ACTUALLY, IT’S NOT A SWAMP

 

 

We headed in a different direction last weekend.  Christy was looking for a long, but easy hike.  Temperatures had plummeted to near normal levels, but seemed frigid after two weeks of spring-like weather in January.  All of this combined to make Congaree National Park, near Columbia, SC, an appealing destination.  The park features plenty of trails, but is absolutely flat, which promised an easy hike.  Plus, heading away from the mountains assured us of milder weather.

 

We met SC Jack at the new park Visitor’s Center after a 90-minute drive from Charlotte.  The Visitor’s Center is just one of the more obvious improvements since Congaree received National Park designation.  Until a few years ago, it was known as Congaree Swamp National Monument.  Since then, it became a park, but is no longer a swamp.  The “swamp” was dropped from the name because, technically, it isn’t one.  Actually, it is merely an old-growth forest that floods approximately 10 times a year.  Whatever it is, it does provide a nice place for an easy hike under some truly impressive trees. 

 

We toured the Visitor’s Center briefly and picked up a new, attractive trail map before hitting the boardwalk.  The park’s boardwalks make a 2-mile loop through what is probably the most scenic section of the park.  They lead past cypress and tupelo trees in the wetter areas, and towering pines in the few places that typically stay dry.  Cypress knees dot the landscape, and bright green palmettos add color to the largely open forest.

 

Dogs aren’t allowed on the boardwalks, so we had left Saucony home this time, to her disappointment.  Surprisingly, dogs are allowed on leashes elsewhere in the park.

 

After almost a mile, we left the boardwalk and followed a muddy stretch of trail towards Wise Lake.  We crossed a sturdy bridge over Cedar Creek, which flows through the heart of the park.  Canoeing Cedar Creek may be the best way to see Congaree, as it flows through the heart of the park.  Most of the park is trail-less, and too wet for cross-country travel.  To see more of it, we’ll have to bring our canoe next time. 

 

Beyond Cedar Creek, we took a short break at Wise Lake before continuing on towards the Congaree River.  The trail continued to pass under impressive trees and over numerous bridges.  However, the last stretch of the hike, closer to the river, was less impressive.  That part of the park had been logged previously, and the difference was obvious.  Still, it provided a pleasant, quiet place to walk.

 

The trail generally stayed back away from the river, but we found a marked side trail that led out to a sandbar.  The sandy banks could serve as campsites, but we utilized them only for a quick lunch.  We found the river to be wide and muddy, and much less interesting than Cedar Creek and the other ponds and streams in the interior of the park.

 

After lunch, we followed the rest of the River Trail loop back towards the Visitor’s Center.  We turned away from the river, following what appeared to be a tributary.  Oddly, the water in the tributary stream was flowing backwards.  Instead of flowing into the river, part of the flow from the river was rushing into the channel, heading downstream towards the heart of the park.

 

We had kept a steady 3 mile-per-hour pace on the hike out, and may have exceeded that pace on the return.  Christy and Jack were moving fast, and I had to struggle to keep up at times.  We didn’t see anyone in the morning, but passed an interesting assortment of hikers that afternoon.  Most intriguing was a group of hippies that may or may not have been stoned. 

 

We returned to Cedar Creek, and followed a service road back towards the Visitor’s Center.  The gravel road provides hikers with dogs an alternative to the boardwalks.  When we reached the boardwalk though, we followed it around to complete the loop.  We finished our 11-mile hike after only 4 ½ hours of hiking time.  I’m pretty sure that set some sort of speed record for us.  The next time we visit Congaree, I hope it is in the form of a leisurely canoeing trip.




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