61. The Florida Trail through a Biologist’s Eye | Amy Jensen

I admit, this last hiker season I checked out a bit from who I was following along the trail. Call it FOMO or maybe pandemic burnout, but I just couldn't get into the hiking season with the exception of a few folks. One of those was Amy Jensen, known online at Trail Trekkin Teacher. Yes, Amy is a teacher and it was pandemic burnout from the school year last year that had her requesting a leave of absence from her job and finding herself on the Florida Trail for a thru-hike. Amy is a Florida native and while Amy has been curious about the natural world from a young age, it wasn't until the last several years that she turned to hiking as a hobby. We talk about how she took her short day hikes around Central Florida and turned them into a backpacking and traveling obsession. We also talk about how she slows down on the trail, to stop and notice things instead of letting the miles pass without acknowledgement. Something that I think we all find it hard to do when we're putting in long days on the trail. I loved my conversation with Amy and I think you will too---and maybe you'll take a few minutes to ponder the natural wonders she talks about in the episode.