Hiking Dude Blog

My Florida Trail hike prep is coming along nicely. My son and I will hike from Key West to Lake Okeechobee where he will stop to return to school. I'll decide at that point how much farther to go. At this point, I'm looking forward to hiking to Pensacola but a lot depends on the trail.

Here are some key items that might be helpful to others considering this hike.

• $26 - I ordered and received my Florida Trail Guide. It contains non-navigation section maps that just give an idea where things are generally located along the trail. The pages that list water sources and camping spots are the real reason I purchased this book. Knowing how far to the next water helps me carry enough, but not too much. I've used the camping information to make my own 2-sheet list of camp spots and mileages that I will carry. That also is a starting point for my hiking schedule, but it is out-of-date even before I start hiking.
  The book weighs a lot, so I expect to only take a few key pieces along.
• $35 - I purchased the Florida Trail app for my phone. It lists a lot of the important information in the guide, but weighs nothing. I expect to use it mostly to pinpoint my current location and see how far away water and camping spots are. The AT app was terrific, so I'm hoping this is just as good. One thing about it, the elevation profile is silly since the highest point on the FT is under 300 feet. :-)
• $45 - I submitted my Florida Trail Association membership request and received their member packet. You have to be a member to hike through the trail and cross some private areas. We need to remember to take our FTA membership cards with us on the trail.
• I submitted liability waivers to the Seminole Indians so we can walk across their land. I took pictures of the originals so I have a copy with us while on the trail.
• I'm hiking. I've been putting in about 5 miles each morning on the long, flat trails around home. This should be perfect training for FL since the trail there will have no mountains to climb.
• I'm hoping to visit Boy Scout groups on my hike. I've found troops in towns along the trail and sent emails letting them know my plans. I've received a couple of positive replies already so I'm excited to meet, and maybe hike with, other scouters.
• All my gear is ready to go. There's nothing new I need to buy, but I expect I'll need new shoes after the first 300 miles since the long Keys roadwalk and Big Cypress swamp will probably be tough on them.
• Food will be purchased in Florida as needed. The first week will be walking through population so we'll carry little and spend more to eat along the way. On our way out of Miami, we'll supply ourselves for 5 days at a Publix or Walmart fairly close to our route.

Researching the trail, both online and in the guide, I've run into some peculiarities of the Florida Trail. It is probably the most bureaucratic trail in the country.
Besides the FTA membership and Seminole waiver I mentioned, a hiker also has to do the following:

• Get a permit and pay to hike the FT across Elgin AFB. But, I can't do that now - I must wait until 30 days before I expect to arrive there.
• Get permits to use campsites in some state areas. They cost no money, but are required to camp.
• Get super secret instruction and permission to cross canals at a couple of locks. Not now, I must wait until I'm just about there.
• Pay fees to camp in some state parks and forests.
• Acquire other permits, pay fees, get permission, ... for two pages of requirements that the FTA sends to its new members. And, at the bottom of the list, it states "list may not include every permit and fee".
• Oh, hikers also must have blaze orange clothing. The trail crosses some hunting areas where it is mandatory to wear blaze orange, not an entire outfit, but a large swatch - just in case your hiking pace resembles a deer or alligator.

Well, if you couldn't tell, the red tape strikes me as a bit much for this trail. But, the FTA is working to make it simpler and, in the grand scheme of things, it's not a big deal. Just don't expect to wake up one morning and set off to hike the whole trail like some folks do on the AT.

I promised my wife I would stop mentioning all the scary things I might encounter on the trail in Florida, so you'll just have to See for yourself if you're interested in what's waiting out there.

Hike On

PS: If you, or people you know, are in Florida and want a hiker visit, just give me a holler. I've got Stickers I can give them.

My 5- mile walk today brought me to this boat landing. In a week we'll be seeing plenty of liquid water instead of all this solid water. I'm still figuring out some places to spend the night in the FL Keys, but I'm sure it will all work out.

We're packed and ready.
Tomorrow morning, if all goes well, we'll be hiking north from Key West around 11am aiming for Summerland Key. It will be a very, very, very long day.

But, for now, we're just waiting. Phones charged. Trail contacts stored. Important documents printed. Backpacks wrapped up for the plane ride.
The plane is scheduled to leave at 1:15am and arrive in Ft. Lauderdale at 5:40am - not much sleep tonight, not a great way to start a long hike, but the best fit for our schedule. Then, a 3.5 hour rental car ride to Key West airport followed by a taxi ride to the SouthernMost Point and we start hiking.

Feel free to check in on us any time you want at FL Hike page and leave any encouraging comment that you'd like.

Hike On!

I traveled about 26 miles today.
Our overnight plane ride got us to Ft. Lauderdale with no trouble and no sleep. Once we found the Avis counter, we got our car with no trouble. Driving down the Keys was an interesting experience. I couldn't help but try to spy out potential camping spots - a very rare item with water and shrubs much more prevalent than firm land. We swapped our car for a crazy pink taxi at the Key West airport and enjoyed a short, expensive ride to the 'southernmost' point of the US. It's pretty amazing how many'southernmost' places there are, from inns to furniture stores. Our hike finally began at the same time as the warm rain. We hiked from key to key until the sun dropped, and then kept going. Our legs were totally exhausted and sore, and I got two bonus blisters. Summerland Key was our destination for the night. I found a couch surfing host who has welcomed us into his home. This is my first couch surfing experience and I'd recommend checking out out. We've been up since yesterday morning so it's time to sign off and hope this night heals the pains for tomorrow's adventure.

