In the article “Get Out and Take a Hike” on page 4 the date for the guided hikes at Leon Sinks is printed as being on Saturday, October 29. The CORRECT date is Saturday, SEPTEMBER 29.

On page 4 of the Autumn 2007 issue of our newsletter, The Blaze, there is a note that a map and written directions to all the new trailheads will be on this website. It is posted under both Apalachicola Natl Forest East and Apalachicola Natl Forest West. Just click on either of those links in the right-hand frame under “Big Bend Area Trails.” The link to the map and directions is at the bottom of each of those pages under “Trailheads.”

Dec. 1  Sat  P/L  Wade Tract Birding Hike  This popular hike will take you into one of the best remaining examples of old-growth longleaf pine/wiregrass forests left in the U.S.  Jim Cox, noted ornithologist with Tall Timbers Research Station, will guide.  Fee will be from $7 to $15 / person depending on number of participants.  Limit 20 people.  Kent Wimmer (850) 523-8576   kwimmer@fs.fed.us.  

Dec. 8  Sat  P/S  Torreya Challenge  Hike the Torreya Challenge Trail (aka Rock Creek Loop) up and down hilly, wooded terrain for 10 miles.  We’ll see a variety of trees and shrubs.  Bring lunch and water.  Meet at 7:15 a.m. in Tallahassee.  Jerry Herting (850) 878-3426  

Dec. 11   Program:  “Annual Holiday Social”  Please bring a covered dish or dessert and an inexpensive item for the gift-exchange game.  Socialize with your fellow hiking and outdoor enthusiasts as we celebrate another year of hiking and outdoor adventures.  For more information, call Richard Graham, Chapter chair, at 878-3616.

Dec. 22  Sat  P/M  W.D. Lines Tract Hike  Celebrate winter solstice with a hike through the woods.  We’ll walk approximately 6.5 miles.   Bring water and a snack.  Gwen Beatty  (850) 942-7165  

Dec. 29  Sat  P/M  13th Annual Phipps Park Holiday Hike  A leisurely, all-day hike on some of the 8-mile hiking trail at Elinor Klapp-Phipps Park, centered around a restful lunch break at the Oak Hammock.  Linda Patton   (850) 668-4334 

Nov. 4 Sun P/L Aucilla River Hike Hike about 6 miles on the northern portion of the Aucilla River section of the Florida Trail. We will pass the Aucilla rapids. Limit: 12 people. Vic and Carlene Danart (850) 997-1818

Nov. 9-11 Fri-Sun 55^th Annual Florida Folk Festival at Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center in White Springs. (Rescheduled from May because of forest fires.)

Nov. 10 Sat P/M FNST Work Hike Help with autumn maintenance of the Trail in the east section of the Apalachicola Forest. Richard Graham (850) 878-3616 r_graham@lycos.com

Nov 13 Program: “The Nature Conservancy” Deborah Keller, coordinator of TNC’s Northwest Florida Greenway Project, will talk about the urgency of preserving Florida’s remaining open spaces and methods of funding the protection of high-quality habitats. She will highlight the use of military lands as conservation and recreational places. (Related hike on the FNST at Eglin Air Force Base: November 17)

Nov. 17 Sat P/L Alaqua Hike Hike about 5 miles on the scenic Alaqua Section of the FNST at Eglin AFB, southwest of DeFuniak Springs. Choctawhatchee Chapter members will join us. The all-day event will take 9 or 10 hours, including the 260 mile round-trip drive. Limit 15 people. (Note: Follow-up to Nov. 13 Chapter meeting program.) Linda Patton (850) 668-4334.

Nov. 18 Sun P/L Sopchoppy River Portion of the Florida National Scenic Trail Work up an appetite for Thanksgiving and maybe see some turkeys or other wildlife on this easy 5-mile hike along the Sopchoppy River in the Apalachicola National Forest. Limit: 15 people. Galen Moses (850) 926-9476 galenmoses@aol.com

Nov. 24 Sat P/L 6th Annual Moonlight Hike Experience the beauty and fun of a walk under the full moon in Elinor Klapp-Phipps Park in northwest Tallahassee. Learn about nocturnal animals’ adaptations to the dark. Campfire, music and s’mores after the hike. Limit 20 people. Linda Patton (850) 668-4334

Oct. 6 Sat P/M FNST Work Hike Help with autumn maintenance of the Trail in the east section of the Apalachicola Forest. Richard Graham (850) 878-3616 r_graham@lycos.com

Oct 9 Program: “New Zealand and the Milford Track” Chapter member Dawn Brown will present her hiking and kayaking trip to New Zealand, including a hike of the dramatic and awesome Milford Track. Milford Track traverses the heart of Fiordland National Park–the wildest, wettest and most isolated part of the country–and has long been described as “the finest walk in the world.”

Oct. 12-14 Fri-Sun P/S Fort Braden Trail F-Troop Project Work will include rerouting trail, building boardwalks through marshy areas, and constructing bridges. Howard Pardue (850) 523-8525 or 386-1494 hpardue@fs.fed.us

Oct. 16 Tuesday Activities Planning Meeting 6 p.m., US Forest Service Bldg F Jerry Herting (850) 878-3426

Oct. 20 Sat P/L Apalachicola Canoe Trip Canoe the Apalachicola River from Fort Gadsden to the City of Apalachicola. Meet at Fort Gadsden at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time to begin trip. Ronny Traylor (850) 643-5517 rtraylor@fs.fed.us

Oct. 27 Sat P/L Phipps Park Work Hike Easy lopping and clipping. Lunch at the Oak Hammock. Bring work gloves, and loppers and/or clippers if you have them. LIMIT 10. Linda Patton (850) 668-4334

Oct. 28 Sun P/M Torreya Park Hike The Torreya Trail (aka River Bluff Loop) meanders 7 miles through the Apalachicola River floodplain forest and over adjoining hilly, wooded uplands. Bring lunch and water. Meet at 7:15 a.m. in Tallahassee. Jerry Herting (850) 878-3426

Sept. 8 Sat P/M FNST Work Hike Help with autumn maintenance of the Trail in the east section of the Apalachicola Forest. Richard Graham (850) 878-3616 r_graham@lycos.com

Sept 11 Program: “The Florida Trail: Florida’s Own National Scenic Trail.” By Seidler Productions of Sopchoppy, under the direction of the FTA and the USFS, a version of this film was previewed at the 2007 FTA Annual Conference. The completed program debuted May 27th on WMFE-TV in Orlando. Robert Seidler brings us this wonderful film to kick off our Florida Trail hiking season, & also shows a selection of short films on successful green economic programs involving nature-based and heritage tourism, trails, & greenways. (Related FNST hike on Sep. 15 )

Sept. 15 Sat P/L Sopchoppy River Hike If you attend the September Chapter meeting you will see video shots of the FNST along the Sopchoppy River. Regardless, you will certainly want to experience the actual hike. Galen Moses (850) 926-9476 galenmoses@aol.com

Sept. 15-16 Sat-Sun Bradwell Bay F-Troop Project Help volunteers from around the state restore trail damaged by a wildfire in the infamous Bradwell Bay Wilderness Area, where only traditional hand tools are allowed. Megan Eno (850) 523-8579 meno@fs.fed.us