The Choctawhatchee River Section (CRS) of the Florida National Scenic Trail (FNST) is nearing completion. Florida Trail Association (FTA) volunteers have worked on it for eight years. On November 13, 2016 three teams started out at Pine Log State Forest in the morning. I went to the north end of the section at Hwy 81. We lopped, installed posts and blazed parts of the section. See also the Mud Buddy Bridge.
Sand Pond in Pine Log State Forest
Orange blaze marking the Florida Trail in Pine Log SF
Marsha and John Hooten with Tim Crews announcing events of the day
Tom, JP, Mary, Anne, and Wallis
John, Tim, and Nick
Bruce Varner and Paul Mayo
Anne Daniel
Bruce Varner taking out camping gear since it is the last work day
Looking east at the work site on Hwy 81 from the FNST entry on the west side
Larry, JP, Tom, and Nick unloading posts
BlazeMaster: getting ready to refresh old and paint new blazes on the trail
Getting a feel for the paint sponge Wallis Mayo is holding
Mary Walton ready to help clear the trail for the blaze painters
Rough scales on a young pine tree (not a Longleaf pine)
Orderly smaller scales on a young Longleaf pine tree, according to Mary
My favorite photo on the 11-13 work day is Mary admiring a young Longleaf pine, amidst many of them
Longleaf pine close to the trail
Sweet gum tree fall colors
Anne Daniel is scraping the worn blazes so Wallis Mayo can refresh them with new orange paint
Mary clears debris for Wallis to access the tree
Old weathered scraped blaze
Wallis checks line of sight to previous blaze to verify visibility and placement
Wallis about to touch up a blaze
Anne works ahead of Wallis to prepare the blaze for renewal
Anne with a scraper in each hand
I walk the line
Off center stump
Logs used for posts to hold blazes where there are no trees. They are using "fat lighters", which are Longleaf pine trees that have been hit by lightning, fusing the sap into extremely hard, durable, and insect-resistant cores.
Side view of the log on its way to a post hole
JP through the Longleaf pine gate
Log and post hole digger tools ready for action
JP Husted removing roots from the post hole
Post hole digging
Nick takes a turn with the post hole digger
Lopping tool
The REAL Karl
Post hole in progress
Finished hole comes up to the line on the handle of the digger
Filling dirt back in around the base of the installed post
Tamping dirt down
Back through the Longleaf pine gate
This view of the Florida National Scenic Trail is from NW Florida, the panhandle. Specifically the trail section will stretch from SR 81 at Seven Runs to SR 20 west of the Choctawhatchee River. See this Google map. Back to Choctawhatchee River Section.