When you need a breather, where do you get your outdoor mojo?

QUICK FIX 

being john muir BY EDWARD C. WOODWARD

Several years ago, as a graduate student, I roamed Cedar Key searching for signs of environmentalist John Muir’s stay there during the late 1860s. Here’s my account.

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bartram's giants: florida's majestic cypress BY  JAMES H. PHILLIPS

Being a native Floridian, I guess I should’ve known better than to visit Big Cypress Bend during the summer rainy season, when mosquitoes by the billions emerge from their pupal cases and take to the air in search of their first blood meal.  But I wanted to see the trees.   Actually, I was there on the advice of another tourist -Florida’s first tree-hugger- a footloose young Philadelphian botanist named William Bartram.   Click Here for the Full Story.

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arise at dead river BY EDWARD C. WOODWARD

I grew up in Florida’s rural panhandle with room to roam, so when the city sounds of Tampa make my grumpy, I head for the woods. One refuge is Dead River Park, a remote hammock on the Hillsborough River. During my Dead River walks, I keep a journal.  Click Here for the Full Story.

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peace river pete: a florida tale BY  NEVIN SITLER

After consulting several heavily thumbed, dog-eared river guidebooks, my decision to explore central Florida's Peace River was an easy choice.     My unexpected companion on this exploration, a crusty Florida cracker named Pete, was one of happenstance, thanks to Smith - "Just Smith." I encountered them both, however, when my need for directions got in my way.  Click Here for the Full Story.

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kayak fishing in the everglades BY TERRY TOMALIN

It's not easy fishing and camping out of a kayak. When you have to paddle a heavy boat packed with enough food, water and gear to survive for several days on a barrier island, the last thing you want to do is head off down some side creek in search of snook. Fishing, or let's say "catching," usually takes a back seat to paddling.  But there is an alternative. "You cheat," explained master kayak angler Todd Llewellyn. "On our last trip, we lived like kings. We even had ice."  Click Here for the Full Story.

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