In the South Florida Region where I live, theBig Cypress National Park holds some of the best hiking and most incredible habitats in the state.  Depending on small changes in elevation you will come across a variety of different environments includingCypressstrands, hammocks, sawgrass prairies and of course the vast swamp known as theEvergladesencompassing it all. The trails are all quite passable during the dry season and go through many WMA’s (Wildlife Management Areas) as well as utilizing the tops of levees used to control water flow. The open prairies give way to dense tropical foliage and then back to prairies and swamp depending on the elevation of the area.

Open Prairie on Florida Trail, It can get very Wet

You can easily access some of the best parts of the Florida Trail from Miami and Fort Lauderdale merely by heading about 45 mins west on either I-75 or US 41, this should take you to the North or South Section of the Big Cypress National Preserve which boarders the northern part of Everglades National Park. My Favorite part of the Trail can be accessed off of I-75. This part of Big Cypress has an abundant amount of wildlife that includes Whitetail Deer, Black Bear, Various Bird life, many American alligators and even the endangered Florida Panther.  Big Cypressis in fact BIG! With over 730,000 acres of subtropical terrain including hardwood hammocks, sloughs and cypress swamp to name a few of the types of terrain possibly encountered.  You need to determine what you are seeking to determine what time of the year would be best for your hike. If it’s in the wet season, bring plenty of insect repellent.

Central Florida Hikes also offer a great deal of variety in habitats from the vast prairies inhabited by the generations of Cattleman and Ranchers that have worked this part of the state to the hardwood hammocks and the rivers such as the St. John that cross the state. One of my favorite hikes along the Florida Trail is found in the WMA of Three Lakes, found about 45 minutes fromOrlando, Get off at Yeehaw Junction on the Florida Turnpike and you are just about there!

The Florida Trail Covers Alot of Ground!

This area is surrounded by many lakes such as Lake Kissimmee and during the wet season can make for a very interesting slog through parts of the trail. This part of the Florida Trail passes through many palmetto prairies and pine flat woods transition frequently into open scrub, a favorite area of the feral hog. The marshy areas in this region are also an incredible area for bird watching hikes as it is a vital wintering spot for both Sand hill Cranes and Whooping Cranes. The three lakes WMA is a great place for a quick overnight or weekend hike and has quite a few sections that will loop around so you won’t need to double back. Each loop is about 5.5 to 6 miles in length and maps can be had from each of the trailheads.  The North and South loop trails are found within the adjacent Prairie Lakes Unit. Wildlife consists of feral hogs, Whitetail deer, Wild Turkey and birds of prey such as the Bald Eagle and the elusive Caracara.

Deer in Velvet Antlers on Florida Trail

As you move more towards the Northern regions of the state the flat prairies begin to turn into more hilly terrain and Pine forests become more of the norm. The hills may hide numerous ponds and lakes with small rivers cutting gullies and ravines into the landscape. This part of Florida is well known for its underground rivers and aquifer. Sand dunes and scrub are abundant in this area.  The Ocala National Forest has abundant rolling hills featuring open forests of longleaf pines and oak trees and many areas of scrub, sand dunes and wiregrass. This is perfect habitat for the eastern diamondback rattlesnake, indigo snake and gopher tortoises as well as deer, hog, black bears and armadillos.  If you are hiking this area during the hunting season be sure to wear blaze orange for safety.

Use the numerous signs to figure out where you are as this part of the Florida Trail is well maintained, but remember you may be passing through floodplain forests, which could make following the trail a bit more difficult. Towards the extreme North section of the Florida Trail, it will go along Cross Florida Greenway through the Rodman Campground and along the Cross Florida Barge Canal, which was originally a project to connect the Gulf of Mexico to theAtlantic Ocean before it was cancelled for environmental reasons.

