Friend and her partner John Keatley are the folks behind Florida Hikes and much of the guidebooks related to Florida’s hiking trails out there in publication. John wasn’t able to be interviewed for this episode due to other life constraints but Sandra and I had a wonderful conversation. The primary purpose for our conversation was to talk about the development of the Ocean to Lake Trail in the early 2000s and her involvement in its beginnings. We pivot to her Florida Trail guide as well as her fiction writing, too.

As always, a conversation with Sandra is a great way to spend some time and I hope you’ll find as much value in her words as I do.

Music: “Breathing” by Lee Rosevere

Episode 88’s guest is Florida Trail Association Executive Director, Royce Gibson. It’s been a while since I’ve had a representative from the FTA on the podcast and when I saw the latest campaign from the FTA, the Close the Gaps campaign, I knew I needed to get someone on to speak directly to this. Royce was the natural fit and it was great to sit down and hear what the current plans are for closing the approximate 300 miles of gaps in the Florida Trail. Road walks are the number one complaint about the Florida Trail, probably followed closely by loose dogs, and there’s no shortage of people looking for answers on how to close these gaps. Since it had also been quite a while since the FTA has had an Executive Director, this was a wonderful opportunity to get some insight into how the organization is run. If you aren’t a member of the Florida Trail Association, consider becoming a member and supporting the work to keep the trail maintained and accessible to hikers!

Music: “Breathing” by Lee Rosevere

Darby Calm is a hiker based in SE Florida and this interview with her is probably long overdue as I’ve long been a fan of her Instagram account and persistence as a hiker. Darby is a day hiker and by day hiker I mean, she is out on a trail most days of the week. And if she’s not out on a trail, she’s walking through her neighborhood or out on the water exploring Florida’s waterways. When Darby isn’t out exploring in Florida, she’s a Conflict Coach, and as you’ll hear in our conversation she often employs some of the techniques she uses in coaching on herself while out hiking. What I love most about Darby and her account is that she shows the rough and tough stuff and that you don’t need to call yourself a thru-hiker or section hiker to have some kind of meaningful experience on trail. Just get out there and start hiking and make it the experience you want it to be.

We talk about the Ocean to Lake Trail, her explorations around the state and much more! Let’s hear what Darby has to say!

Music: “Breathing” by Lee Rosevere

Earlier this year I interviewed Mills Kelly, historian and host of the Green Tunnel Podcast, which as the podcast website declares, “delves into topics including the quirky history of trail food, the shelters and structures built along the trail, and dangers you might encounter during a hike”.

Mills and I have kept in touch over the last few months and we’ve decided to do a podcast episode swap today–an episode of the Green Tunnel Podcast will play on the Orange Blaze Podcast and an episode of the Orange Blaze Podcast will play on the Green Tunnel Podcast. I’ve chosen an episode from February of this year entitled The Lost AT. I love these tidbits of Appalachian Trail history and think you will too!

Music: “Breathing” by Lee Rosevere

This is a bit of a different episode, one from my gardening podcast, The Garden Path Podcast. You are probably already familiar with Valerie Anderson as she has been on the Orange Blaze Podcast before to talk about the plight of Split Oak Forest near Orlando. I had Valerie on my garden podcast to talk about the Florida Native Plant Society and thought it would be relevant to many Florida Trail hikers and wanted to share the episode here. I’ve left the original introduction to the podcast so you’ll hear that episode straight through…now. Thanks for listening!

Music: “Breathing” by Lee Rosevere

Today’s episode features the Florida Madcaps, a trio of Florida outdoor enthusiasts some of you may already know: Chris and Chelsey Stevens of the Sunshine State Seekers and Ryan Worthington the Florida Excursionist. Chris and Chelsey have already been on the Orange Blaze podcast before, in February 2019 and May 2020, but this is the first time I’ve gotten to speak with Ryan.

Chris, Chelsey, and Ryan recently launched the Florida Madcaps podcast, a recreation and conversation podcast about Florida’s outdoors. I for one am so glad they had the idea to do this podcast because it was a niche that needed to be filled! Florida is full of wonderful public green spaces for residents to explore but the trio offer a unique point of view on the subjects they cover, from conservation to education and even the environmental activism required to keep these lands open for public use.

We had a great conversation and I really hope it will lead you to add the Florida Madcaps to your podcast feed! Alright, onto my conversation with Chris, Chelsey, and Ryan.

Music: “Breathing” by Lee Rosevere

+@The_Florida_Madcaps on Instagram
+Listen to The Florida Madcaps Podcast

Hello hikers! I have a fun and different episode than usual—this is the book club episode I mentioned in my last set of episodes released. I chose Life and Death on the Loxahatchee by James Snyder for the book club and several folks reached out to say they were interested in having a zoom book club discussion about it! My guests in the conversation are David Magness, Paul Arsenault, and Leslie McConachie. All bring interesting insight and viewpoints to the book discussion and I was delighted they were interested in chatting with me! Since this is the first time I’ve had so many people on the podcast I wasn’t quite as used to juggling different conversations and people talking over each other at the beginning so there are some areas that were too difficult to edit where one person started chatting while another also chimed in. I think there was also some lag with everyone’s internet connections in who could hear who when it came time to chime into the conversation. It’s a little messy in a few spots is what I’m trying to say! Hopefully I’ll get better at managing it in the future!

