Thru-Hiking The Florida Trail

I have been struggling with the inevitable looming lay-off and how to go about dealing with it. Do I do the so called “responsible thing” and look for a “job” ? Do I do the “responsible thing” to myself and pursue my passion for Photography and exploring Florida?  I’ve decided to go for broke spend the next four months or so living my passions day in and day out waking up in the beautiful natural surroundings that inspire my Photography and writing about this beautiful state of Florida.

November 7th I will begin my Thru-Hike of the Florida Trail, with my dog Diego, this is approximately an 1100mile hike from the Alabama – Florida state line in The Blackwater State Forest to Big Cypress Preserve at the edge of the Florida Everglades that will take around four months to complete. I will be posting here along the way about my adventure as often as possible, you can also follow me on twitter (@MarcusAdkins) where I will be tweeting in real time (depending on my phone batteries and signal)

This has taken a lot of planning, from proper gear to permits. I became a member of The Florida Trail Association, a requirement to hike certain areas of the Florida Trail, and highly recommended, they are very helpful with information and they arrange the permits for Eglin Air Force Base, Big Cypress Seminole Indian Reservation, and inform other private land owners of your plans to cross their land. They also have the most up to date maps of the complete  Florida Trail. I have also purchased annual passes for Florida Parks and National Parks. I have also subscribed to Florida Hikes not a requirement but @SandraFriend (follow her on Twitter) has been very helpful with questions I have had and her website is one of the most informative sources on Florida Hikes and Florida Trails all over the state of Florida with down-loadable .gpx and .kml files.

I upgraded some of my gear with some very helpful advice from @KevinMims and @TravelCountry (follow them on Twitter) where I got my new @OspreyPacks backpack, my @Hardwear sleeping bag, my Kelty tent and a few other necessities for my Thru-Hike of The Florida Trail. The list of gear that could be obtained to make my pack lighter and make the journey more comfortable is unlimited, just like the amount of money that could be spent, unlike my bank account.

I have had mixed experiences with family and friends about this journey, most are very supportive, and some have some fears they project on me like what about the snakes and alligators and bears (oh my!) I should be so lucky to get a glimpse of some of these animals and a Photograph to share with everyone, i will be keeping my eyes open for Florida’s very rare and elusive super fauna the Florida Panther.

Be sure to subscribe to my RSS feed so you can follow along on my Thru-Hike of The Florida Trail!

Please leave a comment to share your thoughts, advise or tips, Thanks.