Some unique places to train for the AT in Florida

[CedarKeyHiker]

I am writing this specifically to folks in Florida who are looking for places where they can train for an upcoming AT hike.

Places to hike in Florida are not hard to find. The problem is they are, for them most part, very flat. The highest point near where I live is about 54' above sea level and it's the highest point on the entire west coast. Two places I go to workout are Torreya SP near Chattahoochee, and Devil's Millhopper Geological site in Gainesville.

Torreya is literally at the tail end of the Appalachian mountains in Florida and the best terrain and trails I've found. There's a contiguous loop trail about 15 miles long with primitive campsites that is hard to beat. When you are there you might forget you are in Florida. There's a 200' bluff that overlooks the Apalachicola River that could be in North Georgia or North Carolina. One thing we lack in Florida is ups, but we have some really cool downs. Devil's Millhopper in Gainesville is a 125' deep limestone sink hole. The burn and cardio you get walking down and up the 200+ steps would be hard to recreate anywhere in peninsular Florida. Bring your pack weighted the way you want it and go to it. My routine there is to walk down and up then walk around the .5 mile nature walk then back down again. When I first started out it was tough to do it twice. I'm in much better shape now. The final place I'll mention are the trails at Stephen Foster Cultural Center SP in White Springs. SFCCSP has a portion of the Florida Trail that skirts alongside of the Suwannee River that is challenging because you really have to watch your footing. The roots are unforgiving and there's some good ups and downs.

If you have some other recommendations for other places in Florida I would loved to hear from you.

[kimbur96]

There are a few places in central Florida that you can get some rolling hills. Not huge but better than flatland. I just did a 31 mile trail race in the Withlacoochee Forest near Brooksvile. I had about 1500 feet of elevation gain throughout the race. There were no big climbs just constant small ones. Better than nothing. Saw a few hikers on the Florida Trail during the race


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[saltysack]

Check out San felasco,santos or graham swamp if looking for hill training but watch for mtb...


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[CedarKeyHiker]

Check out San felasco,santos or graham swamp if looking for hill training but watch for mtb...


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Great suggestions!!! I am not familiar with Graham Swamp but I do know San Felasco and Santos. I've done both on my mtb. San Felasco is definitely on my radar for a day trip. Santos is part of the Marjorie Carr Cross Florida Trail and I'm looking at that now as one of my longer shakedown hikes. The place that Kimbur mentioned in Brooksville is another place I'm interested in. It's near the Withlacoochee State Trail and I have that on my schedule in the next couple of weeks. I'm planning to cycle down from Floral City, camp in the forest where Kimbur was then ride back. I'm trying to mix up my training a bit. Again thanks, those were the kind of ideas I was looking for when I posted the thread.

[dudeijuststarted]

I ran on the beaches barefoot prior to my hike. Zero blisters...

[Praha4]

I live about an hour west of Torreya State Park, hike over there all the time and love it....never crowded, except for fall weekends...and agree 110% with the first post. It has hills, hardwood trees and beautiful streams and of course the old Gregory Mansion overlooking the Apalachicola River. Two great loop trails in the park. And lots of Copperhead snakes to be aware of....

as a matter of fact, I'm planning to go over there next week and do some dayhikes...

not a better place in Florida to do training hikes for the AT

[gpburdelljr]

When I ran high school track in Miami we used to do bleacher work at a track/football field. Run up the steps to the top of the bleachers, run across the top and then back down the other side, run around the end of the track oval to the bleachers on the other side and repeat. Each loop was about 1/4 mile. Might make a good hiking workout where there are no hills, walking instead of running.

[Pedaling Fool]

In Florida I have a few training practices that keep me ready for the hills. The sand on the beach (both soft and hard). Weightlifting. And Bridges, which I run on a regular basis. The bridge I run is on Beach Blvd and goes over the San Pablo river (Intercoastal waterway). And riding a bike against the headwinds around here is one hell of a workout.

There are two basic systems being worked during exercise: 1) Cardio system, the obvious one. 2) The Musculoskeletal system, the not so obvious one.

It's the musculoskeletal system that takes real time to build up for many activities, including running, cycling and hiking. And weightlifting is (IMO) crucial in developing the musculoskeletal system. I see runners all the time around here, many of them beginners, and their stride/form looks just awful as the fatigue; however, if you stop and talk to them you'll notice that they are not breathing all that hard and that's because they are not fatigued from cardio exertion, rather from various parts of their musculoskeletal system. The problem is that they still try and work thru it and that's when injuries happen and many of those injuries can take so long to heal.

