💚 A Legacy of Giving: Honoring Those

Who Lead by Example

This month, we’re celebrating two generous donations that reflect the spirit of stewardship, community, and deep love for the Florida Trail.

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Sean “Run Bum” Blanton – $1,000 Donation

Trail runner, race director, chainsaw-wielding trail maintainer, and former FKT holder for the 1,111-mile Florida National Scenic Trail, Sean Blanton—aka Run Bum—knows firsthand what it means to give back to the places that give us so much.

Sean founded Run Bum Races in 2011 to showcase the beauty of the South through trail running. Over the years, he’s completed more than 300 ultra marathons, become a USFS certified chainsaw operator, and thrown his energy into trail building and maintenance—both with the FTA and National Forest Service.

This month, he showed his continued support with a $1,000 donation to the FTA.

“I don’t think everyone’s goal should be to run 100 miles,” Sean says, “but it should be to push themselves and, every now and then, do something they don’t know if they can do. Trail running changed my life—and I want to share that with others.”

Sean’s passion for wild places and community is evident in everything he does. We’re proud to have him as part of the FTA family!

🌼 Anne Tenine-Maseral – $500 Donation in Honor of Rachael Augspurg’s Birthday

Sometimes, we don’t realize the impact we’ve had until someone stops to say thank you.

This month, Anne Tenine-Maseral made a heartfelt $500 donation to the Florida Trail Association in honor of Rachael Augspurg’s birthday—a tribute to the decades of service Rachael has given to the trail and the people who love it.

Over the past 31 years, Rachael has been a cornerstone of the Central Florida Chapter—serving as Trail Coordinator, Chapter Chair, Activity Leader, Crew Leader, Program Coordinator, and more. She’s played a central role in building and maintaining the trail systems in Seminole State Forest, Little Big Econ, Mills Creek, and beyond.

Her Winter Wednesday hikes have brought joy and connection to countless hikers for nearly three decades, and her leadership style—organized, calm, and quietly powerful—has left a lasting impression on all who’ve worked with her.

To honor her legacy, a section of trail in Seminole State Forest now bears her name: “Rachael’s Blueberry Cross-Trail.” And thanks to Anne’s generous donation, her legacy continues to grow.

This gift is a reminder that we never know how deeply we’ll touch someone simply by showing up, sharing knowledge, and caring for the trail. We are all stewards—of the land, and of each other.

From all of us in the Central Florida Chapter and across the Florida Trail community:

Rachael, thank you for the decades of dedication, leadership, and heart you’ve poured into our shared mission. Your impact is lasting, and your legacy is felt with every step on the trail.



And to Anne and Sean—thank you for your generosity, your passion, and the inspiration you bring to our trail family. Your support helps keep this path alive for generations to come

Palms, Pines, and Pleasures Abound at the Tosohatchee Wildlife Management Area

By Rob Rogers

On my winter quest to backpack along more sections of the Florida Trail in our region, I recently enjoyed a weekend adventure on a

Central Florida loop that included a leg of the Florida Trail, this time in the Tosohatchee Wildlife Management Area, several weeks after joining the hike led by our chapter leaders on its more southern Taylor Creek Loop. While sharing a campsite for the first time with thru hikers, I was enchanted by Tosohatchee’s towering pines, palms, cypress and live oaks.

Covering more than 30,000 acres just east of the St. John’s River near Christmas, the Tosohatchee WMA has a rich history. During

the second Seminole War, the area hosted what was supposed to be a meeting to negotiate the peaceful removal of native Americans to the Oklahoma territory, where General Thomas S. Jesup instead seized 78 warriors and four chiefs, including Chief

Micanopy, when they arrived under a flag of truce. The area was later used for cattle ranching before becoming a private game preserve, then acquired by the state of Florida in the 1970s. Tosohatchee WMA is home to more than 1,000 acres of old growth floodplain swamp, as well as acres of mesic flatwoods and old growth hydric hammock. It is still a favorite spot for local hunters, and eleven miles of the Florida Trail cross its northern half.

