Congaree National Park Trip 2-18-2011 to 2-20-2011 (3 days)

Directions from Home 

100 National Park Rd.

Hopkins, SC 29061

(803) 776-4396

Total Miles ~ 34.3 miles
Total Travel Time ~ 46 min.

• US-378W
• Left on HWY 263
• Left on McCords Ferry Rd.
• Right on Reynolds Rd.
• Right on Bluff Rd.
• Left on Cedar Creek Rd.
• Right on Old Bluff Rd.
• Left the National Park Rd.

Tools used on the trip

• Super Glue~to repair glasses
• Mini Hachette/hammer~cut firewood and stake tarp down
• Nylon rope~hammock and tarp tie offs
• Wood Gas Stove~cooking
• Collapsible Stove w/camp fuel~cooking and boiling water
• Ski mask~mornings and sleeping at night
• 0 degree sleeping bag~sleeping
• Waist backpack~hiking
• 5 in1 whistle
• FireSteel~starting campfire and stoves
• (3) Flashlights and a headlamp~for nighttime, but only one worked
• Camouflage gloves~cooking, morning warmth and gathering wood
• Survival Knife
• Aluminum tent stakes
• Lighter
• Fat lighter wood & Vaseline cotton balls~tender
• Carabiner~ used to hang backpack and other item off the ground from critters alike
• Camp stool~campfire sitting
• Titanium plate & spork, salt-n-pepper shaker
• Hammock~sleeping and relaxing
• Hand sanitizer
• Toothpaste & toothbrush
• Deodorant
• Sponge~washing dishes
• Camouflage hat
• Aluminum cup~cocoa sipping
• Rain fly & Tarp
• 8 pack of AA & AAA batteries
• 4 days change of cloths

Food Supply

Oatmeal

• Instant oatmeal
• Instant cocoa
• Walnuts
• (4) bags of jerky
• Box of poptarts
• Instant rice
• Can of grilling beans
• 3 MRE’s (“Meals Ready to Eat”)-only used one
• 4 candy bars
• 1 bag of candy

Paths Hiked


If you want a map of the Park so that you can follow the trails that I have hiked, follow this map link. 

Cost per night to Camp = $0.00
Park Entrance Fee = $0.00

Friday

• Elevated & Low boardwalks~2.4 miles
• Camp to Visitors Center~0.5 miles
• Visitors Center to Camp ~0.5 miles
• Total hiked~3.4 miles

Saturday

• Camp to Visitors Center~0.5 miles
• Visitors Center to Oakridge Trail (Roundtrip) ~6.4 miles
• Visitors Center to Bluff Campground~0.9 miles
• Bluff Campground to Camp~1 mile
• Total hiked~8.8 miles

Sunday

• Camp to Visitors Center~0.5 miles
• Visitors Center to Kingsnake Trail (Roundtrip) ~8.7 miles
• Visitors Center to Camp~0.5 miles
• Total hiked~9.5 miles   

Total Hikes Miles for the Trip ~  21.7 miles

TIMELINE

Day 1, Friday, Feb. 18, 2011

• 6:00 am ~ I am up and moving. I shower, dress, say hello to my dog Abby and eat breakfast (Reese’s Puffs cereal).
• 6:23 am ~ I am putting on my shoes and taking my Timberland's (although, I did not use them) with me as I pack the car for the trip.
• 6:27 am ~ I am on my way to my storage unit 10 minutes away. I need to pick up a few things for the trip
• 7:12 am ~ As I open the storage unit, I am picking up some fishing stuff. Well, actually, I didn't get out of the car at the storage unit until 15 minutes later. I had to listen to Rickey Smiley Frontpage News. HILARIOUS!!! As I gather my fishing tools for the trip, I picked up some weights, hooks, different lures, lots of drinking water, a fishing pole and some some extra pens to write with. I did not want to miss scribing any of this trip.
• 7:38 am ~ As I leave the storage unit I then head to McDonald's for some additional breakfast since the one I had at the house was a little light. 
• 7:42 am ~ I head in to order something light and quick. I order 2 sausage burritos. 
• 7:47 am ~ In and out and back in the car. There seems to not be much sausage in my burrito. But what can you expect for $2.20. Well, its on to Congaree!!

Harry Hampton Visitor Center

• 8:29am ~ I arrive at Congaree National Park as I head to the visitor center. The Visitor center was awesome!The ranger on duty, William, was very informative about the park and a pleasant person to talk to. He seemed a little on the young side, but was very much in the know.

