Orange Blaze: A Florida Trail Podcast

The podcast is taking a massive hiatus in 2024! I will be back. If you'd like to be a guest on the podcast, leave a comment or email me at orangeblazepodcast at gmail and we can go from where. Thanks for listening over the years! Burnout how gotten hold of me and I need to reinvigorate my interest in the podcast with a long break.

As a nature lover, I am drawn to those who share the the wonders of Florida's natural history as they document their hikes along the way. Claire's Instagram account caught my eye well before their 2022 thru-hike and still captures my interest today even though they are no longer on a thru-hiking journey. The perspective Claire offered on both their Florida Trail and subsequent Appalachian Trail thru-hike was one I deeply appreciated. We talk about those hikes but also about their background prior to coming to the thru-hiking world, life after thru-hiking, and determining whether thru-hiking is in their future and how best to enjoy a hike for oneself. We also talk about Claire's very excellent art, another perspective from their Instagram accounts I have appreciated.

For several years now I have been following the news about the push to Free the Ocklawaha River from the Rodman Dam, first via the Florida Native Plant Society, and later through other entities in Florida. The idea intrigued me because the Rodman Reservoir and the Kirkpatrick Dam as well as the Cross Florida Barge Canal are all intertwined with the Florida Trail. The reservoir was created when the dam was sealed off on the Ocklawaha River in the late 1960s, thus drowning multiple springs and severely altering the ecosystem. Almost since it's creation there has been a call to restore the system. I invited Margaret Spontak, Chair of the Free the Ocklawaha Coalition, on to talk about the history of the project and to provide insight into the coalitions goals and hopeful timeline in restoring the Ocklawaha River system. This episode is part of my greater series highlighting managed lands that cross through or are adjacent to the Florida Trail.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Hattie Spring (@searchingforspring) Earlier this year I put out a call for Ocean to Lake hikers to come on the podcast and share their stories so I could get their perspective on that segment of what isn’t really the Florida Trail but I think we’ve all come to think of it is as a special little piece of the FT. We’ve heard from Sandra Friend who helped put the Ocean to Lake Trail together as well as Josh Widdowfield on his Ocean to Lake hike and subsequent Florida Trail thru-hike. Hattie Spring answered my call for folks to share their perspective and I am so glad we did. We had a delightful conversation that spans the FT but as well as adventure racing, paddling, volunteering, and about being a FTA Next Gen Coalition member. We cover a lot in our conversation! http://orangeblaze.thegardenpathpodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/OB_HattieSpring_11052023.mp3 Download Episode 92 .emd_dl_blue { -moz-box-shadow:inset 0px 1px 0px 0px #bbdaf7; -webkit-box-shadow:inset 0px 1px 0px 0px #bbdaf7; box-shadow:inset 0px 1px 0px 0px #bbdaf7; background:-webkit-gradient( linear, left top, left bottom, color-stop(0.05, #79bbff), color-stop(1, #378de5) ); background:-moz-linear-gradient( center top, #79bbff 5%, #378de5 100% ); filter:progid:DXImageTransform.Microsoft.gradient(startColorstr='#79bbff', endColorstr='#378de5'); background-color:#79bbff; -webkit-border-top-left-radius:0px; -moz-border-radius-topleft:0px; border-top-left-radius:0px; -webkit-border-top-right-radius:0px; -moz-border-radius-topright:0px; border-top-right-radius:0px; -webkit-border-bottom-right-radius:0px; -moz-border-radius-bottomright:0px; border-bottom-right-radius:0px; -webkit-border-bottom-left-radius:0px; -moz-border-radius-bottomleft:0px; border-bottom-left-radius:0px; text-indent:0; border:1px solid #84bbf3; display:inline-block; color:#ffffff !important; font-family:Georgia; font-size:15px; font-weight:bold; font-style:normal; height:41px; line-height:41px; width:200px; text-decoration:none; text-align:center; text-shadow:1px 1px 0px #528ecc; } .emd_dl_blue:hover { background:-webkit-gradient( linear, left top, left bottom, color-stop(0.05, #378de5), color-stop(1, #79bbff) ); background:-moz-linear-gradient( center top, #378de5 5%, #79bbff 100% ); filter:progid:DXImageTransform.Microsoft.gradient(startColorstr='#378de5', endColorstr='#79bbff'); background-color:#378de5; }.emd_dl_blue:active { position:relative; top:1px; } Music: “Breathing” by Lee Rosevere

Earlier this year I asked for folks who had hiked the Ocean to Lake Trail to reach out to me if they would like to share a bit about their experience on that trail for a short series wanted to do here on the podcast. Josh '301' Widdowfield was one of those hikers who offered to chat with me on the podcast and I’m glad he did. Josh thru-hiked the FT this year (2023) but has done several LASH (Long Ass Section) hikes on the AT and PCT, and likes to combine his hikes with giving back to the thru-hiking community through trail magic and hiker outreach. It was certainly interesting to hear how Josh combines his love of hiking with giving back to other hikers and I think something we should also consider more often.

