By By Lydia Grimes – features writer
The weather did not look promsing Monday morning, but it did not deter &#8220Hammock Hanger” from her plans.
Sue Turner, better known by her hiking name, &#8220Hammock Hanger,” was ready to begin a new hike, and bad weather was not going to stand in her way.
Turner is the first to walk a new trail that begins at the Alabama-Florida line, one that local hikers have been busy setting up.
Eric Douglas and Johnny Miller of Brewton have been mapping out the new trail for some time.
They will see their hard work pay off as Turner makes her way through the Conecuh National Forest. She is the first woman to take the new trail, which will link the Florida trail to others along the way to her destination in upstate New York.
Douglas said the new trail is a dream come true for him.
Minor problems along the way posed no hindrance to the overall goal, Douglas said.
According to a press release, the connected trails are more than 1,700 miles from the Alabama-Florida state line to the Finger Lakes in New York. The trail is an alternate to the Appalachian Trail which is now used by many hikers. The new trail will be more primitive with fewer encounters along the way, Douglas said. Turner is expected to be able to see some of the most beautiful and primitive countryside, much like the Appalachian Trail was in the early 1920s.
Turner said she has her back-pack down to around 25 pounds.
Turner said her biggest obstacle are the &#8220feelings of homesickness” for her husband - but this time she has a plan.
Turner hopes to complete the journey by mid-September. She invites all of those who are interested to follow her adventure at her online journal at http://trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?trailname=4974.