Now, if you didn’t get a chance to read the book, I suggest listening to the author interview first. But if you enjoy spoilers and wild speculation without having read the book, then go forth and listen to this episode!

Music: “Breathing” by Lee Rosevere

Late last year I decided to start a book club for the podcast and chose Life and Death on the Loxahatchee, for a few reasons, one of them being that it had been sitting on my bookshelf for far too long and I knew I needed to read it. Another, because of the interesting folk history of the area along the Loxahatchee River, an area that the Ocean to Lake Trail traverses and an area that many Florida Trail hikers explore, particularly in the Jonathan Dickinson State Park area. But who was Trapper Nelson? I had read the book but I wanted to talk to the author himself, to find out why he was curious enough to devote the time to write about the mysterious man who lived for decades along the Loxahatchee River, and to hear his own thoughts about the man behind the legend. If you didn’t get a chance to read the book but wanted to listen go the book club discussion, I think this is an excellent episode to jump in and get an idea of who Trapper Nelson was and maybe it will entice you to pick up the book to read yourself, or any of the other many historical books Mr. Snyder has written as well.

Music: “Breathing” by Lee Rosevere

Show Notes
+James D. Snyder’s website

Eleni McDaniel was first on the podcast back in March of 2019 and a lot has changed in the four years since then. She’s changed trail names for one and expanded her career and hiking life beyond Florida, though as you’ll hear her ties to the Florida Trail still reel her back into the state every Florida Trail hiking season. I love chatting with Eleni, not just because we are friends but because she’s someone I can talk about the hard aspects of hiking with, the uncomfortable truths we all need to face on the trail. We talk about the growing pains the Florida Trail is experiencing as well as Eleni’s hiking adventures in North Carolina and New York in recent years and her hiking ambitions for the future.

Music: “Breathing” by Lee Rosevere

Show Notes

Day hikers make up the bulk of hikers on the Florida Trail, just like on other National Scenic Trails. I think we all tend to focus heavily on thru-hikers for these trails because of their epic nature and the way long distance hiking intrigues a lot of us, but the day hikers are the ones getting to know certain localities of a trail in a more intimate manner. They are out there for quick weekend jaunts or short overnights, often becoming familiar with trail maintenance and feeling a sense of pride in their local trailheads. I would love to start showcasing more Florida Trail Day hikers on the podcast and David Magness was a great person to start propel that idea forward! We had a great conversation about his hiking adventures in Central Florida and I think you’ll enjoy our conversation. Also, stay on at the end of the podcast for a special bit of music that David created and mentions in our conversation.

Music: “Breathing” by Lee Rosevere

Show Notes
+David Magness on Facebook

New this season is the Orange Blaze Podcast Book Club! Our first book will be Life and Death on the Loxahatchee: The Story of Trapper Nelson. If you have spent any time around Jonathan Dickinson State Park or the Loxahatchee River you may already know the legend and lore of Trapper Nelson. I’ve had this book on my shelf for years and it is about time I read it! Read along and if you want to participate in a book club discussion email me at orangeblazepodcast at gmail dot com or leave a comment below. I’m looking for 4-6 folks to have a zoom chat with about the book and those who don’t want to participate in the zoom chat are welcome to read along on their own and listen to the episode airing in April! We’ll have another book club this fall! Book suggestions wanted!

Music: “Breathing” by Lee Rosevere

Show Notes
+Life and Death on the Loxahatchee—buy the book!
+Trapper Nelson via JDSP

After our 2011 thru-hike I wrote a post on my blog detailing some of the more important notes needed for thru-hikers on the Florida Trail. There wasn’t a lot out there at the time on social media, though there were Trail Journals and the books produced by Sandra Friend—there just wasn’t the community in 2011 that there it today. That said, I think this episode is long overdue and should have been one of the first episodes I produced when I started the podcast. If you have questions about hiking the FT, I am always here to answer questions and point you in the right direction!

Music: “Breathing” by Lee Rosevere

Show Notes
+How to thru-hike the Florida Trail – the original blog post that is the basis for this episode.
+Florida Trail Quick-Tips from LB Hikes
+Florida Trail Hikers Facebook Group
+FloridaHikes
+FTA.org thru-hiking information

When the Green Tunnel Podcast debuted in late 2021 and I began listening to episodes, I quickly realized this was not your average hiking podcast. Mills Kelly and his team at R2 Studios at George Mason University have put together a stunning series of podcast episodes that rival some of the NPR-style podcasts out there. Covering history of the Appalachian Trail from Benton MacKaye to the Roller Coaster section of the trail and everything in between, every few weeks we get to learn in-depth history about the AT we may not have known. Mills and his team dig deep into the archives of the ATC and local trail club chapters to come up with their stories and as you’ll hear Mills say, it is easy to fall down rabbit holes to get new stories.

