Every Bit The Journey

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

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Category: Hiking & Camping in South Carolina Page 2 of 5

Santee SP Camp at night

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

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On December 21, 2021

In Hiking & Camping in South Carolina, SC State Parks, Skills, Travel

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?

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On October 22, 2021

In Hiking & Camping in South Carolina, Life, life events

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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On top of Blood Mountain 2011

My 2021 Backpacking List

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On May 27, 2021

In Hiking & Camping in South Carolina, Outdoor Tips, Skills, Travel

What the heck to pack?

I’m heading out this weekend for a backpacking hike in the foothills of upstate South Carolina. I’m leading a small mixed experience group of hikers on this trip. One common question of new hikers is “What do I need to pack?” My answer is usually far from black and white. Specific gear recommendations can be very personal and individualized. I’ve seen people walk in to an outfitter and buy “everything” (from pack to socks everything) new all at once and I’ve seen people stuff what they have in a duffle they and hike the weekend. The bottom line is everyone is a little different and the same gear doesn’t work for everyone. I tell people to look around, shop around, find the things you like and try it out. Hiking or backpacking gear doesn’t need to be the latest top of the line. You need to be comfortable with your gear and it needs to perform for you when you need it to work.

I’ve been working on my gear list for years now. A little here and there. I’ll try something for a while, change it out, try something new. Generally I look for more efficient or lighter as I go. The most recent change up is with my pack. I’ve moved off my external frame to try out an internal frame. The plus of my new pack is it’s half the weight of my old, The con so far is I’ve had to take a whole new approach with organizing my gear in a top loading pack. I’ll probably come back to this later in the year. But for now, this is my basic packing list for 2021. Feel free to take a look and leave a comment.

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Lake Marion Passage

Getting Back Out on the Lake Marion Passage

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On May 18, 2021

In 2021 Palmetto Challenge, Hiking & Camping in South Carolina, Palmetto Trail, Travel

It feels good to be back out on the trail.

The Lake Marion Passage is a 35.9 section of the Palmetto Trail, South Carolina’s long trail. I’ve hiked a few miles of the lower part of this trail in 2019 (Santee/Hwy 301 to Jacks Creek) before I started working full time again that year. I’ve also backpacked north on the High Hills of Santee Passage dozens of times over the years with my volunteer organizations.

On this day, Radar and I decided to hike the Lake Marion Passage from the Northern end for a few hours. With snacks and water for both of us in my day pack, we headed out South bound from the Mill Creek County Park Trail Head. Our section of trail was in fair to good condition and it was a great hike. It felt good to be out in the woods again. This section doesn’t appear to heavily traveled and we were by ourselves the whole time. The weather was great and cool enough the bugs weren’t an issue. As it’s spring everything was green. After heading out from the trailhead, we hiked in to the woods along the trail a little over a mile before we came across a long boardwalk/foot bridge over the swamp.

Lake Marion Passage - Foot bridge across the swamp
Lake Marion Passage – Foot bridge across the swamp
Lake Marion Passage Wild Flowers
Lake Marion Passage Wild Flowers

I think Radar picked up the swamp smell before we saw the bridge. He took off, bounding towards the swamp – until he started sinking in the soft mud. realizing the error of his ways, he high-tailed it back to the trail where I was laughing for him. After crossing the swamp via the designated foot bridge, the trail follows the land contour for about a mile, with cut forest on the East side and low ground and swamp canopy on the West. We picked a good turn around point where a dirt access road intersected the trail. Hopefully soon I’ll be back to hike more.

Lake Marion Passage water break
Lake Marion Passage water break

When hiking with a K-9 buddy, it’s important to include a snack and water dish in your day hike gear. I use a small collapsible bowl and carry extra water to share. On this trip I brought a small amount of his regular dog food for a his snack. After a short water and snack break at our turn around spot we headed back the way we had come. This time, Radar took the foot bridge over the swamp. But only about halfway. I guess he figured “Bridges – who needs them when you have the sweet cool savory wetness of the swamp?” and over the side he jumped. Swimming, chest deep, in to the cool mud to the other side of the swamp. Sigh. He couldn’t have been more happier.