Same is true for hikers. When they finish after a day of hiking, they are not complaining about pains in their cardio system, it's something in their musculoskeletal system.


P.S. There is one park I've learned about here in Jax that supposedly has hills and I plan on trying to do a run there real soon; I attempted to run it earlier in the year, but there were so many biting flies (super-big horse flies), so I only did a mile. It's called the Theodore Roosevelt Area Trailhead; here's a map if any locals are interested: http://www.usatf.org/routes/view.asp?rID=918

http://www.nps.gov/timu/planyourvisi...l_trailmap.pdf

[CedarKeyHiker]

In Florida I have a few training practices that keep me ready for the hills. The sand on the beach (both soft and hard). Weightlifting. And Bridges, which I run on a regular basis. The bridge I run is on Beach Blvd and goes over the San Pablo river (Intercoastal waterway). And riding a bike against the headwinds around here is one hell of a workout.

There are two basic systems being worked during exercise: 1) Cardio system, the obvious one. 2) The Musculoskeletal system, the not so obvious one.

It's the musculoskeletal system that takes real time to build up for many activities, including running, cycling and hiking. And weightlifting is (IMO) crucial in developing the musculoskeletal system. I see runners all the time around here, many of them beginners, and their stride/form looks just awful as the fatigue; however, if you stop and talk to them you'll notice that they are not breathing all that hard and that's because they are not fatigued from cardio exertion, rather from various parts of their musculoskeletal system. The problem is that they still try and work thru it and that's when injuries happen and many of those injuries can take so long to heal.

Same is true for hikers. When they finish after a day of hiking, they are not complaining about pains in their cardio system, it's something in their musculoskeletal system.


P.S. There is one park I've learned about here in Jax that supposedly has hills and I plan on trying to do a run there real soon; I attempted to run it earlier in the year, but there were so many biting flies (super-big horse flies), so I only did a mile. It's called the Theodore Roosevelt Area Trailhead; here's a map if any locals are interested: http://www.usatf.org/routes/view.asp?rID=918

http://www.nps.gov/timu/planyourvisi...l_trailmap.pdf

Thanks that's another one for us flatlanders to add to the list. To your point about exercise I'm with you 100%. My biggest limitation is not an ability to thrive outside, it's the ability of my lower body to carry me the distance. We go up to Townsend,Tenn. once a year and day hike. My wife and I usually opt for the more strenuous trails and after a couple of trips our legs are gassed. That's after we have hiked an average of 50 miles a week on flat ground. The place I get the best workout and and where get that same burn in my calves, hams, glutes, and quads are the steps at Devil's Millhopper in Gainesville. Hence, I believe any stairs or bleachers are a good thing. Something your post has me thinking about is weight training. I own a hack squat/leg press machine collecting dust that may just be a good addition to my routine. Good luck with your training and thanks for the positive input.

[psychomom]

Cape San Blas, St. Joseph State Park -- hike the peninsula out and back, and you can do the inside loop on the way back (which I don't recommend). Deep sand on high tide. You won't see a soul. Total round trip is 14 miles. They closed down Doak Campbell Stadium which was a great repeat workout -- liability of course. We have to get creative down here in Florida.

[CedarKeyHiker]

Cape San Blas, St. Joseph State Park -- hike the peninsula out and back, and you can do the inside loop on the way back (which I don't recommend). Deep sand on high tide. You won't see a soul. Total round trip is 14 miles. They closed down Doak Campbell Stadium which was a great repeat workout -- liability of course. We have to get creative down here in Florida.

Thank you, the SJSP trip sounds like a great weekend adventure. It's a place we've wanted to visit. Next weekend we will be in your neck of the woods. We are staying at a campground in Chattahoochee. Saturday we are going to hike in St. Marks and Sunday we'll do Torreya weather permitting. It's a shame you can't do The Doak it would be perfect. My wife and i are very familiar with FSU. It's where two of of children and most of our money went...

[Pedaling Fool]

P.S. There is one park I've learned about here in Jax that supposedly has hills and I plan on trying to do a run there real soon; I attempted to run it earlier in the year, but there were so many biting flies (super-big horse flies), so I only did a mile. It's called the Theodore Roosevelt Area Trailhead; here's a map if any locals are interested: http://www.usatf.org/routes/view.asp?rID=918

http://www.nps.gov/timu/planyourvisi...l_trailmap.pdf

Today is my rest day after doing hard miles over the San Pablo river bridge (lots of ups and downs); however, on a whim I decided to go do a recon of the above mentioned trail.