Music: “Breathing” by Lee Rosevere

Show Notes
+The Green Tunnel Podcast
+@greentunnelpod
+Appalachian Trail History.org
+Virginia’s Lost Appalachian Trail

Jason ‘Out and About’ Tompkins is a 2022 Florida Trail Thru-Hiker and progenitor of a new eastern route called The Carolinian. A Florida native, Jason has spent many years living and exploring regions outside of Florida but returned to Florida in late 2021 to begin a year of thru-hiking. He first kicked off by hiking the Ocean to Lake Trail and getting his legs literally and figuratively wet for the Florida Trail which he started a few weeks later. From the Florida Trail he continued on to many other trails including putting together the Palmetto Trail, a Carolina Road Walk, the Mountains to Sea Trail, the AT, and the Bartram trail to create the 2200 mile Carolinian route. Even with all of that done, Jason wasn’t done, and went off to hike the Superior Hiking Trail, too. It’s been a big year for him!

2023 isn’t going to be any quieter as Jason has plans to complete the Eastern Continental Trail, which includes another thru-hike of the Florida Trail. We talk about the ups and downs of trail life, hiking with a trail family and then hiking completely alone, and his goals for future adventures. I think you’ll love the conversation and Jason is an all around interesting and inviting person to talk to! Maybe you’ll come across him on your own hike this year!

Music: “Breathing” by Lee Rosevere

Show Notes
@outandabout53 on Instagram
@beardeux on Facebook
@outandabout53 on YouTube

Maria caught my eye as someone to interview for the podcast because I though she offered a unique perspective to podcast listeners. Having discovered hiking during the early parts of the pandemic in 2020 as a way to get outside and not go stir-crazy, she began exploring Everglades National Park and other parks closer to her home in Miami. As you’ll hear Maria say, Miami residents aren’t often known for their extensive outdoorsyness, unless it is particularly centered around the beach and partying, though there are definitely folks getting out there and exploring their own backyards. Maria’s interest and confidence in hiking grew which led her to create the Miami Hiking Club, an effort to mentor other folks in the area who might be curious about hiking but unsure where to begin. This fledgling group is spreading their wings and several group hikes have already been led by Maria. Maria is currently on the Florida Trail and we recorded this episode a few days before she was scheduled to leave for her southbound hike. I’m hoping I can get Maria to come back on for an ‘after’ interview to share her different perspectives.

Music: “Breathing” by Lee Rosevere

Show Notes
+@dispatchesfromtheswamp
+@miamihikingclub
+Dispatches from the Swamp Blog
+Maria’s writing for The Trek

Welcome to a new season of the podcast! The podcast in 2022 floundered a bit and if you saw my social media posts you will know that I lost a lot of momentum to keep the podcast going in late summer. If you’ve listened to podcasts with any sort of high frequency over the last 8-10 years you will have noticed how podcasts typically fade with time. Some because they had a certain lifespan to begin with, and others because the hosts lose interest or move on.

I don’t want to lose interest in this podcast, because I truly enjoy it and have so many ideas for it but it does get tough to keep up with monthly because I’m also juggling life, work, a family, another podcast, and other hobbies. Plus, i’ve gotta get some hikes in there, too! To prevent burnout I am switching to a quarterly release of episodes. I’ll be recording podcasts in between releases but this will allow me to edit them in a bit more relaxed schedule and not feel compelled to get an episode or three out every month. Instead you can look for 4-7 episodes every 3-4 months that will be released all at one time. That’s how I’ll be handling the podcast for 2023 at least, and we’ll see how it works and go from there.

In addition to these changes, I’m also looking for ways to spruce up the podcast, to not have strictly interviews with hikers but I’m also interested in having a few folks on just to have a conversation and chat about hiking, nature, and the outdoors. It could be Florida focused but also, maybe not. I have a few folks in mind to consider for this but if you think you’d be up for a chat or two this year with a lot more flexibility than a typical episode, email me at orangeblazepodcast at gmail.com or DM me on social media!

I would also like to get more interviews from folks running the local trail chapters and will be digging into some of those Facebook groups this year. If you listen and are involved in any of those chapters and can recommend someone to interview, get in touch with me!

I’m also starting a book club this year! You’ll hear more about it in a special episode for this batch of released episodes in January 2023 but the gist is to have a group of 4-6 folks chat about the chosen book with me and discuss it. Everyone can read the book on their own, whether or not you will be in the discussion, and then listen to the chat afterward. I am hoping to also pair this with an author interview if I can make it happen for each book. So, that is one other addition I’ll be doing at least twice this year.

The five year anniversary of the podcast is coming up in the spring, too. I’m still brainstorming some ways for listener involvement on that and will let you know as soon as I have some more information for that so y’all can get involved with that. I can’t believe it will be 5 years! The last three years have been simultaneously a whirl but also the most slow years ever!

One last note, the FT has been seeing an increase in usage over the last several years and I think we’re on the cusp of an even bigger explosion. This means there is likely going to be an increase in folks who may not play nice, let’s just say it that way, and an increase in negative rhetoric about the trail may proliferate on social media. Long time FT hikers and supporters all know of the trail’s shortcomings—please limit your complaining to the trail itself and not to the people who have put in many hours of effort and work over decades to get the trail to what it is today. There’s no reason to belittle people if you are having a bad day on a roadwalk. If you have significant issues with the trail, like poor blazing, conditions are bad enough to prevent safe crossing of areas, please contact the FTA itself, or contact me and I’ll put you into contact with people who will be there to listen and solve problems. There are now several thru-hikers on the FTA board of directors and they will understand your gripes and complaints—we all know how bad a roadwalk sucks! But your poor planning or knowledge of the FT before launching a hike in this era of excess information does not mean you get to say nasty things about people. There are other trails out there that may suit you better–we all know the FT isn’t for everyone and that’s ok! And I would hope other hikers would call out bad behavior on trail, not even limited to this type of issue.