Ranger William

• 9:18am ~ As I ready myself to head out for the self guided tour on the low boardwalk I am thinking about how much the staff has impressed me here at Congaree National Park in just this little bit of time. I am seriously thinking about volunteering to do trail maintenance. I am also thinking, " I am so glad I am not here in the height of the summer time. Because the sign below makes me wonder.....

Visitors Center Pest Meter

• 9:38 am ~ My "ButtPack" as Terry would say,  is packed and I am ready to hit the trail.

The Self Guided Boardwalk Trail

The following pics and info are related to the different biodiversity that I came in contact with while taking the Self Guided Boardwalk Trail. Each One of these spots have numbers that relate to a certain historic feature of the park. All the numbers were actually not there, but I tried to get all that I came across.

• As I get started on the boardwalk I ran into a University of South Carolina Art student painting the forest on the boardwalk. Over the course of the Boardwalk trip, I saw a few students like this and their teachers working diligently on their art education. 

USC Art Student

• #2 ~ The mud you see in the photo is called Muck. It is essential for breaking down pollutants into harmless ingredients.

The Muck

• # 4 ~ So you may not be able to see it here, but if you look closely at the trunks of the Tupelo trees on both sides you can see where the moss and the brown color end on the each trunk is the "water line" of the previous flooding.

Floodlines

•  #6 ~ This hollow tree  may have heard the chatter of a 1000 Evening Bats inside the trunk. A variety of bats live in the Congaree and since there are no caves found here, the bats must live inside hollow trees like this one.

Hollow Bat Tree

• #7 ~ Few plants grow in the diminished sunlight on the forest floor. Spanish Moss droops, lands and hangs from the Bald Cypress trees due to the rich soil.

Spanish Moss

•  #8 ~ The low water you see is called a gut. The gut scours the mud near Weston Lake, but never reaches the lake itself. Guts and sloughs in the park help disperse water when the Congaree Rivers flood.

The Gut

• #9 ~ This fallen Loblolly Pine possibly lived for two centuries before Hurricane Hugo knocked it down. Because it fell across the trail I am walking on, it was cut. An inspection of the rings in the trunk reveals stories of forest fires, droughts and years of abundant rainfall.

Fallen Loblolly Tree

•  #10 ~ It is unusual to find pines growing in the wetland areas, however, these Loblolly Pines can tolerate living in wet conditions better than any other pines.   Video 1

Bottom of Loblolly Pine Tree

Top of Tall Loblolly Pine

• #11, 10:36 am ~ I have hiked all the way up to the Weston Lake pier. This is a lake full of lots of fish and turtles and the park does not allow fishing. That sucks for me, "The Angler." As I sit on one of the pier bench seats, next to me are 3 men talking what I believe to be philosophy. They have what look to be textbooks so they must also be USC students. The conversation went something like "What is the world really about?" Weird. As look out into the lake, I am consumed by its beauty. The boardwalk trip has been great so far. As I enjoy a Fiber Plus bar snack I am overwhelmed by the very calming, serene and peacefulness that Weston lake has to offer. 

Weston Lake Pier

•  #14 ~ The Palmettos you see here are a close relative of the Cabbage Palm that is our state tree. They are called Dwarf Palmettos and will grow no larger than you see here.

Dwarf Palmetto Trees

• 11:08 am ~ I am currently passing the #14 landmark on the boardwalk self guided tour trail. A drop of water falls on my hand from the tree canopy above as I sit down to write this section. I have the feeling that I could almost live out here. The breeze is cool, the sounds of the woodpeckers and other birds are giving me a spectacular display.  

One of the many Boardwalk bench's

• #15 ~ you can see it better in the second photo, but bootleggers found a unique way to earn a living. The iron box in the background was a still used to make liquor. What better place to hide a still than in the forest of tall trees?

Bootleggers Still

Bootleggers Still (closer)

• #16 ~ Hurricane Hugo left it mark on the Congaree. Small tonadoes tore through the forest leaving large open swaths in the canopy. The forest renews itself with the small tree you see here.

New tree growth from Hugo

• #17 ~ The low growing evergreen plant on the ground is known as Dog-hobble. It got its name from the dogs of bear hunters in the mountains. Their hunting dogs could not run through this dense shrub while the bears could lope through it easily.

Dog-hobble plants

• #19 ~ The standing dead pine trunks in the next 2 photos are called snags. Their bare trunks and leafless branches resemble a skeleton among a forest of green. They team with life like termites, beetles, spiders, centipedes, millipedes, mushrooms and ants.

