The journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step, and this is mine.

Category: Hiking & Camping in South Carolina Page 1 of 5

My dike hike gap

Hiking The Dike – Part 2

It’s still September in my mind as I finish up part two (go here for part 1) of Hiking the Dike!

Day 1: (Monday) The drive to the trailhead is just over an hour from the house. Russellville Boat Landing parking lot is about as convenient to the trail as you could ask for. The parking lot is about a hundred feet from the trail and puts me just a couple of miles from the southern end of my gap in the Lake Moultrie Passage of the Palmetto Trail I’m trying to fill in. Unfortunately, it’s just radar and I so this will be an out-and-back hike.

The parking lot is almost full when we arrive so we find a spot out of the way and gear up for our gap-filling hike. From the parking lot to the trail is only about a hundred yards so access to the trail is easy and we make fairly quick time walking along the Rediversion Canal past a rail trestle to State Road 35 which will cross over the canal. With no one around Radar is off-leash now. He’s really good about staying close to me and seems to know how to follow the trail. In this first few miles, we’re walking along the gravel road along the canal. Going past the rail trestle, the trail reaches State Road 35, jumps over the canal using the road bridge, and then the trail drops off on the other side and follows the canal back to the levy and then continues along the levee north and west. These first couple of miles are all in the open and it’s a bright sunny day. It’s pretty warm being September still so we pause for a water break on the north side of the canal under a rail trestle. I am carrying water and lunch for both of us along with a collapsible bowl for Radar.

Heading to the shade under the rail trestle on the west side of the canal.
Heading to the shade under the rail trestle on the west side of the canal.
A long trail to go
A long trail to go

Once we get past the canal we get back on to the dike. The levee is almost all in the sun without shade. Radar is up and down the levee exploring, never more than 50 feet or so from me as we continue hiking. As he gets a little warm he jumps and splashes in the water to cool off on the lakeside of the levee and it looks like he’s having some fun.

A good place to cool off? Radar getting cool
A good place to cool off? Radar getting cool

As we continue further on along the levee, I feel like hiking here is a little strange now, maybe surreal. Looking off to the north side of the levee, the area is open, mostly maintained, mowed, traveled, etc., even buildings off in the distance. Looking to south, the lakeside of the levee (you can’t see the lake from this part of the levee), it’s more primordial, almost like stepping back in time. A shallow marsh buffer lays between the levee and woods beyond, with cypress and pine trees, birds chirping, and flowering water lilies. Oh and alligators.

There is an Alligator in this swamp.
There is an alligator in this swamp.

I know there are alligators in SC. I’ve known for a long time there were alligators in South Carolina. I know they are a possibility in the lakes and rivers and I’ve seen smaller ones in Lake Moultrie before. But on this day I wasn’t thinking about them when I started. Because of the heat, Radar would go down to the edge of the water, splash around a little to cool off, and then come bounding up the dike all wet and happy. Radar had just come up from a quick dip in the water as I saw the first alligator.

An alligator in the swamp.
An Alligator in the swamp.

Seeing him surprised me a bit. He is out in the open, in the middle of the muddy marsh, maybe 50 feet from the levee, just lying in the sun. He was a good 10-12 feet long, his skin oily black, and he lay motionless in the black thick muck of the marsh, ominously waiting patiently for the next prey to wander near. There was no cuteness about him. Swim-calls for Radar are suspended until we get clear of the marshes on the return portion of the hike. Once you see one the rest are pretty easy to spot. They are pretty much everywhere in the swamp now.

Hiking the shade along the dike.
Hiking the shade along the dike.

It’s warm but we’re almost to the spur trail leading to the campsite. Reaching the spur trail closes this part of the gap for me. We reach the spur trail and follow it to the campsite. It’s nice to sit for a few minutes and take a break in the shade of the pines for lunch and a drink. The last time I was here was in October of 2003. Our group camped here overnight. It was hot and there were plenty of mosquitos for everyone. It’s better today, still warm but very few bugs today.

Spur trail to the campsite.
Spur trail to the campsite.

After eating a light lunch we start retracing our path along the trail, heading back to the parking lot. On these solo out-and-back hikes, you usually have to travel twice the distance needed to cover a given piece of trail. So here we go. It’s afternoon to midafternoon on the return leg and it’s hotter. The sun is higher in the clear sky, and there is less shade now along the trail. I’m constantly watching for alligators and Radar is very obediently staying out of the water. We are burning through the last of the water I brought. Radar is panting pretty good, we steal what shade we can. We are nearing the end of the swamp finally and reach a spot where I think Radar can take a much-needed splash to cool off. I haven’t seen any alligators for a little while.