I really appreciate all of you for listening to this podcast and sticking with it over the years. I’m hoping to do better with some of the audio this year as I had previously not taken into account just how many of y’all listen in your cars! Some of the audio differences can be challenging for those folks, the differences between me and the guest, so I’m working to get better with equalizing that this year. Thank you for your patience with that.

If you listen on iTunes, please consider leaving a 5 star rating and review. It’s been a bit since I’ve had one of those and it always helps the podcast become visible in the search or referral section. Also, I recently found out Spotify has a rating system, too. Consider leaving a 5 star rating there as well! I know from my stats there are quite a bit of y’all who listen over there so this new development will also help with getting the podcast out to other folks. I’m not sure about other podcast apps but if your podcast platform allows ratings and reviews, do it there, too! And best of all, word of mouth is where it is at! Tell fellow hikers and let them know about the podcast! It goes a long way and I appreciate it!

That’s it for this introduction into 2023 series of episodes and I look forward to bringing more of the Florida Trail to your ears this year!

Happy hiking, y’all!

Music: “Breathing” by Lee Rosevere

When I launched the podcast I had no idea how many people I would connect with via podcast interviews and social media, muchless the other podcasters within the hiking world. Lori Prima is one of those delightful people I’ve gotten to know a little bit and she’s been kind enough to have me on two episodes of her podcast over the years. I thought it was high time I reciprocated and invited Lori on to talk about what her podcast has to offer, and with nearly 200 episodes covering hikers from all walks of life and trails, there is bound to be something for you to listen to on your own hikes in there.

Music: “Breathing” by Lee Rosevere

Show Notes
+The HIKE Podcast
+HIKE Podcast Linktree
+@thehikepodcast on Instagram
+Support Lori and buy her a coffee!

Get your podcast stickers here!

Narrow strapleaf fern, Campyloneurum angustifolium

Music: “Breathing” by Lee Rosevere

Show Notes
+A Bear Story via my blog
+Narrow Strapleaf Fern via FNAI

New podcast stickers are now available for free! Just email me at orangeblazepodcast (at) gmail (dot) com or respond to this post and include your email address and I’ll get in touch with you…OR you can DM me over on Instagram at @orangeblazepodcast and I can get stickers out to you! They are weatherproof so they will work on vehicles or on your water bottles as well!

*To clairfy because I realize it isn’t clear here, the only stickers available from me are the two Orange Blaze podcast stickers located in the first photo. The second photo shows one of my stickers on my car with a few other organization’s stickers that I have. I cannot provide those stickers to you. Thanks!*

Ultrarunner Amy Ansbaugh together with her crew chief and partner Dani set out to set the women’s supported FKT along the Florida Trail, with a western corridor focus, earlier this year. Amy’s long history of running and the challenge to set a women’s record on the Florida Trail originally enticed Amy and her sister Kitty to attempt an FKT of the trail. When Kitty bowed out due to injuries, Amy decided to continue alone with Dani navigating all of the issues that come with being the support person for someone attempting an FKT. While the official FKT is still in limbo, Amy is proud of her accomplishment, especially coming from a non-backpacking background. Amazingly, Amy spent every night in the comfort of her and Dani’s converted school bus, which Amy admits may have thwarted some of her time spent on trail due to the logistics of getting to the trail and back to a campground every day. I especially loved hearing Amy’s unique perspective of the Florida Trail, with the running background, the alternative FKT route, and no experience on a long distance trail prior to this FKT attempt. She handled various hurdles with grace and still managed to cross the finish line at Fort Pickens!

Music: “Breathing” by Lee Rosevere

Show Notes
Blaze Chasers on Facebook
Blaze Chasers on Instagram

This episode originally aired in December of 2020. At that point in time it seemed as if Split Oak Forest may have some time before it was decided if a toll road would be built to split the park in two. Unfortunately that time was shorter than expected and the vote to go ahead with the plans for a toll-road has taken place despite overwhelming support to keep Split Oak Forest in-tact and continue the premise of conservation it was given in the 1990s.

Music: “Breathing” by Lee Rosevere

Show Notes
+Friends of Split Oak Forest
+An In-Depth Look at the Split Oak Forest Vote via Orange County Commissioner Nicole Wilson’s YouTube channel
+Despite opposition, Florida board OKs Split Oak Forest road project
+Environmental group to fight state agency’s approval of toll road through Split Oak Forest
+Plan for new Central Florida toll road would split Split Oak Forest, a treasured park

Julie Gayheart is a section hiker, podcaster, and hiker safety advocate. Coming from a long distance running background, Julie section hiked the Appalachian Trail over the course of 12 years, going on to begin section hiking the Mountains to Sea Trail and other trails along the way. In the last few years she’s become a hiking safety advocate after the son of her sister’s close friend went missing on the PCT as well as noticing just how unprepared many hikers of all backgrounds and skill levels can be. Julie is an enthusiastic guest and her love for the trails she hikes comes through in our conversation.

