Our website now has a page listing Florida National Scenic Trail thru-hikers and links to their journals.  It’s  titled, “FNST Thru-Hikers & journals” — look under “Pages.”  One of the hikers began heading north on the Trail in October, a bunch started in November, and soon there will be over forty of them out there.  We don’t have trail/real names for all of them, but those we know about are listed, even if they don’t have online journals.  Maybe you’ll run into a thru-hiker when you’re out on the Trail — carry some extra ‘treats’ with you, just in case.  They’d appreciate fruit, candy, homemade cookies, etc.   And have fun reading their journals.

Note 1/7/10:  Found another one — “Aprilshowers” — with a journal.  Check the FNST Thru-Hikers page.  I also added some other names, furnished by FTA, who do not have journals.

Obituary from the Tallahassee Democrat:
“Arthur B. Ward, III, 76, entered into rest December 23, 2009 in Tallahassee. A memorial service will be held at a later date. Art was born in Porto Alegre, Brazil and had lived in Tallahassee since 1975. He retired from the State of Florida as an electrical engineer in Computer Program Design. Art was a member of the Gulf Winds Track Club, and Economics Club of Florida. He was a supporter of the Able Trust. He graduated with honors from Georgia Tech where he received his B.A. degree, and received his Masters degree from Rutgers University. Survivors include his brother, Christopher B.Ward and wife Patricia Welch Ward of Jupiter; one niece, Susan K. Ward of New York; and longtime dear friend, Dawn L. Brown of Tallahassee. Art was preceded in death by his wife, Dr. Maryanne Ward.”

I will be doing a series of short, very leisurely, walks on the Phipps Park hiking trail this last week in December, in order to do a trail survey required by the city. I would love to have some company while doing these walks. These will be afternoon strolls of from 1.3 mile up to 2.2 miles, as follows:

Saturday 12/26: Coon Bottom Loop - 1.5 miles
Sunday 12/27: Swamp Forest Loop plus two short access trails - 2.2 miles
Monday 12/28: 1st half of Oak Hammock Loop - 1.3 miles
Tuesday 12/29: 2nd half of Oak Hammock Loop - 1.4 miles
Wednesday 12/30: Creek Forest Trail plus Big Tree Cutoff - 1.9 miles

I will be starting around 1:00 pm each day, from access points located *within* the park.  This means we will have access directly to each trail segment without having to walk in from remote public trailhead parking lots. If I have other people with me, and we can shuttle cars, then that would shorten some of the walks–for instance, Creek Forest Trail is not a loop, so with cars at each end, the total mileage would be 1.1 instead of 1.9 miles.

These will be more strolls than hikes, as I will have to stop sometimes to make notes–and I don’t walk fast in any case.

I will do these come rain or come shine!!

Please call me if you would like to go on one of these walks.
Home: 668-4334
Cell: 570-0011
If you don’t reach me at either number, leave a message–but ONLY on the home phone.

Looking forward to seeing some of you.

Linda Patton
Section Leader, Phipps Park Trail

This event has been changed to an F-Troop on Dec. 4-6.  For details see http://apalachee.floridatrail.org/2009/08/22/524/

Announcing the North Florida Regional

Conference:“A Hiker Gathering on

Choctawhatchee Bay”

October 23 to 25, 2009 / Niceville, Florida

Florida Trail Association

Come and play, sit or just listen!

This is a Florida Trail Association sponsored event.  

Learn more about the 1300 mile Florida Trail at: http://floridatrail.org/

The FWC is offering the following BOW Workshops for the 2009-10 fiscal year:

October 9-11, 2009 - Tallahassee (near Quincy)
November 20-22, 2009 - West Palm Beach
March 12-14, 2010 - Ocala

A new brochure and registration form is available at the website: www.MyFWC.com/BOW .

BOW is an outdoor skills program that offers women a chance to grow. BOW means becoming more competent, more confident and more aware.

More than 80 weekend-long workshops are held all across North America with over 20,000 women attending. The workshops introduce women to a variety of activities equally balanced between hunting and shooting, fishing, and non-harvest sports like canoeing and camping. Participants choose from a list of over 20 activities.

BOW welcomes women from all backgrounds to enjoy camaraderie with other women in a supportive, non-competitive learning environment. Participants span the ages of 18 to 80+.

