Between 2002 and 2009, the ranks of hikers completing the Florida Trail grew, but slowly. The release of The Florida Trail: The Official Hiking Guide (by Sandra Friend) spurred new interest, but what helped keep it going was an active group of FTA long distance hikers who’d completed the trail and did annual presentations at the ALDHA Gathering, tempting hikers who’d completed other trails to come hike Florida. Add in the assistance of “Gatorade Gordon” Smith, who drove along the trail in his van, looking for hikers to assist, and the sense of community continued to spread.
Among the record-setting hikers who completed the Florida Trail during this period were the oldest man – Charlie Monson, who started section hiking more than 30 years before and wrapped it up at age 80 in 2007 – and the oldest woman thru-hiker, Donna “Mosey” Stowe, at age 70 in 2008.
Jump to: 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002.
Florida Trail Class of 2009
Randy “Chuck Norris” Anderson, Plant City FL
David “Old Drum” Curtis, Warrensburg MO
Jodie Eller, Merritt Island FL
Arthur Keene, Merritt Island FL
Sue “Hammock Hanger” Turner, Jacksonville FL
Layven “OB” Reguero, Boca Raton FL
Florida Trail Class of 2008
S, Ian Brown, Orlando FL
T, Ryan Carpenter, Seattle WA
T, Brian “T-Back” Darcey, Tampa FL
S, Janette Davison, Land O’ Lakes FL
T, Ron Haskett, Winter Garden FL
T, Douglas “Lumbar” Meekins, Hatteras NC
T, Allen “Tortoise” Shoup, Palatka FL
T, Donna “Mosey” Stowe, Melbourne FL
S, Grady “Snaps” Taute, Tierra Amarilla NM
Lolly “Mountain Laurel” Tharpe, Sebring FL
Florida Trail Class of 2007
Mark “Captain America” Bailey, Longwood FL
Wes “Sticks” Birdsong, Eastpoint FL
DeAnn “Patches” Birdsong, Eastpoint FL
Tom “Silver” Conover, Key West FL
Paul “Chessman” Geyer, Tallahassee FL
Selena “Wing It” Leonard, Urbandale IA
Charlie Monson, Savannah GA
Paul Morgan*, Altamonte Springs FL
Bamboo Bob” Sartini, Boston MA
“Skeemer”, Boulder CO
Jim Sullivan, Orlando FL
Mara “Up & Back” Snyder, Jacksonville FL
Robert Vogt, Asheville NC
Mary Ann Vogt, Asheville NC
George “Billy Goat” Woodard Jr., Wellington NV
Florida Trail Class of 2006
Bob “LWOP” Coveney, Salt Springs FL
Theresa “MotherTheresa” Jesionowski, Plaistow NH
Carl “LittleFoot” Jesionowski, Plaistow NH
Johnny Molloy, Johnson City TN
Lewis “Camo” Moyers, Bel Pre OH
“Powerstroke” Moyers, Bel Pre OH
“Roni from Israel”, Israel
Florida Trail Class of 2005
Dub “Rub-A-Dub-Dub” Bloodworth, Boulder CO
David “The Wandering Bull” Jessop,New York
Mark “Stumpknocker” Suiters, Sumterville FL
Bart Smith, Tacoma WA
Florida Trail Class of 2004
Li Brannfors, Grand Canyon AZ
Fred “Springfever” Kirch, Canada
Scott “Crash Test Dummy” Nolen, Jacksonville FL
“Bamboo Bob” Sartini, Boston MA
Toby “Son of Billy Goat” Woodard, Gardiner ME
Florida Trail Class of 2003
No completions recorded
Florida Trail Class of 2002
Melton “Grits” Cockrell, Quitman GA
Nancy “Magellan” Gower, Maine
Jolene “Jojo Smiley” Koby, Maine
Beth “B1” Lawson, Tampa FL
Erik Schlimmer, Oneonta NY
With the help of fellow FTA staffers, Sandra also produced three editions of the Florida Trail Companion Guide for Long Distance Hikers between 2002 and 2007, modeled after the ALDHA Companion Guide for the AT and published by FTA. Two additional books, Along the Florida Trail (Sandra Friend and Bart Smith, 2004) and Hiking the Florida Trail (Johnny Molloy, 2008) provided new perspectives on the trail.
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