A good place to cool off? Except for the gator in the grass.
A good place to cool off? Except for the gator in the grass.

We start down the side of the levee cautiously. Radar is a little ahead of me. And then I see him. Laying in the tall grass is a 6-8 footer, waiting.

Mr. 'Gator in waiting
Mr. ‘Gator in waiting

I hastily call Radar back and we quickly climb back on top of the levee. It looks like no swim time after all. It turns out this inviting wet spot was also the last spot Radar took a cooling splash on our inbound hike. Now on the hike out, Mr. ‘gator was lying in wait. But somehow Radar understands the danger and returns to the top of the levee with me. After another quarter mile or so we finally are past the swamp and at the banks of the canal. Radar is all in for a cooling dip in the cool waters of the canal.

A shortcut across the canal.
A shortcut across the canal.

Once we’ve cooled off a bit we decide to cut a mile or two off the return trek by taking the rail trestle over the canal instead of hiking back to State Road 35. When we finally get back to the parking lot, both Radar and I are hot, tired, and out of water. I call it a day and decide to head home. We’ll pick up the last couple of miles another day. Here is my Relive video of the day 1 hike.

Day 2: (Saturday) I’m finishing the last few miles in my Lake Moultrie Passage gap. Driving back to the Russellville Boat Landing parking lot puts me at the beginning of the end of this passage. Again, it’s just radar and I so this will be another out-and-back hike.

Heading out on the trail.
Heading out on the trail.

This time it should be just a quick few miles out and back. The trail is again along the top of the level with minimal shade. But today it’s a little cooler, with scattered clouds, and not quite as hot as Day 1.

A view of Lake Moultrie from the levee.
A view of Lake Moultrie from the levee.

The hiking today is largely uneventful but seems more enjoyable. Maybe the scenery is better? This part of the trail has a much less swampy median and more water from the lake.

Radar and a turtle.
Radar and a turtle.

While I’m sure they are around, we don’t see any alligators today. The only reptile we saw today was a turtle. She looked like she is nesting on the low side of the levee. We make fairly good time along the trail covering almost three miles in just over an hour. Today is an easier hike. There was even a brief sprinkle of rain to help take a little heat off the day.

Back at the parking lot.

Reaching our turnaround point completes the entire Lake Moultrie Passage of the Palmetto Trail for me. I have a bunch of marked-up trail maps taped to a wall back at the house, now when I get home, there will be one less. Radar and I simply start heading back the few miles to the parking lot and then on to home. Here is my Relive video of the day 2 hike.

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Hiking the Dike – Part 1

As summer is beginning to wane, I felt the urge to get out on the trail again. I also discovered I need to work on filling in some missing gaps in my Palmetto Trail journey. A little bit of the backstory first. I probably started backpacking trails while in Florida and then Texas before moving to South Carolina. Hiking in South Carolina for me started back in the late 1990’s with the Buncombe Trail in the upstate and segments of the Palmetto Trail starting with a large part of the Swamp Fox Passage. Over time it seems I’ve jumped around on the Palmetto Trail a lot. I’ll blame this on the fact the Palmetto Trail is still a work in progress. Early on the Palmetto Trail was more incomplete than complete and today it still remains not fully connected. I did my first portion of the Lake Moultrie Passage back in October 2003 with a small group of new backpackers from our troop. We did most of what is now section 2 then. I had planned a +10 mile, two night weekend backpacking trip for my troop. We started at the Northern end of the section at the Diversion Canal trailhead. This portion of the trail has a short forest section before coming out onto the dike. By the time we got to the trail in the evening, it would be dark, so the first night I plan on just camping a few hundred yards from the trailhead. There is a small flat open grass spot where a group can stealth camp together near the edge of the woods. There was a designated camp on the trail with a well, maybe about a mile in from the trail head but I believe it’s all defunct now and it doesn’t show up on the current map. Once upon a time someone had set water wells along the trail, I think some were artesian wells and some may have been hand pumps. These were a great resource for drinkable water at the time. However, over the years the well heads have been removed and capped off. Probably because they were not “state-approved.” Anyway, the next day we would get up, break camp, and hike to the designated campsite near Sandy Beach. I remember the first time I did this hike it was hot, humid, and the mosquitos were still out. I had started tarp camping back then and instead of any kind of sleeping bag, I had brought a simple bed sheet to sleep under. Even just the sheet was almost too much to sleep with but it helped keep the mosquitoes at bay. It rained the next day and we backtracked to a road access to come off-trail and head home.  I’ve since backpacked this same piece a few times with other folks. Later, in September of 2014, I hiked the lower 10-mile portion of section 1 of this passage with a different troop. One of the youth members had planned a 20-mile day hike along the Lake Moultrie dike from the Southern trailhead as an out & back hike. The weather was great. The trail there mostly runs on the flat top of the dike and is easy hiking. One of the interesting parts of the trail is it takes you through the town of Bonneau. However the open exposed nature of the dike with no shade and the hard surface of the dike and paved roads through town can wear you out fast. The out-and-back concept made the return portion a little boring and a bit of a slog to get finished. We were all very happy to finally get back to camp that night. 

