Originally Posted by
skrewloose
Hey Dubcut, I'm sorry you've not had a recent response.
It is difficult to get decent miles on the FT w/o road walks. However, the longest, uninterpreted sec. of the FT is Ocala National Forest(ONF). That sec of trail is something like 72 mi. w/ lots of beautiful prairies and springs off trail along the way. Another great sec is along side the Suwanee River, depending where you would start you'd get about 40 plus mi. of all trail. Less mi. than ONF, but the water sources are very abundant, making the planning easier. Plus it is absolutely a beautiful sec of trail w/ good undulation along the way.
I've hiked as far north as the Suwanee and as far south as Lake "O" and everything in between. Without a FT map, from the FT headquarters in your hands, you would be very challenged on making such a hike attainable. Campsites are fairly easy to locate w/o a map, but coming to road junctions and knowing which way to go if there are no blazes incite are pretty scary even with a map, and most important, knowing where the water sources are located could be difficult w/o these detailed maps. You can purchase these maps from the FTA website. Once you find out where you want to start, buy the map or maps for that sec of trail (maps are $6). ftashop.floridatrail.org/thru-trail-maps/ They are front and back and constructed well, you may only need just one.
There are also a lot of great sub 40 mi. sections, I live right behind one of them, Goldhead to the Keystone Airpark, but to cont. onto another good sec of 10 plus mi. of trail you would most likely spend over half you day getting there.
The longest continous hike I did on the FT was SOBO from Rodman Dam thru the ONF and into Seminole County ending south of Oveido (approx. 130mi.). That happened to be a pretty fun hike when I think about it. The road walks were not severe, mostly on a paved bike trail or sidewalk in the city, and the stealth sites I picked were really awesome. By the way I always stealth camp and it is generally @ a water source I located from the map and rechecked from goggle sat. Since there are very few people hiking the FT, unlike the AT, you can feel more comfortable camping where you want, the chances of another hiker coming by are quite slim (LNT). By the way after my 12' AT thru I learned I can find a safe place to stealth camp, "from humans": in The Smokies, The Whites, and in The Unauthorized Campsites of Maine. I didn't spent any time in a shelter, but the privies were a welcome site. Every night on my thru I wanted to be alone, in complete solitude. Others may have wanted companionship, especially when night falls. I found it was nice making friends during the day, which was inevitable, especially at the beginning, but I liked piece and quietness when I found my spot for the night. This is one of the many reasons why I enjoy hiking on the FT. I man can go for a few days and not see anything but wilderness and the creatures that occupy this ecosystem. The ability to stay disconnected is very attainable on the FT. I would imagine the CDT to be comparable to the solitude.
If you are like minded, this is a free retreat from reality...I guess more free if you live here.
I hope you find a section of your liking. If there is any detailed questions that FTA can't answer, please PM me or I'm sure lilricky, duffy, or Grinder may have some knowledgeable FT info as well.
Happy Trails,
Skrewloose
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