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Taking Steps To Help Hikers

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By PAUL CATALA, Tribune correspondent

Published: November 10, 2007

THONOTOSASSA - In an effort to make hiking more pleasurable for others down the trail, a dozen hardy souls ventured deep into the forest to help bridge nature with civilization.

Nearly three-fourths of a mile into the dense woods of Hillsborough River State Park, volunteers with the Florida Trail Association's F-Troop braved slippery slopes, a precarious plank used as a temporary bridge, whirring chainsaws, bugs of all sorts and, aside from cell phones, isolation.

Down one of the side trails of the Florida Trail system - a network consisting of both the linear 1,400-mile Florida Trail and a collection of loop and linear trails on public lands throughout Florida - association volunteers spent Nov. 3 and Sunday replacing an old bridge.

The members of F-Troop took on the task after association members noticed the decaying condition of the 20-year-old bridge during a hike. With donations and funding from park services - about $500 for materials - they ventured out to replace the 40-foot span.

From atop a tractor that was slowly but surely driven from a park parking lot into the forest, Ted Youngblood, a 20-year association member, helped pull out some older support beams. The beams were replaced with utility poles donated by Tampa Electric Co.

Below him, association members Bill Martin, Alan Bailey and Tom Hammond guided the poles into place.

"We're out here to support the organization and get the bridge fixed," said Youngblood, who came from Spring Lake in Hernando County to help. "The old bridge was leaning at a 30-degree angle. It will be fixed by people that wouldn't do this for a living who are out here volunteering their time."

Bob Woods, trail crew program coordinator in Tallahassee, said building the bridge would help hikers traverse the boggy area in the 3.5-mile trail offshoot and would help F-Troop with upkeep farther down the trail.

F-Troop member Mitch Almon said constructing the bridge so far into the woods was one of the biggest tasks he had taken on since joining the organization.

"But I enjoy doing this stuff," Almon said. "It's fun; I get out in the woods and work with tools. From a conservation point of view, doing this helps other people get out in the woods, and they're going to get more interested in helping preserve the woods."

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