Lake Marion Passage - a perfectly good foot bridge
Lake Marion Passage – a perfectly good foot bridge
Lake Marion Passage - Swamp puppy
Lake Marion Passage – Swamp puppy

We didn’t have any real problems on this portion of the passage. While scenic, the Lake Marion Passage does have some broken sections. Be prepared to work around some issues if you hike the whole passage. Coming out of the town of Santee, there’s a 3 mile section which uses the old 301 bridge. The bridge was closed by SCDOT “indefinitely” in 2017. The only current work around is to catch a ride on I-95 over the lake. Old River Road bridge over the Halfway Swamp has been washed out long enough for the trail to be rerouted along local roads. And depending on the lake levels, some of the trail along the lake shores may be underwater or very soggy.

Hiking Lake Marion Passage trail with Radar
Hiking Lake Marion Passage trail with Radar

Overall, this was a great in and out 5 miles round trip hike. I’m looking forward to picking up this trail where we left off.

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21 Hike Challenge Logo

Spring has Sprung with the 2021 Palmetto Trail Challenge

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On March 22, 2021

In 2021 Palmetto Challenge, Hiking & Camping in South Carolina, Palmetto Trail, Travel

Last year, for reasons we’ll not discuss, the Palmetto Trail folks didn’t have an annual hiking challenge. Well this year they are making up for it with a get-21-hike-in-10-months challenge. Oh and the hike need to be on the Palmetto Trail. So I signed up for a fresh hiking start for the new year with the 2021 Palmetto Trail Challenge.

The Palmetto Trail is South Carolina’s long trail. When finished it will run about 500 miles from the mountains to the ocean. Of the currently open sections I’ve completed about a third of the passages so far. Some passages I’ve hiked a dozen times, most only once.

After a year of being trapped inside, I’m looking forward to finding my hiking boots and getting them a bit dirty again. I’ve already completed some sections of Palmetto trail and am hoping to use this challenge to motivation me to stitch in some new sections. But this years tasking will be a bit challenging with my full time job and volunteer schedule. I’ll need a plan to hit those 21 trails in 10 months.

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Crocks & Hot Sauce

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On July 24, 2020

In Hiking & Camping in South Carolina, Life

Out for my first campout in at least six months, and the first two things which popped in to mind were my crocks and hot sauce, I forgot them. Surprisingly, I’m not overly disappointed.

A good pair of light camp shoes are a huge comfort item when out camping. After a day of walking around in shoes & socks, it’s a joy to slip in to some light and cool footwear. Especially when camping in coastal Carolina. Crocks reall fit the bill. Light & easy to carry, great for those 3 AM trips to the latrine. And I left mine at the house.

And my small bottle of hot sauce. I’ve got a 50/50 track record on bringing or leaving the sauce. I think it’s a habanero based sauce one of my sons gave me a while back. It has a nice heat and with just a drop or two, it lasts a long time. And it’s safe in my fridge, at the house.

I really should make a list of things I forgot, but I also just realized, I left my trail journal at home too. Sigh.

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Congaree NP Entrance Sign

Hiking South Carolina – Congaree National Park

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On May 14, 2019

In 2019 Palmetto Challenge, Canoe, Hiking & Camping in South Carolina, National Parks, SC State Parks, Travel

Radar and I hit the boardwalks of the Congaree National Park as part of our Palmetto Challenge and we were not disappointed. The last time I had visited the Congaree swamp area, it was the Congaree Swamp National Monument. There was just a basic visitor center, a few hundred feet of boardwalk, and an open field designated for camping. Congress did a great thing in 2003 when they re-designated the monument as the Congaree National Park.