Loops of varying sizes can be hiked by joining the 7 1/2 mile stretch of the Florida Trail between its northern and southern junctions with Tosohatchee’s white trail. I chose to begin at Parking Area 1 beside the hunt station near the WMA’s northeastern entrance and hike

5 miles west and south to the white trail’s southern junction with the Florida Trail, then north on the FT less than half a mile to Tiger Branch camp, where I spent the night before hiking north on the Florida Trail the next day and back to my car for a bit more than 9 more miles. I also day sunset hiked 1 ½ miles south on the Florida Trail on the Florida Trail and back after pitching camp.

Two impressions stand out about Tosohatchee. The first is the height and size of the pines and palms. Towering pines covered with shingles of bark like vertical bricks stand everywhere beside owering pines of similar height. After being engulfed by them while

scrambling through the flatwoods along an abandoned railroad bed on my hike in, the giants followed me into the swampier eastern Florida Trail segment on Day 2.

Of equal delight were the huge cypress in the swamps near Jim Creek, which were seasonally dry while I was there. Halfway north the Florida Trail met a spur to the edge of Jim Creek, where virgin cypress sat in a field of cypress knees, through which the trail wound like an obstacle course. The jungle containing the quarter-mile spur was so dense that blazes were occasionally difficult to see through the palmetto. A huge hawk held court over the trail’s end, presiding over the silence at the

muddy water’s edge.

I also enjoyed sharing camp and a starry campfire with John, a thru hiker that had gotten a late start in Big Cypress several weeks earlier and had been hustling north by averaging more than 20 miles a day, and his girlfriend Brooke, who joined him for a one of many resupplying trips she will be making from Jupiter Farms. While sunset hiking I also met a southbound couple who told me about the eight inches of snow that fell on their tent in the Florida Panhandle, before it melted into the swamps they hiked through in the ensuing days. As only a weekend warrior, I stand in admiration of them all.

With ample accessible parking for just $3 per day (including Parking Area 31, less than a half-mile from the Tiger Branch campsite) and campsite reservations available by phone for no fee other than parking, Tosohatchee is a great place to explore the Florida Trail, by day or overnight.

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Rob Rogers is the author of Finding My Way Home: Fighting Depression Backpacking in Central Florida. He also writes a blog called the “Central Florida Backpacking Desk Jockey” (http://backpackingdeskjockey.blog).

April 4-6, 2025 Bunkhouse Camp

Seminole State Forest

By Bill Turman

We had 10 Participants in the weekend out at Seminole State Forest.  We met on Friday afternoon in the Bear Pond parking lot, loaded all of our gear into several vehicles, drove to Bunkhouse Camp, unloaded and set up camp.  We then enjoyed sharing the items we brought for a group dinner.  Later we all gathered around the campfire for stories prior to hitting the sack. The temperature during the night was very pleasant.

On Saturday after breakfast, we split up to participate in activities.  Some people took a hike on the FNST and Sulphur Island loop.  Several kayaked Blackwater Creek, paddling downstream until obstructions blocked the path, as well as paddling upstream.  We also had people bicycling the forest roads within Seminole SF.   As the day was a hot sunny day, we relaxed around camp in the late afternoon.   Dinner was another group meal sharing brots and burgers cooked on the charcoal grill.   Later when the sun went down, we had another great campfire.   It was again great temperatures in the night for sleeping.

On Sunday, we had another delicious group breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon and fried potatoes.    After relaxing around camp, we packed up and worked our way out of the forest.

It was a Great Weekend, we met some great people, and I think everyone really enjoyed themselves!  

Our chapter has fantastic outreach events lined up, and we’d love your help in connecting with the community! These events give us the opportunity to introduce new people to the Florida Trail, share our mission, and inspire others to get outside.

If you’re available to volunteer at any of these events, please let me or Doug know—even an hour or two of your time makes a big impact!

Upcoming Outreach Events