Recently I was looking over some trail maps highlighting portions of various trails I’ve done and looking at the gaps remaining. While some passages like the High Hills of Santee Passage I’ve hiked completely a dozen times, I had done only parts of other passages. I figured it was about time to get out and close up some of those gaps. So this will be my Lake Moultrie make-up hike to fill in about an 8-mile gap in my Lake Moultrie Passage.

(to be continued …)

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Behold the sun - sunrise at Awendaw SC

Behold The Sun, The Trail Is Calling

This morning is a calm morning, I guess it’s the truth behind “the calm before the storm.” As I write this Hurricane Idalia has smashed into the Gulf side of Northern Florida and will make her way across the state to the Atlantic side. The current forecast has the storm running just inland today along the coast of Georgia and South Carolina before sliding off into the sea. The schools and many businesses in our area are closed in preparation for the coming storm. We’re expecting winds, rain, and coastal flooding. There are two pieces of good news. First is, according to the internet, Jim Cantore is in Cedar Key Florida, and NOT in South Carolina. The second is the Colberg Cow is still up and in place, at least as of 6 a.m. this morning.

So today with the college closed, it’s a standby day for me, waiting really for the winds which may bring trees or branches down on the farm. Our ground is fairly high so flooding isn’t our big concern this far inland. By this afternoon the hurricane is expected to be a tropical storm again and by later this evening it will be well past us. The downtime is giving me a chance to catch up on some things (like writing).

The group I volunteer with just did our annual activity plan and we added several campout events with backpacking. I started updating my blog site with a new page for The Palmetto Trail and in doing so I realized, I have a lot of gaps in my Palmetto Trail journey. And I want to get back on the AT. And the more I think about it the more I just want to get out more. I’ve started planning to grab time as I can to fill in some of the gaps in my Palmetto Trail passages. I’ve hiked passages like the High Hills of Santee a dozen or more times, but I really need to start filling some of the gaps now. I know some will be day trips, and some will be overnighters. My big hurdle really is hiking with one vehicle. Every hike becomes twice as long or I can only go half as far. Maybe I can just go, and keep going? Almost, but not yet. Sigh. Anyway tomorrow after the storm, assuming no major homestead issues, I’m planning to take Radar for the day. I’ve a backpacking trip with some new hikers in January. I need to find a suitable overnight trail campsite around the Swampfox and Awendaw Passages. The rains have come now. The trail is calling and I must go.

The trail is calling
The trail is calling

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Devils Fork Entrance

Hiking South Carolina – Devils Fork State Park

I was able to make an impromptu visit to the park with Radar and stayed with some family for a night. My son and his family are traveling from another park and we are meeting at Devils Fork. The drive up is uneventful and Radar naps most of the way. I stop for gas and a quick snack from the Lakeshop at the junction of SC-11 and the turn-off to Devils Fork. Surprise! Coincidently my son and his family are stopped there as well. I follow their van the remainder of the way into the state park.

Devils Fork Campsite
Devils Fork Campsite

Our tent site is a gorgeous walk-in tent site about 20 feet from the edge of the lake. We must leave our car in the parking lot and carry everything to the campsite. Our designated camp site is a couple hundred yards in. Most of the walk-in trail is paved but there are some unpaved portions between the trail and tent sights. The pad site is near the waters edge, sheltered a little by trees, yet still with a nice breeze off the lake. Really a gorgeous pick. All of the tent camp sites here are well established pad style tent sites. You must pitch your tent on the site tent pad. Most of the camping tent pads around us are pretty spacious and include a fire ring and lantern stand. With bears are in the area, we were advised to store food overnight in our vehicles at the parking lot.

Devils Fork Lakeshore. My son and his daughter at the waters edge.
Devils Fork Lakeshore. My son and his daughter at the waters edge.

