Note from the President - December, 2010

Maybe with all of the Florida winter we get in an entire year taking place in December, that January and February will be great for outdoor activities. It is good to see numerous over-night events on the calendar including a first backpacking trip in quite a while. I want to express my appreciation for our event host volunteering efforts.

I want to mention that the Wilderness Trekkers are trying a new event on a bi-monthly basis to get some of our newer members involved and to get the various disciplines of activities together at one place. This January, we are having our second social mix. In the morning, there will be an event planned for hiking, biking and paddling; then at 12:30, we all meet together at one place to have a couple of hours of social time. If you are a new member or a casual member, this is the time to become engaged in the club and learn more about what other folks are doing and also an opportunity to provide input for future trips. Maybe as a new member, you've always wanted to do a trip you have yet to see on the calendar, or your previous experience in the outdoor could lead to a great new idea that an event host sponsor.

In addition, we are going to shoot for a couple of out-of-state events again in 2011. With the enthusiasm of few people, we pulled off a fantastic set of weekends at the Nantahala River Gorge. Activities in rafting, kayaking, hiking and biking were well represented on both weekends. I hope our membership of outdoor folks take advantage of these great adventures and it's always fun with other people. Just as fun was meeting people along the way and having conversation with like minded folks; even to the point of going out for a nice dinner or talking late into the night around a campfire.

Note from the President - June, 2010

I will be looking forward to working with some very experienced and excited people on our 2010 - 2011 board. As president, my first objective is to ensure our calendar stays full of exciting adventure each and every weekend. I want to beef up our hiking and backpacking activities, the roots of the Trekker organization. It is pleasing to see the calendar come together each and every 2 month period and I give my gratitude to the folks that volunteer to lead these trips.

I also want to champion a club that grows to know one another a little better. Events alone are typically not enough to build friendships. I would like to see the club schedule to include some social events which may or may not include an outing, but could include training and special speakers. The point is to get together for conversation and from conversation comes ideas from which future trips can be made. A lot of members would like to see the club do more events and go places they would like to visit and through such social activity, events can be derived.

Our volunteer program has served the club for 15 years, and a number of folks have come and gone. We need to continue to obtain volunteerism from our members to help out with social events, the annual gathering and we always encourage an ambitious member to become an event host. Think about ways you can help. Always feel free to drop me a note.

Any Place In Florida...          May-June, 2010    

At the Annual Spring Gathering, I met a new member from Southern California. You don't find too many folks that move from California to Florida, but his job brought him to Central Florida. He spoke about some of the great kayaking and easy biking in Florida, but he missed the great variety of mountains, snow, whitewater and the vertical relief found in the western states. There is a great beauty that the American west has that is very alluring. Especially the ability to hike or bike to some vista and look out over the terrain and great expanse below. It is a "top of the mountain" feeling that is awesome. But then again, Florida doesn't shake your heirloom china out of the hutch and onto the floor.

Yet, there are is still great beauty and many adventure to be had here in Florida. The dark waters of the Arbuckle Creek may not seem much more than ditch through Old Florida cattle ranches, but there is the adventure of being way out in an unpopulated area where you can hear the coyote howl at night and the rushing stream meanders its way south to quench the thrust of the Everglades. Of course the people and the conversation is what the club offers. Always someone interesting and new to meet. A gentlemen named Ken that lives on the Hillsborough River is ready to spring into action to take me or anyone down the best parts of that beautifully canopied creek, "Just give me a call anytime", he says.

Then there is the thrill of cycling, with relative ease I might add, through the protected forests of the Cross Florida Greenway at Santos, a popular off-road biking entry spot. And just when you thought Santos was the best, you are introduced to the Big Shoals Preserve outside of White Springs with the trail that follows along the Suwannee in smooth and endless undulating ancient river berms. Through pine flats and hardwood hammock, the scenery changes from moment to moment.

It's really hard for me to classify the best river in Florida, expecially since the list of the ones I have not done exceeds the good list of the ones I have done. But I must claim the Santa Fe as tops because of all the unusual features, the river that rises out of the ground after a 2 mile subterranian flow, the shoals at several locations making for quick water and the craziness of paddling back up stream just to run the chute again, the numerous springs, the deep forested bank and high limestone shoulders in some places. Florida has great beauty and its bountiful existence puts our club front and center to get you right in the midst of it.

Stumbling upon a remembrance...           March - May, 2010    

While running some errands on the far east side of Orlando, on a still very cool 62 degree March Friday afternoon, and finally a cloudless one at that; and upon my return home, I turned to my Brittany Spaniel, Tucker, perched with his front feet on the console and his pink nose inches from my face, and asked if he would like to take a long walk in the woods. "Of course!", he said yes with a rapid wag of his stubby docked tail and a lick upon my cheek. Seeking new adventure in the out of doors is a trait of the Brittany. So we hopped on the 417 and made our way up to Oviedo and the Little Big Econ forest just east of that town off of Barr Street.

It was cool enough for a light jacket. Tucker was tugging on the leash in great excitement of "hitting the woods". We made our way along the Florida Trail that rises above the Econlahatchee River. The river was at an ideal height for any paddlers' desire. It was not long into our 4 mile hike that we ran across this solitary bench for sitting. It was new and perched up on a high bluff overlooking the dark waters of the quiet creek. Planted in the center of this sturdy wooded place of rest and beauty was a plaque in dedication to Chuck Russakov's energies and devotion to trail building as presented by the Florida Trail Association.

What an awesome and thoughtful memorial. Probably among the countless people that trudge through this area of the forest, not many know the name. I was surprised outwardly and inwardly that I did recognize the name. It brought back the distinct memory of the very brief encounter I had with Chuck at a campfire at the 2008 Annual Gathering. But even without knowing the name, most people taking the time to read the eulogy will ponder the thought - that a person must have had a great passion toward creating the very trail they walk upon and others were appreciative enough to let this be known.

This is high honor in a person's life to be remembered so simply and in a place of sought after solitude and among nature's wholesome pureness.

I invite all members with a desire for a relaxing stroll to visit the Little Big Econ forest where there are miles of trails, many along the river. It's a place to see the thick hammock woods where the resurrection fern covers the long limbs of the live oak and the wild bromeliads thrive on rare cedars and dark leaved magnolias. Check out prior WT trips here Little Big Econ Hikes.