Jeff Wetherington's Blog

Posted by Jeff Wetherington

In today's Internet atmosphere the emphasis is on interaction, especially social interaction between those who have similar interests but may be scattered around the globe. That emphasis is what drives sites like Flickr, MySpace and others.

EveryTrail is a free online web 2.0 platform that allows hikers, backpackers and other outdoor enthusiasts to visualize and share trail trips using GPS coordinate data, digital photos and location-based notes overlaid on interactive maps.

Once you register (FREE!), you can download the EveryTrail GPS Connector program (very small), connect your GPS unit and upload the coordinates, then upload digital photos that you can drop right into the interactive map along with notes about the pictures, trail or adventure under the Create Trip section.

But that's not all. You can also Browse Trips and enjoy the adventures that others have posted. At this point they have the following categories to browse: Hiking, Running, Road biking, Driving, Mountain biking, Walking, Trail running, Mountaineering, and Sailing. Right now, about 50% of the users are in the U.S. with 25% in Europe, 20% in Asia and the remaining users in Latin America, Australia and New Zealand, so you can truly browse entries from around the world.

The site creators have also recently added a blog to keep users abreast of additions and changes on the site, as well as related news.

I just got a Magellan Maestro 4040 GPS and a Nikon D40 digital SLR camera, so I'm really looking forward to adding my next trail hike to EveryTrail.com.

Posted by Jeff Wetherington

This Saturday, June 2, 2007, will mark the 15th anniversary of the American Hiking Society's National Trails Day. Events are hosted by trail and hiking groups, community service organizations, various public and private agencies, and businesses across the nation. Last year, a record 1,210 events were registered with and sanctioned by the American Hiking Society from coast to coast here in America.

National Trails Day takes place to encourage the American public to get off the couch and hit the hiking or walking tails in their area. Events will include group hikes, gear demonstrations, instructional seminars and the opportunity to take part in volunteer efforts to maintain, repair or clean up hiking trails around this great country. Events are scheduled to take place in all 50 states, as well as in Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands. Our neighbor to the north, Canada, is also taking part in the celebration.

Events will also include special activities for children (Girl Scouts can earn the "Get With the Land" patch) and for the first time this year there will be a National Trails Day Photo Contest, so be sure to bring your camera and send your best shot in for judging.

If you're an experienced hiker, this is an excellent opportunity to bring a friend who is new to hiking or trail walking and familiarize them with your favorite outdoor activity.

You can find all the events taking place in your part of the country by clicking on the Search for an Event in Your Area link on the website.

Get out this Saturday and celebrate National Trails Day 2007.

Posted by Jeff Wetherington

If you've spent any amount of time in the outdoors hiking, backpacking or camping, you know it's not unusual to be bitten or stung by various insects, plants or animal life. It goes with the territory.

But in certain parts of the United States, particularly the south central and midwestern areas, the Brown Recluse Spider is a part of the ecosystem you will want to avoid.

While living in Oklahoma I had a friend who returned from a camping trip with what she thought was a mosquito bite on her leg, just to the left of her shin bone. At first it presented as just a raised red area that itched, but over the course of a few days she developed a dime-sized hole that extended approximately a quarter-inch into her leg. It turned out that she had been bitten by a Brown Recluse Spider. The bite eventually healed under a doctor's care, but she was left with an indentation in her leg where the bite was located.

The Brown Recluse prefers to stay in dark areas, so in the outdoors they live under rocks, logs, woodpiles and debris. But if they get indoors or in sheltered areas (like your tent) they can be found in sleeping bags, boots, caps or items of clothing. That's another reason why it's always a good idea to get in the practice of shaking out those items before climbing into them or placing them on your body. The Brown Recluse is not an aggressive arachnid, but when finding itself between, say the inside of your boot and your skin, it will bite in self-defense.

