On the Move

It's Day 16 on the road for us in South Florida. After wrapping up a successful Big O Hike - with John among the 25 finishing their circuits around Lake Okeechobee - we're roaming in separate counties on the Gulf Coast, meeting up tomorrow for several dedicated days of exploring new hiking trails in the region before finally heading home for the holidays.

Between the logistics for the Big O Hike and Sandy's SATW meeting in Sarasota, we haven't had much time to blog. But we do have news to share!

Florida Trail Switches Sides
A big piece of news that developed this week is a major relocation of the Florida Trail to the east side of the Kissimmee River between Micco Landing and the S-65A Lock. While in the works for many years, it' s a radical move, but a necessary one. As Kissimmee River restoration has progressed, passage through the marshes north of Hickory Hammock has become extremely difficult and access to Avon Park Air Force Range has become more limited. The new route passes through Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park north of Okeechobee. We're looking forward to scouting the new route this winter and sharing it with you, as well as finding out the fate of Hickory Hammock, a favorite place along the trail. We know it will remain open, but whether it will be an out-and-back or a loop is up for grabs. Either way, these changes will be reflected in the next edition of The Florida Trail Guide.

A Second Printing
We were extremely surprised by the immediate popularity of The Florida Trail Guide and, before we left for the Big O Hike, made sure we arranged for a second printing so we'd have copies available for Christmas. We're now shipping copies from the new batch of books, which do reflect minor updates since the first printing. We're committed to sharing book updates on a monthly basis - December updates will go out next week - and you can find them archived on our website.

Thru-Hikers Headed Our Way
During the Big O Hike, the group ran into "Smiley the Champ," a northbound thru-hiker, in the vicinity of Lakeport. He's the leading edge of a rather large contingent of Florida Trail thru-hikers planning to walk the length of the Florida Trail this season. Thru-hiker departures will start over the next few weeks, leaving from Key West and/or Big Cypress. We've heard of more than two dozen people who'll likely be tackling the hike this year, and hope to meet up with some of them in January to share their stories.

Five Star Trails Gainesville and Ocala
It's a book! We received our author copies of Five Star Trails Gainesville and Ocala last week, and hopefully they'll be appearing in stores during this holiday season. Focused on day hikes within an hour's drive of either city center, the guidebook includes top hikes in the region, from short family-friendly jaunts like Tuscawilla Preserve in Micanopy to longer walks like a trek out to Hidden Pond and Pat's Island along the Florida Trail in the Ocala National Forest. After we return from our travels, we'll make signed copies of this book and others available through our website.

Book Signing at Travel Country Outdoors
Next Saturday, December 14, from 2-4 PM, we'll join fellow authors Dave "AWOL" Miller and Wayne "Krispy Kritter" Petrovich at Travel Country Outdoors in Altamonte Springs for a book signing. You'll be able to pick up copies of The Florida Trail Guide as well as our Five Star Trails books. C'mon down and meet us!