The Outdoors Guy in Three Lakes WMA doing a Steve Irwin Imitation

The section of the Florida Trail that cuts into the Florida Panhandle (upper northwest part of the state) offers some of the highest elevations inFloridaand allows hikers to roam along the edges of theGulf of Mexico. The estuaries and frequent transition from high forest and woods to low marshy areas make this a great area to view wildflowers and many other types of incredible Florida plant life. The parts of the Florida Trail in and around Apalachicola are perfect for shorter day hikes and passes through some astonishing terrain. The St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge is worth the effort but permits are required for overnight camping.

Just a bit north of the Wildlife Refuge is the Sopchoppy River. This river flows through the Apalachicola National Forrest and the Bradwell Bay Wilderness through the town of Sopchoppy.  Bradwell Bay is not a “Bay” in the common sense; it is more of a recess land surrounded by hills and is mostly swampland. This is a beautiful area but keep an eye on water levels or it can be a very wet hike.

Tova is a great companion on hikes

Hiking with a partner or two always seems to make the trek all that more enjoyable, particularly when your company is of the furry persuasion. If you’ve already been out on the trails with your dog, then you’re familiar with how rewarding your day in the woods can be with Man’s Best Friend. I look at it this way: at the very least I’ve gone from talking to myself to talking to another living being on the trail, even if they don’t use the same language I do. The spring in their steps and the wagging tails say it all. I have to believe people aren’t the only ones that get cabin fever during the cold weather months.
While there are various reasons you may be motivated to leash up your dog and hit the trails, one of your first considerations should be that of safety; safety for you and your dog as well as others hiking the same trail. Taking your dog with you out in the woods isn’t a complicated addition to any preparation you already do for yourself prior to hiking, but here are a few quick things to remember:
 Just as you pack water for yourself, make sure your dog will have plenty of water available either in the way of a canteen or a collapsible bowl that you can fill from a fresh stream along the way. Pack him/her a snack as well, since it’s easy to work up an appetite in just a few short hours.
 Review the first aid kit you keep in your daypack (you DO keep a first aid kit, right??) and consider adding an extra roll or two of gauze in the event your dog is injured and you need to wrap a leg or paw.

My best friend Dusty

 Be sure to carry your dogs’ rabies vaccination certificate with you, particularly if you will be entering a state park. Most state and national parks will not admit you with your dog unless you can provide the certificate describing the dog and showing the date of the vaccine.
 Purchase a good canine bug repellent. There are many on the market geared toward dogs and even some that are formulated with natural ingredients. Swarms of black flies and mosquitoes are not fun for man or beast.
 Make sure you have a good retractable leash. Since your dog will inevitably want to sniff his way up and down the trail, a retractable leash will allow you to give him some leeway while reserving the right to reel him in when other hikers approach.
 Depending on the season you are in, you may want to consider putting a bright bandana or even a field vest on your dog. Not only will hunters now see the flash of blaze orange, keeping your dog out of harm’s way, but other hikers won’t mistaken your dog coming at them for a bear or other wild animal. (Laugh, but my Newfoundland was mistaken for a bear once and I thought the woman walking toward us would have a heart attack).
 If the terrain you’ll be routinely hiking with your dog is rough and particularly rocky, you may consider checking out some of the hiking ‘boots’ they have to protect the pads of your dogs feet. If you decide you and dog are destined to spend many more hours in the woods together, consider putting your dog to work by strapping a saddlebag/daypack on him/her, contingent on his/her breed, of course.
Lastly, in order to be sure both you and your dog have an enjoyable experience hiking together, treat your dog as you would any other friend and don’t take him/her on a hike of great difficulty right off the bat. If you had a human friend that was new to hiking you wouldn’t take him/her up a steep eight hour climb, so don’t expect your dog to do it unless you want to be carrying him back down.
For more information on hiking and backpacking with your dog, as well as finding local dog-friendly destinations, check out www.hikewithyourdog.com.