Snags (bottom)

Snags (top)

•  11:23 am ~ I am on the elevated boardwalk and I just passed #19. As I walk past the sign, I hear a startling sound in the leaves below me on the boardwalk. It turns out it was a squirrel running past me under the boardwalk. I'm not sure who was more startled, me or the squirrel. As I continue to walk, out of the corner of my eye I see something that looks like it was frozen in time. There is another squirrel on the tree. But it looks like he is a statue carved into the tree. Yes...he was that still. 

•  11:48 am ~ I have completed the entire boardwalk trip and have made it back to the Visitors Center. After a quick potty break and a drink of water, I head back to camp to move into my campsite and rest.

• 11:55 am ~ Apparently not many African Americans at my age come out here to Congaree to hike and camp out. I ran into older black guy as I was going back to my car. He agrees with me that this is a beautiful place to be at no matter your age, color or creed.
• 12:25 pm ~ After passing all the campsites before mine, I arrive at mine for a much needed relaxing sit at the picnic table. The weather is beautiful and the breeze is blowing oh so slightly between the trees. I will soon be heading back to the Visitor Center to do the "Tree Trek" they are having at 1:30 pm.

My Camp Site #8

• 12:45 pm ~ After walking back to the car a few times preparing the camp, I think I will stay at my camp (#8), setup and enjoy the rest of the day. No "Tree Trek today. I got the hammock put up and the Tarp placed down as a floor so I would have something to walk on under my hammock so my socks and feet wont be so dirty.

My Hammock and Floor Tarp

• 4:29 pm ~ As you can tell from the difference in time, I had a little nap in the hammock. Well, its time to gather some wood for a possible campfire later. If I feel up to it. Better yet, I am going to cook with my collapsible stove stove tonight. Before I took my long nap, I tried the hammock pad that I got from Sportsman Warehouse, but it seem to bind up a lot. I will either sit down one day when I have time and modify it for my hammock or give it to someone for tent camping. Time will tell. Well, its time for me to head back to the car to get my stove so I can cook.

My Collapsible Stove w\Camp Heat

• 5:05 pm ~ I am trying to boil some water for my rice. My Firesteel would not light the wick on the camp fuel. I had to use a lighter. How "unsportsmanlike!" I need also clean up camp a little before I hit the sack tonight.
• 5:19 pm ~ So while my rice is cooking, let me tell you a funny hammock story. So earlier today, I had my hammock all setup and I lay back in it. Its Comfy! So I take my glasses off and put them on my lap. Then I realize I want to sit in the Hammock like a chair. So I wiggle & move & it took a minute to get comfy. I went to adjust my glasses and ...... they are not there. I look between my legs & half the glasses are sticking out. DAMMIT!!! I broke my glasses for the 6th or 7th time. Since I have broken then so many times, I seem to have stop counting. I wonder why? Luckily I packed super glue in my repair kit. 3 hours later, my glasses are as good as old! 
• 5:27 pm ~ The rice is ready, time to eat. 

Pepper Rice! Yummy!!!

• 6:14 pm ~ Dinner was yummy, I am ready for bed.
• 9:37 pm ~ As I am sleeping soundly, I am awaken by a slight chill. WOW! The temp got that much cooler in just a few hours. I was sleeping with just my shorts pants and a t-shirt on. So I got up with my flashlight from Harbor Freight to find out the flashlight was a "PIECE OF CRAP!" It kept going out and I had to do the "beat the crap out of it" thing to get it to work. So I finally got the sleeping bag in and was surprised at how little effort it took to get "snug as a bug." Off to sleep I go again.