In addition to learning new activities, BOW participants are also treated to a variety of evening entertainment including outdoor clothing fashion shows, bird shows featuring live hawks and owls, outdoor storytelling, prizes and more.

Traditional multi-course BOW workshops are generally held at camps. Participants stay in air-conditioned/heated cabins that may be rustic, but have basic modern amenities including hot showers. Meals are provided. The focus for the weekend is learning in a comfortable atmosphere.

The workshops begin around noon on Friday and end about noon on Sunday.

For more info contact
Lynne Hawk

Regional Hunter Safety Coordinator
FL Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission
8535 Northlake Blvd., West Palm Beach 33412
Phone (561) 625-5122 Fax (561) 625-5139
Lynne.Hawk@MyFWC.com

NEW DATE FOR NOKUSE PLANTATION FIELD TRIP

The Nokuse Plantation Tour has now been rescheduled for Saturday April 18.
For details, or to register to go on the trip, phone Linda Patton at (850) 668-4334.

The Apalachee Chapter will hold elections at the February 10 chapter meeting. All members in good standing are urged to attend. A quorum of 10 chapter members is needed at the meeting to make the elections official. Officer positions that will be up for election are Chapter Chair and Trails Coordinator. Chapter officers serve a term of two years and are limited to two full consecutive terms under Chapter Guidelines.

The Chapter Chair serves as the executive officer of the chapter, and presides at the meetings of the membership and at the Chapter Coordinating Committee. In addition, the Chapter Chair is the chapter’s representative to the Chapter Council of the FTA, and attends quarterly meetings of the Chapter Council and the board of directors of the Association.

The Trails Coordinator is responsible for the development and maintenance of trails that are within the chapter’s scope of activity, especially the Florida National Scenic Trail (FNST). In addition, the Trails Coordinator nominates section leaders to the VP for Trails of the FTA, performs duties as provided in the Trails Manual for the Florida Trail System, and attends meetings of the Trails Committee of the Association.

The incumbents for the above chapter officer positions, Richard Graham as Chapter Chair, and Terry Tenold as Trails Coordinator, have both served two consecutive terms, and therefore, cannot run for those respective offices again.

There are also non-elective coordinating positions for the chapter, which are appointed at the discretion of the Chapter Chair. Although none are currently vacant, since the last elections, the position of Programs Coordinator has been filled by Linda Patton, who has done a marvelous job getting interesting speakers and programs for our chapter meetings for the past few years. But she would like to step down from this post at this time. Duties include coordinating with scheduled presenters, obtaining biographical information, and introducing speakers at chapter meetings. Linda has many ideas for future programs and she would gladly share them with the new Programs Coordinator.

Any member of the Apalachee Chapter who would like to become more active and serve in one of the chapter officer positions up for election is urged to inquire about nomination. The chapter can always benefit by new ideas and energy in chapter leadership. If you are interested, please contact Richard Graham at 850-878-3616, or r_graham@lycos.com

– Terry Tenold

North Florida Regional Campout

October 24-26, 2008

Mark your calendars and set your PDAs and Blackberrys for the weekend of October 24-26, when the Apalachee Chapter will host the North Florida Regional Campout at the YMCA Camp Indian Springs in Wakulla County.

The event will kick off Friday night with a social get-together around a campfire, where you can compare tales with FTA members from other chapters in the region. On Saturday, there will be a day-hike along the scenic Sopchoppy River in the Apalachicola National Forest, along with other hiking and paddling opportunities. A barbecue dinner will be available Saturday night at the campground, followed by musical entertainment and possibly even a late-night movie (Creature From the Dark Lagoon?). Before packing up on Sunday, campers or day-trippers can take a paddle on the Wakulla River or hike into Shepard Springs.

There is a $10 fee per night for camping in your own tent or the camp’s bunkhouse. The barbecue dinner on Saturday night is $6. All other meals are on your own. Camp Indian Springs is located on Bloxham Cutoff (SR 267) in north Wakulla County.

If you need more information, contact Richard Graham soon at 850-878-3616 or r_graham@lycos.com. To make reservations, click on THIS LINK for the reservation form. Print it out, fill it out, mail it in. Plan for a weekend of outdoor fun and adventure with other FTA members and guests.

New ‘Page’ titled “Trip Reports” added to website.

May and June trip reports have been moved from the “Chapter News” category to the new “Trip Reports” Page.

ACTIVITY LEADERS: please email trip reports and hike photos to Linda Patton for posting on the website.