While not poisonous (the venom is meant to paralyze its smaller prey), the bite's result on a human is necrosis or tissue death as the venom kills the affected flesh. In most cases, humans will not even feel the bite when it happens, but within 3 to 8 hours the affected area will itch, swell, redden and become pus-filled as the body's defense mechanism seek to fight off the effects of the venom. Though rarely fatal, the bite is painful and can possibly cause a systemic reaction in your body within 24-36 hours that may cause chills, fever, nausea, muscle weakness and joint pain.

Stay safe in the outdoors and avoid the Brown Recluse Spider.

Posted by Jeff Wetherington

The ubiquitous Google has teamed up with Trimble Outdoors to add an outdoor adventure layer to their popular software program Google Earth. This is a multimedia GPS content layer for outdoor adventure seekers that allows Google Earth users to view a variety of information about routes, GPS points, areas of interest, directions, descriptions, photos and even video and audio clips from the trail.

Usage is easy:

1. Start Google Earth

2. Go to "Layers" in the Sidebar on the left.

3. Expand the "Featured Content" folder under "Primary Database".

4. Click the "Trimble Outdoors Trips" checkbox and click as many details as you wish to view.

5. In the main window, pan and zoom into the area of interest to you until you see red lines and dots indicating Trimble Outdoors trips.

6. Continue to zoom in until you see little "Green Hikers".

7. Click on the Greek Hiker and a pop-up window will appear with a wealth data.

For instance, I decided to check out the Suwannee River Trail near White Springs, Florida. It's a trail I have thought about hiking on a future camping trip. Clicking on the Green Hiker icon gives me this information:

Contributed by: Backpacker Magazine

It also provides me with the option of sending the information to a GPS enabled cell phone, e-mailing the information to a friend (or myself), contributing my own hiking information on this trail (such as photos, videos or audio files) or viewing more information online. The more information online feature provides details such as where fences might cross the trail, where certain plant life may be found and exact GPS coordinates for each description given.

As always, on a Google Earth map, the lower left hand corner provides the GPS coordinates and the elevation of the location where the Green Hiker icon is located.

This Outdoor Adventure layer addition to Google Earth will allow hikers, backpackers, mountain bikers and running enthusiasts to access a wide variety of information on a new (or even a familiar) trail before ever stepping out the door.

Posted by Jeff Wetherington

Renowned film maker Ken Burns, whose works include The Civil War, Jazz, Baseball and Frank Lloyd Wright, as well as 12 other film documentaries, is in the process of producing and directing a major documentary series entitled "The National Parks" which is scheduled to premiere on PBS stations in the fall of 2009. As in his past productions, Burns will be using archival film records to make his documentary less of a nature or travelogue show and more of a truly American experience.

And for that he need your help.

Here is an excerpt from The National Parks Traveler web site, which has details on submissions and what you'll receive (aside from the thrill of seeing your home video in a Ken Burns documentary) if your submission is used;

"...it will tell the very powerful, human story of how the parks came into being and what they have meant to Americans for more than a hundred years. It will be filled with major historical figures - from John Muir to Theodore Roosevelt to Ansel Adams - but it will also tell the stories of many lesser-known Americans, from cowboys to immigrant artists, wealthy philanthropists to dirt-poor farmers who turned their passion for a part of the American landscape into crusades for their permanent protection.

To help them tell this story, they would like to collect home movies of visits to National Parks by families and individuals for possible use in the film. They are looking for home movies from the time period of the 1920s through the 1980s and are most interested in footage of families and tourists in the parks."

The proposed ten hour series will seek to chronicle the human history of five of America's most important and popular National Parks (Yellowstone, Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Acadia, and Great Smoky Mountains) as well as the unforgettable Americans who played a role in their existence. Home videos made in these parks and taken between the 1920's and the 1980's will be the most sought after films.

This is your chance to be a part of a great documentary series and indeed, a part of what will become a piece of Americana.

Posted by Jeff Wetherington

USA Today recently ran an article about the latest outdoor craze being made available by tour operators and outdoor resorts; luxury camping known as "Glamping" or Glamorous Camping.

