Florida by the Foot

IN NOVEMBER OF 2022, I SAID GOODBYE to my friends and family in Miami and took a hot pink Silver Airways plane emblazoned with “Conch Republic” to Pensacola. I had decided to take on a ridiculous quest: hike the entire Florida Trail — beginning at its northern terminus on Pensacola Beach. I would hike for 1,100 miles,  carrying only a backpack with my necessities. I would pitch my tent night after night. A warm bed and a hot shower in a motel, church, or friendly stranger’s home would be my weekly treat. Barring injury or emergency, I wouldn’t return home until I touched the southern terminus in the Everglades.