(http://backpackingdeskjockey.blog)
A self-described desk jockey, Rob writes the Central Florida Backpacking Desk Jockey blog to share his experiences hiking, backpacking, and enjoying the outdoors near his Central Florida home. In his blog, he shares tips and insights from learning to backpack in middle age, and he also celebrates the special trails and state parks he has discovered through his adventures as a weekend warrior.
Check out my award-winning essay “Mardi Gras ’95” in San Luis Obispo The NightWriter Review
My long-awaited essay titled “Mardi Gras’ 95,” which won First Place for Nonfiction last fall in the 2025 SLO NightWriters Golden Quill Writing Contest, has now been published in the 2025-26 issue of The NightWriter Review. The NightWriter Review is the annual publication of the San Luis Obispo NightWriters, a writing community in Central California that provides…
Orlando Wetlands Park and Seminole Ranch Conservation Area Unite Swampy Marshes with Tranquil Forests
Most of us take for granted what happens to the water we flush down our toilets, and few would suspect that its destination would be a fun place to spend a Sunday morning. But one of Orlando’s most popular outdoor spots for seeing birds and alligators is actually doing double-duty as a wastewater treatment facility.…
Seminole State Forest offers excellent backpacking and hiking just north of Orlando
The eastern corridor of the Florida National Scenic Trail has several excellent legs that are easy to reach from Orlando for short backpacking trips at charming backcountry campsites. Most are in flood plains for the St. John’s River and its tributaries. But as the Florida Trail bends northwest on its way to the Ocala National…
Check out my latest essay in Montana’s Big Sky Journal (“The First Run of the Season”)
I was honored earlier this month to have my essay titled “The First Run of the Season” published in the Fly Fishing 2026 issue of Big Sky Journal, an outdoors and cultural magazine published in Bozeman, Montana. This piece has special significance because of the magazine’s publication not far from the home of my wife’s…
The best of the Lake Wales Ridge can be found at the Arbuckle Tract of Lake Wales Ridge State Forest
I’ve raved in my book and on this blog about Tiger Creek Preserve, a special stretch of Central Florida’s Lake Wales Ridge near Frostproof maintained by the Nature Conservancy that remains one of my favorite places to hike. But Tiger Creek Preserve does not permit camping, and since the Florida Trail passes north of the…
If you love nature photography, check out Chris “Soda Pop” Littlefield’s work
I usually post here about places where I’ve backpacked alone, where I rarely camp with anyone. But this week, I’m thrilled to share about a backpacker I met at Green Swamp West during a one-nighter this past weekend, Chris “Soda Pop” Littlefield. Hopefully you’ll agree that his photos of nature on his Facebook page and…
Tosohatchee Wildlife Management Area is the Florida Trail’s Gateway to Central Florida’s Woodlands
Tantalizingly close to Orlando and just south of Christmas sits a stretch of pine, live oak, and cypress forest that is treasured by northbound thru hikers taking the eastern corridor up the Florida National Scenic Trail. Just after they complete their 30-mile road walk north after Bull Creek WMA, Tosohatchee Wildlife Management Area welcomes them…
For a Quiet Riverside Hike in Little Big Econ State Forest, Try the Culpepper Trail
About a year ago, I posted about the Little Big Econ State Forest by describing a one-night backpacking trip I did through Little Big Econ along the Florida Trail from its crossing of Brumley Road to West Camp near the Barr Street parking area, and I suggested that the north bank of the river and…
Here’s how to find me at the Sunshine State Book Festival, and check out “Anger Sister” in The Gardan Journal
The Writers Alliance of Gainesville has now posted the location of each author at the Meet the Author Showcase at the Sunshine State Book Festival at the Santa Fee College Fine Arts Hall at 3000 N.W. 83rd Street in Gainesville tomorrow, January 24th from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. As you’ll see from the map…
The Prairie Lakes Loops at Three Lakes WMA are Perfect for Hiking and Backpacking
Just an hour south of Orlando off the Florida Turnpike, you can find one of those special places in Florida that offers virtually everything an outdoor lover might seek—hiking for both moderate and longer distances, backpacking, a section of the Florida National Scenic Trail, birding, and even fishing and hunting, all in a vast landscape…
If you’re in Gainesville on Saturday, Jan. 24th, come join me at the Sunshine State Book Festival
If any of you plan to be in Gainesville the weekend after the MLK holiday, I welcome you to join me at the Sunshine State Book Festival at the Santa Fee College Fine Arts Hall at 3000 N.W. 83rd Street. I’ll be joining 100 other authors at the Meet the Authors Showcase and Expo from…
Winter is the Best Time to Enjoy Ichetucknee Springs State Park Near Gainesville
Many University of Florida students are familiar with Ichetucknee Springs State Park and its well-known river that is a summer favorite for river tubing. Way back in my freshman year in the 1990s, the fraternity I pledged even went there in a rented bus and floated a keg down the river. But a far quieter,…
Although often crowded, Black Bear Wilderness Area is a spectacular place to see wildlife
Even though Black Bear Wilderness Area near Sanford is among the most popular places in Central Florida to hike, I’ve hesitated to post about it before now because of my reluctance to rain on those who love it. Truth be told, I was not particularly smitten with Black Bear when I first hiked there almost…
“Morning Coffee,” my latest essay, has been nominated by Ponder Review for a Pushcart Prize
My latest essay (and likely the final one to be published in 2025) has now made it into print, as “Morning Coffee” has now been published in Volume 9, Issue 2 of Ponder Review. Ponder Review is the student-run literary journal of the MFA program at Mississippi University for Women in Columbus, Mississippi and publishes…
Moses Creek Conservation Area Offers Pleasant Hiking Near St. Augustine—But Don’t Count on Backcountry Camping There
With hunting season limiting my access to many of my favorite stretches of the Florida Trail last weekend, I tried to make up for the opportunity I lost last spring to camp beside the intracoastal at St. George Island State Park and booked a reservation at the Murat Point campsite at the Moses Creek Conservation…