Conagree NP Boardwalk Trails
Congaree NP Campsite

Many improvements have been made as a result of the national park (NP) designation. The campsites have been upgraded to actual real designated camp sites with central latrines. There is paved parking and a new, much larger, visitor center which explains the history and importance of the entire Congaree basin. It’s here you can also pick up the map and narrative for the Self-guided Boardwalk Tour, which Radar and I did at the start of our walk. The best part of the the park improvements are expansion of the boardwalks and trails. There are almost two and a half miles of boardwalks with dozens of miles of foot trails winding deep through the rich swamp.

Conagree NP Low Boardwalk Trail
Conagree NP Low Boardwalk Trail with Radar
Conagree NP Flooded Swamp

On the day of our visit, the weather was perfect. The trees were in their spring green and their high 130 foot canopy providing wonderful shade and a cool breeze. The river water however was elevated at just over 8 feet, and as part of the natural flood cycle, almost all of the low trails were underwater including a portion of the low boardwalk. We walked the low boardwalk out about a half mile to where the flooding waters took over. We stood at the waters edge and watched the water slowly making it’s way through the trees around us. It was kind of magical to be able to stand in the middle of a flooded, flowing swamp. We backtracked and followed the elevated boardwalk out to Weston Lake and then a little past where one of the trails intersected the boardwalk. The floodwaters prevented us from looping any of the trails this day, but we had a great time exploring anyway.

Conagree NP Elevated Boardwalk Trail
Conagree NP Elevated Boardwalk Trail with Radar
Conagree NP High Canopy & Old Growth Trees
Congaree NP Low Boardwalk Trail

This park offers some great opportunities to explore a rare old growth forest, either afoot or afloat. You can hike deep in to the park on the River & Kingsnake trails. if you like paddling, you can take some amazing float trips through the swamp via canoe or kayak on Cedar Creeks and along the Congaree River itself. My first couple canoe trips in South Carolina were centered around the Congaree River and Swamp. My family and I canoed a very memorable 48 miles of the Congaree River, camping in the wilderness on the banks of the Congaree Park (National Monument at the time). The following month, I led a weekend canoe trek with my scout troop starting on Cedar Creek in the swamp and making our way out on to the Congaree River, again camping in the wilderness. Both trips were adventures in exploration of a wilderness not likely to be found anywhere else.

Conagree NP Weston Lake
Conagree NP Weston Lake

As the largest remaining tract of old-growth bottom-land hardwood forest in North America, the Congaree National Park is a must-visit if you ever find yourself in the area.

Congaree National Park (120′) | SC 48 (Bluff Road) | Richland Co. | Hopkins, SC | 16 April 2019 | 6 miles | 106′ gain | Easy

Favorite Time of year: Spring and fall for camping.

Things to Know: Check the water levels prior to going, you can call or check the river gauges here. Please speak to a park ranger before setting a geocache.

Camping: You need a prepaid reservation for front-country campgrounds, you can make reservations through Recreation.gov or by calling 1-877-444-6777. Back-country camping is allowed please the the Camping page of the NP site for details.

Pet friendly: Pets allowed in most outdoor areas but must be physical restraint or on a leash not longer than six feet. Be respectful of others on the boardwalks.

Getting There: Congaree NP is in the midlands of South Carolina, just South of Columbia about 30 miles, East of I-26 and South of I-77, just off Old Bluff Road. It’s about an hours drive from the Charleston area.

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Eutaw Springs Passage of the Palmetto Trail

South Carolina – Eutaw Springs & Santee Passages

By

On April 3, 2019

In 2019 Palmetto Challenge, Hiking & Camping in South Carolina, Travel

Are you looking for a nice +20 or 30 mile section of trail to take you through shaded woods and rolling meadows to see nature while you hike or backpack? Possibly a secluded camp overnight? Then these two sections of the Palmetto Trail are not for you.

The Eutaw Springs Passage is a 21.3 mile section and the Santee Passage is a 12.7 mile section of the Palmetto Trail bridging the end of the Lake Moultrie Passage to the south and the Lake Marion Passage to the north. I selected both of these sections to explore and hike with Radar as part of our Palmetto Challenge mileage. Boy was I surprised.