I've been wanting to get Jim Kern, found of the Florida Trail, back on this podcast since he was first on the podcast, the very first episode that launched the podcast in 2018. It took me a while but I finally made it happen. This episode is likely to stir up some thoughts and hopefully some positive conversations. I read Jim’s book Broken Promise: The Plight of our National Trails this summer with the express purpose of speaking to him about the book. If you aren’t familiar with the book or his organization Hiking Trails for America, Jim is very eager to get all of our remaining incomplete National Scenic Trails finished without any road walk gaps. As Florida Trail hikers we all know the problems with the gaps in the trail and all wish for the trail to be complete. While most hiking organizations these days rely on the process of easements or slowly purchasing trail corridors, Jim is advocating for the agencies that manage the scenic trails to use their constitutional powers of eminent domain to complete it. After all, that is how the Appalachian Trail was completed. Why not others? Another reason I was interested to hear his perspective was because I’ve been mired in some activism here in Texas this summer to save a state park that had been leased for 50 years by the state and had been located on an energy company’s property. Needless to say, I've had a crash course in eminent domain law and reading Jim’s book added another dimension to the whole subject. I think I’ll save more commentary on this for a longer podcast episode--–I’m contemplating a round table discussion with folks about how we should feasibly move forward in completing all of our national scenic trails. It certainly seems like we should be pushing Congress to do more than they've been doing the last several decades. Even if you haven’t read Jim’s book this is a fascinating subject and if you pair it with the goals we heard a few episodes ago from the FTA, I think we can all reasonably find a solution to closing the gaps in our long trails.

Today's podcast guest is Sandra Friend, someone you all should know well by now! If by some chance you are new to the podcast and new to Florida hiking, well this is your lucky day and you caught the right podcast to listen to! Sandra Friend and her partner John Keatley are the folks behind Florida Hikes and much of the guidebooks related to Florida’s hiking trails out there in publication. John wasn’t able to be interviewed for this episode due to other life constraints but Sandra and I had a wonderful conversation. The primary purpose for our conversation was to talk about the development of the Ocean to Lake Trail in the early 2000s and her involvement in its beginnings. We pivot to her Florida Trail guide as well as her fiction writing, too. As always, a conversation with Sandra is a great way to spend some time and I hope you’ll find as much value in her words as I do.

Episode 88's guest is Florida Trail Association Executive Director, Royce Gibson. It’s been a while since I’ve had a representative from the FTA on the podcast and when I saw the latest campaign from the FTA, the Close the Gaps campaign, I knew I needed to get someone on to speak directly to this. Royce was the natural fit and it was great to sit down and hear what the current plans are for closing the approximately 300 miles of gaps in the Florida Trail. Road walks are the number one complaint about the Florida Trail, probably followed closely by loose dogs, and there’s no shortage of people looking for answers on how to close these gaps. Since it had also been quite a while since the FTA has had an Executive Director, this was a wonderful opportunity to get some insight into how the organization is run. If you aren't a member of the Florida Trail Association, consider becoming a member and supporting the work to keep the trail maintained and accessible to hikers!

Darby Calm is a hiker based in SE Florida and this interview with her is probably long overdue as I’ve long been a fan of her Instagram account and persistence as a hiker. Darby is a day hiker and by day hiker I mean, she is out on a trail most days of the week. And if she’s not out on a trail, she’s walking through her neighborhood or out on the water exploring Florida’s waterways. When Darby isn’t out exploring in Florida, she’s a Conflict Coach, and as you’ll hear in our conversation she often employs some of the techniques she uses in coaching on herself while out hiking. What I love most about Darby and her account is that she shows the rough and tough stuff and that you don’t need to call yourself a thru-hiker or section hiker to have some kind of meaningful experience on trail. Just get out there and start hiking and make it the experience you want it to be. We talk about the Ocean to Lake Trail, her explorations around the state and much more! Let’s hear what Darby has to say! http://orangeblaze.thegardenpathpodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/OB_Ep87_DarbyCalm_07252023.mp3 Download Episode 87 .emd_dl_blue { -moz-box-shadow:inset 0px 1px 0px 0px #bbdaf7; -webkit-box-shadow:inset 0px 1px 0px 0px #bbdaf7; box-shadow:inset 0px 1px 0px 0px #bbdaf7; background:-webkit-gradient( linear, left top, left bottom, color-stop(0.05, #79bbff), color-stop(1, #378de5) ); background:-moz-linear-gradient( center top, #79bbff 5%, #378de5 100% ); filter:progid:DXImageTransform.Microsoft.gradient(startColorstr='#79bbff', endColorstr='#378de5'); background-color:#79bbff; -webkit-border-top-left-radius:0px; -moz-border-radius-topleft:0px; border-top-left-radius:0px; -webkit-border-top-right-radius:0px; -moz-border-radius-topright:0px; border-top-right-radius:0px; -webkit-border-bottom-right-radius:0px; -moz-border-radius-bottomright:0px; border-bottom-right-radius:0px; -webkit-border-bottom-left-radius:0px; -moz-border-radius-bottomleft:0px; border-bottom-left-radius:0px; text-indent:0; border:1px solid #84bbf3; display:inline-block; color:#ffffff !important; font-family:Georgia; font-size:15px; font-weight:bold; font-style:normal; height:41px; line-height:41px; width:200px; text-decoration:none; text-align:center; text-shadow:1px 1px 0px #528ecc; } .emd_dl_blue:hover { background:-webkit-gradient( linear, left top, left bottom, color-stop(0.05, #378de5), color-stop(1, #79bbff) ); background:-moz-linear-gradient( center top, #378de5 5%, #79bbff 100% ); filter:progid:DXImageTransform.Microsoft.gradient(startColorstr='#378de5', endColorstr='#79bbff'); background-color:#378de5; }.emd_dl_blue:active { position:relative; top:1px; } Music: “Breathing” by Lee Rosevere

Earlier this year I interviewed Mills Kelly, historian and host of the Green Tunnel Podcast, which as the podcast website declares, "delves into topics including the quirky history of trail food, the shelters and structures built along the trail, and dangers you might encounter during a hike". Mills and I have kept in touch over the last few months and we’ve decided to do a podcast episode swap today–an episode of the Green Tunnel Podcast will play on the Orange Blaze Podcast and an episode of the Orange Blaze Podcast will play on the Green Tunnel Podcast. I’ve chosen an episode from February of this year entitled The Lost AT. I love these tidbits of Appalachian Trail history and think you will too.