Marion Hoffman, his friend John Hafer, and I began hiking the Florida Trail at 5:30 AM from Fort Pickens through Pensacola Beach followed a bike ride to Navarre Beach, a total of 27 miles!

For 2-3 hours we were entertained by the US Navy’s Blue Angels who were practicing for an upcoming air show this weekend. I cannot recall ever seeing this amazing team operate at such a low altitude performing stunts in very tight formations, inverted, and high G maneuvers.




The Florida Trail was very urban after Fort Pickens and before the 13-mile segment to Navarre Beach. Unfortunately, the bike I rented was heavy, very slow (slightly faster than walking), and very different from my personal road bikes. Despite drinking about 5 liters of Gatorade and Liquid IV electrolyte containing drinks. Recovery came quickly with lots of fluids, air-conditioning, and snacks. Tomorrow will be interesting since several sections on Eglin AFB are closed. We hope to make it to Holt and Crestview before returning to the east side of Eglin AFB.
