Adventure Updates

January 27, 2022January 27, 2022 / floridatrailblazer / 1 Comment

***Hidden Pond in Ocala National Forest***

Hello everyone I hope that you are doing well, it’s nice to have you here! I appreciate you following my blog and videos. I have been away from here for awhile and hadn’t wrote any updates so I wanted to check in to report on some news and things going on with my adventures and the website.

As usual I have been working hard each week on recording videos and producing content for my YouTube channel. I hope you have been able to keep up with the adventures and that you have been enjoying them, I truly appreciate it! Since the start of the pandemic I told myself that I would do my best to put my all into these adventures and make these videos to the best of my ability more than ever I had before. I felt like I have grown a lot since then in my work but it’s never really done, there is always more to be do. More exploring, more paths to take and interesting sites to discover.

I hadn’t been putting as much attention into my weekly blog posts as my weekly videos so I’ve been working on updating my website here lately and wanted to let you know that more content is coming very soon. I am excited to share so many adventures here, my goal is to provide a central hub not only for my video work but all the various things that come along with my adventuring. I want it to be interactive and a way for you to get inspired as well and hopefully can find some of these interesting places in nature I am sharing about. Whether if it’s in Florida or in the area you live. It is important to visit and cherish the wild and public lands while they’ll still exist. Many places are becoming developed and critical natural habitats along with the history are being destroyed. The more we can enjoy and share about them, the more hopefully people will appreciate them.

Some of the projects I am working towards is an updated version of my Florida Trailblazer podcast, which will highlight some of the behind scenes stuff, documenting maps and discussions about my adventures. It will be something that will evolve in time and I am looking forward to sharing it with you. I will be updating some of my older posts here and as mentioned previously posting new articles weekly about my hikes and projects. I am also posting a lot of behind the scenes, exclusive content, maps and much more as well on my Patreon page (Florida Trailblazer Plus) so by signing up there you can gain access to bonus stuff and even tour opportunities. It all helps go a long way in aiding these adventures and projects so I truly appreciate it! I have been adding more items to my online store so if you are interesting in purchasing some Florida Trailblazer merchandise check it out there. I have more updates coming soon so stay tuned. Keep up to date by checking my YouTube channel weekly for new videos and here at the website for updates as well.

I posted some videos below of my recent adventures, enjoy and I wish you the very best and thank you! I’ll see you in the wilderness…

Update from Off The Beaten Path

July 5, 2020January 27, 2022 / floridatrailblazer / 1 Comment

Florida Trailblazer Off The Beaten Path

Hi I hope that everyone is doing well! I wanted to check in with an update here since I haven’t posted in awhile. I have been keeping busy with exploring and making videos for my YouTube channel “Florida Trailblazer”. I hope that you have been enjoying the places I have been sharing about, stay tuned for more to come!

You can follow my Instagram page for photos, video clips and live streams as well @fltrailblazer

I am currently working towards updating this website so be sure to check back for updates. Thank you for the support everybody, take care!

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“Florida Trailblazer” Featured in Lutz, Land O’ Lakes and Wesley Chapel Magazines in Pasco County, Florida

September 16, 2019 / floridatrailblazer / Leave a comment

Florida Trailblazer in Lutz Magazine I am honored and extremely grateful to be featured in the September 2019 issues of Wesley Chapel, Lutz and Land O’ Lakes Magazines distributed in Pasco County, Florida.

Pasco County is a local stomping ground for me where there are many wilderness areas and historical sites to see and learn about. So over the years I have always strived to help educate people around these areas about some of these places through my various videos and other projects. So when I was presented with the opportunity to be featured in these magazines I was really excited! Although it is much more than about sharing about the history and wilderness in these regions but all over Florida as well.

I am so glad that I am able to inspire so many people through my adventures and really grateful for the opportunity to share about them. I appreciate your support thank you very much! I hope you enjoy this article see the link below. Special thanks to Sandy Parrish and KEM Media Group for the feature.

Magazine Article “Into The Woods” by Sandy Parrish

Thanks to Jae Patrick (Cover Photo Credit)

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Old Homestead Site in Goethe State Forest

May 14, 2019January 25, 2022 / floridatrailblazer / 1 Comment

Goethe Abandoned Homestead6 — Pond by Homestead Site

On this adventure I explored an old homestead site that is now part of Goethe State Forest located in Levy County. There is a lot of history here along with a scenic wilderness so I always enjoy visiting. I’ve seen everything from railroad, ranching and turpentine history here. So it seems like there is an always adventure that awaits when I explore this wilderness.

This area was located by a pond and the homestead and pond can be seen on old aerial photos from the 1940’s but not sure how much older than that it may be. When I look at these documents it is amazing to see how the areas have changed over the years compared to modern times. Nature has reclaimed most of these sites. Back then this section was cleared out around the homestead and the pond would have been a good water source. There may have been some livestock on the property as well.

Today the area is popular for equestrians and some of the horse trails go by the site. I found an overgrown path off of the trail that may have been a road to the homestead at one time. So I followed that for a little while until I came into a clearing by the pond, I could see some pieces of wood and metal scattered around. I was by the homestead area and the same pond that I saw on the aerial photo was just through the clearing and surrounding woods.

