Florida Hikes eNews December 7, 2012 Please be sure to display images so you can see the photos from the trails. Thanks! Looking Forward A year of

        Web Version   Preferences  
eNews banner

Florida Hikes eNews December 7, 2012

Please be sure to display images so you can see the photos from the trails. Thanks!

2012-11-FTSantos (24)

Looking Forward

A year of delightful explorations has come to a surprise ending. I'd expected us to roar through the end of December, wrapping up the new Florida Trail guide - which we've been working on feverishly - and then plunge into some serious Florida hiking for the new year. But a family member is facing some scary medical stuff, so starting soon I'll be switching hats from hiker to caretaker for a while. It's a reminder that we all take the rhythm of our lives for granted, but we really never should. Each day is a gift: treasure it.

Cheers, Sandra
www.floridahikes.com

PS. I'll still be answering hiker questions on Facebook but won't be devoting as much time to hiking projects over the next month or more.

IMG 3761

The Florida Trail Guide: update

While we're well along with the project, now I have to set it aside. The FT Guide is a labor of love - no publisher would pick it up since they didn't think they'd make money on it. It'll sit on the back burner for a little while. The good news is that it is closer to finished than it has been in years, and with super-fresh data, too!

5StarTrailsOrlando

Five Star Trails for Christmas

Christmas is on its way, and if you haven't had a chance to pick up one of my autographed books, here's your chance! Maya Books , a wonderful independent bookstore in downtown Sanford run by my friend Yvette, has a stock of Five Star Trails Orlando, signed and ready for you to gift. Yvette has autographed copies of a few of my other titles too, including 50 Hikes in Central Florida and 50 Hikes in South Florida. Drop in or give her a call (407-321-6504) about picking up a copy!

FT yates-37

Volunteer to transcribe?

I have a backlog of more than 50 hikes I'd love to put up on FloridaHikes.com and send out as eHikes, and simply don't have the time to transcribe them. Some are very short nature trails, others are portions of the Florida Trail that range up to 12 miles or so. Transcribing is a slow process, where you listen to an audio file and type what you hear. I've tried using software like Dragon Dictation but between the wind blowing, the birds tweeting, and my fellow hikers commenting, it's impossible to get a good auto-generated transcription to work from. If you have the time and would like to help transcribe a hike or two, I'd love the help! Drop me a line if you think you're up for listening to my voice long enough to get a rough transcription done.

IMG 1676

Hike the Western Corridor

The Florida Trail's Western Corridor is an alternative route to walking through the Orlando metro area, taking hikers on an exploration of segments of Withlachoochee State Forest, two state rail-trails, and the Cross Florida Greenway. I received this information a tad too late last week but a series of organized hikes is underway to showcase these portions of the Florida Trail, with the next one tomorrow, Saturday Dec 8th along the Greenway. Learn more on the Florida Suncoast Hikers Meetup Group.

Upcoming Events

▪ Dec 8: Orienteering Class at Lake Louisa State Park, Clermont
▪ Dec 8: Florida Trail Western Corridor Hike 4 - Santos to 49th Ave
▪ Dec 12: Florida Trail Western Corridor Hike 5 - 49th Ave to Pruitt
▪ Dec 15: Florida Scrub-Jay Trail Winter Fair, Clermont
▪ Dec 15: Florida Trail Western Corridor BIKE - Pruitt to Inverness
▪ Dec 29-Jan 2: 29th annual New Years Eve Campout, Doe Lake, Ocala National Forest
▪ Jan 9: Winter Wednesday Hiking Series, Central Florida
▪ Jan 18-20: Friends of Florida State Parks Annual Workshop, Clearwater Beach
▪ Mar 15-17, 2013: FTA Annual Conference, Camp McConnell, Gainesville

mypack

From the Blog

▪ Dec 6 - Filling in the “50 Hikes” Blanks
▪ Dec 5 - Backpacking: the weight of things
▪ Dec 3 - How to prepare for a backpacking trip

Latest Images

▪ Florida Trail, Marshall Swamp

2012-12-7 FH

Share your Stories

Got a question about hiking? Wondering where the best trails are in your area? Or have a wonderful outdoor experience to share? Jump on in on our Florida Hikes! Facebook page and join the conversation - over 2,400 people talking trail in Florida!

facebook flickr instagram vimeo
1px