 Some people may go out for a walk in the woods or on some hiking trail with a camera worth more than their Mortgage payments, while others may just grab a disposable off the shelf of the Walgreens when stopping for a bottle of water. I fall some where in the middle with a nice little, semi-affordable digital camera that fits nicely into my jacket pocket. A visit to your local Best Buy, Costco or even eBay should help you find exactly what fits your needs. Make sure it has an adequate zoom, wide angle and can handle some intense close ups as you just never know what or who you will encounter that day.

Once while taking an early morning stroll through one of the wooded parks in the heart of North Miami, Florida where I live, I struck up a conversation with a gentleman that I recognized as a member of the undefeated 1972 Miami Dolphins Super Bowl Champs, who graciously posed for a photo with me.  On another walk 40 minutes west of Ft. Lauderdale I ran into a very curious yet non aggressive Black Bear.  The point is to be ready to turn your walk or hike into that memory that will live forever.

 If you live in a part of the country that is known for fall foliage, be prepared to capture that special moment when the light hits those leaves just right and seems to set the trees on fire with brilliant colors.  If you live near the ocean, the waves may be crashing against the shore with the spray creating rainbows or that dolphin skyrocketing out of the water seemingly just to pose for your lens.

You may ask, “Why are you not giving us information about what type of equipment to use or what lens and speed?” The reason is that I am not a photographer, I don’t know the answers to many of those questions, you can go to http://hochmanphotography.com and ask my brother who is an expert at that stuff, personally, I just love to go out, hike a bit and if something great presents itself to me, I take a picture. I am here to tell you, get out and enjoy! Just being outside on a glorious day is satisfying enough, but with today’s compact digital camera’s, you can take some of that experience home with you. It doesn’t matter whether you are hiking a trail in the Everglades, up a hill in the Adirondacks or in Denali, AK, as long as you are doing it under wild blue skies you are a winner!

Thru hiking is the outdoors ultimate in testing your ability and getting in touch with the natural world around you. They may be those individuals who have recently retired from long careers and want time to relax and smell the coffee for a while or they can be young men and women who have just completed their education and want to take some time off to decompress before embarking on their careers. These individuals are usually well educated and are in good physical health.  Anyone who has visited small towns along various scenic trails in this country, (the outdoorsguy.com is a frequent visitor to the Florida trail and the Appalachian trail), will have noticed hikers passing them carry quality camping equipment yet looking like they need to spend some serious time with soap and water. The thru hiker will look much disheveled as the rigors of a great outdoors adventure seldom leave us looking like we are ready for a night on the town! Their camping and hiking equipment must be of superior quality to endure hundreds of miles on the trail and protect them from the constantly changing elements. The must have enough faith in what they bring along as they are forced to be completely self sufficient when far from any cities or towns.

Even when on their own for several days at a time thru hikers will spend time in those towns that border that particular section of a trail that they are traveling through. These sojourns into such towns allow the Thru hiker to re supply and take a much needed rest from the harshness of the trail.  Most campers who embark on such journeys will need to take on needed items such as Coleman fuel for lanterns or stoves, and other such items including food, as the weight of a trekker’s pack will have much to do with how far and how long he or she can go without the need to resupply.  The hiker can use the layover in town to call loved ones in order to inform them of their condition and location and quite possibly to sleep in a comfortable bed with a shower for the night.

Hikers can enjoy the opportunity to explore and experience the natural world and the diversity of nature. In certain regions of the country you can also be taken back in time and realize the historical significance of various areas.  By hiking through various types of environments, and with changes in water flowage and elevation the changes in various ecosystems becomes more pronounced. Although you don’t need to be a thru hiker to experience this, the day to day encounters on the trail will display the transition and diversity more sharply.

Whether you are considering a thousand mile trek or a series of short day hikes, you’ll find experiences to suit each and every person’s physical and emotional abilities and needs. The best way to prepare for either is to just pack up some water and grab your gear and hit the trail. Remember, any day above ground is a great day!