Music: “Breathing” by Lee Rosevere

Show Notes
+Jester Section Hiker Podcast – Hiking Radio Network
+Mountains to Sea Trail
+The 10 Essentials via The Mountaineers
+@jestersectionhiker on Instagram
+Hiker Safety – Julie’s website compiling a list of hiker safety information
+@hikersafety on Instagram
+Fowler O’Sullivan Foundation

Lu Dodson, Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail Park Manager. Photo courtesy of Florida DEP.

Lu Dodson is the Park Manager for the Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail. This episode is a continuation of my efforts to include land managers into the mix as they are as important and vital to the Florida Trail as hikers are. While the FKOSHT isn’t on the offical Florida Trail route, it is part of the Eastern Continental Trail and is increasingly being used by FT hikers as they begin or end an overall Eastern Continental Trail hike. The Florida Keys offer a glimpse of the tropics and habitats change drastically from tropical hardwood hammocks near Key Largo to scrubbier views further south. There’s something for everyone in the Florida Keys! Lu offers up a brief history of the FKOSHT and what can be found along the way while walking or biking the trail.

Music: “Breathing” by Lee Rosevere

Show Notes
+Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail – official Florida State Parks website
+Florida East Coast Railway – Flagler Museum
+The Flagler Railroad – Florida State Parks website
+Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail Guide – Florida Hikes!
+Florids Keys Overseas Heritage Trail FarOut Guide

My personal favorite stops in the Keys
+Florida Keys Wild Bird Center located in Tavernier
+The Fish House in Key Largo
+Robbie’s in Islamorada. Feed the tarpon and stop for lunch!
+Sombrero Beach – enjoy a swim in Islamorada. Also a great place to launch a kayak to paddle around Boot Key.
+The Turtle Hospital in Islamorada! See sea turtles up close as they are rehabilitated to be released offshore.
+Snorkeling at the Ohio-Missouri Channel: 24.675858 N -81.239604 W
+Blue Hole Observation Platform on Big Pine Key.

Several years ago when Alex Fogt took his skateboard along on his thru-hike of the Florida Trail, he inspired several people, including David ‘Moondog’ Roop, to use their skateboards along the road sections of the FT. That inspiration led David to embark on his first ever thru-hike, including building his skateboard for the hike and learning to skateboard in the process of it all! Hiking wasn’t new to David but thru-hiking was and he found what so many of us find during a first-thru hike, that he loved it and wanted more. In our conversation we talk about all of this, of course, but how he’s made van life a choice in his day to day life and not in the manner most of us envision van life to be. David’s an engaging hiker and I know you’ll enjoy what he has to say about his hike and laugh at some of the antics he got into along the way.

Music: “Breathing” by Lee Rosevere

Show Notes
+@rooptown on Instagram

Johnny Molloy is the author of more than 80 books, many of them trail guides to various regions of the United States but he has written several memoirs as well, including his Florida Trail memoir, Hiking the Florida Trail: 1100 Miles, 78 Days, Two Pairs of Boots, and One Heck of an Adventures about his 2006 thru-hike. In this episode Johnny and I chat about this thru-hike but also about how he’s crafted a life that involves spending a lot of time camping and being outdoors while writing books as well. He’s got a lot of wisdom from those years outside and I don’t think it will escape any hike or nature enthusiast who finds themselves rearranging their life to spend more time outdoors.

Music: “Breathing” by Lee Rosevere

Show Notes
+JohnnyMolloy.com

Music: “Breathing” by Lee Rosevere

Show Notes
+hold tight—will get the show notes up this weekend! 1/7/2022

Music: “Breathing” by Lee Rosevere

Show Notes
+Charon’s Garden Wilderness Area Rec.gov
+AllTrails Charon’s Garden Wilderness
+Wichita Mountain NWR

Music: “Breathing” by Lee Rosevere

Show Notes
+Florida Trail Gateway Communities
+@femmefloridiana on Instagram
+‘A tourist draw’: Crestview is a ‘Gateway’ to the scenic 1,500-mile Florida Trail via NW FLorida Daily News

Music: “Breathing” by Lee Rosevere

Show Notes
+Sammertime Saunters
+@sammertimesaunters on IG
+Sammertime on YouTube

Music: “Breathing” by Lee Rosevere

Show Notes
+@TrailTrekkinTeacher on Instagram
+TrailTrekkinTeacher on Facebook

If there ever was a podcast episode to deviate from my typical episodes, this is the one. I take a turn from our typical natural history land management episodes to bring you some cultural history, focused around Fort Pickens and the Santa Rosa Island area of Gulf Islands National Seashore. When I reached out to the park service to see if a representative would be interested in coming on the podcast I wasn’t sure what to expect and to whom I would be speaking with, but Casimer brings out so much information that I wasn’t completely aware of in the episode, that unless you specialize in Gulf Coast maritime and military history, you will learn a lot from what Casimer has to say. From the native tribes who inhabited the region to Casimer’s recent discovery that brought to light that Fort Pickens served as a component of the Underground Railroad during the American Civil War, you might find yourself wanting to jot down notes as you would in a college history class—I know I certainly did. I hope that after listening to Casimer speak to the unique depth of history in this area you will take it to heart the next time you find yourself walking down the beaches of Santa Rosa Island and certainly as you being or end your hike of the Florida Trail at Fort Pickens.

