A traveler, adventurer, outdoors-man, International Time Traveler, and a guide to making it happen. Based in South Carolina, I am an experience camper and hiker with a love of the outdoors. I've been camping, hiking, and paddling here for over 20 years, teaching, training and learning as I go.
Layer your clothes. Rather than a single heavy layer use multiple thin layers. Layering helps build insulation you can add or remove from to maintain a dry comfort level.
Use a wicking base layer; it will help draw moisture away from the skin helping to keep you dry. Remember at least three layers, a wicking base, insulating middle, and outer shell layer.
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In frigid temperatures, mittens are warmer than gloves. But also bring a pair of lightweight gloves or glove liners for ease in handling camp chores like tent-pitching and cooking.
Forgot the mittens? Hands still cold? Try using a pair of wool socks either as a mitten substitute or as a mitten liner to add layers under a mitten. Another reason to carry an extra pair of clean wool socks.
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Today is a special day in my country, it is a day of giving thanks. While some may flame, criticize, and chastise the custom’s origins, the bottom line, for me, it is a time to pause and reflect about the things we value in our lives.
Days of giving thanks are celebrated in other countries as well, typically in the fall, more or less for similar reasons. But today is my country’s day to give thanks for what we have. The American holiday of Thanksgiving originated with the early European settlers to the Americas and, as legends go, the early Pilgrims pulled together with the Indians, to give thanks for a successful harvest, which they hoped would carry them through the harsh winter coming. As a little guy growing up, I remember the excitement of drawing turkeys by tracing our hand (the thumb was the head, the palm the body, and the other four fingers the tail feathers), coloring and cutting them out to decorate the class room, mom’s refrigerator, and pretty much anything which didn’t move. We we taught one of the reasons there was a Thanksgiving, was the native American Indians had watched these struggling new European settlers, took pity on them, and helped them adapt the the new world. They were instrumental in making the settlers fall harvest a successful one. I learned in school growing up, everyone, the settlers and the Indians, sat down at the same table and shared in the bounty of the harvest. True or not, hundreds of years later, we, today will sit and share with others, what we can. We will share with family. We will share with friends. We will share with strangers. We will think of our loved ones who could not be together with us, due to distance or obligations, and we will think about our loved ones who have passed from us. In a way, I feel Thanksgiving is about the past, the successes, things we have overcome, the fact we can travel to be with others, the fact we have food and drink to share.
Sitting here writing this in the early morning hours, as the rising sun lightens the eastern sky, I think, Thanksgiving is about hope too. The early settlers were hopeful they would survive the winter. Sometimes our lives may not always take us down the trail we think, but today, I am thankful. Today I think am hopeful too. I am hopeful for the good things in our country. I am hopeful for being able to spend time with separated family. I am hopeful, the folks I love stay healthy and in my life for a while longer. I am hopeful, there are new opportunities, friends, and relationships which enrich my life. I am hopeful.
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On a blustery, cold, or wet day, change into dry warm clothes as soon as you get to camp. Otherwise, sweat which has been collecting all day in your hiking clothes will soon cool and you’ll start to feel chilled.
Keep your outer layer shell handy, when you stop hiking for put it on the help keep you from getting chilled. Take it off before you start hiking to keep from overheating and sweating.
Looking for a great one day hike? Then this may be the answer. This passage of South Carolina’s Palmetto Trail snakes through the Manchester State Forest, linking Mill Creek County Park with Poinsett State Park. The High Hills of Santee Passage trail gets its name from the high, rolling sandy dunes, which are part of the regional geology. These rolling hills are the ancient ocean shoreline found in the state’s midland area. This is one of my favorite hikes when introducing new hikers to the trail.
Located in Sumter County, near the Northern side of Santee Lake, this 10 mile trail winds through the forest from Sumter County’s Mill Creek Park (+-195’), North up to Poinsett State Park. As the Manchester forest is state managed, you will pass through a couple areas which have been logged in the past and are now in various stages of regrowth. The term forest however is a little misleading. With fairly diverse terrain, including rolling sand ridges, mixed pines and hardwood forest, creeks, and even a patch of quicksand, there is plenty to keep the hike interesting every step of the way.
