Goforth Into The World

Category: Florida Trail 2025

  • Not a good day on the Florida Trail

    Not a good day on the Florida Trail

    7/17/25

    I began yesterday morning feeling great and I hiked without problem from Bonnet Pond Camp to US 65 where I met Marion for resupply. I was very fortunate to see a Florida Trail sign re-routing hikers and find a comment in Far Out telling me how to use some forest roads to re-route around some dangerous boggy areas. 

    Unfortunately, my shoes and socks were wet from walking through mid-leg high swamp the previous day. I proceeded to walk to the Sapling Head Camp with a total mileage of 16 miles. I noticed as the walk progressed that my right foot was becoming more uncomfortable. After getting to camp and removing my shoes and socks, I noticed multiple large blisters and macerated areas on the right foot, making it extremely difficult to walk. To further add to the misery, the camp had no water supply. I walked about 0.1 miles to what was listed as the closest water supply and it was dry! I then had to walk to the last known water supply about three quarters of a mile away and obtain very brown water for filtering. 

    Injured right foot
    Last campsite at Sapling Head Camp

     I knew the following day that I would need to walk six miles to meet Marion. This seemed nearly impossible with the current shape of my right foot. Therefore, I called Marion and asked him to come get me. He initially wanted to come the next morning but decided to come to the camp and pick me up. I was so grateful for this very kind gesture since I was extremely hot in the bright sun and mosquitoes were constantly biting.

    I am very disappointed at myself for not being able to thru-hike for more than 2 weeks on the Appalachian and Florida Trails after planning and training for about 5 years. I am pleased that I was able to hike up to SOBO mile 266 and see some beautiful scenery on the Florida Trail. I saw many deer, an owl, squirrels, beautiful sunrises and sunsets, ponds/lakes. However, I’m convinced now that thru-hiking is just too punishing to my body to continue for weeks and months. I will have a hard time forgetting all of the spiders and cobwebs, short tree stumps catching your toes, swamps and bogs with deep mud, wet shoes and socks, vegetation cutting into your skin, and insect bites. 

    I need to rethink retirement and get life back to a more normal pace. I do hope to return to Shell Point Retirement Community on a part-time basis (3-4 days per week) to continue seeing my patients. I look forward to doing more SCUBA diving, enjoying cruises and other vacations with my wife, children, and grandchildren, cycling with Ends of the Earth Cycling, leading Volunteer in Medical Mission international medical mission trips and serving on their board as Treasurer, continuing my work with the Fort Myers Gideon Camp, teaching my Fishers of Men LifeGroup class and serving as an Elder at McGregor Baptist Church, continuing my service with the Fort Myers Sunrise Rotary Club, and serving as the VP Grants fort the CART (Coins for Alzheimer’s Research Trust). I’m sure more opportunities will arise!

    To my followers, thank you so much for your support, prayers, and encouraging comments on Facebook and the Goforthintotheworld.com website. I encourage everyone to pursue their dreams but don’t be afraid to change course if the risk of severe injury or death exceeds the expected benefit. Stay tuned for my next chapter in this life!

  • Another beautiful day on the Florida Trail!

    Another beautiful day on the Florida Trail!

    After getting a good night’s rest at Hillcrest Baptist Church Hostel last night and having a bowl of cereal with milk for breakfast, Marion drove me to the Althea Trailhead where I hiked about 3 miles and saw several deer. The trail markers were sometimes difficult to spot, so this was a little more difficult than expected. Marion then drove me through trail on several highways, and I hiked an additional 9 miles to Bonnet Pond Campsite. Today was modest mileage of 12 miles.

    I was very fortunate to get to the Camel LakeCampground which had a beautiful lake and a swimming area which I really enjoyed. They also had hot showers, and the camp host and another camper offered up lots of free ice to cool me down.

     It was just a short three-hike longer to the Bonnet Pond campground where I’m staying tonight. Bonnet Pond is located about a tenth of a mile away and has great water for filtering. This pond likely has alligators, so Idid not attempt to swim!

    Today’s hike was marked by several bogs in which my legs sunk almost knee deep into mud and water in the boggy areas. I also found several areas that were poorly marked and had some difficulty finding the Florida Trail without using the Far Out app for direction finding.

     Shortly after returning to camp from the pond, a huge thunderstorm lasting about 45 minutes gave me a chance to clean up and wash clothes. After the rain stopped, I was able to set up the camp successfully and keep my dry things dry. Other than lots of mosquitoes and other insects swarming around me despite insect repellent, this should be a great place to camp tonight! I even have 1 bar of Verizon signal and could talk with Kathy and Sarah. Photos later when I have more signal.