Music: “Breathing” by Lee Rosevere

Show Notes
+Gulf Islands National Seashore
+Fort Pickens at Gulf Islands National Seashore
+Fort Pickens Recognized as Underground Railroad Site – NPS
+Fort Pickens recognized as underground railroad site after new research comes to light – Pensacola News Journal
+Books Mentioned:
+The Gulf: The Making of An American Sea by Jack E. Davis
+Aiming for Pensacola: Fugitive Slaves on the Atlantic and Southern Frontiers by Matthew J. Clavin
+Pensacola during the Civil War: A Thorn in the Side of the Confederacy by George F. Pearce

As I’ve set out to create this third season of the podcast I’ve been trying to bring more land managers to the podcast to get a bit of a more rounded outlook on just what the Florida Trail is overall. Many folks may not even know that the USFS is a key component in the Florida Trail’s protection and overall administration. The Florida Trail Association may be the overall face of the Florida Trail in many ways, but the USFS, like the National Park Service for the Appalachian Trail, is the federal government component to how the trail is protected through the National Scenic Trails system.

Shawn offers a lot of insight into what his duties are with the Forest Service, from how sometimes the smallest acts such as creating a short boardwalk through a wetland can create a few extra steps to get completed than what we might envision as we are walking across that wetland, how he coordinates with other land managers throughout the state as well as the FTA, and what he hopes to see happen with the Florida Trail in the future. I tried to cover a few topics that I knew were coming up as potentially problematic with hikers but if you want to reach out to Shawn directly to let him know any of your concerns, he gives his email in the podcast and I’ve included his contact information in the show notes for the podcast as well. In addition, I’m including several links in the shownotes for the podcast so you can understand some of the items we talk about, particularly with the Big Bend re-route, which we don’t go into detail about but there’s been several big changes over the last year regarding that. I’m also going to include the link to the original comprehensive plan for the FT from the 80s which is absolutely fascinating to read.

I enjoyed the conversation with Shawn because it was an aspect of the Florida Trail I didn’t fully understand how it fit into the picture until recently and Shawn fleshed a bit more of that information out in our conversation.

Music: “Breathing” by Lee Rosevere

Show Notes
+Shawn’s email: shawn.c.thomas@usda.gov
+USFS & FNST
+Florida Trail 1986 Comprehensive Plan
+USFS FNST Land Resource Management Documents
+FNST Coalition
+Big Bend Re-route info:
+Corridor Location Review, Twin Rivers State Forest to Aucilla River Gap – USDA Forest Service, National Forests in Florida, June 2016
+Closing the Big Bend Gap – Florida Hikes!
+Big Bend Reroute Concerns – Friends of the Florida Trail
+Big Bend Reroute of the Florida National Scenic Trail Decision Memo – USFS
+Friends of the Florida Trail v. USFS lawsuit
+Withdrawal of the Big Bend Reroute Decision Memo – USFS
+Central Florida Re-route info:
+Florida National Scenic Trail to move away from roads in Central Florida – Orlando Sentinel
+Completing the FNST in Orange & Osceola Counties – FTA Footprint, Summer 2013, page 28
+Across Deseret: Florida Trail History – FTA Footprint Summer 2016 page 7

Music: “Breathing” by Lee Rosevere

Show Notes
+@Orange_Blazer on Instagram
+Eric’s Facebook page
+Oregon Wildfires: How the tiny Beachie Creek Fire blew up and ravaged the Santiam Canyon

Music: “Breathing” by Lee Rosevere

Show Notes
+The Thousand Miler: Melanie’s Website
+Purchase Melanie’s Book!
+@thethousandmiler on Instagram
+The Thousand Miler on Facebook

All photos courtesy of Wetland Preserve, LLC.

Music: “Breathing” by Lee Rosevere

Show Notes
+Wetland Preserve, LLC website
+Press about Wetland Preserve
+@WetlandPreserve on Instagram
+@WetlandPreserveFl on Facebook
+St. John’s River Keeper
+North Florida Prescribed Burn Association
+Little Hoover Commission: Wildfire Preparedness and Forest Management

Episodes that pair with this one:
+Episode 28. Ocala to Osceola (O2O) Corridor | Susan Carr, North Florida Land Trust
+Episode 5: Abraham ‘Beast’ Christian | Rice Creek Section Leader of the Black Bear Chapter of the FTA

Music: “Breathing” by Lee Rosevere

Show Notes
+Wandering Wimps
+The Wholesome Nomad
+@WanderingWimps on Facebook
+@WanderingWimps on Instagram
+@thewholesomenomad on Instagram

Music: “Breathing” by Lee Rosevere

Show Notes
+Backcountry Foodie
+@backcountry_foodie on Instagram
+@backcountryfoodie on Facebook
+Backcountry Foodie on YouTube