That is an incredible feeling standing in a place like this and you think of times gone by, who lived here and the memories that were made. It is lost to nature now but you still get a sense of the past in these places. Seeing some of the remnants from those days around the area only adds to that feeling. So as I roamed around I also found what appeared to be a well or cistern used for storing and collecting water. Nearby I saw some old bricks and part of a foundation. I spent a lot of time exploring the woods here and you can’t help but think what else may be out here. That is part of the mystery in exploring these places. Later I went down by the pond along the wooded shoreline and just took in the scenery, thinking “this is the real Florida, the old Florida…”

Below are some photos and a link to my video enjoy and thank you!

VIDEO:

RESOURCES:

Goethe State Forest Website

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Abandoned Homestead Site in The Green Swamp Wilderness Preserve

April 23, 2019January 25, 2022 / floridatrailblazer / 2 Comments

Green Swamp Homestead2 — Old Vehicle at Homestead Site

Over the years I have explored many areas of The Green Swamp Preserve located in central, Florida. It is a scenic and vast place that spans 4 counties so there is a lot to explore. The area is rich in history as well so I enjoy learning about and tracking down of that kind of stuff in this wilderness. It took a very long time to begin finding some of this history out here but I find that with dedication and just getting out there as much as possible in the more you begin to find and experience. There was logging, turpentine and ranching history in this place well over a hundred years ago. Even longer before that dating back thousands of years Native American Indians found this area to be a refuge and also a place with abundant resources.

One of the sites I have explored is this abandoned homestead site. During the 1800’s and into the early 1900’s some families lived in these areas. They built ranches, had orange groves and lived an old Florida lifestyle. This particular site seems to date back to at least the 1930’s according to some aerial maps I have. The area is mostly being reclaimed by nature so it looks a lot different than it did in the early days of this place. There was a homestead, a place for livestock and orange groves close by as well. Some of the orange trees still grow out here. There was a railroad line that was close by as well and many folks lived along them when trains were one of the main sources for transportation. I could see some of the old roads throughout the area which is all woods now and the roads have become trails. It makes for a very scenic exploration and there are many areas to venture into here. Around the area I could observe some old vehicles, foundations and other remnants from the homestead.

Being out here transports you back in time to another era and it is one of the sites where you can just feel the history. I truly enjoy these types of places and I’m very thankful to still be able to experience them in modern times.

Many historical sites and wilderness areas in Florida are being developed so it is important that we cherish and take care of these places while we still have them. I feel this way every time I visit these places and it’s part of the reason why I like to document them as much as I can so that in someway they can be remembered when they are gone.

Check out my video and photos below. If you visit this site or others like it please be respectful and leave everything as you see it, thank you and enjoy!

VIDEOS:

RESOURCES

Green Swamp Wilderness Preserve

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Florida Trailblazer Podcast (Episode 1)

March 12, 2019March 12, 2019 / floridatrailblazer / Leave a comment

Florida Trailblazer Podcast

I have been working on lots of new projects for Florida Trailblazer and one of them involves a podcast. It is something I actually had in mind to do for a long while now but it wasn’t until recently that I began putting it together. It is still a work in progress and will evolve in time. I have finished the first episode which is now available on my YouTube channel and will be published online at other outlets soon where podcasts can be heard.

The YouTube version has images to go along with the conversation which I think is a good way to help illustrate what I am discussing during the episodes. This first episode is about a couple of lost cemeteries that I explored.

If you are contributor to Florida Trailblazer you get first access to the episodes before they are published online. If you are interested in donating check out the links below. All of the contributions help go towards providing more content like this and so much more that I plan on producing in the near future.

I am very thankful for all of you that follow along with my adventures and this is just one of the ways I wanted to help give back to show my appreciation. These episodes will highlight some behind the scenes stuff about my adventures and provide an insight to a lot of the production and work involved when I am exploring all of these great places that I post about. I hope you and enjoy it and stay tuned for more exciting news!

Florida Trailblazer Podcast on YouTube

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Old Steamboat Landing and Indian Mound in Ocala National Forest (Historical Davenport Landing)

January 31, 2019January 31, 2019 / floridatrailblazer / Leave a comment

Ocklawaha River at Davenport Landing

Ocala National Forest has a rich history, it is a beautiful and vast place to explore. One of my favorite places there is along the Ocklawaha River where an old steamboat landing existed in the 1800’s and early 1900’s. The area today is known as Historical Davenport Landing it was just one of many stops along this river back in those times.

In those days there weren’t many other ways for people to get from town to town so traveling by steamboat was a main form of transportation. Along this river were lots of small towns. Lumber and various goods were also traded and transported along the river. It was vital to the economy and livelihood in these places.

Long before this time dating back thousands of years Native American Indians inhabited these areas along the Ocklawaha River. Evidence of that can be seen at the landing where an ancient burial mound is located, it dates back to 500-1200 years. There is a fence around the site today helping to keep it protected, a lot of the mound was excavated during the 1800’s. Digging into the mound and removing artifacts is prohibited and illegal so please be respectful of the history here when visiting. It is best to observe the mound from outside of the barrier, there is a nice kiosk there describing some the history of the mound and the landing.

There are a couple of short trails from the parking area leading to the landing area and it’s a scenic place in this forest with amazing views of the river. It is a place of beauty and history that hopefully can be cherished by generations to come.

MY VIDEO

Old Steamboat Landing and Indian Mound in Ocala National Forest

RESOURCES

Ocala National Forest Davenport Landing