Often when trails overlap roads out of necessity, the trails will run parallel with roads. Sometime the trails will be just off the road in the woods, occasionally using a short section of asphalt as a bridge or to link the actual hiking trail. So when I looked at the maps for these areas, I didn’t think anything of the route following along the roads. However, in this case the roads are the trail. Make no mistake here, there is no hiking “trail.” You will be walking along the roadway. For miles. There are short sections of wooded hiking trails used to link the miles of roads these routes claims to be. Out of the 34 miles these two sections make up, there is only like about 5 miles of what most people would call actual hiking trails. There is a statement included on the back of the Eutaw Springs map which states:

“Much of this trail uses rural highways and dirt roads. You should prepare for possibility of unleashed dogs and wear bright clothing (and reflectors) to warn drivers. The spur trail is occasionally wet and muddy”

Eutaw Springs Passage of the Palmetto Trail
Eutaw Springs Passage of the Palmetto Trail

I can honestly say, it’s an understated but accurate statement. I drove from the start of the Eutaw Springs Passage to mile 7 before I could find where any of the “trail” left the road for a walk in the woods. The trail section from mile 7 to 9 is a wooded trail. Radar and I hiked this in and back, enjoying a light trail side lunch. At mile 9 the wooded trail yields again to more paved road. Once we got back to the car, we drove most of the remaining route trying to identify any remaining wooded trails. Absolutely much of the roadway travels through rural neighborhoods and communities on the southwest side of Lake Marion. To call some of the houses, trailers, and buildings along this section of trail “rustic” might be a bit too generous. It looks like from mile 10.5 to 12.2 is another wooded trail section joining roads. Fedcon Road (miles 12.5 to 17) is a deceiving dirt road which was impassable somewhere around mile 15 due to really heavy deep mud ruts. There was a pick-up truck with an older guy and his hound dog, traveling ahead of us, which ended high-centered and stuck. I tried to help push him out but we ended up turning around in my car and taking him and his pup back to his home so he could get a wrecker to extract his truck from the mud.

Eutaw Springs Passage of the Palmetto Trail, between mile markers 7 & 9
Eutaw Springs Passage of the Palmetto Trail, between mile markers 7 & 9
Eutaw Springs Passage of the Palmetto Trail, at mile marker 7
Eutaw Springs Passage of the Palmetto Trail, near mile marker 9

I would not recommend hiking any of this section in the summer as you will be out on the open road and under the sun 90% of the time. And I wouldn’t hike if it’s rained recently. While most of the roads will be fine, any actual hiking trail will likely be wet and or muddy. The Rocks Pond camp ground (about a mile down campground road from mile 13) is mostly RV sites but likely has some tent sites as well. The other camp site on the trail (about mile 18.5) we didn’t make due to helping out the stuck truck, but looks like it’s on the only other section of wooded trail. We explored the Santee Passage section and it’s virtually all roadway with no designated camping.

Eutaw Springs Battlefield
Eutaw Springs Battlefield
Eutaw Springs Battlefield

The one really cool place to visit is in Eutaw Springs. Located just past a turn in the trail/road is the American Revolutionary War era Eutaw Springs Battlefield. This was one of the last major engagement of the war in the Carolina’s, both sides claimed victory. We forget sometimes, how old our country is and the sacrifices our forefathers made to create a new nation. Definitely worth stopping, walking, and reading the self guided interpretive signs around the battleground.

Favorite Time of year: Maybe the Spring and fall (low bug time) for camping when its cool and dry.

Things to Know: You will be traveling on public roads most of these two trail sections. Pick a day with good cloud cover and use a good sunscreen.

Camping: RV and tent camping is available at Rocks Pond Campground, trail side primitive camping around mile 18.5 on the Eutaw Springs Section. There is no designated camping in the Santee Passage Section.