This is Radar’s second over-night camping trip (you can catch Radar’s first overnight campout here). He seems concerned and watchful. I think he is still unsure about what the heck is going on. Maybe its the newness of the area, maybe the sounds of the lake, maybe the scent of bears in the wind. This night he sleeps lightly on his bed under my tarp and hammock. It’s around 3 am when Radar alerts to an intruder near our camp. I struggle to get my light and look under the tarp from the my hammock to catch a glimpses of what set him off with some warning barks. Whatever it was has moved moved on leaving us alone the rest of the night. Radar is ever watchful. The next morning is “moist” with light rain as we make breakfast and discuss the days plans. The forecast has a small window of clear weather then rain, rain, and some more rain.

Devils Fork, Radar in camp
Devils Fork, Radar in camp

The weather ends up cutting our trip short. But before heading home I took advantage of the break in the rain. I was able to take a quick walk along the park’s nature trail with Radar. We even found some of the rare Oconee Bell plant (See our hike video here, comment below to let me know what you think). Devils Folk has a fairly short 1.5 mile nature trail in the main park. The trailhead is off the large boat ramp parking lot near the visitor center. The Oconee Bell Nature Trail winds through a mostly hard wood forest down around a creek and small pond before returning you to the start. One really nice feature of this trail is the labeling of botanical specimens all along the trail.

There are dozens of sign posts and story boards along the trail, identifying the various trees and plants along the way. The Friends of Jocassee have a great online trail guide which takes you trough the trail’s plants as you hike. One of the biggest points-of-interest on the trail is the Onconee Bell plant itself. An endangered rare plant, it grows in only a few spots in the state. The weekend we visited the plant happened to be in bloom. A moist area ground cover plant, it was sporting the delicate, white and pink, bell shaped flower.

Devils Fork trail hike, the Oconee Bell flower
Devils Fork trail hike, the Oconee Bell flower
Devils Fork Lakeshore
Devils Fork Lakeshore

Located in the upstate of South Carolina, on the shores of the 7,565-acre Lake Jocassee, this park offers ready access to the lake, fishing, and camping. You can get a view of Lake Jocassee from the park webcam here. This 644 acre park park is about 10 miles North of Salem, South Carolina in Oconee County or about a 4 hour drive from the Charleston Area. Located in the Northwestern part of the state, Devils Fork State Park is one of South Carolinas newer state parks having been created in 1990. Anchored on the Sothern side of Lake Jocassee, the park has Villas, traditional RV/camping sites, and walk-in tent sites. The park does have some boat-in-only camping sites located on the Northern side of the lake. All sites need to reserved ahead of time.

Favorite Time of year: I will have to go with Spring to catch the Oconee Bell flower in bloom.

Things to Know: The breeze off the lake can be refreshing in the summer. However can bring a good wind chill factor in the winter. Oh and bears.

Camping: Camping is available at Devils Folk State Park (reservations required).

Pet friendly: Must be leashed at all times, including the forest, okay everywhere outdoors except cabin and lodging areas of the park.

Getting There: Devils Fork State Park is just West of Table Rock State Park off highway 11. Check the State Park directions link. It’s about a 4 hour drive from the Charleston. area.

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Sassafras Mountain East View

Peak Bagging in South Carolina

I just “happened” to be in the area and on a whim decided to detour over to Sassafras Mountain and bag this peak. Radar and I are returning from an overnight family camping trip at Devil’s Fork State Park in the North West part of the state. It’s Friday morning and we’re all heading home a day early. Our camping trip was cut a little short due to some rainy weather and the forecast for more of the same.

I realized South Carolina’s highest peak, Sassafras Mountain at 3,553 feet, is on the way home. Sort of. I check my map app and it looks like Sassafras Mtn is sort of almost on the way home. I don’t know when I’ll be able to get back up in this area. So a slight detour to the North and we are on our way.

Getting there requires a short drive into North Carolina. It’s strange but you can’t drive to South Carolinas highest peak from South Carolina. You must drive out of the state and into North Carolina in order to get to the peak. Sassafras mounting actually straddles the border of North and South Carolines.

Sassafras Mountain Tower approach
Sassafras Mountain Tower approach

I was here a few years ago (maybe in 2018) when the tower was still under construction. We were dropping some grateful hikers off at their car in the parking lot, It was late a night. I ran up to the peak but could see anything (being nighttime and all). So I’ve always wanted to come back.

Sassafras Mountain Plaque
Sassafras Mountain Plaque

We’re taking SC highway-11 home anyway so I detoured and take the winding roads to the mountain peak. It’s about 1:40 pm as we get to the Sassafrass Mountain parking lot. The weather has been off and on rain all day but it’s just a short walk up the trail to the observation tower. The rain lets up as we start up the trail. As we get to the top of the tower the sky is overcast but the rain has stopped, at least for now.

Sassafras Mountain East View
Sassafras Mountain East View

The view is good for the day I think. they say you can see for 50 miles on a good clear day. I imagine the view will be amazing. Maybe on my next visit.

