Joshua Kinser got his start as a journalist working on his college newspaper in Pensacola, FL, writing outdoor travel feature articles and a performing arts column. He went on to work at the Pensacola News Journal—he left his job there to pursue a professional music career, but continued writing on a freelance basis, publishing travel articles in SAIL magazine, art-oriented articles in Dance Spirit, and several regional travel features for PLAY magazine, a special issue division of Northwest Florida Business Magazine.

Joshua lived exclusively in Pensacola, FL for 25 years, and in that time he traveled the Gulf Coast region extensively. In 2006, he spent two months traveling the exact region that this book covers—Pensacola to Everglades City—camping, paddling, boating and hiking his way through the highlights of Florida’s Gulf Coast. An avid traveler, Joshua has journeyed all over the world—but he still considers the Gulf Coast home.