Music: “Breathing” by Lee Rosevere

Show Notes
+@Nomadic_Nuance on Instagram
+Dogged Days on the Florida Trail
+Nomadic Nuance

Music: “Breathing” by Lee Rosevere

Show Notes
+Big Cypress National Preserve
+Big Cypress Jetport
+National Park Service Name Designations

Music: “Breathing” by Lee Rosevere

Show Notes
+Split Oak Forest WEA
+Friends of Split Oak Forest on Facebook
+Friends of Split Oak Forest on Instagram
+The fight to save Split Oak Forest has evolved into one of Central Florida’s most divisive environmental disputes via The Orlando Sentinel

Music: “Breathing” by Lee Rosevere

Show Notes
+@patricejustin on Instagram
+WanderingLavignes.com – where you can purchase Patrice’s book, Between Each Step, and follow along on their adventures.

Music: “Breathing” by Lee Rosevere

Show Notes
+FTA COVID-19 Guidelines
+FTA Trail Closures and Notices
+Florida Trail Hikers Facebook Group
+Grizzly Bear Attack: A Breakdown via LB Hikes
+Podcast Guest Request Submission Form
+Florida Trail Interactive Map
+26.434045N -80.946945W – Coordinates for the Deer Fence Canal/L1 Dike Road at the SFWMD Stormwater Treatment Areas
+26.623612N -80.949866W – Coordinates for the CR 835/L1 Dike Road intersection near sugar cane fields.

Music: “Breathing” by Lee Rosevere

Music: “Breathing” by Lee Rosevere

Show Notes
+@SteffLeigh on Instagram
+Cadence Living

Books Stephanie Recommends:
Ecosystems of Florida by Ronald L. Meters and John J. Ewel
Florida’s Natural Ecosystems and Native Species Volumes 1,2, & 3
Florida’s Uplands by Ellie Whitney and D. Bruce Means
Florida’s Wetlands by Ellie Whitney and D. Bruce Means and Anne Rudloe
Florida’s Waters by Ellie Whitney and D. Bruce Means and Anne Rudloe
Atlas of Florida’s Natural Heritage: Biodiversity, Landscapes, Stewardship, and Opportunities by Gary R. Knight
Exploring Florida’s Botanical Wonders by Sandra Friend
Complete Guide to Florida Wildflowers by Roger L. Hammer
Exploring Everglades National Park and the Surrounding Area by Roger L. Hammer
Florida Wildlife Corridor Expedition – Everglades to Okefenokee | 1000 miles in 100 days by Carlton Ward Jr.
The Forgotten Coast – Florida Wildlife Corridor Glades to Gulf Expedition by Mallory Luke’s Dimmitt, Joseph M. Guthrie, and Carlton Ward Jr

Music: “Breathing” by Lee Rosevere

Show Notes
+Lilly on the Wild Wander YouTube Show
+@Lilliumbyrd on Instagram
+The Other Florida by Gloria Jahoda
+What is the Cody Escarpment? via SRWMD
+The Rare Torreya Tree via Florida State Parks
+Bringing Nature Home by Doug Tallamy

Music: “Breathing” by Lee Rosevere

Show Notes
+@thelittlenuthatch on Instagram
+Kate Dolamore Art—Kate’s fantastic website
+A Hike in the Chuluota Wilderness–Part I of my hike with Kate and Sandra back in January 2020.

Music: “Breathing” by Lee Rosevere

Show Notes
@lilbuddhahikes on Instagram
Episode 15: Li’l Buddha—the first episode he was on for the podcast.

Music: “Breathing” by Lee Rosevere

Show Notes
Florida Hikes!
Florida Hikes! Guidebooks
Trails and Travel
Gardens Visitor
Save Econ—the land swap was stopped! I did not mention this in the intro but it was voted down!

Music: “Breathing” by Lee Rosevere

Show Notes
+LB Hikes – Website
+@lbhikes on Instagram

Music: “Breathing” by Lee Rosevere

Show Notes
+@lotushikes on Instagram
+Jupiter Hikes – Website
+Jupiter Hikes – YouTube channel
+@jupiterhikes on Instagram

Music: “Breathing” by Lee Rosevere

Show Notes
+Sunshine State Seekers website
+@SunshineStateSeekers on Instagram
+Granite Gear Groundskeepers
+Episode 13 with the Sunshine State Seekers

Nimblewill Nomad, Chris Bell, and Billy Goat

Sunny ‘Nimblewill Nomad’ Eberhart is a hiking legend, known throughout the hiking community for his 20+ years of trekking hiking routes both popular and well-traveled and those more obscure and quiet. I had the chance to sit down and chat with him at Billy Goat Day, hosted by FT ThruHike, last January.

Music: “Breathing” by Lee Rosevere

Show Notes
+Nimblewill Nomad’s website
+Nimblewill Nomad’s YouTube channel
+Pinhoti Trail Alliance

Sean Blanton is a 2020 Florida Trail thru-hiker, ultramarathoner, the creator of many ultra races throughout the US, and the current supported FKT/ONT record holder for the Florida Trail at 22 days 7 hours and 8 minutes.