Yes, there are tents, but they have Persian Rugs on the ground and are more like cocktail party canopies. No sleeping bags, but there are extra-length beds with fluffy pillows, crisp, clean sheets and warm blankets. Electricity is standard. Some offer saunas and hot tubs. And meal time? Well there's no cooking over an open campfire. Instead, you can head for the mess tent and indulge that appetite you worked up by sitting in the jeep during the game drive by filling your bone china plate with haute cuisine and sitting at a table covered by a linen tablecloth.

All this can be yours for the paltry sum of $4,100 per person, double occupancy for a 3 day trip.

So, whatever happened to "roughing it" and "getting away from it all"? The lure of camping for me has always been the experience of leaving civilization (or most of it, anyway) behind to enjoy the beauty and allure of nature. There is also the aspect of a hiking or camping trip being a chance to exercise the need to be self-sustaining, at least in some small part. Granted, I don't hunt game and prepare it to eat, but I do erect my own shelter, prepare my own food, build my own fire, and sleep with not much more than a sleeping bag and pad between myself and the hard, uneven earth.

I hate to break it to these "Glampers", but while what they're doing may indeed be glamorous, it's definitely not camping.

Posted by Jeff Wetherington

As people who enjoy fresh air and being in the midst of nature, the opportunity to perform volunteer service for agencies or organizations in the great outdoors is a fantastic thing for us. That's just become a lot easier because online outdoor gear supplier REI.com has created a way for people looking for volunteer opportunities to search and sign up for available events in their own local area.

Partnering with VolunteerMatch, REI provides connection to more than 400 nonprofit organizations, clubs and groups that make conservation and outdoor issues their focal point. Here's how the system works:

Go to REI.com/volunteer and enter your zip code, then choose the distance to include from your zip code and your area of interest from drop-down menus. You also have the option of entering keywords and particular skills, as well as narrowing the search to certain demographic groups. Click search and watch the returns pop up. I was able to find 57 outdoor-related volunteer opportunities within 20 miles of my home.

Take advantage of REI's service to look for volunteer opportunities in your area.

Posted by Jeff Wetherington

If you asked most children today what their preferred activities are, most likely the majority of them would say; watching TV, being on the computer, surfing the Internet, talking or texting on a cell phone with friends and playing their X-Box or Nintendo. The one common factor in these activities is that they almost exclusively take place indoors with creature comforts close at hand. Sort of like that commercial where the tired and perspiring dad tells his son that he's finally finished building the treehouse, only to have the son, who is sitting in the comfort of the family SUV, ask if it has plush leather seats and a DVD player. When told "No" by the dad the son looks at his friend and the comfort of their surroundings in the SUV and declares, "I think we're good here".

Last year, the state of Connecticut, in conjunction with the State Parks and Forests and the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection, created a program called "No Child Left Behind" and designed to help children connect with the outdoors and nature, with the hope that an effective result will be to create the next generation of environmentally and ecologically conscious citizens. Now communities and states across the nation such as Cincinnati, Cleveland, Chicago, the San Francisco Bay Area, St. Louis, Florida, Wyoming, Colorado and Texas have begun to institute similar campaigns. In addition, the U.S. Forest Service has begun a pilot program called "More Kids In The Woods", a direct response to author Richard Louv's 2005 book "Last Child in the Woods - Saving Our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder".

If your child knows more about computers than they do about camping, they're exactly the audience that the "No Child Left Behind" campaign is searching for and hoping to imbue with the wonder of discovering all the treasures of the great outdoors.

Posted by Jeff Wetherington

About 80 miles north of the Kennedy Space Center and the same distance south of Jacksonville, Florida on a peninsula of land that juts out into the confluence of the Tomoka Halifax Rivers is the Tomoka State Park. This 1800 acre park is named after the Timucuan Indians, a group of Native Americans who inhabited the area (as well as most of Northeast Florida) centuries ago. In the early 1600's Spanish Explorers found the Timucua living on this peninsula in a village called Nocoroco, which no longer exists. The most prominent reminder of this Native American people are shell middens; mounds of oyster and snail shells (a primary staple of the Timucuan diet) that can reach 40 feet in height at the banks of the rivers.

