When it comes to outreach, we all talk up the trail, but probably no one does a better job than Sandra Friend and John Keatley in Sanford. Their website, www.floridahikes.com, provides a wealth of information and is up-to-date and pro-active. It is particularly helpful for people living in the north who have heard about the trail and want to come down in season (December to April is best.)

Still, there is much to be done and not much that’s getting done. Friends of the Florida Trail, has been formed to help promote the trail throughout the state. Most importantly, it has been formed to address the question: How do we close the gaps in this 1,584-mile trail?

A thousand miles of trail have been built by Florida Trail members. But the trail won’t be complete until it is continuous, meaning no road-walks where the trail breaks. The Florida Trail has been designated a National Scenic Trail by Congress, who didn’t plan on sending hikers out on roads and highways that are dangerous, hot and boring. They had in mind a scenic interlude from our busy lifestyles where hikers could flex their limbs, immerse themselves in nature and enjoy the fresh air. This is the experience we want to deliver.

How do we close these gaps? The experience of the Appalachian Trail is helpful. When Congress created the National Trails System Act in 1968, it provided funding and eminent domain for the Appalachian Trail, but nothing much happened for the first 10 years. So in 1978 Congress held oversight hearings and assigned the acquisition task to the U.S. Parks Service that then launched a 30-year effort to acquire all the right-of-way for the trail. Two-thirds of the 2180-mile trail was already on federal land, which left trail acquisition for the remaining 700 miles. There were 2550 separate acquisitions involved, but the job was completed and the trail is now safe for posterity. By the way, 400 of those acquisitions required eminent domain. For many of them, the task was simply to clear the title or end disputes within families over land ownership.