Of course you can hike in either direction, I prefer starting at Mill Creek Country Park and Hiking toward Poinsett State Park. The southern end of the trail is a bit more sandy and easier to travel through while you’re fresh. Towards the northern end of the trail you enter more rolling hills and wooded sections. As you come up from Shanks Creek crossing, there is a parking lot area before the trail crosses Poinsett Park Road. You are within the last few miles before entering the state park. With a latrine here, this is a great spot to take a short break before the last leg of this hike. Crossing over the road you pick up the trail again. You will step into another completely different type of wooded area as you enter a forest of scrub oaks draped with Spanish moss. This is one of my favorite sections of this hike. As the trail enters the park, it crosses and drops off to the left of the park road and winds down around the creek as you head toward and around the Old Levi Mill Pond. You will comes out of the woods and cross the earthen dam holding back Old Levi Mill Pond. While you are there, take a few minutes and explore the Singleton Grist Mill ruins and old grinding wheel. You end your hike at the park visitors center (+-100’) trail head at the parking lot.
Favorite Time of year: Fall through Spring
Distance: About 10 miles
Things to Know: This is a Moderately Easy hike.
Camping: Camping is available at both Mill Creek County Park and Poinsett State Park (reservations required). Both parks have restrooms, bathhouses, and parking. For all permit and reservation information at Mill Creek county park, call Steve at (803) 436-2248.
Pet friendly: Must be leashed at all times, including the forest, okay everywhere outdoors except cabin and lodging areas of the park.
Getting There: Poinsett State Park and Mill Creek Park are both located near on the Northern side of Santee Lake, and West of the town of Sumter, in Sumter County, South Carolina. It’s about a 1 hour drive from the Charleston area.
To make a waterproof emergency fire starter, roll 20 narrow strips of newspaper together and secure with twine or a rubber band. Soak the roll in melted paraffin, then let drain and harden. Make up a supply of these fire starters to have ready for future camping trips.
Looking for a new tent? Consider borrowing or renting one and take it out for a test-run. See what you like and dislike. Consider one with a rain fly which almost completely covers the tent. Often people are disappointed in their tents simply because the rain fly is too small to properly work.
Contemplating the intricacies of life as I sit, sipping my coffee, in a downtown cafe, waiting. I look back gently on my own life, wondering. Have I done enough? Can I find a happiness which beams like the sun shine?
The journey we travel doesn’t always lead us where we think it will. Sometimes you will pass through fields of green pastures, and crest beautiful summits. Sometimes you pass through valleys of shadows and darkness. I wonder and wait.
I find traveling alone, somewhat sad in ways difficult to express. But on occasion, you meet someone you remember as always smiling. Always. And I cannot help but wonder. I feel lucky to have known them, even for just the short time our paths crossed, as I sit and wait.
I wonder if I can be just a little bit like them. Just maybe, I can keep a piece of the happiness they shared close. The warm ember shared from a friend. And maybe their glow will help light the darkness for me, like fireflies in the summer night.
I sit waiting and wondering. They are on a different journey now, their passage paid.
It’s time now, I must go. Today I go to help bury someone I can call a friend.
Hikers and backpacker use their feet as a primary mode of travel. Despite all physical conditioning and preparation, unhappy feet will fail you and can make a great trip into a torturous experience. My son and I were invited as “seasoned hikers” to backpack with a Florida youth group one year. The group was new and had set a goal of hiking 50 miles in the Ocala National Forest their first year. While my son and I may have had slightly more experienced at the time, this was our first real long distance trek. The group had been planning and conditioning the boys for months, menus were planned, and then we were off! Well, despite the best laid plans, we encountered many issues from giant squirrels tearing into backpacks to get at food, and hiking through clear cut portions of forest under the heat of Florida’s summer sun, to starting at the wrong trail head. It’s the little things which make a trip memorable.
What had been planned as an adventurous week long trip ground into a miserable hike as we were just trying to get to the next water stop. To make a long sad story short, many of us ended up with larger than quarter size blisters on our feet. At the time I attributed the blisters to poor shoes and poor conditioning on my part. However with hundreds of trail miles now under me since, I can confidently tell you the problem was cotton socks (who wears wool socks in Florida!?). I remember at the end of each day my feet were wet from sweat. The cotton socks simply did not move the moisture away from my feet and the result was some pretty impressive blisters.
