Johnny Molloy

The Florida Trail, one of only eight scenic trails in the entire United States, stretches the length and breadth of the Sunshine State. In 2006, veteran hiker and outdoorsman Johnny Molloy hiked the length of the trail in one three-month stretch. This engaging story of his journey, the first narrative account of a Florida Trail thru-hike, is peppered with outrageous and charming characters. Molloy's peanut butter thermometer and his ""Five Foot Radius Theory of Camping"" for tired hikers will make experienced backpackers smile knowingly. Novice hikers will find his insider tips priceless. Beginning at the southern end of the trail, less than an hour from suburban Miami, he was challenged by some of the roughest terrain he would face before making his way around Lake Okeechobee. Traveling north and west, traversing sand pine scrub forests, he made his way up the Suwannee River, around the Big Bend into St. Marks Refuge, through the Apalachicola National Forest, along white sand beaches to the Alabama state line. Many may never hike the entire course of the Florida Trail, but its convenient trailheads make it easily accessible to any resident or tourist. So, start the adventure; plan your own short hike, thru-hike, or simply join Molloy without leaving the comfort of your armchair.

For Florida hikers, vacationers, outdoor enthusiasts, and wildlife watchers who want to plan and execute their own adventures, this second edition of the popular guide-book will be indispensable. Molloy and Friend explore the trails of Florida to provide readers with an easy-to-use, accurate, and thorough guide to hiking in more than 2 million acres of federally owned wilderness. These areas contain some of the Sunshine State's most spectacular scenery. Illustrated with photographs by the authors, this guide describes every marked and maintained trail in Florida's national forests, parks, and preserves. Each description contains a profile of the path, detailing and rating its condition, length, and difficulty and describing the highlights and hazards of the trail. Profiles also give trailhead directions, trail connections, and hiking season information, followed by a running narrative describing what hikers can expect to see and experience on the trails. This updated edition covers large and small changes in the trails since 2000, most notably the new western corridor of the Florida Trail through Ocala National Forest and the storm-driven changes to the same trail at Gulf Island National Seashore and in Everglades National Park.

Specific emphasis is placed on the most scenic destinations and unique places that make the Palmetto State special. Each hike includes a helpful information section, trail map, trailhead directions, and stunning photographs, with intriguing commentary about the human or natural history along the way.

A lavishly photographed walking visitor's guide provides for a range of hikes and backpacking ventures, in a reference that includes precise directions and trail condition listings for such locales as Tallulah Gorge, Springer Mountain, and the Chattooga River. Original.

Johnny Molloy, author of several best-selling outdoor guides to Florida, is always game for adventure. In his latest, he travels the Sunshine State from north to south along some of its most famous rivers, swamps, salt marshes, and open waters in search of Florida's disappearing history. This personal travelogue of his two-month expedition begins in a canoe at the Okefenokee Swamp, headwaters of Florida's best-known river. Paddling the dark Suwannee, Molloy curves through the scenic and sometimes wild Big Shoals, past sparkling clear springs - Troy and Turtle and Rock Bluff and more - to the Gulf of Mexico, where he transfers his grub, life jacket, and portable computer into a sea kayak. He continues past Tampa Bay into the Everglades and then heads due south, ending his voyage at Long Key and the Atlantic Ocean. Molloy focuses here on the state's history, human and natural, and on the interplay between the land and the water around it. He describes attempts made through the centuries to explore them, conquer them, and, finally, to coexist with and preserve them. He also invites readers to eavesdrop on his conversations with characters along the way, from anglers on the Suwannee River to crabbers off the shore of Everglades City. Best of all, Molloy invites readers to join him on this remarkable excursion - either from their armchairs, following his references to bridges, highways, and towns along the route and charting his journey on the maps provided, or by taking to the water themselves - to soak up the sunshine and soft Florida air, to listen to the evening frogs and crickets, and to ponder the mystery of what has been lost and what might yet be saved in the state.