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Radar's not sure

Radar is Amazing on his first real camping trip

My first efforts to take Radar on a real overnight campout and then hiking went incredibly well. Radar and I have hiked together a fair amount. And we’ve glamped before. But we haven’t actually tent camped and hiked in one outing before. Hopefully this overnight adventure was a test run for more fun outings to come.

We arrive at Mill Creek county park about 5:30 pm. Mill Creek county park is a popular equine camping staging area located in Sumter County, at the southern end of the High Hills of Santee Passage of the the Palmetto Trail. There are a few horse trailers already set up for camping there. We select and set up our camp site near the trailhead leading north to the High Hills of Santee trail. Radar is nervous. He doesn’t know why we’re here this late in the day. Tent camping is all new to him and he’s not sure what’s happening. I put his vest on him to see if it will help calm him down any. I’m picking tarp camping to start out with him which is a little bit of a challenge in and of itself. I guess I figure we may as well start hard and work toward easy. Park rules say he needs to be on leash in the park, although not all dogs here are. There is at least a pug and another heeler here too. The pug runs up next to my car as I arrived, dragging it’s leash, seemingly convinced it was more important to greet us as new arrivals to camp, regardless of it’s own personal safety and the potential hazards of being crushed by a moving vehicle. Anyway we’ll see how the leash thing goes. I had picked up a 50′ roll of paracord from Lowe’s on the way with the idea I could make a long lead for Radar in camp. I also brought his bedding from home to make him feel a little more at home along with his regular food and water bowls. I have a couple collapsible bowls I usually bring when we go out for hikes but will save them for the trail tomorrow. Right now he’s sitting on my lap in the chair (his choice), watching everyone and everything else around the camp.

Radar's not sure
Radar’s not sure

There is a mule in an impromptu electric fence corral next to a couple of horse trailers on the right of us. They have the pug and heeler. Across from us is another pair of horse trailers with a shepherd and lab. Everyone seems to know everyone. They started a camp fire at the pair of trailers across from us and the people from all four trailers are sitting around the fire chatting. The sun is getting ready to set so I’m going to feed Radar and eat now myself.

Radar's first night tarp camping
Radar’s first night tarp camping

Up in the morning. I was awake early but am waiting until the sun starts coming up. It was a little bit cooler than I expected last night with this early morning temperatures at about 45 degrees. Note to future-self: Things to bring on fall campouts, gloves and a warm hat. I am glad I brought my heavier sleeping bag, a 20 degree sleeping bag, which was perfect. Radar did incredibly well for his first night of tarp camping. He only got up a few couple of times in the night, left the tarp, and walked around. I think he was check out noises from the adjacent woods. No barking, just checking. I got up a couple times myself to pee and he followed me close. Because we were under a tarp, I had to keep him on the long lead most of the night but for the last hour or so waiting for sunrise. This last hour we both just lay here waiting for sunrise. The ground is pretty hard and my Z-fold pad isn’t making much of a difference. I’m beginning to think I may need a different pad.

Radar still seems a little nervous this morning so when I got up for a quick walk to the bath house, I took him with me. I wanted to use the larger stall so Radar could come in with me, but someone was already in there so we went back to our campsite. Who get’s up at the crack of dawn to use a bathhouse anyway? When we get back to the camp site, I open up the car to start getting breakfast ready and Radar jumps right in and takes his place on the front seat. I don’t know if he thinks I might leave him or not but he isn’t taking any chances. He comes out of the car for his morning meal while I have a nice trail breakfast of hot oatmeal and a café mocha. It feels good to be in backpacker/hiker mode again. I’m dressed for the trail. It’s been a while (too long) since I’ve been able to get out and do any real hiking.

Radar is ready to hike
Radar is ready to hike

After clean up and repacking my hiking day pack, I put on Radars hiking vest. I want something with a little color on him as we are hiking in the Manchester State Forest, which is public land, during hunting season, and I don’t have any blaze orange with us. I think once Radar realizes we are going hiking he really relaxes a lot. We are on trail, north bound, at 8:50 am. Radar is off leash, much to his hiking joy, once we get out of the park but I do have a leash just incase we meet horses or other hikers. Proper trail etiquette and all. Not everyone seems to like dogs.

High Hills of Santee Passage heading out
High Hills of Santee Passage heading out

The High Hills of Santee Passage I think I’ve hiked at least a dozen times. It’s a great section to hike and I usually start out new backpackers on this trail. There are a lot of access roads and the trail is well marked most of the time. Since it’s been a while for me, I’m loosely planning to hike maybe 3, 4, or 5 miles out, depending on how I feel and the day goes. Then turning around and hiking back. The trick is leaving enough fuel in the tank for the return trek. I figure if I can start hiking by 9am, we can maybe hike like +-3 hours, we could eat lunch and then hike back. Being on trail by 8:50 is a perfect start.

