I launched Florida Hikes on Blogger as “A dialogue on Florida’s climbing trails by Sandra Good friend, writer of quite a few books on Florida climbing.” It wasn’t my first web site.
It wasn’t even my first web site associated to my books.
Earlier than I began writing climbing guides, I’d authored a collection of earth science books for center grade readers, a kids’s image guide on Florida, a historical past for younger readers on Florida throughout the Civil Struggle, and a guide on sinkholes, all printed by main publishers. All previous to 2006. I created and ultimately deserted the web sites I’d constructed to advertise all of them.
I additionally had an internet site for myself as an writer, and one other which shared the journey articles I owned the rights to and will syndicate. Again in that period, it was widespread for a contract author to analysis and write a single article and promote it to a dozen newspapers. I’d began doing so in 1995.
A courtroom ruling in 1999 destroyed the best way I and lots of different freelance writers made a dwelling by altering the foundations to profit the newspapers. Now they may pay you as soon as (providing not more than you’d gotten earlier than) and share your article with all of the newspapers their mother or father firm owned.
As quickly as that occurred, lots of newspapers I wrote for despatched new contracts demanding all rights for brand new articles they’d already agreed to pay me for. And, retroactively, to each article of mine they’d ever printed.
Apart from the few prepared to strike out these clauses, I ended writing for newspapers. As an alternative, I centered on books and wrote for magazines and for public relations corporations, and for brand new on-line markets.
Cultivating a relationship with Gorp.com by writing about Florida climbing, I used to be launched to the editor of the 50 Hikes collection by Countryman Press. That kicked off my shift to writing guidebooks. By 2006, I’d had seven climbing guides printed.
However I hadn’t stopped climbing.
I used to be knocking off a bit hike of your complete Florida Path, and I used to be discovering extra new-to-me trails as I researched my journey guides. On the similar time, trails I’d written about (particularly the Florida Path!) stored altering. Not one of the web sites I used to be juggling appeared an acceptable place to speak about climbing.
That’s what led to Florida Hikes. Right here’s what it seemed like within the early years.
It did double obligation at first, as I might share my private accounts of hikes with teams (largely on the Florida Path) in addition to upcoming occasions together with the all-important updates to trails in my books. Inside a yr, I’d settled on the concept of creating it a database of climbing trails in Florida, like a digital guide, with person contributions and scores and an lively discussion board.
Fb wasn’t a factor, but. MySpace was new and extra a curiosity than a platform.
As social media grew to become extra distinguished and my very own time extra restricted, I lower out the Florida Hikes discussion board and re-focused on path info. 5 years on, I’d taken it by way of a number of modifications in hosts and platforms, all of the whereas being the only real individual behind all of it: webmaster, programmer, designer, researcher, author. Not till John and I hiked the Appalachian Path in 2012 did that shift.
Roughly seven years in the past, I discovered a format and structure I used to be snug with sustaining. On the similar time, I eliminated our journey articles that had nothing to do with Florida and put them in a brand new web site, Trails and Journey.
5 and a half years in the past, we experimented with assigning articles to freelancers. Certainly one of our contributors who started writing for us that summer time, Chris Stevens, continues to maintain us equipped with a gradual stream of recent locations throughout Florida to hike.
Aiding with ongoing updates to The Florida Path Information and FarOut apps, he’s change into my co-author, too.
Like John and I, Chris and his spouse Chelsey are at all times searching for fascinating trails to hike whereas they journey. Inviting Chris to co-author the brand new version of Hiker’s Information to the Sunshine State with me gave us all an excuse to scour the state for new-to-us locations to hike, and boy, has that given us a backlog to share with you.
Due to these of you who’ve adopted alongside all these years. Now, the enjoyable half.
Right here’s the competition! You solely have to enter as soon as. We’ll be drawing every day winners from all subscribers who be a part of both of our mailing lists between now and February 28, 2026.
Should you already obtain our weekly Florida Hikes roundup by electronic mail, head to Trails and Journey and subscribe there to be part of our random drawings for books. Be taught extra beneath.
February 2026 E book Giveaway We’re holding random drawings by way of February 28, 2026 to present away one in every of our books every day. Getting into is simple: be a part of one in every of our two mailing lists. Anybody who joins this month is eligible.
Creator of over 40 books, Sandra Good friend established FloridaHikes.com in 2006 to develop on the sector analysis she’d accomplished for her first six climbing guides. She has been honored with lifetime achievement awards from the Florida Path Affiliation and the Florida Outside Writers Affiliation.
