[ft-l] FT Companion Guide now available

[dblick at cfl.rr.com (Deb Blick)]

Great!  I saw them at the FTA ofice late last week but they wouldn't let me
buy one (drat!) or announce the publication until they had gotten the price
settled.

Even tho Sandy was gracious enough to list my name a couple of times as
co-author, it was really Sandy who wrote the book.  I just helped a bit by
supplying some of the raw data and answering a few questions.  Also, Judy
Trotta in the FTA office helped pull the whole thing together.

In case anyone was worried that FTA "took over" Susan's and Joan's "From
Here to There..." book - Susan and Joan indicated that they were no longer
interested in continuing to keep it up to date.  They offered the book to
the FTA and FTA felt it was too valuable for our hikers to drop publication.
Sandy stepped up to the challenge of re-writing it along the lines of other
long-distance trail companion guides and updating for this year.

I also wanted to mention that this book is a publication of the FTA, so
proceeds from the sale of the book help support the FTA.

And, even tho it was written with thru-hikers in mind, it will also be good
for those folks who want to get out and do smaller sections and weekends.
Like most companion guides written for other trails it is meant to augment
the published FTA trail maps, not replace them.  It will also be a great
planning guide.

Finally, I hope that those of you who are section leaders and/or hikers will
purchase a copy of the book (it will be available at the fall conferences as
well as in the office and on the web) and let us know of any corrections and
changes that need to be made over the next year.  Or any additions to the
book you think would benefit hikers. You can email corrections/ideas to
Sandy or to the FTA office.  Just make sure the subject line includes
reference to "FT Companion Guide" so we know what you are talking about.

Deb



> Backpackers, long distance hikers, and folks who love data:
>
> The new Florida Trail Companion Guide for Long Distance Hikers is now
> available.
>
> It's a great resource! 152 pages, spiral bound, compact in size ... $10.95
> Order via the FT online store at www.floridatrail.org
>
> Cheers, Sandy