Florida Trail

Today I completed my section day hike of the Florida Trail.

Some basic stats:
-first hike 2/2/13, Bradwell Bay
-last hike 2/24/18, section west of Bradwell Bay
-generally southbound
-1 night spent on the trail (Big Cypress)
-longest trail day 20.9 miles
-shortest trail day 4 miles

I haven’t counted cheap motels nights but it was a lot. Fortunately where I live allows me to do about 1/3 of the trail as day trips.

Do you have any favorite sections? I get to Orlando and north of Tampa once in a while and have wondered if a day trip would be worthwhile. I did a trail race once near San Antonio, FL and really enjoyed it: soft tread and lots of oxygen! There were also more trees and hills than I expected based on my experience with suburban Florida. Google Earth looks at the part of the trail south of Orlando look less interesting, but maybe I'm reading things wrong.

There are sections south of Orlando that feel like wilderness. KICCO, Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park, Big Cypress National Preserve. Then there is Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, basically a paved bicycle path.

Favorite sections are those I don't have to drive too far to get to (smile). I may be biased but I think I'm fortunate to live near the Aucilla Sinks, St. Marks, and Apalachicola National Forest, all with very much a wilderness feel. I guess true wilderness depends on one's definition. There are even sections of the Apalachicola National Forest with no cell phone reception! Bear in mind this is Florida, not Alaska or Montana where one might be expect to find areas out of cell phone range. The Suwannee section, not too far from me, is also very nice.