Today, visitors to this Florida State Park can hike, camp and picnic beneath the same shade of Live Oak trees (the largest stand of old growth Live Oak in Eastern Florida) that the Timucuans did. The Fred Dana Marsh Museum houses works by artist Fred Dana Marsh as well as exhibits on the ecology and history of Tomoka State Park.

Outdoor activities at the park include:

Camping - 100 campsites with picnic table, grill, electric and water.

Nature Trails - Trod the same ground that ancient Native Americans did hundreds of years ago.

Picnicking - 5 separate picnic areas throughout the park with covered pavilions and grills.

Boating - Caution is the word of the day when boating on the nearby rivers and tributaries because all of the waters in the vicinity of Tomoka State Park are designated as manatee sanctuaries. Idle and slow speeds are strictly enforced by park rangers and Florida Fish and Wildlife officers.

Canoeing - Rentals are available.

Fishing - 90 different species of fish have been identified in the Tomoka River.

Tomoka State park offers a unique opportunity to combine outdoor activities in a historical environment.

Posted by Jeff Wetherington

The Continental Divide Trail, at approximately 3,100 miles long and stretching from Canada to Mexico through the United States, is the most rugged long-distance National Scenic Trail in the country. On average, only 2 dozen hikers each year attempt to hike the entire trail which averages approximately 6 months to complete. The Trail crosses through five western states; Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico and as many ecological, topographical and climatic varieties.

In the February 2007 issue of Backpacker Magazine, Editor-in-Chief Jonathan Dorn writes in his Editor's Notes column that the CDT lacks one important feature of a long-distance hiking trail; an official map. In fact, more than one third of the CDT remains unsigned, undetermined and unmapped. Some portions that ARE mapped, are confusing in their directions and the presence of multiple trails running from one point to another.

And that's where YOU can help.

Dorn states, "We want to put readers on the CDT this summer and get as much of the trail mapped as possible...The goal is a Forest Service-approved map that eliminates route confusion and gives hikers a definitive document for trip planning. It's a unique opportunity to make hiking history."

Indeed, it is. Imagine being able to tell your grandchildren one day that YOU helped to map the Continental Divide Trail in 2007! Jeff, you ask, how can I get on one of these mapping teams? I'm glad you asked.

"Over the next few months", Dorn reveals, "We'll pick about 200 applicants to join Backpacker editors and CDTA volunteers for a week of hiking and mapping. We'll split you into teams, provide GPS units and training, load you up with free gear, and assign your team a specific section of the trail."

Here's how to apply: go to backpacker.com/cdtmap and fill out the questionnaire no later than March 30, 2007. Winners will be notified by May 1st. Maybe we'll see each other on the Continental Divide trail this Summer!

Posted by Jeff Wetherington

It was just a few years ago that prognosticators were predicting the total isolation of computer and Internet users, portraying them as pale-skinned, squinty-eyed creatures who were hunched over their keyboards day and night, never venturing outside the glare of their computer monitors to live in sunshine of the real world. Then came the phenomena known as "social networking" that has been exemplified by sites such as MySpace (originally for music lovers, now a general site) and Flickr (for photographers). Today, there is a social networking site for almost every demographic, interest and age group, and that's where Outdoorzy.com, a social networking site for outdoor enthusiasts, finds its niche.

Outdoorzy.com opened for beta testers in November of last year, then initiated a viral marketing campaign in January of this year to begin adding members from around the world. Though only a little over 2 months old, Outdoorzy.com already boasts over 300 members, with a little more than half of those from the U.S. and the rest from all over the world including Germany, Canada, Spain and the U.K., among others.

Wade Heflin, one of the 3 co-founders of Outdoorzy.com, told me, "While building the ecommerce site that got me my start, I found that there was a real need for connection in the online world. Our customers loved to interact with one another and even with us, the business owners. This desire for socialization online has been proven many times over in the past few years with the popularity of social networks. I am an avid outdoor enthusiast and I enjoy most of the activities we accommodate on Outdoorzy.com. This love of outdoor sports teamed with my previous web experience and the need to fill this niche led me, along with two partners, to start Outdoorzy.com."