High Hills of Santee Passage sandy trail
High Hills of Santee Passage sandy trail

The issue with the early section of this trail (besides the quicksand patch) is it’s sandy. Sandy like walking on dry sand at the beach sandy. It really sucks the energy out of you. Starting out in the morning fresh is okay (’cause you’re fresh) but finishing at the end of a hike is tough, it’s like hiking an extra mile or two when you’re tired.

The day goes well, the weather is cool, clear and perfect hiking weather. We hike well and make good time. We covered about five and a half miles and make Christmas Mill Road by about 11:30. As we reach the crossroads, there are a whole group of trucks with hunters coming in and starting to unload. Rather than stop there for lunch, we just start our return leg and hike about an hour more before we stop for a good lunch break.

High Hills of Santee Passage young pine forest
High Hills of Santee Passage young pine forest

Radar seems to understand when I tell him “we’re heading back to camp, back to the car.” His ears are up and he leads the whole way back to camp. He follows the trail flawlessly, even when the trail crosses a road or splits, he picks out the correct path on the other side. As we were hiking out of camp north bound, he would generally stay close to me alternating between ahead, behind, or off trail checking out smells and noises, usually not much more than about 75 feet away. Heading back south bound to camp, he occasionally is going off trail to check a noise or smell, but mostly he is leading with purpose, maintaining about a 50-75 feet lead ahead of me on the trail, stopping ever so often and looking back to make sure I am still with him, stopping in the shade, waiting for me to catch up, and then he starts trotting off down trail again.

High Hills of Santee Passage pine forest
High Hills of Santee Passage pine forest
High Hills of Santee Passage open field
High Hills of Santee Passage open field

We stop for lunch around noon. Food and water for both of us. I have a couple collapsible water bowls but it’s hard to judge when hiking and how much water he needs. I make sure he has his fill of water during our lunch stop. The final leg to camp is more sandy and the day is warming up. We’re back on trail by 12:30 heading in to the home stretch now. Nearing the last quarter mile from camp we run into a string of horses with riders, we pull off trail to let them pass, Radar sits and waits. This is a big test because he loves horses. Really, really loves horses. Nipping tails kind of love. He stays, the riders pass intact. We hike on. I’m very happy. We make it back to camp around 2:10 pm. As we enter back in to camp we make for a picnic table in the shade and break out the last of our water. The hike is a win. A great hike and overall a great little campout. Radar crushed the hiking part of the trip and I think he’ll get the hang of this tent camping thing without any issues in the future. Now to figure out the next trip.

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10 Essential Items

Heading Out? Don’t Forget to Pack These 10 Essentials

Whether you are heading down the trail for a quick hike or gearing up for a long trek, you don’t want to forget these essential items. You’ll need to start somewhere and this list is a place to start the discussion. There are many versions of these essential things and infinite options for each item. Of course you will want to scale down or up these items based on your specific outing needs. For example, the first-aid kit I take with me on a week long backing trip is vey different from the first-aid kit I take with me for a local day hike. So lets walk through the 10 essential items.

Flash light
For me, a simple headlamp works well for almost all situations here. Light weight and easy to pack even for a day hike when you maybe coming in around or after dark. Seldom have I ever needed a handheld style flashlight when hiking. As a trek pole user I prefer the headlamps as it keeps your hands free for other purposes. I would not recommend overly fancy lights or headlamps needing special or button batteries. I’ve seen hikers left in the dark because they couldn’t find replacement batteries in town. Keep it simple, AAA or AA batteries are every where. For short hikes, just make sure you have fresh batteries. For longer treks maybe pack an extra set of batteries.

10 Essential Item Headlamp Knife
10 Essential Item Headlamp Knife

Pocket Knife
Useful for light cutting and trimming. My primary hiking knife is a small simple folding two blade pocket knife. It’s useful for cutting moleskin, opening meal pouches, chopping beef jerk, even getting out the occasional splinter.

10 Essential Item Extra Clothes
Extra Clothing and Socks

Extra Clothing
This can be a simple change of socks, or a change of underwear, or several days of layered clothing. For a local day hike, I might take an extra pair of socks if I thing the trail will be wet. It’s nice to change in to dry socks for the drive home. For backpacking, a hiker travels on their feet so socks are important. For clothing, I usually only pack a change of base layer/underwear, but will always take at least 3 pairs of socks. One pair for today, one pair for tomorrow, and one pair only for sleeping. I try to keep my sleeping socks clean, dry, and reserved only for sleeping. I’ll hike in a pair, then swap them out the next day. My yesterday pair will hang and dry/air on my pack and become my “tomorrow” pair.

