I missed this one last week at the American Hiking Society’s Southern Appalachians Initiative blog. It talks about the history of the trail what could be done to finish it so hikers don’t have to trudge down old highways full of Disney-bound tourists (I can see it now: “If you kids don’t behave I’m going to stop this car, pick up that stinky hiker and make you read his Trail Journals entries.” )

The trail hitchhikes across an impressive variety of properties, including a bombing range, university property, parcels that belong to cities, counties and water-management districts, state forests, three national forests — the Ocala, Osceola and Apalachicola — and many more.

Those areas are all protected from development.

“We go through every significant type of public land with the exception of prisons,” said Kent Wimmer, who heads trail management and building for the Florida Trail Association, which relies on volunteers, grants and donations.

The story mentions that the state might have to use eminent domain or condemnation to acquire some of the remaining lands. I’m thinking this’ll happen roughly the same time when Miami school kids get a snow day.