  • Another great day on the Florida Trail

    7/12/25

    Great 13-mile hike today from Forgotten Creek Campsite to Leaning Pines Campsite through very similar terrain to yesterday’s hike — woods, prairie, small creeks. The only major irritant is all the spiders webs with all varieties of spiders, I’m getting better at spotting the webs and clearing them with my trekking poles, but missing a web and seeing a spider crawling down my hat gets my heart rate up! The Far Out info on the campsite tonight said no water was available, but the site actually has a fantastic well with a manual pump. Filling up a gallon ZipLock bag and pouring over me during the hot and humid day was fantastic! 

    Marion is staying in hotel in Ebro, Florida since his feet are still swollen. He is improving with hydration, rest, and cold packs on his feet. He is meeting me at road crossings (SR 20) today; he brought cold drinks and some resupply items today. I really enjoyed sitting in his air-conditioned car for a few minutes today. Tomorrow we will meet about 5 miles from tonight’s campsite, and he will take me to a small cafe and his hotel for a shower. I can hardly wait!

    Dinner tonight was the same as yesterday and again very good! Snacks during the day include Cliff Bars, peanut M&M’s, beef jerky, and Twizzlers which are also very tasty! 

    Manual water pump

    I had a little trouble sleeping last night due to a thunderstorm, but I was pleased that my tent held up well and kept everything dry. I finally found a good sleeping position and woke up about 5:40 AM. I was able to pack up within 30 minutes and make it to Marion in about 3 hours. Hopefully, tomorrow will be an earlier start since the heat is unbearable after 12 Noon.

    Campsite at Leaning Pines Campsite

  • Great First Day in the Woods on the Florida Trail!

    7/11/25

    Due to the inability to hike the Florida Trail within Eglin AFB due to closures for military exercise, we traveled 1 hour, 45 minutes to the trailhead on US 331 at the eastern edge of Eglin AFB. This was a beautiful hike beginning about 6:20 AM on relatively smooth ground going through wooded areas mixed with prairie areas. 

    The orange blazes marking the FT are well-placed most of the time, but somehow I got turned around in the Lafayette Creek area and ended repeating a 1-1.5 mile section right at the middle of my planned 12-mile hike to Forgotten Creek Campsite at SOBO mile 142.2. 

    I rejuvenated my spirit by taking a soak in the cool, clear, and very refreshing river! After arriving at the campsite about 1:30 PM, I rested, drank lots of water with Liquid IV electrolytes, filtered water to drink, and took another refreshing dip in the creek! 

    Forgotten Creek
    Campsite
    New ultralight tent — 2 pounds!

    was able to set up my new tent without any problem, enjoyed a wonderful dinner consisting of Raman noodles with chicken, added olive oil, beef jerky, trail mix, and water flavored with Crystal Light. This meal felt like a gourmet meal compared to the very distasteful freeze-dried food used on the AT! 

    All is quiet in the woods now, and the temperature is going down from the max of 94 degrees with a heat index of 105 earlier this afternoon. My Ursack Almitey bag is safely hung away from my campsite with all food and garbage. Bedtime will come quickly tonight since I hope to start hiking at sunrise around 5:30 AM tomorrow.

  • Great hike through rural America today!

    Great hike through rural America today!

    With great support from John and Marion today, I was able to hike 17.5 miles from Brown’s Grocery in Holt (SOBO mile 67.3) to the Pearl Trailhead at 84.8 on the northern edge of Eglin AFB. After reviewing the PAM (public access maps), we discovered that the Florida Trail is closed in multiple sections. Therefore, we will travel nearly 2 hours tomorrow to begin the Eastern Panhandle section on the Far Out app maps.

    First Baptist Church in Holt, FL
    Day 2 start in Holt, FL

    I enjoyed hiking on US 90 through rural America with many farms, homes with large lots, well-shaded hiking paths near the road, beautiful river crossings, and helpful small businesses. I eventually came to Crestview, a much larger town than expected with nearly every known chain business. We ate breakfast at a wonderful Mom and Pop restaurant, Tropical Palm, in the gorgeous historic downtown Crestview. An old friend from F3 Island Coast, Kyle “Moose” Waltz, met us at the restaurant and shared news about his recent marriage to Heather and the selling of his pest control company to a large UK firm, Moose could retire at age 38, it he still plans to continue working.

    Moose and I at Tropical Palm Restaurant
    Yellow River Bridge
    Side trail near US 90

    I was able to meet John and Marion every 6-8 miles, rehydrate and eat a snack, and easily walk 17.5 miles today by 12:30 PM when the temperature rose to 95 degrees.

    Downtown Crestview
  • Exciting First Day on the Florida Trail!

    Exciting First Day on the Florida Trail!

    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.

    Blue Angel banner on many homes
    Bird shelters

    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.

  • Moving Onward to the Florida Trail

    Moving Onward to the Florida Trail

    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!