Thoughts on maps/guidebooks?

[WingedMonkey]

The Florida Trail: The Official Hiking Guide
I checked Sandra's site and this is now out of print and she says she is working on an updated one. If you can find one it would be enough to do the trail. Like I said I'm a map freak, but I can understand $100 worth might be a bit much unless you are sure you are going to hike the entire trail.
Also, you will need FTA membership to hike through the Indian Reservation and some of the private and military lands.

[eArThworm]

thanks for the heads up - trying to plan a thru hike north to south do you really think i need maps or would a guidebook be enough

What you really do need is the most current Data Book. The maps are very useful also. The guidebook, "Florida Trail Companion Guide for Long Distance Hikers " is only $12, and provides good information about trail towns, etc. It's comparable to the ALDHA (or David Miller's) guidebook for the A.T. Be sure to contact the FTA about your hike so you get all the permissions you need, and their trail angel list, etc. And you'll need to get a membership, because the trail crosses a few private lands that are open to FTA members only.

I'm an FTA member and I KNOW the financial difficulties the various trail organizations have. FTA has had to cut way back on staff and everything else. Consider the cost of the maps a donation to a worthy cause. :-)

[lilricky]

I've been thinking about converting the GPS track and waypoints that I have collected from the many FT hikers that have come to my website, into PDF maps. Not sure how involved it would be, but I'm willing to give it a go.

http://www.lilricky.com/FT

[erichkopp]

Sounds like that'd be a lot of work, but I know a lot of people would really like it!

[weary]

Since hikers are cheap there is no real way for the volunteer groups to raise funds other than through map and guide sales. Blaze paint may not take much money to buy but still costs something.

Paint for blazes is an insignificant cost in the overall picture. MATC spends a quarter of a million dollars a year keeping the trail in Maine a pleasant experience for hikers. Go to www.MATC.org for the details. But we spend thousands of dollars annually to hire caretakers for shelter areas.

Additional thusands go for leaders for volunteer trail crews, and we are anticipating spending several million for permanent trail crew housing.