Unknown to many hikers, a group of horse lovers for the past 30 years have been busy cutting a path through the forest and keeping many of Tallahassee’s many forest trails in walking shape.
The Southern Trailriders Association’s monthly rides give horse lovers the chance to walk side by side, have something to eat, or just like their riders, the chance to truly be in a natural setting.
You don’t see too many riders in the city of Tallahassee these days. Spying on a trail rider line-up of more than 15 riders and their horses is a rarity. But the group meets up to twice a month to ride the miles of trails within the city limits.
The Miccosukee Greenway, JR Alfred Greenway, Lake Overstreet in Maclay Gardens, and the Oak Hammock Trail in Elinor Phipps-Klapp Park are nearby, while Apalachicola State Park, St. Mark’s Trail, and Florida Caverns State Park in Mariana are not far.
Some of these trails are “multipurpose”, meaning that they are shared by hikers and cyclists. Some are single lane and some are wider. But everything has to be taken care of.
Of course, forests will be forests. Branches fall, trees tip over, roots break out, muddy pits appear and path markings are sometimes covered with tendrils or simply disappear.
All uncomfortable or even dangerous for everyone who uses the passages of the forest. This is where the Southern Trail Rider’s Association is happy to contribute. And that since it was founded 30 years ago.
“The group that became the Southern Trailriders Association began building the Tallahassee to St. Marks trail in 1990. Later the Department of Corrections made inmates available to resume, ”writes member Sue Noyes.
“Today we volunteer in cooperation with the park management to maintain the paths we use and share,” says Ken Hodges, a member of the STA.
With their loppers, choppers, hammers and rakes, the outdoor volunteers take care of the public properties they use in Leon and the surrounding districts.
Their website, Southerntrailriders.org, notes that Hurricane Michael caused a lot of damage in Apalachicola State Park and that STA helped clear the trails. They advise the Florida Forest Service on surface and trail design and currently maintain two trail systems in Apalachicola Forest and an 80 mile trail in Fort Braden.
The same website has dozens of “reviews” of rides with other riders. Looking through just a few will leave most people longing for their own horse and the opportunity to stroll down a green path.
A rider wrote of a Springhill Forest ride in May: “… there were pines planted, oak hammocks, a slowly flowing stream, wild flowers everywhere …”
Another recalled a drive in September: “We were about two and a half hours, winding our way through beautiful old magnolias, huge pines, red horse chestnuts (ideal for hummingbirds), flowering dogwoods and highland forests … all enjoyed from the back of our best friends.”
The rides are usually followed by a cozy, sociable hour.
The Southern Trailriders celebrate their 30th anniversary in the Lake Ella American Legion on October 15, 6:30 pm-10:00pm with food and music, followed by a celebratory ride the next day at Apalachicola State Park in Crawfordsville.
Visit Southerntrailriders.org for contact and participation information.
Two more trips in October are planned for the Miccosukee Greenway on October 9th and the JR Alfred Greenway on October 23rd. The Southern Trailriders Association welcomes new members.
Never miss another story: Subscribe to the Tallahassee Democrat using the link at the top of the page.
When you go
What: 30th anniversary of the Southern Trailriders Association
When: 6:30 pm-10:00pm October 15th, with food and music, followed by a festive horseback ride the next day at Apalachicola State Park in Crawfordsville.
Where: Lake Ella American Legion Hall, 229 Lake Ella Drive
Details: Visit southtrailriders.org
The post Happy ways! Southern Trailriders Association celebrates 30 years first appeared on Daily Florida Press.from Daily Florida Press https://dailyfloridapress.com/happy-ways-southern-trailriders-association-celebrates-30-years/
No comments:
Post a Comment