Orange Blaze: A Florida Trail Podcast
by Misti Little
With over 1300 miles of orange blazed trail, the Florida Trail traverses diverse habitats throughout the state of Florida and is visited by thru-hikers and section hikers, trail maintainers and volunteers, and day hikers and casual use visitors. These are the stories of the Florida Trail.
Episodes
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Time to Take a Zero (or 200) – A Pause for the Podcast
The podcast is taking a massive hiatus in 2024! I will be back. If you'd like to be a guest on the podcast, leave a comment or email me at orangeblazepodcast at gmail and we can go from where. Thanks for listening over the years! Burnout how gotten hold of me and I need to reinvigorate my…
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94. An Ecological and Artistic Perspective of the Florida Trail | Claire ‘Sparrow’ Jarvis
As a nature lover, I am drawn to those who share the the wonders of Florida's natural history as they document their hikes along the way. Claire's Instagram account caught my eye well before their 2022 thru-hike and still captures my interest today even though they are no longer on a thru-hiking...
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93. Freeing the Ocklawaha River and The Great Florida Riverway | Margaret Spontak
For several years now I have been following the news about the push to Free the Ocklawaha River from the Rodman Dam, first via the Florida Native Plant Society, and later through other entities in Florida. The idea intrigued me because the Rodman Reservoir and the Kirkpatrick Dam as well as the...
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92. Ocean to Lake Trail Thru-Hiking, Adventure Racing, and Exploring Florida by Water | Hattie Spring
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Hattie Spring (@searchingforspring) Earlier this year I put out a call for Ocean to Lake hikers to come on the podcast and share their stories so I could get their perspective on that segment of what isn’t really the Florida Trail but I think we’ve all...
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91. Thru-Hiking, LASHing, and Making Magic for Other Hikers | Josh ‘301’ Widdowfield
Earlier this year I asked for folks who had hiked the Ocean to Lake Trail to reach out to me if they would like to share a bit about their experience on that trail for a short series wanted to do here on the podcast. Josh '301' Widdowfield was one of those hikers who offered to chat with me on…
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90. Completing Our National Scenic Trails | Jim Kern, Founder of the Florida Trail
I've been wanting to get Jim Kern, found of the Florida Trail, back on this podcast since he was first on the podcast, the very first episode that launched the podcast in 2018. It took me a while but I finally made it happen. This episode is likely to stir up some thoughts and hopefully some...
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89. Ocean to Lake Trail Beginnings | Sandra Friend
Today's podcast guest is Sandra Friend, someone you all should know well by now! If by some chance you are new to the podcast and new to Florida hiking, well this is your lucky day and you caught the right podcast to listen to! Sandra Friend and her partner John Keatley are the folks behind…
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88. Closing the Gaps on the Florida Trail | Royce Gibson, FTA Executive Director
Episode 88's guest is Florida Trail Association Executive Director, Royce Gibson. It’s been a while since I’ve had a representative from the FTA on the podcast and when I saw the latest campaign from the FTA, the Close the Gaps campaign, I knew I needed to get someone on to speak directly to…
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87. Day Hiking as an Immersive Experience on the Florida Trail | Darby Calm
Darby Calm is a hiker based in SE Florida and this interview with her is probably long overdue as I’ve long been a fan of her Instagram account and persistence as a hiker. Darby is a day hiker and by day hiker I mean, she is out on a trail most days of the week. And if she’s not out on a trail,...
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86. The Lost AT with The Green Tunnel Podcast
Earlier this year I interviewed Mills Kelly, historian and host of the Green Tunnel Podcast, which as the podcast website declares, "delves into topics including the quirky history of trail food, the shelters and structures built along the trail, and dangers you might encounter during a hike"....
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85. Getting to Know the Florida Native Plant Society | Valerie Anderson
This is a bit of a different episode, one from my gardening podcast, The Garden Path Podcast. You are probably already familiar with Valerie Anderson as she has been on the Orange Blaze Podcast before to talk about the plight of Split Oak Forest near Orlando. I had Valerie on my garden podcast to...