Day 2, Saturday, Feb. 19, 2011 

• 1:19 am ~ I am awaken by the feeling of the ground scraping my back. No, my hammock did not collapse on me. But I was pretty close to lying on the ground. I acrobat myself out of the hammock and after close investigation it seems the hammock straps have slipped. So I raise and tighten the hammock straps and tied good knots to hold it from slipping. Man! Its cool out here! You should have seen me, I look like a worm above ground exposed to sunlight, wiggling from a bird as I was trying to get back into my sleeping bag. But I got it done and now its back to sleep.
• 6:38 am ~ I am awaken by the morning light from my sleep. Minus the interruptions, I slept like a baby. I start unpacking things and get ready for breakfast (cinnamon oatmeal, cocoa & 2 poptarts). I start with the cocoa. While the water is boiling, I go back to the car to change cloths and get a "Jacket." Thanks TERRY! I bring back some more bottled water to find my cocoa water is boiling. MMMMMMM.... Hot Cocoa!!! As I sip the cocoa, I start the water for the oatmeal. So I am sipping cocoa and eating a poptart while talking to a fellow camper from campsite #1. He says he comes out here a lot and is usually the last one to go to sleep and the first one up . He says he stays up looking to see if he can catch a glimpse of deer. I could not remember his name but he said he was surprised that he saw no animal tracks this morning. He states that usually would see a bobcat or two at my campsite and a lot of other animal tracks. That's a little scary. Guess it was the Spartenburg Boy Scouts that packed the woods with there noise that kept the kitties and others away.
• 7:52 am ~ The oatmeal water is ready! CRAP!!! Too much water! Well, it must be mixing time. So I mixed Red Gravy  & Country Ham and Cinnamon oatmeal. Not bad, but not good. Well, I have had breakfast. Time to clean camp and hit the trails.

Saturday Breakfast

• 9:32 am ~ Use deodorant...check!, brushed teeth.....check!, sanitized and washed hands....check! Packed up everything but the hammock and the floor tarp......check! To the car with my camping pack.
• 9:37 am ~ The car is packed and my vitamins are taken. I picked up my IPod so I can take some video and more pictures on the go as I hike.  Mostly because my cell phone battery was getting a little low.
• 10:37 am ~ Just finished the .05 mile hike to the Visitors Center. Potty break and now it off to the Oakridge Trail. I decided to pull out the IPod and do a little moving documentary on the Oakridge Trail. I was simply amazed at the beauty of Congaree. 

 

• As I was hiking on the Oakridge Trail, this vine scared me and blew my mind!!! From a far it looked like a real snake!

• One of the many things you will see as you hike on any trail in the Congaree is the trees or logs that have fell across a designated path that had to be cut to preserve the ease of the hiking trail.

Altered Path

•  As I finished up the Oakridge Trail, I was tired. I took a quick rest, a potty break and a refill of water. Once I got my breathe back, I headed towards camp. I figured that I would detour and take a look at the backwoods Bluff campground. Pretty cool once I got there. People were camped in the woods and all over the place. They were even out in the field playing tag football. Its 2 miles from anything but man is restful back here. Video 2   Video 3   Video 4

Bluff Campground (left side)

Bluff Campground (Center)

 Bluff Campground (right side)

• 4:35pm ~ So when I get back to camp, I came back to a mystery. My camp looked completely different. There was a Camouflage Rainfly attached to my hammock and all my knots that I tied to the hammock where untied and retied. A series of other more efficient knots and toggles where used. It looked like a professional job had been done. There was also wood that had been gathered for a campfire next to my fire ring, beef Jerky left and attached to the hammock line like someone was expecting to come back. I immediately thought that someone had moved in on my campsite while I was gone. So I called the Visitors Center and they sent out law enforcement. While I was waiting for the Officer to arrive, I went around other campsites around asking had anyone seen anything strange at my campsite while I was gone hiking. No one had seen anything. When the Officer got there I proceeded to tell him the story and explain to him that nothing had been taken but things had been added and changed. He then proceeded to ask me if I knew of anyone that would have done this for me. I thought……very few people knew I was out here (3 maybe) nope, no one that knew I would come out here and take the time to come out and do this for me.  So I thought! The officer then said he did camping permit check that morning about 10:30 am and when he came to my site he saw a guy at my site. He asked him if this was his site. The guy said no, but he was setting up for the person that was camping here. The person then gave the officer my name and described me the only way that anyone camping would know it was me…because I was the only one out there. He was setting it up for a “Short, black guy”…… (smile) That’s me!!! The officer said he was concerned that if maybe it was a person that moved in, that they would be back and there could be an altercation while I was sleep. He stated that he would check on me in the morning and he left. After the officer left I was pretty, sure it was a nice fellow at campsite #1 that I have been friendly with since I started camping Friday. Later that night I spoke with him and he said that he was not the person that did it but he has done things like that and just faded into the background. I was sure it was him. To make a long story short, when I went to work that following Tuesday, I found out that it was my friend and co-worker Terry. Thanks Terry!! But next time, remember to leave a note.(smile) Video 5

The "Rain Fly Mystery"

 7:23 pm ~ So after all that excitement, I figured no better time than now to start a campfire. Given Terry had already gathered the wood for me, I am not gonna let it go to waste. Once the fire went out, I had me an MRE and hit the hammock. Video 6

The Campfire

Day 3, Sunday, Feb. 20, 2011

• 7:00 am ~ So its Sunday morning and I am awaken by the crisp morning air. I am all wrapped up because it was a little chilly this morning.