The site itself is very user-friendly. I signed up (membership is free) in just a few short minutes. Filling out a profile to let others know a little (or a lot, as you choose) about you and your interests is a breeze with activities broken down into categories and choosing your favorites as easy as checking the appropriate boxes. Categories are broken out into Water, Land, Snow, Air, Urban, Music and Others. Activities and interests include Hiking, Mountain Biking, Fishing, Photography, Music, Paintball, Whitewater Rafting, Running, Horseback Riding, Surfing, Kayaking, Adventure Racing, Cycling, Rock Climbing and many, many others. If you can't find it listed, it probably doesn't exist.

In addition, you can write Trip Reports or Gear Reviews; share your Gear List; search for or list Destinations; check for or post upcoming Events; post your favorite photos and participate in the Forums with other members. But Heflin and his partners aren't stopping there. They have plans to roll out additional features this year including a Classified Ads section, Business Profiles, Personal Mapping Software and Group capabilities, to name a few.

If you're an outdoor enthusiast, Outdoorzy.com is a great site to use to meet others who share your interests, in your own backyard or across the globe.

Posted by Jeff Wetherington

Weather permitting, rescue workers will begin evacuation efforts at first light today for 3 climbers who fell from a ledge on Mount Hood and then found themselves trapped by a weather system that unexpectedly brought a heavy snowstorm down on the 11,249 foot highest mountain in Oregon.

The 3 stranded climbers were part of a group of 8 climbers that began descending Mount Hood in whiteout conditions at approximately 8,000 feet and accidentally fell off of a ledge on Sunday. The other 5 climbers were rescued late Sunday afternoon after calling authorities on their cell phones and all are in good condition.

The good news is that the 3 stranded climbers, along with a Labrador Retriever, are all well-equipped with adequate clothing. survival gear, climbing equipment and are huddled in sleeping bags awaiting rescue. The group also has a mountain locator unit which allowed search teams to pinpoint their location shortly after locating the 5 other climbers. The bad news is that 2 of the 3 climbers who fell suffered minor head injuries which could need medical attention and, of course, they are cold.

At the 8,000 foot level they are 3,000 feet above the snowstorm which is at 5,000 feet. This amounts to a virtual wall of falling snow that rescue workers must work through to get to the trapped climbers. The severity of the storm has also raised doubts that searchers will be able to make their way up the mountain at first light today as planned.

Last December, rescue efforts were eventually called off for 3 other climbers who were missing on the mountain because of weather, though 1 was eventually found dead in a snow cave from exposure. Over the past 25 years, according to the Associated Press, 35 climbers have died on Mount Hood.

Posted by Jeff Wetherington

An enjoyable backpacking or camping trip begins with careful planning. These websites can help you make your outdoor trip and activities much more fun by giving you the information you need to make knowledgeable decisions.

www.mapquest.com - If you're heading to a new locale to hike, backpack or camp, Mapquest will give you directions from your door to your destination. Just click the "Directions" icon, enter your starting point and destination and soon there will be a detailed map on your monitor complete with written directions, the number of distance miles (total and segment) and how much time it should take you to make the drive. Advanced options allow you to choose shortest time, shortest distance, avoid toll roads, avoid highways and show seasonally closed roads, or to convert your map to a satellite view with road graphics overlaid.

www.weather.com - Knowing how to get where you're going is only part of the plan. You'll also want to know what the weather will be like when you arrive and while you stay at your destination. This website is the online version of The Weather Channel, which is a standard on almost every cable TV lineup around the world. This site will answer just about any weather forecast question for almost any destination that you can imagine. You can find out the current conditions and forecasts for the coming weekend, 10 days ahead or a month ahead, so planning ahead for the weather systems on your next hiking, backpacking or camping trip is easy.