I traveled about 23 miles today.
After a wonderful night of rest, we began our day of waking with a light rain and high hopes for long miles. The rain stopped quickly and was replaced by a strong, steady wind and light overcast all day - prefect weather for walking! But, our miles were cut back due to the pounding our feet and legs are getting from the pavement and concrete. It was a great day with amazing views, splitting the Atlantic and Gulf from bridges over channels. Our biggest challenge of three day was the famous Seven Mile Bridge - along the skinny shoulder with over 1000 cars pet hour flying past. Our early schedule was too ambitious so I'm now figuring a couple of shorter days to allow a bit of recovery. The biggest overall challenge with this trail is figuring spots to spend the night without breaking the bank. The campground tonight charged $60 for a flat spot to pitch a tent. Ouch! Besides the views, my highlight of today was a sandwich at 5 Brothers 2 where we got to listen to a bunch of elderly Cuban friends chat with the owner. Couldn't understand a word, but enjoyed the experience.

I traveled about 20 miles today.
After a night of less than restful rest, we had a great morning of windy, cool walking through Marathon. The first couple miles took forever since we stopped for groceries, and replacement water bottles for me. I had left mine on the picnic table last night and some helpful person the them out as garbage. The trail was away from the road all morning and had benches every mile or so. We saw many bike riders but no other hikers. The afternoon was a different hike. Mist turned to drizzle then to real rain, all driven by a robust headwind. It wasn't much fun on a 3- mile bridge crossing when even all the fishermen were leaving. At least we were not on the road shoulder toss time. We had no spot for tonight since we changed our plan to reach Islamorada. All the state parks are full but we planned to check at Long Key state park. The park ranger got us a ' primitive ' tent spot for just $14. As you can see, this is a VERY cool site. We are on a covered platform only 10 feet from the Atlantic ocean! No tents needed, and we're just hoping the breeze continues to keep any bugs away. Tomorrow calls for rain all day so we'll enjoy what we have now.

I traveled about 21 miles today.
I could tell you all about the horrendous rain and wind we had all morning across ocean bridges, but I won't. Instead, you can see Josh gazing back longingly towards Robbie's where we had just enjoyed great fish tacos for lunch. Even better than the food was our great chat with our waiter who was quick to share his life stories and plans with us, as well as ask about our trip. Just a great guy Last night at the state park, a young guy that teaches yoga walked by our site and we talked a bit. He had biked through here lady year. When I mentioned we hadn't eaten yet, he insisted we finish his leftover pizza. Tonight, our host drove us to an awesome restaurant so we didn't have to walk the mile. There, Lindsey was so friendly and full of live that we couldn't help but have a wonderful time. The meatballs and pizza helped! After our meal, Lindsey had a cab take us back where we're camping. We've met some wonderful folks here in Florida, these are just a few of them to mention. Our bright orange hats have made is a bit recognizable and known along the Keys. We've had 3 people say that they saw us down the road a day ago and ask about our hike. A handful of others have honked or mentioned or hats as they biked our walked past.

As I was starting to write before my phone whacked out, getting an early start on a day with no clouds meant a nice view of the sun coming up over the Atlantic. Sure, we were walking on the shoulder of the road at the time, but I managed to keep cars out of the pic. After this, misty fog covered us for a couple hours, finally burning off into our hottest afternoon so far. We've cut back our miles due to shin and ankle pains, with the hope they will get a little more rest. But, after today, our plan has changed significantly and we'll have only a few more miles of roadways before hitting the swamp. Here's the deal. .. At our lower pace, we'd never make it to, and out of, the swamp on time for Josh to get back to school. We really wanted a continuous line from Key West to Lake Okeechobee, but that is no longer practical. So, hiking the swamp is more important. We had to figure out how to get from Key Largo to the Florida Trail start. After some research, and help from some great hikers on Facebook, we should be able to join the kick off gang tomorrow. We're buying 5 days of food first thing. Then, walking 3.5 miles to a bus stop, catching bus 301, then 38, then 137 which gets us to highway 41. Then, Miss Janet, a well known AT Trail angel will give us a lift to the trailhead. It will take most of the day, but it should work.

I traveled about 0 miles today.
Check out my current location on the map. As you can see on my tracker, we made it to the southern terminus of the Florida Trail. We found a bus stop, ride three different buses, and then caught a ride with Miss Janet to the campground - where we were warmly welcomed by the most voracious mosquitos I've seen. Mosquitos don't die off in winter - they migrate to the everglades! Our bug suits work pretty well, but it's going to be a challenge. Most folks here are soaked in deet and the smell is obvious. After our ride with miss Janet, Sledge, and Red Beardfield, we met other hikers and supporters here at the kickoff. The couple that wrote the FT Guide, a few that have hiked the whole trail, and some that we'll start hiking with tomorrow. Tomorrow will be our first off into the wild with no potable water, toilets, or cars. A big change from our day today of just riding around! There's a good chance I'll have no coverage the next couple days so don't worry that we've been eaten by a bear, python, panther, or piranha of there's no post.

I finished hiking for today. You can check out my current location on the map and I'll post about my day when I am in coverage.