First-aid Kit
You can pick up a simple first-aid kit just about any where not much bigger than a deck of cards or even make your own. However you really do need to know how to use what you pack. If you’ve never had any first-aid training, look up an organization like the Red Cross for training in your area, you can even do some of the training on-line. For a day hike a small zip-lock bag with a bit of moleskin and a few bandages is probably enough to get started. For longer hikes I carry a small group kit (I often hike with small groups) containing things like bandages, gauze pads, tape, extra mole skin, antibiotic ointment, ace wrap, KT-tape, some simple over-the-counter meds like aspirin, Tylenol, Ibuprofen, Benadryl, Imodium, small scissors, small tweezers, and the such.

10 Essential Item 1st Aid & Matches
First Aid & Matches

Matches or Fire Starter
What’s really needed here is a way to start a fire incase you get lost. This is a survival type situation item here. A butane lighter with some sort of fire starting aid like dry lint or tinder, in a small container works too. My stove has a piezo lighter/igniter, but I also carry a small butane lighter or a small box of water proof matches, just in case the igniter breaks (it has).

Map and Compass
Even when starting out on a well marked trail you need to know where you’re headed and be able to navigate basic directions. I did a day hike from Newfound Gap with my dad a few years ago in the Great Smokie Mountains. We came across a hiker heading our same direction. Long story short, he was lost on a well marked trail and had to backtrack to his start. If you’re using your cell phone or an app as many people (including myself), a compass is a great battery free, water proof, quick and easy to use tool to aid you in finding your way and help keep you from getting lost. This is the compass always take with me backpacking. It’s a older Silva Starter compass I’ve had for years. It’s simple and works well enough to navigate with.

10 Essential Item Map & Compass
Map & Compass

Water Storage
For a simple day hike I typically use a standard 1-liter Nalgene style bottle or something of equal capacity. When backpacking, my number 1 recommendation and go-to is the Platypus hydration bottles. I always carry two Platy 2-liter flexible bottles as part of my hydration system. They are very light, tough, fold flat when empty and form to the pack contents. Having two of these bottle gives me flexibility in my water carry based on weather and trail conditions for only ounces. For long treks where potable water may not be available, you also need to consider water treatment options.

10 Essential Item Water
Water Storage

Trail Food
This is snacks to maintain hiking energy between meals. Any kind of favorite trail mix or granola is a nice treat to nibble on as your walking. This can be a simple homemade trail mix or can also be something like trail snack bars such as Cliff, RxBar, Nature Valley, & PowerBar. These generally pack and keep well. Watch out for some of the snack bars with chocolate drizzle or coatings, when the weather is warm they can be a mess. Pack an extra bar for those “just in case” times.

Rain Gear
This can be as simple as a disposable poncho or as complicated as a full rain suit. From my experience, if it rains, you will get wet. Regardless of the rain gear. My preferred rain gear is the light wind rain jacket with a hood shown. It breaths well and keeps most of the rain off me. It’s great for short or long hikes, it packs down nicely, and it works well when used as an outer shell over layer or alone as a light rain jacket. An umbrella is also a good option I’ve used on some trails. If I know I’ll be out in a monsoon, I may pack a full rain suit with jacket and pants. A lot of rain can be chilling, carrying away a lot of body heat, and lead to hypothermia.

Sun Protection
Here again, an umbrella pulls double duty and works well. Hats, long sleaves shirts, and sunscreen lotions are also great picks. Consider where you will be hiking and the forecasted weather. Look for a small sport stick sunscreen. At just a couple ounces it can help cover the high burn areas like the tops of ears, nose, cheeks, and shoulders without adding lots of weight to your pack.

It’s a good habit to pack some version of these “Ten Essentials” whenever you head out into the backcountry. Even for day hikes, consider carrying with you water, a snack, maybe a pocket knife, and small first-aid kit. You may use only a couple items or even none at all. But when something goes astray, you will appreciate being prepared.

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Hiking cairn by Jennifer Bourn

A Quick Aside for My July Update

Just a quick aside. It’s been a busy first half of the year and the time has just gone by way too fast. I’m working on a several projects right now, a couple with work and at home. So the year has whizzed by. I’ve also recently had a woman’s group reach out to me, wanting a guided hiking or backpacking trip some time this fall. This sounds like a great opportunity to get out and explore. We’re still way early in planning, I’ve provided a list of possible weekend trips. I’m just waiting to hear back on the kinds of trip they are interested it. This would be a really awesome event if it all comes together. I haven’t had a really good escape to the woods this year yet so I’m looking forward to hiking this fall. I need a trip Radar can come camping with me. My next scheduled outing with my volunteer group will be to Lake Moultrie next month. Small boat sailing is on the agenda and a little lake time in August might just hit the spot.