www.reserveamerica.com - It's hard to beat the convenience of this site when it comes to reserving your chosen campsite. If you're not familiar with campsites and/or parks in the area you plan on visiting, you can perform a search based on different criteria, according to the specific amenities or features you are interested in enjoying. If you know the park you're planning to stay at, it's easy to book a site or sites for the number of nights and people you need. There is a wealth of helpful information available including directions, maps of parks, regional maps showing other parks, whether pets are allowed, and if sites are primitive or not, as well as many other useful functions. Yes, there is a service charge when booking sites, but the convenience ReserveAmerica offers is worth it. See this article for a more detailed look at this site.

www.gaspricewatch.com - If you're taking a long enough drive, either to your ultimate destination or camping along the way, this site will help you find the least expensive gas for your vehicle. With 128,000 gas stations in their database, chances are you'll drive past a few.

Part of the fun of a hiking, backpacking or camping trip is in the planning. These sites will help you start enjoying the fun a lot sooner and a lot easier.

Posted by Jeff Wetherington

Last November, two local Yosemite environmental groups, Friends of Yosemite Valley and Mariposans for the Environment and Responsible Government filed suit in federal court to halt commercial construction in the popular 116 year old National Park that directly affected the Merced River, which flows into the Yosemite Valley. Judge Anthony Ishii of the U.S. District Court, agreed with the plaintiffs who argued that further commercial development in Yosemite would bring larger numbers of visitors to the area and further threaten the Merced's fragile ecosystem, which is protected under the federal Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. His ruling halted all of the current $60 million renovation and construction work in the park.

The government is appealing Judge Ishii's ruling, fearing that the natural outcome of such a decision will result in Yosemite being forced to limit the number of visitors to the park...and possibly setting a precedent of limiting visitors at other National Parks. The government claims that radical fringe groups want to see a system in place that would set quotas on the number of people who can visit National Parks in order to minimize the ecological and environmental impact on those parks.

Yosemite was in the midst of a $442 million renovation and remodeling plan that was drawn up after the Merced breached its banks and flooded campgrounds, parking lots and damaged rooms at the park's popular Yosemite Lodge in 1997. Those plans included the relocation of campground areas, rebuilding employee housing, rerouting an important access road and upgrading hotel rooms. In their lawsuit, the two groups claimed that some aspects of that remodeling and renovation, which included blasting out parts of the river canyon, would threaten, and possibly cause irreparable harm to, the Merced.

Whatever your position on the case, this is an issue to keep a close eye on to see how it ultimately is resolved.

Posted by Jeff Wetherington

Hike For Discovery is an adventure fundraising program from The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society that prepares both beginner and experienced hikers to add a new dimension to their outdoor activity. Program participants receive everything they need to be ready for this exceptional experience:

• Professional training and coaching
• Special clinics on such subjects as hiking techniques, nutrition, safety, first aid and trail equipment
• Transportation, housing and social events during the fundraising event
• One year membership in the American Hiking Society

In return, hikers will raise funds for cancer research and services for patients with leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma. Hikers will also get to meet a blood cancer survivor, personalizing their hike and putting a face on their fundraising efforts. There are four fantastic hike destinations; Rocky Mountain National Park, Yosemite, the Grand Canyon and Maui. You can find out which destinations and dates are available in your area by entering your zip code on website the home page, filling out contact information and noting the locations and times of informational meetings near you.

This is an unique opportunity for hikers of all experience levels to help raise funds for blood cancer research and services and get in a great hike at the same time!

Posted by Jeff Wetherington

Last weekend I went camping with my father-in-law and three brothers in-law in the Alexander Springs Campground in the Ocala National Forest. Part of the reason for the camping trip was so I could take the opportunity to hike a section of the nearby Florida Trail.

I got a later start Saturday morning than I had intended, but fortunately the temperature was in the high 60's and low 70's during the majority of my hike. Before leaving camp, I showed my father-in-law on a map where I would be hiking and which direction I would be taking. That's prudent action every hiker should take to minimize search efforts should they be needed.

I hiked about a half mile down the county road in front of the campground to get on the trail, stretching my legs and, though I was in a hurry to get to the trail, repeating to myself "Enjoy the journey, enjoy the journey", so that I would pace myself and take time to notice things I might have missed if I had single-mindedly rushed straight to the trail.