Come join me on Dec. 14th by Zoom (or in Gainesville) for a live reading of my next essay, “Baby Bear”
I just learned this week that I’ll be joining the Writers Alliance of Gainesville (WAG) next Sunday for a live reading of my next essay, “Baby Bear,” with other authors whose pieces have been published in Bacopa Literary Review. Bacopa, which was released just before Thanksgiving, is the annual literary anthology published by WAG and…
Barr Hammock near Gainesville is Ideal for Family-Friendly Hiking Through Pretty Old Growth Forest
Many University of Florida students are familiar with the hiking trails at Payne’s Prairie Preserve State Park. But another collection of trails through a beautiful forest of tall live oaks and longleaf pines can be found not far south of Gainesville, and it’s free and easier to reach from I-75. Barr Hammock Preserve is definitely…
Tips for Backpacking During Breaks on Business Trips or Family Vacations
Over the last two years while discovering weekend backpacking near my home in Central Florida, some of my most thrilling experiences have been one-night adventures far from home that I’ve added to family vacations and road trips to college football games. In fact, I now consider backpacking options when deciding where to travel. As fun…
Labor of Love: My first trail maintenance work party with the Florida Trail Association
I finally got around last Saturday to joining my local Florida Trail Association chapter for a trail maintenance work party, one of the most popular activities the FTA chapters host. If you’re looking for a great way to get acquainted with some of the most beautiful sections of trail in Florida and the people who…
My Book Has Received Another Award, and Also Check Out My Latest Essay, “Boynton Canyon”
I was thrilled to learn this morning that my book, Finding My Way Home: Fighting Depression Backpacking in Central Florida, has received another award, this time from the 12th Annual Independent Author Network (IAN) Book of the Year Awards. My book was named a Finalist in the IAN Book of the Year Awards category for…
Shenandoah National Park is a special place to backpack in October and November
After several weeks of not posting here, I am thrilled to return by raving about a recent once-in-a-season chance I had to backpack for a night in one of the most beautiful national parks east of the Mississippi River. Shenandoah National Park is the Hope Diamond of Virginia and a magical place to spend a…
Check out my latest essay in The Florida Writer (“Anger Sister”) and my article in Outdoors Unlimited (“Backpacking Beside the Baltic Sea”)
I was thrilled to have two different pieces published in two different publications today, one creative and one an outdoor travel article. First, my essay titled “Anger Sister” was published this morning in the October 2025 issue of The Florida Writer, the official magazine for the Florida Writers Association. “Anger Sister” is a dedication to…
Hunting Dates for Central Florida’s Eastern and Western Corridors of the Florida Trail
With November now only a month away and temperatures (hopefully) beginning to cool, we are finally approaching backpacking season in Central Florida. But as most Florida Trail lovers know, many of the great places to backpack here, including most of the forested sections of the Florida National Scenic Trail, are on land that we’ll have…
Come Join Me (Virtually) on Sept. 27th for a Live Reading of My Essay, “Cognitive Distortion”
I recently learned that an essay of mine titled “Cognitive Distortion” will be published in the next issue of Thorn & Bloom magazine, and its publisher will be hosting an online Live Author Reading event on Saturday, September 27th from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. EST (11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. PST). The other authors…
Seaside Camping at its Finest Can be Found at St. George Island State Park
Florida has precious few places where hikers can camp in primitive settings beside the Atlantic or the Gulf of Mexico or beside stretches of intracoastal waterways unblemished by buildings on the opposite shore. But a gem of a seaside primitive campsite can be found beside a wide expanse of Apalachicola Bay at St. George Island…
My Essay “Mardi Gras ‘95” Has Won First Place for Nonfiction in the SLO NightWriters Golden Quill Contest
I was overjoyed to learn recently that an essay of mine titled “Mardi Gras ‘95” has won First Place for Nonfiction in the 2025 SLO NightWriters Golden Quill Writing Contest. The contest is hosted by the San Luis Obisbo NightWriters, a writing community in Central California that provides writing education, opportunities, resources, workshops, and scholarships.…
As State Parks Go, Colt Creek State Park is Great for Hikers Looking for Longer Distances
Anyone familiar with my book or my prior blog posts knows that I am borderline-obsessed with the Green Swamp located an hour west of Orlando. But I’m ashamed to admit that, until this weekend, I had not yet visited nearby Colt Creek State Park. I’m glad my wait is over, as Colt Creek is certainly…
Huge Cypress Trees Enchant at Spring Hammock Preserve
A family-friendly trail long enjoyed by generations of Central Floridians, but closed for 13 years after falling into disrepair, has finally been restored and reopened for public enjoyment. The new and improved paved trail at Spring Hammock Preserve is now back, and it’s one of the easiest places in Central Florida to see huge, majestic…
Don’t Let Ticks Ruin Your Time Hiking and Backpacking in Florida
As a review through my recent summer posts will show, your Central Florida Backing Desk Jockey has not written much lately about backpacking and hiking, particularly backpacking in Florida. The truth is that I have not been on the trail much recently—I haven’t hiked in Florida outside a state park in several months, and I’m…
Finding My Way Home won the 2025 President’s Bronze Medal for Autobiography/Memoir
Kara and I had a great time attending the President’s Book Awards dinner on Saturday at FAPACon, the annual conference for the Florida Authors and Publishers Association, where my book, Finding My Way Home: Fighting Depression Backpacking in Central Florida, won the Bronze Medal for Autobiography/Memoir. I also had the privilege of getting to know many…
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