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84. Education, Conservation, and Exploration with The Florida Madcaps
Today's episode features the Florida Madcaps, a trio of Florida outdoor enthusiasts some of you may already know: Chris and Chelsey Stevens of the Sunshine State Seekers and Ryan Worthington the Florida Excursionist. Chris and Chelsey have already been on the Orange Blaze podcast before, in...
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83. Life and Death on the Loxahatchee: The Story of Trapper Nelson | Orange Blaze Book Club 1
Hello hikers! I have a fun and different episode than usual—this is the book club episode I mentioned in my last set of episodes released. I chose Life and Death on the Loxahatchee by James Snyder for the book club and several folks reached out to say they were interested in having a zoom book…
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82. Untangling the Folklore of the Legend of the Loxahatchee, Trapper Nelson | James D. Snyder
Late last year I decided to start a book club for the podcast and chose Life and Death on the Loxahatchee, for a few reasons, one of them being that it had been sitting on my bookshelf for far too long and I knew I needed to read it. Another, because of the interesting folk history of the area...
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81. Finding Adventure and Solace Beyond the Florida Trail | Eleni ‘Honeybun’ McDaniel
Eleni McDaniel was first on the podcast back in March of 2019 and a lot has changed in the four years since then. She’s changed trail names for one and expanded her career and hiking life beyond Florida, though as you’ll hear her ties to the Florida Trail still reel her back into the state every...
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80. The Joys of Day Hiking the Florida Trail | David ‘Sea Level’ Magness
Day hikers make up the bulk of hikers on the Florida Trail, just like on other National Scenic Trails. I think we all tend to focus heavily on thru-hikers for these trails because of their epic nature and the way long distance hiking intrigues a lot of us, but the day hikers are the ones getting…
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79. Podcast Book Club Announcement No. 1
New this season is the Orange Blaze Podcast Book Club! Our first book will be Life and Death on the Loxahatchee: The Story of Trapper Nelson. If you have spent any time around Jonathan Dickinson State Park or the Loxahatchee River you may already know the legend and lore of Trapper Nelson. I've…
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78. How to Thru-Hike the Florida Trail
After our 2011 thru-hike I wrote a post on my blog detailing some of the more important notes needed for thru-hikers on the Florida Trail. There wasn't a lot out there at the time on social media, though there were Trail Journals and the books produced by Sandra Friend---there just wasn't the...
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77. The Hidden Appalachian Trail – The Green Tunnel Podcast | Mills Kelly
When the Green Tunnel Podcast debuted in late 2021 and I began listening to episodes I quickly realized this was not your average hiking podcast. Mills Kelly and his team at R2 Studios at George Mason University have put together a stunning series of podcast episodes that rival some of the...
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76. Florida to the Carolinas and Beyond – A Year of Adventure | Jason ‘Out and About’ Tompkins
Jason ‘Out and About’ Tompkins is a 2022 Florida Trail Thru-Hiker and progenitor of a new eastern route called The Carolinian. A Florida native, Jason has spent many years living and exploring regions outside of Florida but returned to Florida in late 2021 to begin a year of thru-hiking. He first...
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75. From Pandemic Hiker to Thru-Hiker: New Adventures on the Florida Trail | Maria ‘Sawgrass’ Llorens
Maria caught my eye as someone to interview for the podcast because I though she offered a unique perspective to podcast listeners. Having discovered hiking during the early parts of the pandemic in 2020 as a way to get outside and not go stir-crazy, she began exploring Everglades National Park…
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74. Welcome Back To A New Season!
Welcome to a new season of the podcast! The podcast in 2022 floundered a bit and if you saw my social media posts you will know that I lost a lot of momentum to keep the podcast going in late summer. If you’ve listened to podcasts with any sort of high frequency over the last 8-10 years you will...