Chilly on Sunday morning

•  So I decided to use my new wood gas stove I got off of eBay. It worked like a champ! It heated my water fast and got me to eating really quick. I am thinking that this is going to be my dedicated camping stove. Video 7   Video 8    Video 9

My "New" Wood Gas Stove

• So after my Wood Gas Stove breakfast which was an tasty...of course, because it was cooked by me. So I proceeded to clean up the camp and head out for my hike of Kingsnake Trail.This is going to be challenging hike because it is not a round trip. It is a one way, which means that I have to hike it up and hike it back.   Video 10
• 11:30 am ~ So as I hike to the Kingsnake trail, I am about 30 minutes into the trail and I run into this breathtaking spot, seems to be the first spot that opens up to Cedar Creek. It looked like a perfect fishing spot because there was a ledge right below the opening that you could stand out on and fish if you wanted. But after a little looking around it also looked like a prime spot for a alligator to make a sneak attack. I move on...(smile).  Video 11   Video 12
• 12:00 pm ~ So the first bridge that I reach is bridge "J". I decided to take a break and have some lunch. As I look around me I am surrounded by beauty. I have water at my front, swamp at my back and woods at my side. I am so ready to live out here.  Video 13   Video 14

Bridge "J" break

• As I continue on the trail, my next bridge is Bridge "K", which is about 1.2 miles away. On my way, I come across two intermediate bridges that come before bridge "K". At one of these bridges I happen to catch a little brook rumbling below the small bridge. One of the many peaceful things I have seen on this entire trip. Wow...peace is the Congaree's middle name!   Video 15
• As I am headed to bridge "K", I see some cool stuff. The bushes you see below went on for like a half a mile. I called them Ambushes. Can you tell me why?  Video 16

Ambushes

Fuzzy Vine

Branch Trail Archway

Fungus on Stick

• 12:30 pm ~ I finally reach Bridge "K". One of the things that I noticed was the change in the hike from Bridge "J" to "K". The ground became softer and muddier. This is mainly because I went from being surrounded by forest to being surrounded by swamp. Kind of scary but cool at the same time. In order for me to finish the trail I have to hike another 1.2 miles to the end of the trail and then all the way back. I decide to have a break and decide whether I turn around now or do I finish the trail and come back the whole stretch. Video 17  
• 12:35 pm ~ I decide that I just don't have the energy to get to the end and come back. I have hiked a lot since Friday. It seems that my Ipod and my phone batteries are about to go dead. So I have no choice but to turn back and cut the trip short on account of low energy and batteries.   Video 18   Video 19 
• 3:13 pm ~ I finally make it back to the Visitor Center. I am seriously pooped. I filled up on water, leaked the lizard and headed back to camp.   Video 20
• So as I am heading back to camp, I am starting to think to myself. This weekend has been great and what a better way to end the trip than on a great Sunday such as today. Also, because I have Monday off from work and laundry is calling my name. So I decide to make tonight my last night. So cook up some Grilling Beans and bring the trip to an end. Video 21

 My Final Xtreme-lution

In closing, might I just reiterate how awesome of a trip this was. If anyone has any questions about Congaree National Park camping, hammocking, hiking or site seeing, let me say you cannot go wrong. This was a trip that was done in place of vacation that I so very much needed. If you love the outdoors and all its bliss, you will love Congaree National Park.

I have placed all my pictures in a number of places for readers, friends, co-workers and family of this blog. If you have a Facebook account you view my pictures of the trip on my photos tab if you are a Facebook friend of mine. For those of you viewers who are not a Facebook friend, you can still view my Complete Trip pictures or you can check out my YOUTUBE channel that will have all the videos from the trip. Just look for the videos that begin with "Congaree National Park".


If anyone has any questions in reference to any information that I have provided related to this trip, please feel free to comment and ask as many questions as you need to know. I can answer any question to which I have experience in to answer related to this trip. In addition, if you have any tips or tricks of the camping, hiking or hammocking trade, please feel free to share them with me. This is the 1st of many monthly trips that I will be taking. So anything that will make my stay more welcoming or comforting will be more than welcomed from the readers of my blog. Hope you enjoyed February's 2011's camping posting. 

As always, Stay Cool and Stay Outdoors!!!


I am XtremeKatfishn, and I am OUT the DOORS!!!