ICL: FLORIDA OUTDOORS WITH SUNSHINE STATE HIKING & WINTER HIKING IN THE SOUTHERN APPALACHIANS

Description

FLORIDA OUTDOORS WITH SUNSHINE STATE HIKING

& WINTER HIKING IN THE SOUTHERN APPALACHIANS by George Owen

Cost: $20

Two-thirds of this course will center on Florida's fabulous outdoors and hiking therein. People are often amazed to learn Florida is virtually tied with New York state for both having about a third of each one's total land mass in public lands, vast areas protected into perpetuity. The course will mix wildlife information and stories with hiking opportunities on thousands of miles of trails, including the peninsula-long Florida National Scenic Trail. The other third of the course will offer information on winter hiking in our local mountain area, and best conditions for the season. The instructor now leads a modest-pace hiking trip to northern Florida every later February, from stays at Wakulla Springs near Tallahassee to other nights in a Gainesville hotel for trips out to local preserved sites, springs, and the Florida Trail.

George Owen was born and raised in central Florida, and growing up he explored, hunted, and fished in the area wilds, many unprotected then are now preserved. For some years while in college and graduate school he spent several summers running the nature lore program of one of Florida's largest camping programs, and much time in rustic camping (tent camping, cook own food). In addition to his wife and children, he spent much of his adult spare time in northern Georgia's three largest trail clubs, and has been president of three trail clubs and over decades laid out and supervised construction of over 125 miles of trails on the Chattahoochee National Forest. George just completed about six years on the board of the famous Len Foote Hike Inn. He also after his occupational retirement spent part of ten summers as guide in the Swiss Alps for two American companies. He currently is president of the Mountain High Hikers hiking club.