Congaree River Overnight - March 18-19, 2006
Submitted by Pam Reutebuch on March 24, 2006 - 9:58pm.
By Ed Brown
With beautiful weather forecast for the weekend and the opportunity to explore the more remote areas of Congaree National Park, nine paddlers including co-trip leader and Park Service employee Sean Kelsay met at the park's visitor center. Sean was to be our guide for exploring the park given his intimate knowledge of the park and its treasures.
After shuttling our boats to the put-in, we were on the water by 11:00 AM. The river level was several feet lower than on last year's trip, exposing beautiful white sandbars. After lunch, Sean led us on a hike to a cattle mound. The forest understory and meadows were covered in beautiful bright yellow flowers called Swamp Sunflowers. However the elusive and now infamous Rusted Tractor eluded us again this year, but the wild pigs did not.
Back on the water, we spotted a Bald Eagle, passed some beautiful exposed bluffs, and with the sun nearing the horizon, we made camp on a large white sandbar. Dinner was enhanced by gourmet food from Lee and Anne Olson, whose portable kitchen made sure that everyone went to bed with a full stomach.
Sunday morning arrived along with a few clouds, but the clouds dispersed, revealing another beautiful day. A stray dog watched us all morning from the opposite river bank as we ate breakfast and loaded our boats. Eager to join our expedition, the dog ran for miles along the riverbank, following us to our lunch spot, however he did not appear to have the nerve to plunge into the river to join us for lunch.
After lunch, Sean led us on a hike to the State Champion Cypress tree, measuring 26 feet in circumference. On the way back to our boats, Edwin spotted a wild turkey. Further down the river, Sean led another hike to some large trees.
After passing some more bluffs, we made our way down to the take-out at the Hwy 601 bridge landing where we were met by a familiar and now very happy dog and Kate and Steve, who kindly volunteered to shuttle us back to our vehicles in the park. This was truly a special trip through a remote and beautiful section of Congaree National Park.
See the Photo Album
With beautiful weather forecast for the weekend and the opportunity to explore the more remote areas of Congaree National Park, nine paddlers including co-trip leader and Park Service employee Sean Kelsay met at the park's visitor center. Sean was to be our guide for exploring the park given his intimate knowledge of the park and its treasures.
After shuttling our boats to the put-in, we were on the water by 11:00 AM. The river level was several feet lower than on last year's trip, exposing beautiful white sandbars. After lunch, Sean led us on a hike to a cattle mound. The forest understory and meadows were covered in beautiful bright yellow flowers called Swamp Sunflowers. However the elusive and now infamous Rusted Tractor eluded us again this year, but the wild pigs did not.
Back on the water, we spotted a Bald Eagle, passed some beautiful exposed bluffs, and with the sun nearing the horizon, we made camp on a large white sandbar. Dinner was enhanced by gourmet food from Lee and Anne Olson, whose portable kitchen made sure that everyone went to bed with a full stomach.
Sunday morning arrived along with a few clouds, but the clouds dispersed, revealing another beautiful day. A stray dog watched us all morning from the opposite river bank as we ate breakfast and loaded our boats. Eager to join our expedition, the dog ran for miles along the riverbank, following us to our lunch spot, however he did not appear to have the nerve to plunge into the river to join us for lunch.
After lunch, Sean led us on a hike to the State Champion Cypress tree, measuring 26 feet in circumference. On the way back to our boats, Edwin spotted a wild turkey. Further down the river, Sean led another hike to some large trees.
After passing some more bluffs, we made our way down to the take-out at the Hwy 601 bridge landing where we were met by a familiar and now very happy dog and Kate and Steve, who kindly volunteered to shuttle us back to our vehicles in the park. This was truly a special trip through a remote and beautiful section of Congaree National Park.
See the Photo Album