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Santee SP Camp at night

Hiking South Carolina – Santee State Park (with a Free recipe!)

It’s been almost 10 years since I’ve last camped at Santee. It was nice to get back out to this park. Working with a youth group this time, we camped in the primitive “Scout Camping” area at Santee State Park. Santee is yet another State Park gem in the South Carolina State Park system.

Santee SP boat ramp looking over Lake Marion
Santee SP boat ramp looking over Lake Marion

Set on the wester bank of Lake Marion, this park offers ready access to the lake, fishing, and camping. This 2500 acre park park in Santee Cooper County is easy to get to. It’s just 3 miles north of I-95 and the town of Santee. It’s a popular camping and recreation site for anyone seeking a break from the daily grind. While I’m usually found in the group or primitive campsite, there are about 158 standard camping sites, including 30 cabins. This park also has about 10 miles of bike/hiking trail. Somehow I’ve overlooked these in the past. I defiantly need to add these to my things-to-explore list for my next trip.

I’ve been to this camp dozens of times over the years. After a long hiatus, it was interesting to find virtually nothing had changed, at least at the primitive site. While functional, the primitive area old cold water bathrooms seemed exactly the same, down to the same peeling paint. Again functional, but unchanged in over a decade. I was able to get out of camp for a short walk. See a video of the hike here and let me know what you think.

Cooking class table layout
Cooking class

Our main purpose for this trip was to teach and model different cooking techniques for new campers. We included base camp and backpack style recipes, foods and food preparation, and cooking methods.

Free Recipe

Here is one simple quick backpacker recipe which everyone seemed to enjoy.

Chicken & Stuffing
Ingredients: 
1 Package of Chicken/Turkey Flavored Seasoned Stuffing Mix
1 or 2 Foil Pouches of cooked chicken.
1/2 to 1 Cup of water

In a group size pot (+- 1 liter), boil the cup of water and remove from heat. Add the cooked chicken, stir. Add the stuffing mix, stir well. Serve.

A 12-once package of stuffing mix can feed about two hikers. Adding a couple 2 or 3-ounce packs of chicken will boost up the protein. You can fancy the meal up with a few cranberry raisins and chopped nuts stirred in from your trail mix too.  

Favorite Time of year: Anytime for camping.

Things to Know: The breeze off the lake can be refreshing in the summer. However can lower the chill factor in the winter.

Camping: Camping is available at Santee State Park (reservations required).

Pet friendly: Must be leashed at all times, including the forest, okay everywhere outdoors except cabin and lodging areas of the park.

Getting There: Santee State Park is just North of I-95 and the town of Santee. It’s about an 1 hour drive from the Charleston. area.

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Night sky on Johns Island SC

When Is Something Broken Good?

This past weekend I camped with a group of fellow campers on Johns Island. While not summer hot, the weather started out a bit warm.

Fall in South Carolina can still have some pretty warm weather. It can also have some of the best camping weather around. So far this fall the weather has been generally good with the heat of summer is gone, but the evenings still have been hovering between a little too warm and almost cool. Camping weather in the fall is some of the best here because its mostly dry, the bugs are fading, and the evening temperatures are cooler. The days are in the comfortable tee-shirt temperature zone and the nights can dip down in to the sleeping bag snuggling temperatures.

Activities while camping are great don’t get me wrong, but there is something special about camping sleeping. It’s a little complicated to explain, probably because there are so many things which affecting how well someone sleeps outdoors. Partly I think one of the benefits is your body gets to re-tuned and return to natures natural circadian rhythm. For me, one of the big contributors of a good nights sleep is temperature. Too warm and you’re laying in a puddle of sweat, too cold and you’re shivering, either way sleep doesn’t come easily when you are outside of the “great sleeping weather” zone.

When is something broken a good thing? When the heat of the summer breaks for the fall camping weather. There is something special about being a witness to the changing of weather. This past weekend I was able to see and feel this shift, the breaking in to the cooler fall camping weather. It rolled in as a small weather front Saturday afternoon. You could see the clouds moving in, covering the clear blue South Carolina sky. There was a light sprinkling of rain, and then just like that, the cooler weather was here. Sleeping that night, blanketed in a warm sleeping bag, in the shelter of my tent, was great.

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