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73. Explore – Wander – Live – The HIKE Podcast | Lori Prima
When I launched the podcast I had no idea how many people I would connect with via podcast interviews and social media, muchless the other podcasters within the hiking world. Lori Prima is one of those delightful people I’ve gotten to know a little bit and she’s been kind enough to have me on two...
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72. A Big Cypress Bear Encounter | Chris Little
Back in 2007 (I figured out the date, the year I mentioned in the podcast is wrong) my husband Chris was exploring in Big Cypress National Preserve in some of their cypress domes and sloughs. Some of these are very remote and require bushwhacking or hiking into from swamp buggy trails. He was out...
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71. In Pursuit of the First Women’s Supported FKT on the Florida Trail | Amy Ansbaugh
Ultrarunner Amy Ansbaugh together with her crew chief and partner Dani set out to set the women’s supported FKT along the Florida Trail, with a western corridor focus, earlier this year. Amy’s long history of running and the challenge to set a women’s record on the Florida Trail originally…
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70. Saving Split Oak Forest – REPLAY | Valerie Anderson
This episode originally aired in December of 2020. At that point in time it seemed as if Split Oak Forest may have some time before it was decided if a toll road would be built to split the park in two. Unfortunately that time was shorter than expected and the vote to go ahead with the plans for…
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69. The Serendipitous Life of a Section Hiker | Julie ‘Jester’ Gayheart
Julie Gayheart is a section hiker, podcaster, and hiker safety advocate. Coming from a long distance running background, Julie section hiked the Appalachian Trail over the course of 12 years, going on to begin section hiking the Mountains to Sea Trail and other trails along the way. In the last…
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68. Exploring the Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail | Lu Dodson, Park Manager
Lu Dodson is the Park Manager for the Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail. This episode is a continuation of my efforts to include land managers into the mix as they are as important and vital to the Florida Trail as hikers are. While the FKOSHT isn't on the offical Florida Trail route, it is…
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67. Thru-Skating the Florida Trail | David ‘Moondog’ Roop
Several years ago when Alex Fogt took his skateboard along on his thru-hike of the Florida Trail, he inspired several people, including David 'Moondog' Roop, to use their skateboards along the road sections of the FT. That inspiration led David to embark on his first ever thru-hike, including...
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66. A Life Crafted for the Outdoors | Johnny Molloy
Johnny Molloy is the author of more than 80 books, many of them trail guides to various regions of the United States but he has written several memoirs as well, including his Florida Trail memoir, Hiking the Florida Trail: 1100 Miles, 78 Days, Two Pairs of Boots, and One Heck of an Adventures…
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65. Best of The Orange Blaze Podcast – Highlights from 2018 to 2021
Three years of producing the Orange Blaze: A Florida Trail podcast are in the books. Here are 10 episodes to highlight this wonderful trail!
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64. Charon’s Garden Wilderness Trail: Mid-Break Bonus Episode
After Christmas my husband and I took a short trip to the Wichita Mountains and the Charon's Garden Wilderness Trail. Enjoy this mid-break bonus episode!
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63. Florida Trail Gateway Communities | Jane ‘Thistle’ Pollack, FTA Gateway Communities Coordinator
Jane Pollack is the Florida Trail Association's Gateway Community Coordinator and a 2020 Florida Trail Thru-Hiker.
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62. Sauntering the Eastern Seaboard: The MST, FT, and ECT | Sam ‘Sammertime’ Holcombe
This episode has been a long time coming as I’ve had several folks recommend having Sammertime on as a guest for the podcast. A multi-time FT thru-hiker, he began his long distance hiking adventures on the Mountains to Sea Trail in the early 2010s. It set forth the upending and changing of his...
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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...
