Here we go folks, another year rolls around and some how they seem to be coming quicker and quicker. We could say that last year was a rebuilding year, just like FSU. Locally, the Monkey Creek Bridge was rebuilt. I can’t thank enough Bob Woods and his SCA work crew, and all of the volunteers who put it together. We are planning a dedication of the bridge in February to kick off Florida Hiking Month. We had no big storms this year, so it was good to just work on keeping the trails clear.

On a personal note, the Chapter Chairs, which make up the Chapter Council, are now taking on more responsibility in the problem-solving for chapter-level issues and concerns. This is keeping us more on our toes since the Board used to do a lot of this work. More rebuilding. Also on the state level, the FTA web page has been rebuilt in the format of a blog so that local chapters can put in current news and events.

Looking to the new year, I hope everyone is planning to go to the State Conference. It will be at the Florida Elks Youth Camp again, which is a great place with lots of room for everyone. I hope ya’ll plan to do a bunch of hiking this year and come back to tell us all about it.

Happy Trails, Richard Graham