It's a good little trail to practice on, except I wouldn't see any benefits unless you run it and if you work up to where you can run it with just a little weight, say 20-30lbs then it's a real good primer for the AT. There are a good amount of roots, so that's good to keep you from getting complacent with your foot fall.

I saw two snakes on the trail today, which was kind of surprising since it was a little chilly, the first one I didn't get a great look at, but may have had a yellow stripe, so possibly a garter snake; the second one was definitely a black rat snake.

If you take a dog, be careful, because there were warning signs of an alligator hanging around the Spanish Pond area.

Also, the Theodore Roosevelt parking area is very small and fills up quickly on the weekends, but if you just go down the road to the opposite end of the park then you should find ample parking in the Spanish Pond parking area. See below map link.

This map is by far superior to the two I linked above: http://npplan.com/wp-content/uploads...imucuan-11.jpg

[bus]

I grew up and until recently lived in Florida. I was lucky enough to work for NASA tv at the Kennedy Space Center. I would climb the stairs of the VAB (vehicle assembly building https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicle_Assembly_Building ) This was with out my gear though. Anopther thing that my friends and I did was to walk across, back and forth, the causeways over the intracoastal river. While the incline wasnt too steep, it did mimic (loosely, very loosely) the incline for the Carvers Gap to 19E section that were were 'training' for that time.

Maybe ask a hotel if you can climb there stairs wearing your gear. It would at least get your legs conditioned to the different ways your muscles ae used-climbing vs. descending.

[ChuckT]

Today - walk the stairs in the VAB wearing a backpack and get arrested!

[perrymk]

I put together a PDF file of trails in the Tallahassee area that anyone is welcome to. In addition to Torreya there are the Fort Braden trails (about 9 miles), Bear Creek trails (8 miles including forest roads), Lines Tract trails (about 8 miles), Miccosukee Greenway (about 14 miles) and a few others. Fort Braden and Bear Creek are probably the hilliest after Torreya.

[CedarKeyHiker]

I grew up and until recently lived in Florida. I was lucky enough to work for NASA tv at the Kennedy Space Center. I would climb the stairs of the VAB (vehicle assembly building https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicle_Assembly_Building ) This was with out my gear though. Anopther thing that my friends and I did was to walk across, back and forth, the causeways over the intracoastal river. While the incline wasnt too steep, it did mimic (loosely, very loosely) the incline for the Carvers Gap to 19E section that were were 'training' for that time.

Maybe ask a hotel if you can climb there stairs wearing your gear. It would at least get your legs conditioned to the different ways your muscles ae used-climbing vs. descending.

Bus. you are "the man". You hit upon what would be the pinnacle of this Florida boy's dreams. If only that were possible today. But to your point about climbing and descending stairs. My wife and I went over to Devil's Millhopper yesterday. I noticed on descending the pain in my knees is beginning to diminish. Apparently, I am strengthening muscles that have heretofore gone unused giving my knees much needed support. My calves and quads were still screaming but today I have little discomfort. By the way it's 39 degrees on the island today when I got up. I actually wore some of my cold weather gear. Stay warm out there...

[Pedaling Fool]

Just more proof that those that say the best way to prepare for a hike is to hike -- absolutely wrong.

Some very good exercises when you don't have access to hills.

Interesting article on lifting for hiking http://www.theclymb.com/stories/tips...-badass-hiker/

Excerpt:

There are an infinite number of weight training programs out there for people of every shape and size. And while lifting makes you stronger, too many get caught up in the vanity side versus lifting to get better at something. Vanity lifting might get you a beach bod, but if you want to be functionally stronger, pay attention to big compound lifts that work an entire muscle chain as opposed to a simple lift that only works one muscle (i.e. bicep curls).

Here are four lifts that will help turn you into a mountain-conquering, boulder flattening badass.

[Pedaling Fool]

Some pretty good exercises to build up the musculoskeletal system, which don't require a gym; they're for runners, but not much difference between running and hiking in the mountains.

I know many will see these as boring (I do get that), but it can be made to be fun to do if you set goals, goals are what keeps me going. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrPlI5NQRKw

[Silver Eagle]

Had an idea while walking the soft sand at Jax Beach the other day. I was watching the people looking for shark teeth while they were watching me walk with full pack.

I know there is a tradition of picking up a pebble at Springer and delivering it to Katahdin. How about us Florida AT hikers drop a shark tooth at the top of Springer when we pick up our pebble?

[ChuckT]

Can't tell whether you're serious or not.