I am recovering well from the SOBO Appalachian Trail hike from Mt. Katahdin to White Cap Mountain, Maine and am very excited about beginning a SOBO hike on the 1,400-mile Florida Trail beginning in Pensacola, Florida. Marion Hoffman and I have reconfigured our packs and clothing for this hike and plan to drive to Pensacola on Tuesday, July 8th and begin this hike. Marion will be with me for the next few weeks, and my brother, Bill, is strongly considering joining me next month.

While the Florida Trail lacks mountains to climb (highest elevation about 200 feet), we will deal with summer heat and humidity, lots of swamp and wading through mud, and watching out for wildlife like alligators and snakes. Because of these conditions, a different type of shoe and gaiters are needed. We hope to hike 15-20 miles per day and begin very early (4:30-5 AM) to try to avoid the hot, afternoon sun. Marion has a friend in Pensacola who will use Marion’s car as a support vehicle and resupply us as needed. This trail does have several areas where permits are required to hike (e.g. Eglin AFB, Seminole Reservation). I sent an e-mail to the Florida Trail Association and got an almost immediate reply from their Operations Manager who is now hiking on the Appalachian Trail in the northeast. We expect to have cellular phone service most of the time and lots of places to resupply. I learned that the Florida Trail uses orange blazes similar to the white AT blazes.

I have lots of items coming from Amazon today and picked up new shoes (Salomon XA Pro 3D V9 Hiking Shoes for Men) at Bass Pro last night. With a careful review of every item in my pack, I should have my total pack weight down to less than 30 pounds for this hike. I found the hammock system good for sleeping but noted that the set up and take down took way too long. Therefore, I am now moving to a ultralight (2 pounds) tent which requires only 4 stakes and a trekking pole to set up. After finding the freeze-dried food very unpalatable, I am changing to meals with a base (Raman noodles), fat (olive oil), meat (beef jerky), carbohydrates/sweets (Peanut M&Ms, peppermint candy, 2 trail mix varieties, Cliff bars). We should be able to eat in restaurants every few days on the Florida Trail. I will now have the option of eating without cooking or enjoying hot meals as desired.

Please continue to follow our progress on this website and feel free to share your comments. I hope to fully complete this hike by mid-October 2025 (3 months). If all goes well, I may take the 92-mile Eastern Continental Trail Florida Connector and hike nearly to Key Largo, one of my favorite diving locations!