April Chapter Meeting - How to Hike the Florida Trail!

REMINDER: THIS MONTH'S MEETING WILL BE HELD AT THE SCIENCE & DISCOVERY CENTER OF NW FLORIDA ON AIRPORT RD. * THERE WILL BE NO SOCIAL HOUR! SEE EVERYONE AT 6:30pm

Join us for our April Chapter meeting and hear a talk by Sandra Friend and John Keatley on “How to Hike the Florida Trail” !

Stretching 1,400 miles from Pensacola Beach to the edge of the Everglades in Big Cypress National Preserve, the Florida Trail is a footpath with access points within an hour of most Floridians. No matter whether you prefer an easy walk in the woods with family to a long distance backpacking trip, the Florida Trail, our National Scenic Trail, provides plenty of places to immerse in nature. Sandra Friend and John Keatley, hosts of FloridaHikes.com, will show you why the Florida Trail is Florida's premiere place to hike, and explain how to prepare for day hiking and backpacking along the trail. They are the authors of "The Florida Trail Guide" and will have copies available after the talk.

We'll also have the rare opportunity to host FS Engineer, Reid Brooks, for a short talk on bridges, repair and maintenance. We have many great bridges in our area and Reid has been partnering with us to take good care of them.

More about Sandra and John...

Sandra and John have hiked many thousands of miles in Florida and beyond. Just last year they hiked together on a large portion of the Appalachian Trail. For years, Sandra was the Publicity Director for the FTA. She has written 27 books, with more than a dozen on Florida’s natural areas and hiking, and has developed several hiking-related apps. John’s outdoor background also includes sailing, diving, and tens of thousands of miles of bike touring. They’re both trained Scout leaders and public speakers, and are currently working together on two new Florida hiking books. Sandra and John are both members of the Florida Outdoor Writers Association, and Sandra serves on the Board of Directors of the Society of American Travel Writers.

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You can learn more about hiking in Florida, and about Sandra and John, by visiting their website: http://www.floridahikes.com

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