[at-l] One whopping FT section hike complete!

[ATnavi@aol.com (ATnavi@aol.com)]

Over the past year, Solar Bear and I spent 32 days hiking what we dubbed "The Big 360," a giant loop in the Florida National Scenic Trail that circles Orlando and passes through ten counties, just under 360 miles long. We wrapped up our last section on Sunday, accompanied by some friends. 120 miles or so of the hike was roadwalk, mostly in the blazing sun, and in Florida this was no easy task. So I'm pretty proud of the achievement, and it makes us the first hikers to tackle this whole route. With our guidance, Nimblewill Nomad did the western section this year, but he missed a bit of the eastern section in his 1997 hike due to high water (he aqua-blazed it <G>). A slideshow is forthcoming! Next spring I'll probably sit down and put a pamphlet together for ALDHA, as I have extensive data and I know the future relocation of the trail will eventually eliminate the roadwalks.  

Now I'm on to a bigger project, hiking 320 miles or so over the next three months for a forthcoming book on Central Florida hiking next fall. The weather is growing crisper, finally, with temps in the 60s tonight. ;-) If any of y'all are headed to FL for winter vacation, give me a holler if you want to go hiking!

Cheers, Navigator