The Sunshine Expedition is a kayaking and hiking journey around the state of Florida.  The team members intend to travel over 2800 miles around the state, 1500 miles paddling and 1300 hiking.  The expedition begins north of Jacksonville, at Fort Clinch State park, near the Georgia border.  From there the team will paddle through every Florida coastal habitat, including barrier island dunes, saltwater marshes, and mangroves.

They will head south along the intercoastal waterway, through the Florida Keys, and up the Gulf coast.  The paddling portion of the expedition will span 20 national parks, seashores, wildlife refuges and marine sanctuaries, as well as 37 aquatic preserves and 47 state parks.  The trail continues up the Gulf and around the remote Big Bend Coastline, ending along the Gulf Islands National Seashore, at the historic Fort Pickens. 

At Fort Pickens, the team will trade in their kayaks for hiking boots, and begin hiking south towards Key West.  The hiking will follow the Florida Trail, a National Scenic Trail, venturing through ecosystems ranging from centuries old dwarf cypress, long-leaf pines, sand dunes, and the world’s only Everglades.  The Expedition will take six months, beginning in the fall of 2008, and continuing through winter, ending in the spring of 2009.  Team members will document the journey through daily journal entries, being uploaded to an internet blog, with the intent of sparking interest in the pristine and wild beauty of Florida’s natural places, its historic communities, and it’s unique wildlife. 

Each team member will also maintain a photographic journal of the expedition, which will be uploaded to an internet blog as well.  Three digital video cameras will also be used to capture the journey.  One camera will be used solely for a video journal of the team members.  The other two cameras will film the wild beauty of Florida, intending to capture such wildlife as Atlantic bottlenose dolphins, Florida manatees, American alligators, along with the possibility of Florida black bears, Florida bobcats, diamondback rattlesnakes, osprey, bald eagles, Sand hill cranes, and even the elusive Florida Panther. 

The route being traveled has never been attempted before, making this an opportunity unlike any other to record the breath-taking beauty of Florida, as well as the day-to-day challenges the team members will face as they deal with the physical and emotional hardships endured on a long-distance adventure.  The state of Florida stands as an environmental indicator for the United States.  With sub-tropical and temperate climates, the southernmost state harbors plants and animals that can thrive in no other state, including such exotics as epiphytic orchids and bromeliads.  The wilds of Florida stand in a precarious position, as development encroaches from golf courses, retirement communities, and urban sprawl.  The Sunshine Expedition will shine a spotlight on the remote and vulnerable ecosystems of the southernmost state, bringing an increased awareness and commitment to protecting such an irreplaceable environment.

Team Members