Music: “Breathing” by Lee Rosevere

Show Notes
+Episode 22 of OB Podcast with Sean ‘Run Bum’ Blanton
+Run Bum Tours — sign up for one of Sean’s races!
+@RunBumTours on Instagram
+East Coast and Ultra Podcast – Sean’s podcast and there are several recent episodes featuring his recaps of his FT FKT/ONT

Erik Schlimmer is a 2002 Florida Trail thru-hiker and the creator of the Trans Adirondack Route in upstate New York.

Music: “Breathing” by Lee Rosevere

Show Notes
+Trans Adirondack Route
+Erik’s books
+@US_Mountains on Instagram
+@TransADK on Instagram
+Beechwood Books

Terry ‘Chief Shoeless’ Riley is a barefoot hiker in Florida. We chat about his beginnings of getting into barefoot hiking and living as well as the legalities of going barefoot in a shod world!

Music: “Breathing” by Lee Rosevere

Show Notes
+FTA’s response to Covid-19
+Florida Beach and Park Closures via Florida Hikes!
+Xero Shoes
+Barefoot Is Legal

Music: “Breathing” by Lee Rosevere

Show Notes
+FTA’s response to Covid-19
+Florida Beach and Park Closures via Florida Hikes!

Music: “Breathing” by Lee Rosevere

Show Notes
+Steps’ Trail Journal
+Episode 8: Kelly ‘Frosty’ Fairbanks & Sean ‘Flattop’ Spence

The sweet Pup!

Music: “Breathing” by Lee Rosevere

Show Notes
+Turtle and Pup YouTube Channel
+Turtle and Pup on Instagram

Music: “Breathing” by Lee Rosevere

Show Notes
+Billy Goat Day Recap
+Episode 27: Randy and Luann Anderson and Chris Bell with FT Thru-Hike
+Ep. 14: Eleni McDaniel

Music: “Breathing” by Lee Rosevere

Show Notes
+Billy Goat Day – A Quick Synopsis
+Scenes from Billy Goat Day 2020
+A Hike at Split Oak Forest
+Chuluota Wilderness to Joshua Creek on the FT
+Split Oak Forest WEA
+Friends of Split Oak Forest
+Split Oak Forest via Florida Hikes

Music: “Breathing” by Lee Rosevere

Show Notes
+TJandMark on Instagram
+Happiest Hiking Blog

Music: “Breathing” by Lee Rosevere

Show Notes
+Florida Trail Interactive Mapper – The layer list on the top right (three stacked squares) brings a drop-down of layers where you can find permitted uses to click on.

Music: “Breathing” by Lee Rosevere

Show Notes:
+North Florida Land Trust
+Ocala to Osceola Corridor
+$3.5 Million Allocated To Protect Ocala To Osceola Wildlife Corridor via WJCT
+North Florida Land Trust, partners focus on creating Ocala to Osceola wildlife corridor via the Florida Times-Union
+Building the Ocala to Osceola Wildlife Corridor via Morning Ag Clips
+Keeping Florida Wildlife Connected: Ocala to Osceola Corridor via NetGen Scientist on YouTube
+Ocala to Osceola via Conservation Florida
+Osceola County Commission approves next step for road through Split Oak via Osceola News-Gazette

Music: “Breathing” by Lee Rosevere

Show Notes:
+@ftthruhike on Instagram
+FTThruHike FB Page
+Florida Trail Hikers website

Music: “Breathing” by Lee Rosevere

Show Notes:
+Lauralee’s Website
+Blissful Hiking
+Blissful Life Journey
+@blissfulhiking on Instagram

Music: “Breathing” by Lee Rosevere

Show Notes:
+Florida Trail Association
+FTA E-Blaze Newsletter
+FTA Footprint Magazine
+@floridatrail on Instagram
+O2O Corridor
+The Sunshine State Seekers (Episode 13) recently wrote up a post about the Technical Skills Training that the FTA hosted back in September. You can check it out here.

Music: “Breathing” by Lee Rosevere

Show Notes:
+Florida Trail Association
+FTA E-Blaze Newsletter
+FTA Footprint Magazine
+@floridatrail on Instagram

Music: “Breathing” by Lee Rosevere

Show Notes:
+PlasTrek 2019 at Plastic Symptoms
+Plastic Symptoms YouTube
+Plastic Symptoms on Facebook
+Plastic Symptoms on Twitter
+Plastic Symptoms on Instagram
+@forthechickens Heather’s Instagram

+Along the Coast: Blistered but fulfilled, friends finish PlasTrek 2019 in Tallahassee
+Trekkers dump plastic beach litter on steps of Old Capitol urging lawmakers to act
+2 People & An Extraordinary Clean Up Story
+Pair walks entire coast of Florida, picking up trash
+Environmental team walking throughout Florida, cleaning up beaches
+Nearly 3,000 pounds of plastic pollution dumped on steps of Florida Capitol building

+Call for Hiker Submissions: Perspectives From and For 2020 Hikers

Music: “Breathing” by Lee Rosevere

Show Notes:
@RunBumTours on Instagram
Run Bum Tours website
Wild Florida 120 Signup
Wild Florida 120 YouTube Video