Pet friendly: There are no known restrictions on the trail but I would keep on leash while on the roadways. Watch for unleashed local dogs.

Getting There: The Eutaw Springs Section starts at the Diversion Canal, about an hours drive from the Charleston area. Good luck.

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Givhans Ferry State Park Entrance

Hiking South Carolina – Givhans Ferry State Park

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On March 27, 2019

In 2019 Palmetto Challenge, Hiking & Camping in South Carolina, SC State Parks

Located on the high limestone bluff on a gentle bend in the Edisto River, Givhans Ferry State Park offers a relaxing place to sit and watch the river flow by.


Relax on the porch of the Riverfront Hall a popular spot for family gatherings
(from the SCSP web site).

Just 35 miles from downtown Charleston, Givhans Ferry has cabins, RV, and standard tent sites, as well as a primitive camping area. This park has the unique distinction of being located at the end of the 23-mile Edisto River kayak and canoe trail which begins upriver at Colleton State Park. The Edisto River is the longest free-flowing, blackwater river in North America. There is a really nice sand beach for wading and swimming along with a new integrated ramp for launching and recovery of canoes and kayaks making this a must do for paddle craft sports.

The bridge in Givhans Ferry State Park on the River Bluff Trail
The bridge in Givhans Ferry State Park on the River Bluff Trail

For hiking, Givhans has a fairly short 1.5 mile River Bluff trail in the main park, however if you cross the road at the park entrance you can pick up the 4.7 mile Old Loop Trail which winds around the perimeter of the largely undeveloped park boundary with woods on both sides. Radar and I took a day and hiked both the River bluff trail and then the Old Loop trail as one big loop, for just over 7.4 miles returning to where we started.

Hiking the Old Loop Trail with Radar
Hiking the Old Loop Trail with Radar

The park is located where there was a ferry crossing the river dating way back to the 1700’s. In the 1930’s, this was one of the original 16 South Carolina state parks built with the help of the Civilian Conservation Corps. The park consists of about 988 acres and offers swimming, fishing, boating, and bird watching. There are also picnic shelters, a playground, and several geocaches are located on the park.

On the bluff is a small grave for Mary E. Ford
On the bluff is a small grave for Mary E. Ford

Givhans Ferry State Park (123′) | County Rd S-18-30 |Ridgeville | Dorchester, SC | 11 March 2019 | 7.4 miles | 163′ gain | Moderate

Favorite Time of year: Spring and fall for camping.

Things to Know: Please speak to a park ranger before setting a geocache. Swimming is permitted in the Edisto River, but with no life guard, at your own risk of course.

Camping: Camping from RV to primitive is available at Givhans. go here for reservations or call (843) 873-0692.

Pet friendly: Pets allowed in most outdoor areas but must be physical restraint or on a leash not longer than six feet.

Getting There: Givhans is in the lowcountry of South Carolina, just East of Summerville, between I-95 and I-26, just off SC-61N. It’s about an hours drive from the Charleston area.

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Outdoor Tips – New Gear

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On March 20, 2019

In Hiking & Camping in South Carolina, Outdoor Tips, Skills

Looking to upgrade or replace gear? Watch for sales.

I know, I know. This sounds like “duh, no kidding.” It’s tempting, but new camping – hiking – backpacking gear can be crazy expensive. If you want to sale a little money, be patient and spend some time figuring out what you’re really looking for in a particular item. There’s so much information available now you can compare features and pricing easily. Considering last years model may save you considerably on “new” gear. Expect to pay full retail price on the new gear when it first comes out. When the “latest and greatest” new gear does come out however, stores will often discount the old or last years model to move it to make room for the new. I had been thinking about a new backpack for some time but the packs I had been considering were several hundred dollars and I just couldn’t make the plunge. And as luck would have it, one day there was an ad, I did some quick research, and was able to pick up a name brand backpack for half price because it was last years model. The best part is it’s also half the weight of my old pack!

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