Your feet can sweat 1-2 pints a day, imagine pouring a 20 ounce bottle of water into each boot and then going for a long walk. If you can’t get the moisture away from and out of your boot, your feet will likely blister. It’s pretty much that simple. Cotton does wick moisture, however it does not release it well. Cotton clothing and socks will hold wetness against the skin. Wet skin under pressure will shear or tear and blister. Wet feet will also tend to get colder quicker and in cooler weather, hasten hypothermia..
Today’s wool, synthetics, and wool blended synthetics are amazing in their ability to keep your feet dry and happy. Some people will spend a lot of time looking for a great boot or shoe, but then short change themselves with cheap socks. When shopping for hiking socks, take a close look at what they are made from. Socks with any cotton – pass them up. Move on to the next ones. You should look for either 100% wool, a wool blended with some kind of synthetics or 100% synthetics. If you don’t like the typical itchiness feel of wool, try Merino wool. It’s a finer grade of wool and is less scratchy. Synthetics such as nylon and polyester, or made with CoolMax, Olefin, or Hollofil help disperse blister-causing perspiration and keep your feet drier and cooler. Consider socks that are padded in high impact areas, like the heel and toe, especially if you have a heavy foot strike or are prone to blisters in these areas. Pick out socks that have a tighter weave in the middle of the foot. This provides support and helps prevent slippage. Make sure you buy the correct size. This prevents bunching and slipping and the resulting blisters.
A great pair of hiking socks will wick away sweat, cushion impact, and protect against shearing forces especially at the heel, ball of the foot, and toes. Proper hiking socks are extremely important to your overall comfort and trip satisfaction. Leave the cotton for home wear or sock puppets. Take care of your feet like you depend on them to make it home, because you do.
Need a quick getaway? Then hike this out and back. Just a short hop from Charleston, this trail winds down along the Intracoastal Waterway to the southern terminus of the Palmetto Trail and the Buck Hall Recreation Area.
This trail has a lot of hiking flexibility. If you are hiking solo or with only one vehicle or want to simply do the extra mileage, you can hike this trail out & back in a day, enjoying your trail lunch at the Buck Hall Recreation Area. With a couple vehicles, you can do a quick one way hike in either direction. I prefer hiking to the recreation area as there are picnic tables, bathrooms, and waterfront scenery which are nice amenities while you enjoy a lunch break.
For an out and back day hike, park at the Palmetto Trail Swamp Fox trail head on the west side of Hwy 17. Heading north on Hwy-17, you will go past the trailhead before you get to a turn-around on the divided highway. This trailhead is a little hard to pick out but it is just after Steed Creek and before Murell roads (you went too far if you get to the St. James AME Church). Once you get parked and geared up, the trail heads north out of the parking lot for about a half mile where it connects to the Swamp Fox portion of the Palmetto Trail. You’ll head East to branch off towards Awendaw. Heading to the West, the main trail will continue as the Swamp Fox portion of the Palmetto Trail. The Awendaw portion of the trail will loop back easterly along an old railway bed then following a dirt road, will head southerly crossing Hwy-17 (use caution) and continue to the canoe launch ramp on Awendaw Creek. This is a nice place for a short break. You can sit, enjoy a snack, and watch the water flow by. You’re about halfway to the recreation area here. From the canoe ramp, the trail will generally following the creek winding along the salt marsh and through the coastal palmettos, scrub oaks, and pines. You will cross over several foot bridges until the creek enters the Intracoastal Waterway. The trail loops back to the North just a short stretch and then turn southerly as it enters and ends at the Buck Hall Recreation Area boardwalk. The recreation area has a number of shaded picnic area where you can sit and enjoy lunch and views of the intracoastal waterfront.
Favorite Time of year: Fall through Spring.
Distance: 7.1 miles (one way)
Things to Know: This is an easy hike. If day hiking and leaving a vehicle at the Buck Hall Recreation Area there is small a day use/parking fee. Remember, this is the Lowcountry of South Carolina, so be prepared for a few wet parts along the trail, especially after a good rain. During the warmer months, the South Carolina mosquitoes can be a bit … ferocious.
Camping: Waterfront camping and restrooms are available at Buck Hall Recreation park (reservations required).
Pet friendly: Must be leashed at all times.
Getting There: Located along US-17 just a short distance from downtown, it’s about a 40 minute drive from the Charleston area.
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