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60. The Cultural History of Fort Pickens and Gulf Islands National Seashore | Casimer Rosiecki, Gulf Islands National Seashore
If there ever was a podcast episode to deviate from my typical episodes, this is the one. I take a turn from our typical natural history land management episodes to bring you some cultural history, focused around Fort Pickens and the Santa Rosa Island area of Gulf Islands National Seashore. When…
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59. Behind the Scenes on the Florida Trail | Shawn Thomas, FNST Program Administrator, USFS
As I've set out to create this third season of the podcast I've been trying to bring more land managers to the podcast to get a bit of a more rounded outlook on just what the Florida Trail is overall. Many folks may not even know that the USFS is a key component in the Florida Trail's protection...
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58. For the Love of the Florida Trail | Eric ‘Orange Blazer’ Emery
Eric 'Orange Blazer' Emery is a 3-time Florida Trail thru-hiker. Along with hiking the FT, he volunteers along the Trail and at various parks throughout Florida and other regions in the US. When he's not hiking he's traveling in his RV.
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57: The Thousand Miler | Melanie ‘Snowshoe’ Radzicki McManus
Melanie is a travel writer from Wisconsin who's adventures in trail racing and ultra marathons lead her to first, the Camino de Santiago, and then to the long distance trail in her own backyard, the Ice Age Trail. In 2013 she set the women's fast packing record on the Ice Age Trail and went on to...
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56. Conservation Compatible Forestry at Wetland Preserve | Ben Williams
Ben and Louann Williams are Floridians with a deep connection to the land and water in North Florida. After decades in the fisheries industry on the St. Johns River, they began purchasing and conserving land in North Florida with the goal to protect the waterways they loved so much. One mile of…
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55. Getting Uncomfortable on the Florida Trail | Rob & Kelley Wimp
Rob and Kelley Wimp are full-time RV travelers, working and living from the road. In 2020, Rob completed a thru-hike of the Florida Trail.
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54. Optimizing Your On Trail Nutrition | Aaron Owens Mayhew, Backcountry Foodie
Aaron Owens Mayhew is a registered dietician and ultralight backpacker with 20 years of experience as a hiker and nutrition expert.
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53. Tenacity & Freedom on the Florida Trail | Kyle ‘Mayor’ Rohrig
Kyle 'Mayor' Rohrig thru-hiked the Florida Trail in 2019 with his blind Shiba Inu dog, Katana. With a lot of perseverence they both finished the FT at Fort Pickens.
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52. An Introduction to Big Cypress National Preserve | Lisa Andrews, BCNP Outreach/Education Coordinator
Park Ranger Lisa Andrews is Outreach and Education Coordinator with Big Cypress National Preserve. She talks about the history and ecology of BCNP.
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51. Saving Split Oak Forest | Valerie Anderson
Split Oak Forest WEA is a tract of conservation land in central Florida under threat of development. Valerie Anderson joins the podcast to talk about the issues and about the property itself.
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50. Between Each Step on the Te Araroa | Patrice La Vigne
Patrice Lavigne joins the podcast to talk about thru-hiking New Zealand's Te Araroa trail, travels in Florida, and writing a trail memoir.
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49. Season 3 Hits the Trail
Season 3 of the podcast is here! This is a quick update on Florida Trail Closures, guidelines for COVID-19, and what to expect from the podcast!
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48. Season 2 Finale
A short episode wrapping up Season 2 of the podcast! It has been great sharing stories from the Florida Trail this year!
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47. Sand Scrub, Dry Prairies, and Cypress Swamps: A Convergence of South Florida Ecosystems | Stephanie Dunn
Stephanie Dunn is a landscape architect in south Florida with an avid interest in south Florida ecosystems and native plants.
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46. Botanical Biodiversity in Florida’s Big Bend | Lilly Anderson-Messec
Lilly Anderson-Messec is a botanist and horticulturist living in Florida's Big Bend region. She explores areas such as St. Marks NWR and Apalachicola NF.
About this show
With over 1300 miles of orange blazed trail, the Florida Trail traverses diverse habitats throughout the state of Florida and is visited by thru-hikers and section hikers, trail maintainers and volunteers, and day hikers and casual use visitors. These are the stories of the Florida Trail.
Hosted by
Misti Little
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