Entering the trail on the north side of the county road, I was immediately dwarfed by tall scrub oak and sand pine trees that created a shadowy canopy above my head. This continued for about a mile along the trail (which was marked by rectangles of orange paint on strategic trees) and made for an easy start with the trees blocking most of the late morning sun and a soft bed of pine needles to walk upon. In addition, the ground in some areas next to the trail was covered in pine cones of all sizes. I always try to camp, backpack and hike by the rule of "Take nothing but pictures and leave only footprints", but I knew that my wife would enjoy making some kind of craft creations from the pine cones, so I picked up about a dozen of varying sizes and placed them in zip-lock bags in my backpack. This portion of the trail was also very open, in spite of the density of the forest trees.

The next 2 to 2 1/2 miles of the trail were along a narrow, sandy stretch with 7 to 8 foot high scrub brush pressing in from each side. Walking along the sandy trail was difficult and there was not a lot of color to enjoy. Everything seemed to have a muted, faded green look to it. I had also hoped to see some animal life on my hike. Not a bear, of course (black bears are plentiful in this area), but a deer, rabbit or even a bush hog would have been fun to see. Here is what I saw; 3 small birds on the trail ahead of me (I tried taking a picture of one of them, but it completely blended in to the background), a brown and yellow centipede on the side of the trail ( I DID get a couple of pictures of this little fellow) and a few dozen flies and mosquitos (permanent residents of our Sunshine State).

When I had decided that I had gone about as far as my feet would want to walk back, I sat down on a stump on the side of the trail and ate my lunch. I was enjoying a turkey sandwich and sipping my water when a stocky woman of about 55 to 60 with a full gear backpack came walking up from the same direction I had come. We exchanged "Hello's" and as she got about 15 feet past me, she turned back and asked me if I was from that area. I replied I was not and she asked me if I knew anything about Salt Springs. "Only that it's about 20 miles north of here" I answered. She thanked me and turned back to the trail. I looked at her pack as she walked away and estimated it to weigh about 25 to 30 pounds. That woman has my admiration.

After lunch I began hiking back the same direction I had come, passing 2 more hikers (a middle-aged couple) about halfway back who were heading the opposite direction. They too had full packs. I felt ashamed since I had a very light daypack and my feet were killing me. I need to do this more often.

By the time I returned to the campsite it was mid-afternoon. I took a shower in the nearby bath house and then laid down for an hour nap. My feet hurt until Monday, but getting to hike a portion of the Florida trail was worth it!

Posted by Jeff Wetherington

Trailpeak.com is a community website that is growing each day because of input from site visitors. In describing itself the site says, "Our mission at Trailpeak is to provide the best source of hiking, mountain biking, climbing, kayaking, canoeing, skiing, and snowshoeing trails and trip planning tools..." and they do this by constantly adding information from users throughout Canada, Mexico and the United States.

Whether you're searching for an easy day-hike, beginner's trail or planning an extensive hike through major continental trails, Trailpeak can help you find what you're looking for with its database and search capabilities. You can filter your searches based on location, level of difficulty or by activity (in case you want to hike and then swim or kayak at a nearby body of water).

If you are familiar with a trail that is not included in the database, you can add information about it yourself, sharing the great trail you've enjoyed with other hikers and outdoor enthusiasts. Once your addition is approved by a moderator (and you're possibly contacted for additional information) the trail you've contributed will be added to the database and the site. If you'd like to, you can add informative comments about listed trails and even view some trails using satellite images.

But there's more to Trailpeak.com than just trails. They have a water section for kayakers, canoeists and kite and surfing enthusiasts and a snow section on the site for snowshoers and skiers. You can share GPS waypoints and coordinates, read reviews on GPS equipment and other outdoor gear and even take online courses. If you register as a free member you can keep a blog and if you become a financially supporting member you can enjoy discounts on a variety of goods and services while supporting the site.

Take a trek through Trailpeak.com and see what you can discover.